RevolutionZ

Episode 302 of RevolutionZ is titled The Olympics Paris and Beyond. Together, we uncover the complexities of the Olympics including the make-up and power of International Olympic Committee (IOC), who gets the billions generated through broadcasting rights and corporate partnerships, how cities are selected and the often rather horrible effects on them, and much more. We expand our focus to the situation of athletes more broadly, the dynamics of sports and competition per se, and finally on what is underway and possible to alter relations and outcomes for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and for sports more widely. The Olympics becomes a highly graphic case of corporate commercialization and profit seeking run wild even as it also contains instances of justice, human solidarity, and pursuit of excellence. 

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Ep 301 NAR 16 is the last episode in the Next American Revolution sequence. In it Senator and then President Malcolm King, Governor and then Vice President Celia Curie, Lydia Luxemburg, and Bert Dellinger discuss the benefits and debits of electoral participation and the purpose and features of RPS's 2048 campaigns and their major victory in 2048 ushering in the birth of RPS transition. 

This one time, below is what the AI associated with the platform I upload podcast episodes to, Buzzsprout, offered as its summary of the episode, spit forth upon its listening to the material. I employ it so you can see the kinds of writing AIs now generate.So here it is:

"Unlock the secrets to navigating the complex world of electoral politics with our final chapter in the Next American Revolution sequence, "2048 and Beyond." Have you ever wondered whether running for political office can truly bring about transformative change, or does it come at the cost of compromising core values? Join us as we explore the real-life experiences of Malcolm King and the multifaceted challenges he faced, from the pressures of fundraising to the struggle of staying connected to grassroots movements. This episode offers a candid look at the intricate dance between visibility, change, and the risk of self-aggrandizement.

Dive into the strategic depths of electoral work with compelling historical and personal anecdotes. Hear untold stories from the early days of Hugo Chavez's presidency to Celia Curie's courageous run for Governor of California. Their journeys highlight the moral tightrope walked by leaders striving to remain true to their principles amidst the temptations of political victories. Lydia's insights as the RPS shadow government president further illuminate how institutional structures can either hinder or help the path to meaningful progress. Discover the critical importance of leveraging popular support while navigating the institutional landscape to achieve far-reaching policy changes.

As we examine the nuanced relationship between radical movements and existing institutions, Miguel and Bert provide invaluable perspectives on working within flawed systems without losing sight of transformative goals. Revisit the pivotal moments that led to RPS considering a presidential run, culminating in President Malcolm King's transformative UN speech in 2049. Reflect on the broader struggle between revolutionary change and entrenched power through the lens of Malcolm's fierce debate and his vision for an equitable society. This episode promises to leave you with a deeper understanding of the intricate balance between electoral ambitions and grassroots activism."

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Ep 300 of RevolutiopnZ is the fifteenth in the Next American Revolution Sequence. This time Bert Dellinger, Emiliano Feynman, Leslie Zinn, Barbara Bethune, Robin Kunstler, Anton Rocker, and Harriett Lennon  discuss social media, mass and alternative media, health, clinics, and hospitals, courts and police, education, workplace makeovers, and allocation innovations as instances of planting seeds for the RPS future in the present. I again interject comments every so often. 

Have you ever heard anyone ask, "yes, things are horrible, but what can we do about it?" Here is what RPS organizers did in their time to win gains and prepare to win still more gains on the road to attaining a participatory society. Can their future programmatic choices provide insights into our current possibilities? Can their future successes usefully inspire our potential current choices? Miguel Guevara, the interviewer, thinks so. I hope so. Give a listen and perhaps check out the text on ZNet too, to decide for yourself.

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Ep 299 of RevolutionZ, the fourteenth in the Next American Revolution sequence has Andre Goldman, Reverend Stephen Du Bois, Bert Dillinger, and Lydia Luxembourg discuss RPS economic, ecological, and internationalist vision as well as internal and external criticisms of the emerging views and means of resolving such differences. They make a case for fundamental changes, discuss how the views of what to seek arose, how they were presented and received, and their importance for practical endeavors. The question hanging over it all is do their future lessons bear on our current realities?

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Ep 298 of RevolutionZ, welcomes Max Elbaum to discuss prospects and priorities following  Biden's  withdrawa, in light of Harris's momentum, with Trump's authoritarianism, and  continued genocidal Israeli policies. What's with U.S. foreign policy? How can we Stop Trump, address MAGA's rise, win a cease fire, and then continue forward? But, as well, how can we address ideological intolerance and class prejudice even inside the left? With cautious optimism for peaceful protests in Chicago, how do we enhance peace and social prospects until November and then beyond?

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Episode 287 of RevolutionZ has various interviewees describe to Miguel Guevara their debates and ensuing resolutions that arrived at RPS shared vision even as they also steadfastly rejected sectarianism and rigid dogma. From Feyerabend's anything goes, to Chomsky's values are essential and enough, to RPS's we also need core institutional goals, to developing the latter for polity, kinship, and community, in this episode Guevara interrogates more of the Next American Revolution's experiences and lessons. Hear what these future revolutionaries thought and felt, what they did and what they chose to not do. Is their story plausible or fanciful? Could we follow our own version of their path into a better future? What would you change or retain? Is this fiction to make real? Reality to refine? Or what? Maybe my brief interjections while presenting it will help or irritate. There are more NAR episodes to come. 

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EP 296 of RevolutionZ and episode twelve of the Oral History of the Next American Revolution sequence reports on RPS's Second Convention's ups and downs and  the origin and implementation of a shadow government. Interviewees report how the national convention and subsequent shadow government were planned, assembled, and carried out. The interviewees take you fromorganizing's ethical dilemmas to the psychological and social impacts of activist choices, to the dynamics of new institution startup efforts within a corrupt, oppressive, society. Listen (and/or you can read on ZNet as well if you like) and then you can judge for yourself: Do Miguel's questions, Patti's, Malcom's, Lydia's, Bill's, and Barbara's answers, and even my interjections provide insights and inspiration applicable in our time, in our world? That is certainly their and my aim.

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Ep 295 NAR #11 has future revolutionaries Robin Kuntsler, Celia Curie, Ali Carmichael, Lydia Luxemburg, Andre Goldman, Peter Cabral, and Alexandria Voline answer Miguel Guevara's questions about RPS differences over tactics/strategy in RPS development and activism. From prison strikes to shadow government, from workers striking in Cleveland to students rising in Boston,  how does leadership avoid the pitfalls of elitism, how does urgency inform but not swamp patience, how did RPS navigate desires for reform and for revolution, and address inclinations to fight violence with violence as against needs for non violence? NAR #11 continues the oral history of how tomorrow's revolution addressed problems we have face today and have faced for decades. Does their experience provide insights for us, now? Only you can decide, but not without assessing their words.

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Ep 294 of RevolutionZ has for a return engagement as guest Evan Henshaw Plath, popularly known as Rabble. We talk about AI and society, first describing where we are now and how we got here, and then likely impacts on various sectors, from software development to music, and video generation. What is the role of training data? How intelligent can AI get? Will it attain AGI? Is there an existential threat? What are the more immediate social and ethical risks and rewards? What are AI researchers like? As a community, do they have cultural connections or even share a quasi religious culture? Do they have in mind more humane and equitable societies? Or is profit in command? Will AI be a tool that enhances life possibilities for people, or will people be infantilized by AI doing too much of what humans ought to do? Can the public impact the outcome?

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Ep 293 of RevolutionZ is the tenth in the Oral History of the Next Next American Revolution Sequence. Miguel Guevara first interviews Alexandra Voline, Bill Hampton, and Lydia Luxemburg about  combating misogyny and gender hierarchies including feminist strategies for democratizing nurturing responsibilities achieving gender-neutral parenting. Then Cynthia Parks and Peter Cabral discuss with Miguel RPS's strategies to address racism and other cultural community hierarchies including how RPS schools for organizers foster an environment of trust and positive energy and various campaigns around community control of police. Finally Emiliano Feynman and Anton Rocker discuss class issues including recounting  experiences of the great Amazon sit-down strike and the national campaigns to reduce the workday and workweek as well as the challenges of bridging working class coordinator divides.

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