Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: ⁠⁠https://www.patreon.com/OneDime⁠

In 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 Socialism

03:28 The Crisis of the Left: Organizational and Intellectual Weakness

07:18 Rebuilding the Left: Strategies for Organizing Workers

33:50 The Left's Relationship with Small Business Owners and Farmers

35:16 Voting Patterns and Class Interests

44:13 The Decline of Traditional Left-Wing Parties

56:41 Defining Capitalism and Socialism

59:05 Transition to The Backroom

GUEST:

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/1DimeOfficial

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime...

Check out my main channel videos:    / @1dimee

Outro Music by Karl Casey

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Get access to The Backroom (80+ exclusive episodes) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime

In 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 & Freud

00:14:45 The Stupidity of Intelligence, The Unconscious, Drive vs Desire

00:20:43 Can AI "think"? Can AI "enjoy"? Desire, Lack & Enjoyment

00:45:43 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 Intelligence

GUEST:

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/@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: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/OneDime⁠

In 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 Leftists

00:29:44 The Tucker Carlson Left

00:37:05  Is the Left Becoming Less Woke?

00:40:30  Trauma culture, therapy speak, and New Age Capitalism

00:50:10  Liberalism as ideology of decay

00:58:27  From second-wave feminism to PMC “girlboss” feminism

01:02:04  Socialist feminism, PMC feminism, and family policy

01:07:58  Liberal parenting, mental illness, and the crisis of adulthood

GUEST: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 online

FOLLOW 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/@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: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime

In 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 Leftists

00:29:44 The Tucker Carlson Left

00:37:05  Is the Left Becoming Less Woke?

00:40:30  Trauma culture, therapy speak, and New Age Capitalism

00:50:10  Liberalism as ideology of decay

00:58:27  From second-wave feminism to PMC “girlboss” feminism

01:02:04  Socialist feminism, PMC feminism, and family policy

01:07:58  Liberal parenting, mental illness, and the crisis of adulthood

GUEST:
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 online

FOLLOW 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/@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: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime

In 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-Imperialism

00:06:27  WTF is Happening Between Venezuela and the USA? 

00:08:35  Petrol states 101, Dutch Disease, and US Sanctions

00:22:48  War Powers and the Imperial Presidency

00:30:33  Hugo Chávez, the Bolivarian Revolution, and Maduro

00:35:28  Hyperinflation, Corruption, and the Militocracy Trap

00:44:02  Libya, and The New Regime-Change Playbook

00:49:21  The Guyana border crisis

00:55:09  Gulf monarchies, migrant underclasses, and “successful” petrol states

00:59:26  Trump’s military build-up and scenarios for a Venezuela war

01:06:47  Eastern Europe democratization vs Middle East Interventions 

01:17:17  Cartels, Mexico, Argentina, and the Latin American security order

01:35:07  The Truth about Maduro and Venezuelan democracy

01:50:03  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/tonyof1dime

igsh=MWNuMjhpMHoxbHBwZg%3D%3D&utm_source=qr  

• Check 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: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime

In this week's episode, I sit down with philosopher Isabel Millar, author of The Psychoanalysis of Artificial Intelligence, to analyze ChatGPT and large language models (LLMs) through the lens of Psychoanalytic theory (Lacan, Zizek, etc). As we will see, much of the AI/AGI hype regarding AI "thinking" and "becoming conscious" is a byproduct of a limited understanding of the human psyche itself, which psychoanalysis is key for unpacking.

In The Backroom on Patreon, Isabel and I talk about love in the age of Artificial Intelligence, AI girlfriends, sexbots, and how OnlyFans, online porn, and prostitution relate to the psychoanalytic understanding of sex. Why psychoanalysis treats sex less as “biology” and more as a knot of desire, lack, and fantasy.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Sexbotification, AI Girlfriends, & more (The Backroom Preview)

00:03:55 The Importance of Psychoanalysis, Lacan & Freud

00:14:45 The Stupidity of Intelligence, The Unconscious, Drive vs Desire

00:20:43 Can AI "think"? Can AI "enjoy"? Desire, Lack & Enjoyment

00:45:43 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 Intelligence

GUEST:

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/@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): https://www.patreon.com/OneDime

In 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/OneDime

Timestamps:

0:01   The Backroom Preview (debate on NATO/Ukraine/Russia)

5:15  Why Yves Engler is Running for the NDP

8:16  Jagmeet Singh/leadership discussion

12:22  Problems with the NDP and alternative proposals

32:58  Solution to Housing Crisis & Affordability

41:06  NDP–Liberal agreement

1:15:33  Healthcare, Pharmacare, Dental

1:44:14  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/@1Dimee

Outro Music by Karl Casey

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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/OneDime

In 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/OneDime

Timestamps:

00:00 Actually Existing Socialism Debate

01:50 Is Marxism Still Relevant? 

15:56 China, Vietnam, vs the Eastern Bloc

37:40 Leninism & Vanguardism

47:22 The Family & Gender 

48:24 Collectivization vs China's Development Model

53:34 Markets Under Socialism?

01:02:37 The Socialist Transition Debates

01:13:59 The Role of Religion in Marxist Movements

01:21:05 Identity Politics vs. Class-Based Organizing

01:25:17 Social Democracy vs Marxism-Leninism vs Democratic Socialism

01:36:40 Historical Lessons from Socialist Movements

01:52:42 Reflections on Socialist Governance

02:03:03 Conclusion & The Backroom Transition

GUEST:

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/952654594X

FOLLOW 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/@1Dimee

Outro Music by Karl Casey

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Get access to The Backroom (75+ exclusive episodes of 1Dime Radio) on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime

In 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.

Timestamps

00:00 The Backroom Sneak Peek

04:07 Trump’s Gaza Plan Breakdown

08:12 Tony Blair's Role, The New Plan Vs the Mara Gaza Proposal 

14:24 Hamas, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar, & Saudi Arabia

20:48 The Role of Other States in the Region

27:22 Motives of European Union Countries and Refugee Management

36:24 The Future of Israel-Palestine: Two-State vs One-State Solution

55:15 Why Countries (Aside from the US) Still Support Israel 

01:29:27 Third Worldism and Global Capitalism

01:37:05  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/BMStudebaker

FOLLOW 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/@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 (75+ exclusive episodes) and support 1Dime Radio: https://www.patreon.com/OneDime

Chris Cutrone— “the last Marxist”—returns to 1Dime Radio to discuss his “Campaign for a Socialist Party” and lays out, in plain terms, what it would actually take to build a socialist party today.    

In The Backroom on Patreon, Chris and I discuss the distinction between Socialism vs Communism and why we both have always rejected the “Communist” label. We also discuss how Chris’s views on Trump changed in the past year, Geopolitics and where modern “anti-imperialism” goes wrong.

Timestamps

00:00 The Backroom Preview

01:16  Democratic Socialism vs. Social Democracy

03:21  Campaign for a Socialist Party

12:24  The Bernie Sanders & Trump Phenomenon

19:58  Fascism and Capitalism

36:42  Politics Outside of the State

53:21  Debating Capitalism and Socialism

56:59  Contradictions of Capitalism & The Role of the Socialist Party

01:00:59  The Role of Intellectuals

01:25:14  Timeline and Structure of the Party

01:34:50  Base Building & Civil Social Organizing

01:38:02  Challenges and Realities of Organizing

01:41:34  Party Structure and Organizing Tactics  

01:48:01  Practical Steps for Building a Socialist Party

02:18:40  Call to Action & The Backroom Transition

GUEST

Chris Cutrone — founder of the Platypus Affiliated Society; Marxist theorist, teacher, & lecturer.  

• “Socialist unity!” (essay + the 11 Theses) — https://chriscutrone.platypus1917.org/?p=4269
• Campaign coverage hub (reports/interviews) — https://sublationthejournal.substack.com/s/campaign-for-a-socialist-party
• Video explainer — A Call for Socialist Unity — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kmvfUH24DE
• The Last Marxist (Cutrone’s site) — https://chriscutrone.platypus1917.org/

Get involved/contact The Campaign for a Socialist Party: 

Onboarding email: [email protected]

Platypus Affiliated Society (reading groups / chapters): [email protected]
• Platypus Chapters page: https://platypus1917.org/chapters/
• Research/Reports (Sublation): [email protected]

FOLLOW 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/@1Dime

Outro Music by Karl Casey

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