Total Liberation

Thank you all for the support along the way! Mexie will be back soon with a new project – stay tuned.

Sources and Links

* Vegan-washing Genocide: Animal Advocacy on Stolen Land and Re-imagining Animal Liberation as Anti-Colonial Praxis: https://www.scribd.com/document/481003002/Vegan-Washing-Genocide-Animal-advocacy-o-pdf#

* The Myth of the Noble Savage: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/j.ctt1pprf8

* Racists Created the Noble Savage: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/apr/15/socialsciences.highereducation

* SRSLY Wrong, The Dawn of Everything w. David Wengrow: https://srslywrong.com/podcast/242-the-dawn-of-the-dawn-of-everything-w-david-wengrow/

Support

If you’d like to continue supporting Mexie, please visit Patreon.com/Mexie.

Rundown

Mexie speaks with returning guest, Dr. Kristen R. Ghodsee, about her new book, Everyday Utopia. Everyday Utopia explores two millennia of human experiments in living differently to inspire radical hope in building a post-capitalist, post-patriarchal world. Kristen is the critically acclaimed author of Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism, and Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women. Kristen joined Mexie on the show once before to speak about Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism and decommodifying our relationships, an important talk which is linked below.

Sources and Links

* Kristen Ghodsee’s website: https://kristenghodsee.com/

* Everyday Utopia: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Everyday-Utopia/Kristen-R-Ghodsee/9781982190217

* Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: https://www.amazon.ca/Women-Have-Better-Under-Socialism/dp/1568588909#:~:text=Book%20details&text=A%20spirited%2C%20deeply%20researched%20exploration,%2C%20yes%2C%20even%20better%20sex.

* Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women: https://www.versobooks.com/en-ca/products/2880-red-valkyries

* Everyday Utopia on IG: https://www.instagram.com/everyday_utopia/

* Kristen Ghodsee on IG: https://www.instagram.com/alexandra.kollontai.fangirl/

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Rundown

In this episode, Mexie and Ash from the Horror Vanguard podcast analyze the vegan consumer boycott as a tactic towards total human and animal liberation. As two long-time vegans who have had a rocky journey, Mexie and Ash grapple with how to build a liberated world while honouring differences in ability and tradition. It’s a vulnerable, raw and, we think, important conversation.

Sources and Links

* Ash on Twitter: https://twitter.com/darrowvania

* Ash’s website: https://darrow.media/

* The Horror Vanguard Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/user-317910500

* Episode 71: Speciesism Isn’t What You Think It Is: https://totalliberationpodcast.com/71-speciesism-isnt-what-you-think-it-is-w-marine-nix/

* Episode 80: Taking Plant Sentience Seriously: https://totalliberationpodcast.com/80-taking-plant-sentience-seriously-w-nic-kathrin/

* Episode 76: Do You Know Where Your Taxes are Going? Big Ag v. Supply and Demand w. Connie Spence: https://totalliberationpodcast.com/76-do-you-know-where-your-taxes-are-going-big-ag-vs-supply-and-demand-w-connie-spence-agriculture-fairness-alliance/

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Rundown

Mexie speaks with conservation writer, Jared Kukura, about the history and political economy of trophy hunting, the wildlife trade, and the concept of sustainable use. We discuss the colonial-capitalist history of ‘fortress’ and neoliberal conservation around the world, and how trophy hunting furthers neo-colonialism. We talk about the philanthrocapitalists involved in promoting these industries, and end with a discussion of what alternative approaches to conservation might be, including Indigenous-led conservation and convivial conservation.

Sources and Links

* Jared Kukura, A multimillion disinformation campaign is trying to convince you that trophy hunting is ‘sustainable’: https://grist.org/fix/opinion/disinformation-campaign-sustainable-use-wildlife-conservation/

* Wild Things Initiative: https://wildthingsinitiative.substack.com/

* Wild Things Initiative on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@wildthingsinitiative

* Jared Kukura, Safari Club International’s plan to colonize Africa’s hunting grounds: https://wildthingsinitiative.substack.com/p/safari-club-internationals-plan-to

* Jared Kukura, Sustainable use founding father at denier’s conference: Science is bad, business is good, animal rights are dangerous: https://wildthingsinitiative.substack.com/p/sustainable-use-founding-father-at

* Jared Kukura, Who’s pulling the strings behind Africa’s conservation narrative?: https://wildthingsinitiative.substack.com/p/whos-pulling-the-strings-behind-africas

* Mexie, Conserving Half the Earth Won’t Save Us – Neoliberal Nature and the Half Earth Movement: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v2ZHllKvNs

* Buscher and Fletcher, The Conservation Revolution: https://www.versobooks.com/en-ca/products/856-the-conservation-revolution

* We Rise Together, the Indigenous Circle of Experts Report: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/57e007452e69cf9a7af0a033/t/5ab94aca6d2a7338ecb1d05e/1522092766605/PA234-ICE_Report_2018_Mar_22_web.pdf

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Rundown

In this episode, Mexie speaks with Susie Fishleder, who has a Masters in Women, Gender, and Social Justice with a focus on Motherhood Studies. Susie works with birthing people postpartum who are dealing with identity loss, anger and rage, and birth trauma. We discuss how capitalism, patriarchy, and white supremacy shape the institution of motherhood and harm people who take on the work of mothering. We end with discussing what a motherhood revolution could look like and how it would dovetail with a broader societal revolution.

Sources and Links

* Susie Fishleder’s website: https://www.susiefishleder.com/

* Susie Fishleder on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susie.fishleder/

* Silvia Federici, Caliban and the Witch: https://www.akpress.org/calibanandthewitch.html

* Kimberly Sears Allers, The Big Let Down: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250026965/thebigletdown

* Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the mending of Our Bodies and Hearts: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/34146782

* D. Memee Lavell-Harvard and Kim Anderson, Mother of the Nations: Indigenous Mothering as Global Resistance, Reclaiming and Recovering: https://demeterpress.org/books/mothers-of-the-nations-indigenous-mothering-as-global-resistance-reclaiming-and-recovery/

* Alexis Pauline Gumbs, China Martens, and Mai’a Williams (editors), Revolutionary Mothering: Love on the Front Lines: https://www.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=746

* Layla F. Saad, Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestor: http://laylafsaad.com/meandwhitesupremacy

* Ibram X. Kendi, How to Raise an Antiracist: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671925/how-to-raise-an-antiracist-by-ibram-x-kendi/

* Dorothy Roberts, Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/155575/killing-the-black-body-by-dorothy-roberts/

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Rundown

This episode shares a stream that Mexie, Nic (of Pynk Spots) and Kathrin (of the Kathrin YouTube channel) did on A Little to the Left all about birth control. It’s basically everything we wish we knew before we each opted to take the pill at a very young age.

We’ll talk about the necessity of birth control options, of course, and how liberatory its access has been for many people. However we’ll also be digging into the disturbing history and politics around the birth control pill, and looking at the health impacts it has had for people with wombs. We’ll discuss the racist and eugenicist history of the pill and other forms of birth control, and dig into the politics around condom use and ‘stealthing’. We’ll end with exploring other options for birth control, and the importance of informed choice. As always, we’ll be bringing in our own experiences along with historical facts and political analysis.

Sources and Links

* The Business of Birth Control: https://www.thebusinessof.life/

* Pynk Spots: https://www.youtube.com/@PynkSpotsYT

* Kathrin: https://www.youtube.com/@KathrinYTchannel

* A Little to the Left: https://www.youtube.com/@alittletotheleft

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Rundown

In this episode, Mexie speaks with Tory Stephens, founder of Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors. Imagine 2200 is a climate fiction initiative at Grist magazine which showcases stories from authors from around the globe that are all in the visionary fiction genre (Afrofuturism, Indigenous futurism, solarpunk, etc.), providing inspiration on how we might get to a sustainable, reciprocal, and just world. We dig into all things visionary fiction, including its political significance and how crucial it is to decolonize our imaginations and reclaim our radical creativity to craft solutions for this current historical moment. Check out the short climate fiction stories using the link below! They are also available as audiobooks via Curio.

Sources and Links

* Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors: https://grist.org/fix/series/imagine-2200-climate-fiction/

* Tory Stephens, How Imagine 2200 Came to Life: https://grist.org/fix/climate-fiction/how-imagine-2200-climate-fiction-contest-came-to-life/

* First Clip, Featured Story – A Seance in the Anthropocene: https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-seance-in-the-anthropocene/

* Second Clip, Featured Story – Canvas – Wax – Moon: https://grist.org/fix/advocacy/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-canvas-wax-moon/

* Third Clip, Featured Story – Broken From the Colony: https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-broken-from-the-colony/

* Fourth Clip, Featured Story – El, The Plastotrophs, and Me: https://grist.org/fix/arts-culture/imagine-2200-climate-fiction-el-the-plastotrophs-and-me/

* Meet the Imagine 2200 Climate Fiction Competition Winner: https://climate-fiction.org/2021/09/28/meet-the-imagine-2200-climate-fiction-competition-winner/

* Video – Imagine 2200: Climate Fiction for Future Ancestors (Interviews with Authors): https://youtu.be/3EozXWSZDCs

* Too Dystopian For Whom? A Continental Nigerian Writer’s Perspective: https://www.uncannymagazine.com/article/too-dystopian-for-whom-a-continental-nigerian-writers-perspective/

* Solarpunk Magazine: https://solarpunkmagazine.com/

* World Weaver Press, Multispecies Cities: https://www.worldweaverpress.com/store/p176/Multispecies_Cities.html

* Octavia’s Brood: https://www.akpress.org/octavia-s-brood.html

* Tory Stephens on Twitter: https://twitter.com/torystephens

Rundown

In this episode, Mexie speaks with Dr. Kristen Ghodsee about the commodification of relationships under capitalism and how we can work towards a liberated future. Dr. Ghodsee is the author of Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism and Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women. We dive into the history of the institutionalization of bourgeois monogamous marriage, sexual economics theory, the differences in self-reported sexual satisfaction between capitalist and socialist societies, and, drawing from the insights of Alexandra Kollontai, how we can work to decommodify our relationships as we struggle against the broader forces of capital.

Sources and Links

* Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: https://www.boldtypebooks.com/titles/kristen-r-ghodsee/why-women-have-better-sex-under-socialism/9781568588896/

* Red Valkyries: Feminist Lessons from Five Revolutionary Women: https://www.versobooks.com/books/3999-red-valkyries

* RevLeftRadio episode on Red Valkyries: https://revolutionaryleftradio.libsyn.com/red-valkyries

* Kristen Ghodsee on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@kristenghodsee

* Kristen Ghodsee website: https://kristenghodsee.com/

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Rundown

In this episode, Mexie shares her third discussion with Marxian economist and founder of Democracy at Work, Prof. Richard Wolff. We discuss the context around current inflation rates, the implications for worker resistance including how the labour movement can collaborate with the worker co-op movement, and the importance of anti-imperialism in workers’ struggle.

Sources and Links

* Democracy at Work: https://www.democracyatwork.info/ * Democracy at Work on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/democracyatwrk/ * Democracy at Work Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/economic-update-with-richard-d-wolff/id1053981528* Prof. Richard Wolff on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/RichardDWolff* The Anti-Capitalist Chronicles Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/david-harveys-anti-capitalist-chronicles/id1442025854

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Rundown

In this episode, Mexie speaks with Xiangyu and Carl Zha about the complex history of U.S. imperialism in Taiwan and Chinese politics on both sides of the Taiwan strait. We dig into how U.S. intervention has greatly shaped the geopolitical landscape in East Asia today, and analyze the Biden administration’s recent provocations towards China in what’s being termed the New Cold War. We end with an exploration of the myth of Chinese ‘debt-trap diplomacy’ and the political economic factors behind recent geopolitical shifts. This is a densely packed episode with two extremely poignant guests! If you’re interested in learning more, please check out their 7-part series on the history of Taiwan on Carl Zha’s Silk and Steel podcast.

Sources and Links

* Playlist of Silk and Steel Podcast Series on History of Taiwan (also available on podcast apps): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UvpTIIce0w&list=PLaUg2PM1J5b02n5Xy2zPnn2A5JaRqr_rC&index=1&t=0s* Carl Zha on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/CarlZha * Xiangyu’s Music: https://www.youtube.com/c/XYZrap* The Crane Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-crane-an-africa-china-podcast/id1635151634* The Myth of ‘Debt-Trap Diplomacy’ and Realities of Chinese Development Finance: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01436597.2020.1807318?journalCode=ctwq20

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