1Dime Radio

Get access to The Backroom (100+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeThis week on 1Dime Radio, Tony is joined again by Benjamin Studebaker, political theorist with a PhD from Cambridge, to dig into Ben’s recent article on “Debilitated Democracy,” the idea that modern democracies do not simply “decline”, they get structurally less capable over time, as modernization accelerates, politics fractures, and governance is pushed into an executive-technical machine that neither elected leaders nor technocrats can fully control. From there, we tackle Ben’s argument for why America can’t become an autocracy, and why people confuse authoritarian policy with autocratic rule, plus how federal complexity, institutional pluralism, and factional conflict make “dictatorship” fantasies harder to cash out in real life.Parts 2 and 3 of my conversation with Studebaker are in The Backroom on Patreon only. In The Backroom, as alluded to in the Backroom Preview in the first 2.5–3 minutes, Benjamin and I answer some of the most common questions we get regarding our politics. Are we post-left? Marxist? Or what? In particular, I try to get Studebaker to articulate what his personal political philosophy is, and what solutions or alternatives to our current impasse he believes in.Timestamps:00:00:00 Studebaker’s Political Philosophy (The Backroom Preview)00:04:13  Intro, “Debilitated Democracy,” and the autocracy question00:13:08  Technocrats as “priests,” and why institutional trust collapses00:28:08  Elected officials vs technocrats, the executive branch tug-of-war00:47:36  Kelsen, Habermas, and democracy’s legitimation crisis00:54:47  Trump, tariffs, visas, and the political limits of “disentangling” from the world order00:59:18  Authoritarian policy vs autocratic rule, why America can’t be an autocracy01:11:59  Nick Land, Curtis Yarvin, and the “CEO-king” temptation01:23:23  Government shutdowns, food stamps, and “embedded democracy.”01:35:25  Managing the European right, and why France and Germany are different01:43:05  State capacity, charismatic leaders, and modern governance limits01:56:08  Backroom teaser: what “left” and “right” even mean nowGUEST:Benjamin Studebaker• Substack: https://bmstudebaker.substack.com/• Website: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/• X: https://x.com/BMStudebakerFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://1dimereview.substack.com/• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: instagram.com/1dimeman• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (95+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this week’s episode of 1Dime Radio, I’m joined by Professor Michael C. Behrent to discuss Towards a Conservative Left: Selected Writings of Jean-Claude Michéa, a newly translated collection of essays by one of France’s most fascinating dissident socialists, sometimes described as “the French Christopher Lasch.”Michéa is a rare kind of left thinker: fiercely anti-capitalist and pro-democracy, but deeply skeptical of the Left’s cultural project, especially when it becomes a substitute for class politics, or when it turns working class “common sense” into something to be morally corrected. We talk about his Orwellian framework (including “Tory anarchism” and “common decency”), his critique of liberalism as both an economic and social ideology, and why these arguments suddenly feel uncomfortably relevant.In The Backroom (Patreon), we go further into what “conservative leftism” could actually mean today: socially conservative and economically leftist, what that synthesis would look like in practice, and what parts of the modern Left Michéa thinks have become complicit with liberalism.Timestamps:00:00:00  The Backroom Preview Culture vs Race, and The Cosmopolitan Delusion00:04:19  Jean Claude Michéa: The French Christopher Lasch 00:10:38  Towards a Conservative Left: Michéa’s Conservative Socialism00:14:05  Orwell: The Tory Anarchist00:17:50  Michéa’s background, communist parents, the Resistance, and patriotism00:28:01 Why Orwell is the key to Michéa’s synthesis00:35:57  Orwell’s “common decency.”00:50:15  Common sense vs left suspicion, and the populist question00:59:22  The “bourgeois left” & The drift away from the working-class 01:02:45  What “conservative” really means here01:31:02  A New Political Synthesis (The Backroom Transition)GUEST:Michael C. Behrent• Towards a Conservative Left (Bookshop): https://bookshop.org/p/books/towards-a-conservative-left-selected-writings-of-jean-claude-michea-jean-claude-michea/22912345• Towards a Conservative Left (Barnes & Noble): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/towards-a-conservative-left-jean-claude-michi-a/1147813503• Vauban Books (Publisher): https://www.vaubanbooks.com/• Behrent faculty page (Appalachian State): https://history.appstate.edu/faculty-staff/profiles• Behrent’s site: https://sisterrepublic.wordpress.com/about/FOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://1dimereview.substack.com/• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: instagram.com/1dimeman• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (95+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, Keegan Kjeldsen from Essential Salts (Untimely Reflections/The Nietzsche podcast) joins me for a chapter-by-chapter breakdown of Francis Fukuyama’s book The End of History and the Last Man. We unpack liberal democracy’s philosophical roots, the fragility of authoritarian states, the Hegelian struggle for recognition, and the tensions between capitalism, legitimacy, and human dignity. Don’t miss this guide to one of the most misunderstood books of the modern era.Part 2 of this discussion is in The Backroom (Patreon Exclusive). You will you get an additional 2 hours of Keegan/EssensialSalts and explaining the rest of Fukuyama's book chapter by chapter. Timestamps:00:00:00  The Backroom Preview00:04:53  Why Read Fukuyama 00:10:14 Theory of History Explained: Hegel, Marx, Nietzsche)00:26:01  The Weakness of Strong States00:46:02  Why Communism and RW Dicatorships Failed01:12:00  Liberal Democracy as the final form of government? 01:28:03  The Struggle for Recognition and Human Nature02:10:01  Transition to Part 2 (On Patreon)GUEST:Keegan Kjeldsen (EssentialSalts / Untimely Reflections)• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@untimelyreflections• The Nietzsche Podcast (Spotify): https://open.spotify.com/show/0ZARzVCRfJZDCyeKjvIEfE• Untimely Reflections Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/untimelyreflectionsFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://1dimereview.substack.com/• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: instagram.com/1dimeman• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeTags: #1DimeRadio #Fukuyama #PoliticalPhilosophy #Hegel #TheNietzschePodcast #EssentialSalts #UntimelyReflectionsLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

 Get access to The Backroom (95+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeThis week on 1Dime Radio, I’m joined by Dr. Cadell Last, creator of Philosophy Portal, to unpack what feels like a shifting “world spirit” in politics and culture. We dig into the collapse of New Atheism, the move from reason to “spirit,” why Jordan Peterson landed when he did, and how religion and politics are re-emerging as answers to a modern crisis of meaning. Along the way we talk Marx, “events” like 9/11 that fracture shared narratives, and why capitalism keeps generating contradictions it cannot metabolize.In the Backroom (Patreon exclusive), we go further into the global right-wing shift, the return of suppressed contradictions liberals and leftists avoid, and figures like Nick Fuentes for Part 2. In Part 3 (also on Patreon only), we then discuss the idea of “Nationalist Internationalism,” arguing that genuine international cooperation requires strong sovereign nations first, and that real internationalism has to pass through nationalism rather than cosmopolitan globalism.Timestamps:00:00:00  Nationalist Internationalism (The Backroom Preview)00:04:01  The Conservative Zeitgeist00:08:55  New Atheism's Rise and Fall00:11:20  Jordan Peterson vs Sam Harris and the religion comeback00:15:23  Why Marx's critique of religion is wrong00:26:18  “Events” and the collapse of shared narratives00:33:02  9/11, New Age mysticism, and the hunger for meaning00:38:37  The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism00:43:43  Badiou: truth procedures and politics-as-religion01:08:29  Religion vs science, the knowledge problem01:20:22  God, Religion, and ideology01:45:08  Backroom preview (Patreon): global right shift, Nick Fuentes, nationalist internationalismGUEST:Dr. Cadell Last (Philosophy Portal)• Philosophy Portal (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCtCqYQFPhnU1OnHPveEnYw• Philosophy Portal (Site): https://philosophyportal.online/about• Cadell’s Website: https://cadelllast.com/• X/Twitter: https://x.com/cadellnlastFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack: https://1dimereview.substack.com/• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: instagram.com/1dimeman• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.Tags: #1DimeRadio #CadellLast #PhilosophyPortal #Religion #NewAtheism #JordanPeterson #PoliticalPhilosophy #Globalism #Nationalism #Internationalism #Conservatism #RightWingShift

Get access to The Backroom (95+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeThis week on 1Dime Radio, I sit down with Rob Ashton, a trade unionist and frontrunner for the Federal NDP (New Democratic Party) leadership race. I ask him all about his policy platform, what the NDP needs to do to win back the working-class majority. and the biggest issues facing Canadians right now. We get into Ashton’s labour-first strategy, his comprehensive labor reform, whether higher union density risks inflation, what “full employment” should mean, how to rebuild domestic industry without turning it into corporate welfare, and why he thinks the NDP can become a party of real worker power again.Timestamps:00:00:00  Intro00:01:21  Why run for NDP leader as a non-career politician?00:05:02  Why the NDP lost working-class support00:11:46  Temporary Foreign Worker program, wage suppression, and migrant rights00:19:07  How to make unionization easier, labour law reforms, union busting00:32:13  Inflation, wages, and the “wage-price spiral” debate00:34:33  Bank of Canada, full employment, and job guarantee talk00:43:48  Free trade, protectionism, and rebuilding Canadian industry00:49:13  “Pre-distribution” vs redistribution, what it means in plain language01:00:49  Defence procurement, shipbuilding, and reindustrialization01:04:20  Climate policy, nuclear, and a worker-centered transition01:10:23  Alberta, energy jobs, tanker ban, and Indigenous consentGUEST:Rob Ashton, NDP leadership candidate, trade unionist (ILWU Canada)• Rob’s campaign: https://robashton.ca/• Meet Rob: https://robashton.ca/meet-rob/• Rob Ashton on X: https://x.com/Rob_T_E_Ashton• NDP leadership contestants page: https://leadership.ndp.ca/contestantsHow to vote in the NDP leadership race• Become an NDP member: https://act.ndp.ca/donate/membership-en• Leadership 2026 hub: https://leadership.ndp.ca/• Leadership FAQ and voting info: https://leadership.ndp.ca/faq• Rules governing the leadership contest (official PDF): https://www.ndp.ca/sites/default/files/2026-leadershipgoverningrules.pdfFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://1dimereview.substack.com/• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: instagram.com/1dimeman• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (95+ exclusive episodes of 1Dime Radio) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode, friend of the show, Philosopher Dave McKerracher of Theory Underground, and I dig into the idea of “radical responsibility,” basically the notion that if you’re trying to change the world, you’ve got more responsibility on your shoulders, not less. We talk about how bad messaging, cringe behavior, and ideological shortcuts can tank movements, including a wild DSA mishap. Pulling from Max Weber, history, and everyday politics, we argue that real progress comes down to considering real consequences and what a majority of people can actually get behind. In the Backroom, Dave and I continue our spicy conversation on “Progress and Reaction,” taking a deeper look at how parts of the left end up functioning as “shocktroops for capital.”Timestamps: 0:00 Trump’s ICE Raids (Preview)3:43  The Importance of Radical Responsibility 30:45 The Responsibility of the Radical Right53:04 DSA Disaster 1:09:14 Nick Fuentes' Rise 1:25:49 Ends, means, & Intentions: The Ethics of Conviction vs ResponsibilityGUEST:David McKerracher (Theory Underground)• Theory Underground (YouTube): https://www.youtube.com/@theory_underground• McKerracher of TU (X): https://x.com/theoryundrgrnd• Theory Underground (Substack): https://theoryunderground.substack.com/• Underground Theory Volume 2 on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FZBNYSF9FOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://1dimereview.substack.com• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (90+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I sit down with Harper O’Connor, a rising Socialist YouTuber and DSA organizer, to make the socialist case for National Service and how the millitary can be transformed and used to solve climate change. This ain’t just a case for millitary conscription or to bring back the millitary draft per se, but rather for a broader, socialist vision of National Service. This includes the idea of a Civilian Climate Corps and broader service programs that could rebuild state capacity, civic trust, shared purpose, and the social fabric that atomized capitalism keeps dissolving. In the Backroom Exclusive podcast on Patreon, Harper and I talk about how the Left lost younger men, why the far right is winning the “spiritual crisis,” and what a left-wing alternative could be, and we talk socialist strategy more broadly.Timestamps:00:00:00  Why the Left Lost Young Men (The Backroom Preview)00:06:03  The Civilian Climate Corps00:11:41  Were not in Kansas anymore: Harper's Political Journey00:16:51  The Citizen Army Idea: A Socialist Republican Idea00:22:03 What if Everyone Joined the Military? 00:27:34 Belonging, Comradery, and Solidarity00:33:17 Build Stuff, Save Lives, Learn Life Skills, Make Friends00:37:06  Conscription Makes it Harder to Go to War00:44:20  “Isn’t This Just Legitimizing Empire?”00:49:22  Civic Duty, Coercion, and Collectivism00:57:10  The Masculinity Crisis01:04:44  Socialism or Eco-Fascism01:17:43  Closing + The Backroom TeaserGUEST:Harper O’Connor, Socialist YouTuber and DSA organizer• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCZDSz1E3rJ18vefmK7Hw4YA • “A Guide to Democratic Socialists of America” (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijlg0phla-sFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (90+ exclusive episodes) and support 1Dime Radio: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeThis week on 1Dime Radio, I am joined by Noj Rants, one of the sharpest new voices in Soviet history on YouTube. We go straight at the myths that both mainstream commentators and newer Marxist sympathizers tend to repeat, especially about the Lenin era, the Soviets themselves, and how the Soviet state actually functioned. We talk about bad historiography, timeline compression, “Lenin died, then Stalin took over” simplifications, Civil War narratives, archives, and why so much of Soviet history discourse ends up polarized into propaganda versus counterpropaganda. In the Backroom segment on Patreon, NOJ Rants, and I keep going for four more hours, continuing the conversation. It is split into two parts, covering a wide range of Soviet history debates across multiple periods. In these two Patreon exclusive episodes, NOJ Rants, and I continue our conversation about contentious events in Soviet history, from the development of the Bolshevik one‑party state to the realities of Soviet “democracy.” We also discuss the Stalin period, the Red Purges, and NOJ Rants' hot takes on Marxism‑Leninism and the lessons of Soviet state-building.  I basically throw every question you can imagine at him and get his take on the biggest controversies, interpretations, and myths. We also get into the state of left-wing YouTube today, and how prominent leftist creators, especially Marxist-Leninists, tend to cover Soviet history.Timestamps:00:00:00  The Backroom Preview 00:04:51  The Best Soviet History YouTuber00:10:05  Where to start reading Soviet history, the best historians and books00:20:19  Stalin Wasn't a Dictator According to the CIA?  00:37:43 The Soviet archives 00:42:36  How the Russian Civil War Timeline Gets Re-Written00:44:44  Soviet elections, Mensheviks, SRs, & the Socialist Opposition00:47:43 The Truth About Imperialist Encirclement01:11:52  The Constituent Assembly and Bolshevik Consolidation01:29:05   Was Soviet Democracy a real thing? 01:33:19  Prelude to the 4-hour Backroom Segment (Parts 2 and 2)GUEST:NOJ Rants (YouTuber, Soviet history)• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@nojrantsFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1Dimee #soviethistory  #sovietunion #russianrevolution Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (85+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeBenjamin Studebaker returns to 1Dime Radio to break down the meaning of Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist who was just sworn in as the new Mayor of New York City, and what his rise means for the Left, what to expect, and whether his policies are actually socialist whatsoever.  In the Backroom exclusive on Patreon, we get deeper into Studebaker’s theory of “Neo-Leftism” and how it differs from both the New Left and Old Left. It's quite a fascinating episode! Timestamps:00:00:00 Neo-Leftism (The Backroom Preview)00:04:21 Mamdani Sworn in as Mayor of NYC00:13:14 Offshoring, tariffs, labor power00:15:54 Socialism in One City00:56:22 Childcare Debate01:12:36 The Real Reason Mamdani  Won01:30:49 Backroom tease, closingGUEST:Benjamin Studebaker (Political Theorist, PhD University of Cambridge), author of The Chronic Crisis of American Democracy• X: https://x.com/BMStudebaker• Substack: https://bmstudebaker.substack.com/• Website: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/FOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

A Christian critique of Capitalism by Tony of 1DimeSince there won't be a new episode of 1Dime Radio this week, I decided to release a voice-over of an essay manuscript I had written on Christianity, capitalism, and a vision of socialism founded on Christian principles. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all of you! Become a Patron if you wish to support my work: https://www.patreon.com/c/OneDimeSubscribe to my Substack: https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime

Get access to The Backroom (Almost 90+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I am joined by American sociologist Musa Al-Gharbi to discuss his book "We Have Never Been Woke" which is by far the most scholarly work on the topic of “wokeness.” Al‑Gharbi provides a materialist theory of the economics and social dynamics that drive what we call "wokeism" and the great disconnect between what he calls “symbolic capitalists” (the section of the Professional Managerial Class within discourse/symbol generating industries like Media, Academia, Art, and Entertainment) and the rest of society. Al-Gharbi's book provides rigorous empirical research on social attitudes, class structures, and identifies four patterns that he calls "the great awokenings" which are driven by "elite overproduction" and liberals and leftists appear the same to so many people.In The Backroom (on Patreon), Musa and I continue the conversation by connecting Musa’s materialist socio-economic theory of Wokeness and Symbolic Capitalists to Tony’s Genealogy of Wokeism essay, plus additional examples, arguments, and pushback that we did not have time for on the main episode.Timestamps:00:00:00  Changing Minds vs Material Conditions (The Backroom Preview)00:05:34  An Empirical Theory of Wokeism 00:14:41  Who are The “Symbolic Capitalists”?00:23:55  Top 20% not just the 1%00:33:45  Elite overproduction and intra-elite competition00:38:31  The 2010s The Great Awokening 00:53:58  Is “woke” dead? Tech backlash, Trump era shifts00:59:14  The Four Great Awokenings, mapped01:00:04  First Awokening (1920s–30s): identity politics before the 60s01:03:51  Orwell’s warning01:07:02  Progressive paternalism and Managerial politics 01:15:41  Turning Standpoint Epistimology back on elites01:19:31  Policing, crime, and what Black voters actually want01:24:10  Do Woke People believe in Woke ideas? Does Sincerity Matter?01:28:19  What about the bottom 80%? 01:33:19  Diversity and Totemic Capital01:36:49  Backroom teaser: Tony’s Genealogy of Wokeism EssayGUEST:Musa Al-Gharbi (American sociologist), author of *We Have Never Been Woke*• Book announcement and links: https://musaalgharbi.substack.com/p/we-have-never-been-woke-available-now• Musa’s website: https://musaalgharbi.comMusa’s Substack: https://musaalgharbi.substack.comFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (80+ EXCLUSIVE episodes): https://www.patreon.com/OneDime⁠Given there is some confusion regarding my positions on immigration, I decided to release the BACKROOM exclusive episode (originally supposed to be for Patrons only) that I did with Benjamin Studebaker (Cambridge, and author of the Chronic Crisis of American Democracy) all on the subject of immigration,—what both the left and right get wrong, and what leftists & liberals don't understand about the rise of the far-right in Europe. This episode is a heavy one! The conversation delves into the complexities of immigration and why the left needs a better response to mass migration and how the far-right captured many working class people across the world. We address topics such as the assimilation, social cohesion, demographic change, brain drain, declining bargaining power, and  the socio-economic impacts of immigration, globalization, and neoliberalism more broadly. The dialogue also touches on the challenges and necessities of having an open discourse on immigration without falling into binary thinking ideological trap.Timestamps: 00:00 How Leftists and and Liberals Often Respond to immigration04:25 Social Cohesion and Integration12:55 Brain Drain and Economic Imperialism 18:46 Assimilation Challenges30:58 Modern Immigration Policies45:21 European Union and Migration55:07 Racism, Xenophobia and tribalism56:05 Trust and Integration in Multi-Ethnic Societies58:27 Leftist and Liberal Perspectives on Immigration01:05:22 Cosmopolitanism vs. Localism01:24:09 The Role of the Professional Managerial Class (PMC)01:34:45 Technocratic Mindset and Immigration01:39:58 Its about more than  "Living Standards"01:41:45 Internationalism and Globalism Critique01:45:39 Managerialism in Progressivism01:52:14 Challenges of Assimilation and Immigration02:27:13 Climate Change and Refugee Crisis02:28:31 Concluding Thoughts on Political DiscourseGUEST:Benjamin Studebaker — political theorist; author of Legitimacy in Liberal Democracies and The Chronic Crisis of Liberal Democracy.• Website: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/about/• Follow Benjamin Studebaker on X: https://x.com/BMStudebakerFOLLOW 1Dime: • Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime • X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial • Instagram: / tonyof1dime• Check out my main channel videos: / @1dimeeCheck out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1Dimee.Outro Music by Karl Casey. Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon.com/onedimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I have an in-depth discussion with Ross Wolfe about neo-Stalinism. We examine the influence of Domenico Losurdo, and how his work relates to a niche defence of Marxism-Leninism. We take up the concepts of state power and revolution, and how the history of liberalism is often misinterpreted by modern activists. In the Backroom on Patreon, Ross Wolfe and I explore just what is “Western Marxism.” Is there a widely agreed upon definition? To do this, Wolfe and I have to unpack its origins, and the polemics by Losurdo, Gabriel Rockhill and others. We try to pin down the line between socialistic critique of capitalism, and simple anti-Western sentiment.TimeStamps: 00:00 Losurdo and Rockhill The (Backroom Sneak Peek) 03:48 Critique of Neo-Stalinism and Marxism-Leninism 06:29 The Influence of Dominico Losurdo 47:23 Historical Inaccuracies in Losurdo's Work 51:14 Trotsky's Legacy and Stalin's Tactics 01:01:21 Debating Marxism, Communism, and State PowerGuest (Ross Wolfee): X/Twitter: https://x.com/rosswolfe?lang=enFind His Articles on Losurdo here: https://thecharnelhouse.org/author/rosslaurencewolfe/FOLLOW 1Dime: • Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime • X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial • Instagram: / tonyof1dime• Check out my main channel videos: / @1dimeeOutro Music by Karl Casey. Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/OneDime⁠In this episode of 1Dime Radio, I have a provocative discussion with a much-requested guest, Vivek Chibber. Chibber is a professor and published writer (Catalyst and Jacobin). We discuss the state of the left today, and whether recent elections mark meaningful shifts in socialist political organizing. We also cover the challenges of building working-class support amidst the rise and conflicting interests of white collar professionals. The conversation touches on political compromise, and the influence of post-colonial theory in academia. In the Backroom exclusive segment on Patreon, Vivek Chibber and I specifically discuss Zohran Mamdani and his recent election. Will he and the DSA political strategy be enough to ensure a sustainable rise of socialism? Timestamps:0:00 Understanding Democratic Socialism and Traditional Socialism03:28 The Crisis of the Left: Organizational and Intellectual Weakness07:18 Rebuilding the Left: Strategies for Organizing Workers33:50 The Left's Relationship with Small Business Owners and Farmers35:16 Voting Patterns and Class Interests44:13 The Decline of Traditional Left-Wing Parties56:41 Defining Capitalism and Socialism59:05 Transition to The BackroomGUEST:Vivek Chibber, professor of sociology and author of Confronting Capitalism: How the World Works and How to Change It. You can also follow Chibber’s work in the publications Catalyst and Jacobin.FOLLOW 1Dime:Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime...Check out my main channel videos:    / @1dimeeOutro Music by Karl CaseyLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I sit down with philosopher Isabel Millar, author of The Psychoanalysis of Artificial Intelligence, to think through ChatGPT and large language models using psychoanalysis. We get into Lacan and the Real, Symbolic, and Imaginary. Freud on repression and desire. Žižek on ideology and enjoyment. Then we push these ideas onto LLMs, from “hallucinations” and fantasy, to whether machines can “want,” to Big Other dynamics, creativity, safety, and the politics around AI.In The Backroom on Patreon, Isabel and I talk about love in the age of Artificial Intelligence, AI girlfriends, sexbots, and how OnlyFans and prostitution relate to the psychoanalytic understanding of Sexuality itself, which is different from the conventional understanding of sex.  Timestamps:00:00:00 Sexbotification, AI Girlfriends, & more (The Backroom Preview)00:03:55 The Importance of Psychoanalysis, Lacan & Freud00:14:45 The Stupidity of Intelligence, The Unconscious, Drive vs Desire00:20:43 Can AI "think"? Can AI "enjoy"? Desire, Lack & Enjoyment00:45:43 Can AI become "Conscious" according to Psychoanalysis?  00:54:56 Are ChatGPT and large language models becoming a 'Big Other' or an oracle of authority?01:04:52 Can AI be creative or "original" in the psychoanalytic sense?01:13:43 Love in The Age of Artificial IntelligenceGUEST:Isabelle Millar, philosopher, author of The Psychoanalysis of Artificial Intelligence• Website: https://www.isabelmillar.com/FOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeOutro Music by Karl Casey.Leave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/OneDime⁠In this episode of 1Dime Radio, I am joined again by Professor ⁠Catherine Liu⁠, author of the book ⁠Virtue Horders⁠, to talk about the recent victory of Zohran Mamdani, the crisis of the Democratic Party, liberalism as ideology of decay, and her upcoming book on Trauma Culture and why everyone in liberal America suddenly identifies as “traumatized” and how that shapes politics, morality, and everyday life.In the Backroom exclusive segment on Patreon, Catherine and I discuss the potential impact of AI on the PMC (Professional Managerial Class), liberal parenting, and have a lot of fun roasting liberal-leftists. Timestamps:00:00:00 AI and white collar layoffs (The Backroom Preview) 00:03:06  Catherine Liu returns 00:03:49 Zohran Mamdani’s victory Analysis: Lessons for Leftists00:29:44 The Tucker Carlson Left00:37:05  Is the Left Becoming Less Woke?00:40:30  Trauma culture, therapy speak, and New Age Capitalism00:50:10  Liberalism as ideology of decay00:58:27  From second-wave feminism to PMC “girlboss” feminism01:02:04  Socialist feminism, PMC feminism, and family policy01:07:58  Liberal parenting, mental illness, and the crisis of adulthoodGUEST:Catherine Liu, professor of film and media studies at UC Irvine and author of Virtue Hoarders and an upcoming book on trauma culture• Follow Catherine’s work and lectures via UC Irvine and her public talks onlineFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: ⁠https://x.com/1DimeOfficial⁠• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/?hl=en&g=5• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeOutro Music by Karl CaseyLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I am joined again by regular guest Benjamin Studebaker, political theorist and PhD from University of Cambridge to break down everything you need to know about Venezuela. In the public episode, Studebaker and I break down the situation in Venezuela, US aggression, and unpack the history of Venezuela as a case study of petrostates and Why Nations Fail while others get rich. We also analyze Trump’s regime change ambitions and the risk of war, the rise and unraveling of Chávez and Maduro, the oil curse that wrecked Venezuelan socialism, and why so many post-colonial petrol states get trapped between getting rich and falling apart. Along the way, we break down how nations really become wealthy or fail, debunk popular myths about development and decolonization, and map the structural traps that still ensnare countries in the Global South.In The Backroom exclusive episode on Patreon, we discuss the limits of anti-imperialist politics,  Israel-Palestine, and the tragic legacy of decolonization in Africa, then dive into more niche political theory debates where I introduce Ben to my early ideas about “The Will and the Spirit” and debate the question of political influence and what we can actually DO to change anything. Timestamps:00:00:00  The Backroom Preview: Imperialism and Anti-Imperialism00:06:27  WTF is Happening Between Venezuela and the USA? 00:08:35  Petrol states 101, Dutch Disease, and US Sanctions00:22:48  War Powers and the Imperial Presidency00:30:33  Hugo Chávez, the Bolivarian Revolution, and Maduro00:35:28  Hyperinflation, Corruption, and the Militocracy Trap00:44:02  Libya, and The New Regime-Change Playbook00:49:21  The Guyana border crisis00:55:09  Gulf monarchies, migrant underclasses, and “successful” petrol states00:59:26  Trump’s military build-up and scenarios for a Venezuela war01:06:47  Eastern Europe democratization vs Middle East Interventions 01:17:17  Cartels, Mexico, Argentina, and the Latin American security order01:35:07  The Truth about Maduro and Venezuelan democracy01:50:03  Pseudo-activity and limits of anti-imperialist activism 01:54:09  Palestine, anti-imperialism, and what counts as politics (The Backroom Transition)GUEST:Benjamin Studebaker - political theorist, PhD in Politics from the University of Cambridge.• Substack: https://bmstudebaker.substack.com/  • Blog: https://benjaminstudebaker.com  • X/Twitter: https://x.com/BMStudebaker  FOLLOW 1Dime• Substack (Articles and Essays):** https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime  •X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial  • Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dimeigsh=MWNuMjhpMHoxbHBwZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr  • Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1Dimee  Outro Music by Karl CaseyLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon): https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of the 1Dime Radio podcast, I interview Yves Engler, “Canada’s Noam Chomsky” - an activist, academic who ran for the leadership of the New Democratic Party of Canada (The NDP). We discuss the problems with the NDP today (and when it was under the leadership of Jagmeet, Layton, and Mulcair), and Yves’s vision of radical democratic socialism. In The Backroom, Yves and I  debate his controversial takes on NATO, the Russia–Ukraine war, and Canadian foreign policy. Become a Patron at Patreon.com/OneDimeTimestamps:0:01   The Backroom Preview (debate on NATO/Ukraine/Russia)5:15  Why Yves Engler is Running for the NDP8:16  Jagmeet Singh/leadership discussion12:22  Problems with the NDP and alternative proposals32:58  Solution to Housing Crisis & Affordability41:06  NDP–Liberal agreement1:15:33  Healthcare, Pharmacare, Dental1:44:14  NATO/Ukraine/Russia Debate (The Backroom)GUEST:Yves Engler — Canadian author & activist; critic of Canadian foreign policy; NDP leadership hopeful.  • Website: https://yvesengler.com  • X/Twitter: https://x.com/EnglerYves  • NDP leadership: https://yvesforndpleader.ca  FOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: instagram.com/tonyof1dime• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeOutro Music by Karl CaseyLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.Tags: #NDP #CanadaPolitics #DemocraticSocialism #YvesEngler #1DimeRadio #NATO #Ukraine #Housing #Pharmacare #Labour

Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) and support 1Dime Radio: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I’m joined by Conrad Hamilton for a debate on the big questions: Is Marxism still relevant? Is Marxism-Leninism a failed ideology—or are critics misreading its history and aims? Most of all, we DEBATE the history of Communism (Marxist-Leninist governments like USSR, China, Cuba, and Vietnam), and whether the paths communists took were "inevitable." In The Backroom (on Patreon), Conrad and I continue the debate on the history of Marxism-Leninism, where things get... a bit heated (in a comradely way). Become a Patron at Patreon.com/OneDimeTimestamps:00:00 Actually Existing Socialism Debate01:50 Is Marxism Still Relevant? 15:56 China, Vietnam, vs the Eastern Bloc37:40 Leninism & Vanguardism47:22 The Family & Gender 48:24 Collectivization vs China's Development Model53:34 Markets Under Socialism?01:02:37 The Socialist Transition Debates01:13:59 The Role of Religion in Marxist Movements01:21:05 Identity Politics vs. Class-Based Organizing01:25:17 Social Democracy vs Marxism-Leninism vs Democratic Socialism01:36:40 Historical Lessons from Socialist Movements01:52:42 Reflections on Socialist Governance02:03:03 Conclusion & The Backroom TransitionGUEST:Conrad Hamilton — postdoctoral research fellow (East China Normal University); co-author of Myth & Mayhem: A Leftist Critique of Jordan Peterson; contributor to Flowers for Marx.• X/Twitter: https://x.com/bongardconrad • Flowers for Marx book (Revol Press): https://www.revolpress.com/flowers on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Flowers-Marx-Ben-Burgis/dp/952654594XFOLLOW 1Dime:• My Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: instagram.com/1dimeman• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeOutro Music by Karl CaseyLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this.

Get access to The Backroom (75+ exclusive episodes of 1Dime Radio) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeIn this episode of 1Dime Radio, I’m joined again by regular guest Benjamin Studebaker—we now have a monthly show together. We break down Trump’s Gaza plan: what it is, which countries are involved and what incentives they have (Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States), and whether Israel will actually abide by it. We then weigh the pros and cons and tackle the long-term question re: What would be a better resolution to the Israel-Palestine Conflict—a two-state solution or a one-state solution? How would either work? Is it realistic over the long run, and what would it take to get there?In The Backroom (on Patreon), Benjamin and I have a nuanced discussion on immigration—what the left gets wrong, and what leftists & liberals don't understand about the rise of the far-right in Europe. Timestamps00:00 The Backroom Sneak Peek04:07 Trump’s Gaza Plan Breakdown08:12 Tony Blair's Role, The New Plan Vs the Mara Gaza Proposal 14:24 Hamas, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, & Saudi Arabia20:48 The Role of Other States in the Region27:22 Motives of European Union Countries and Refugee Management36:24 The Future of Israel-Palestine: Two-State vs One-State Solution55:15 Why Countries (Aside from the US) Still Support Israel 01:29:27 Third Worldism and Global Capitalism01:37:05  Conclusion & Backroom preview (immigration)GUEST:Benjamin Studebaker — political theorist, PHD at Cambridge University, author of Legitimacy in Liberal Democracies and The Chronic Crisis of Liberal Democracy.• Website: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/about/• Follow Benjamin Studebaker on X: https://x.com/BMStudebakerFOLLOW 1Dime:• Substack (Articles and Essays): https://substack.com/@tonyof1dime• X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficial• Instagram: instagram.com/1dimeman• Check out my main channel videos: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeOutro Music by Karl CaseyLeave a like, drop a comment, and give the show a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you listen to this