The Latin@ Asian Dialectic Podcast

In this podcast, we have a special guest- the Brazilian World Cup protester Macia Teixera, a militant of Movimento Mulheres em Luta ("Women in Struggle", part of unión central CSP-Conlutas), PSTU (IWL-FI) & who is part of the world cup committee in Brasilia that is organizing the protests there. Part 1 of this podcast went over the background of why the protests are happening and on the movement itself.

In the second part of the interview, we go over:

3) the political situation in Brazil,

4) the involvement of political parties, organizations & unions in the protests, &

5) the Prospects after the World cup for radicals and socialists.

Beginning and ending track: Nujabes- "Arurarian Dance"

In this podcast, we have a special guest- the Brazilian World Cup protester Macia Teixera, a militant of Movimento Mulheres em Luta (part of unión central CSP-Conlutas), PSTU (IWL-FI) & who is part of the world cup committee in Brasilia that is organizing the protests there. In this two part interview, we go over:

1)the background on why the FIFA world cup is a big problem,

[0:00 to 22:39]

2) the movement itself - how it is functioning (strikes, protests, etc.) [22:40 - 58:46]

The second part of the podcast, which we will publish later this week, we go over:

3)the political situation in Brazil,

4)the involvement of political parties, organizations & unions in the protests, &

5)the Prospects after the World cup for radicals and socialists.

Intro Song: Nightmares on Wax - "Morse"

Ending Song: Nujabes - "Windspeaks"

Are elections worth it? What do we think about the electoral success of the Socialist Alternative campaign of Kshama Sawant? Is this something socialists should actively try to emulate in the US?

Introduction Song: Nujabes - "Nightshift"

Ending Song: Nujabes - "World without Words"

What is Climate Change? How is it related to the general ecological crisis? What role do corporations and capitalism play? How does it affect workers and other oppressed communities? Is there a solution to the ecological crisis? Reform or Revolution?

Intro track – Nujabes “Color of Autumn”

Middle track – 9th Wonder – “The Righteous Way to Go”

Ending track – Apollo Brown – “Tao Te Ching”

What is a vanguard? What are some misconceptions? Are leaderless movements possible? Or are movements always imbued with a leadership in one form or another?

Intro track - Nujabes "Gone are the Days"

Ending track - Nujabes "Spiritual State

Socialism 101 Series #1:

In this podcast, we introduce an ongoing series covering the basics of socialism. Socialism is a word with many meanings in American society, and it is also a term gaining a newfound popularity, especially among younger people. Throughout the entire series, we wish to address what socialism is, according to us. This specific episode will attempt to respond to the popular notion that socialism is "utopian" - that it is a good idea, but fails in practice.

Introduction song – 9th Wonder – “GotToCollectSoul!!”

Ending song- 9th Wonder – “WallaWallaJammin!!!”

In this podcast, we ask ourselves “What is the role of education in capitalism?” We explore two main categories: education’s social role and its economic role. From conditioning people to accept social stratification to training a competitive work force, education is an important institution in the capitalist state.

Introduction song: House Shoes – “Empire”

Ending song: Exile – ”Introduction”

In the backdrop of the financial crisis of 2008, we have seen an onslaught against the working class that has taken many forms. One of these forms has been utilization of austerity measures to cut vital programs that working class folks depend on. Since 2008, fees at the CSU and UC systems have more than tripled due to less funding from the state. Education, which is often seen as an avenue towards upward social mobility, has actually served to more rigidly stratify our society by restricting access to education to those who can afford it. In this podcast episode we explore the logic behind the privatization of education, both economic and political, and we provide our insights on how a struggle can be waged against these attacks.

Note: This podcast is longer than what we usually expect. As a result, we have provided a general outline for the talking points we cover and when they appear in the podcast. The first 3 points are basic summaries of events, and contain little analysis. It is in sections 4 and 5 where the bulk of the analytical content is. So, if you feel confident in your background knowledge, it is possible to listen from section 4 onwards.

(Begins 3:10) 1. Overview of public education since 2008

(Begins 6:18) 2. Highlighting important struggles within that timespan

(Begins 23:35) 3. What's going on now

(Begins 27:18) 4. What does this mean for public education

(Begins 57:15) 5. How to fight it

(Begins 1:15:18) 6. Wrap up

*We forgot to mention but folks should support the upcoming UC strikes of AFSCME 3299 March 24th-28th and UAW 2865 April 2-3.

Introduction song - 9th Wonder - "GotToCollectSoul!!"

Ending song- 9th Wonder - "WallaWallaJammin!!!"

In the Latin@ Asian Podcast no. 3, we go over the situation in Ukraine, where one of the most intense situations of mass struggles is going on today. Mass protests, initially led by the Euromaiden demonstrators,(who are demanding closer European integration), have erupted there since last November, and since have led to the fall of president Yanukovych and Russia's invasion of Crimea. We'll also go over the role of Europe, Russia and the US in all of this and our perspectives and speculation over next steps!*

Introduction song - Thundercat - "Daylight"

Ending song- Thundercat - "For Love I Come"

*Correction from podcast: When Honest said Crimea was Russian territory beginning in the 18th century, he meant to say early 19th century.

"The Latin@ Asian Podcast returns! This podcast is on Horizontalism- the "horizontalist"* method of organizing that social movements use. It's methods were popularized with the Occupy movement in the US, the Indignados movement of Spain, and on other localized organizing movement. Both co-podcasters go into what it is, it's origins, critiques and the type of democratic spaces we think are better suited for mass movements.

*Marina Sitrin in her book on the rebellion in Argentina after the 2001 banking crisis there says the term "horizontalism" was used to describe the neighborhood, workplace & unemployed assemblies that emerged to form "social movements seeking self-management, autonomy and direct democracy. (Horizontalism: Voices of Popular Power in Argentina, AK Press 2006)

Intro track: Apollo- "Blue Ruby"

Ending track: Apollo - "The 11th Hour"