The Regrettable Century
The old forms of the Left are moribund and the new forms are stupid. We’re making a podcast that discusses the need to organize a Dialectical Pessimism and develop a salvage project capable of sparking a new workers’ movement for socialism. A clean, honest, and unsentimental melancholy is required; we are cultivating one and would like to share it with you.
Half a Revolution: The Pink Tide and 21st Century Socialism
This week, we get together to talk through a sort of brief overview of the era of the Pink Tide in Latin America and try to draw out some of the lessons and implications for the future of Socialism for the 21st Century...
What Happened to the Pink Tide? https://jacobin.com/2016/07/pink-tide-latin-america-chavez-morales-capitalism-socialism/
The Rise and Fall of the Latin American Left https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/the-ebb-and-flow-of-latin-americas-pink-tide/
What Is Socialism for the Twenty-First Century? https://monthlyreview.org/2016/10/01/what-is-socialism-for-the-twenty-first-century/
21st Century Socialism: What It...
Patron Preview: Patron Q&A IV
Here it is comrades, the long-awaited fourth patron Q&A. We answer questions about America's humiliation, Chinese communism, AI in schools, and our favorite revolutionary books and/or pamphlets.
This is only half the questions we received this time, the second half will be posted in Patron Q&A V next week...
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PATREON PREVIEW -- Regrettable Geopolitics 01/20/2026
The Iran Regime Change that Wasn't, Canada and China are Pals Now, Greenland Idiocy, Ukraine's Mass Desertion Crisis, Ukraine's Corruption Crisis, Ukraine's Fiscal Crisis, Ukraine's Fortification Crisis, Ukraine's Losing the War Crisis...
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From Dawn to Decadence, REDUX: The Boys are Back in Town (Part V) With Varn Vlog
Once again, the boys are back... again. We return to our long-neglected "Decadence Theory" project with Varn Vlog. This week, the boys try to get back in the swing of things with a reorientation episode.
Varn Vlog
https://www.patreon.com/c/varnvlog/posts
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The Left Needs a Utopian Vision (Part II of II)
This week, we finally finish off the a close reading of The Concept of Left by Leszek Kolakowski.
Kolakowski was a dissident Polish Marxist who later turned against the project altogether. However, before he did, he wrote much that is worth reading.
The Concept of the Left- Leszek Kolakowski
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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 01/06/2026
The Venezuelan Regime Change that Wasn't, Oil Companies don't Want Venezuelan Oil, Machado Sidelined by Trump, Israeli False Flags, Israel Persecutes Christians, AIPAC Goes Underground, The CIA's Role in the Ukraine War, Ukraine War Summary 2025...
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On Care For Our Common Home: Laudato Si and Christian Anti-Capitalism (Part IV)
This week, the Regrettable Christian Caucus finishes Chapter II of Laudato Si' by the late Pope Francis. You can follow along by grabbing the PDF from Verso or from the Vatican website.
This Papal Encyclical calls for urgent action to address the global environmental crisis, critiques consumerism, blind developmentalism, inequality, and profit seeking. The document calls for global political solidarity to transition to a sustainable economy and for the protection of the world's most vulnerable populations.
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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 12/20/2025
Well, here is a release that is back on our old schedule, but we won't be on this schedule for long. In fact, this is our last geopolitics episode of the year. We will resume in the New Year on a bi-weekly schedule.
Trump's Acts of Piracy, Genocide in Darfur, Officer Exodus from the IDF, Europe Hopes to Prolong Ukraine War, More Russian Gains and Ukrainian Losses...
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Patreon Preview -- Boundless & Bottomless Returns: Dugin’s 4th Political Theory (Part IX)
The boys are back, well... some of the boys. Picking up after a year long hiatus, Jason and Varn are ready to get down to finishing off Dugin.
Dugin, Alexander (2012). The Fourth Political Theory. Translated by Sleboda, Mark; Millerman, Michael. Arktos Media.
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Varn Vlog https://varnvlog.buzzsprout.com/
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The Gang Resolves the Contradictions (Unlocked)
This is a Patreon episode we liked so much that we unlocked it for everyone to hear. We hope you enjoy it.
This week, Jason and Ben sat down to acknowledge and resolve all the contradictions that have manifested in our discussions on this podcast. Actually, we don't resolve anything, but we do acknowledge some things. Our listeners will know that we often disagree with the broader left, each other, and our earlier selves. While we don't manage to piece together a solid line for the podcast, we do manage to talk a lot about those contradictions.
Patreon Preview: La démocratie dans l’Amérique de Trump (Matthew from Unbreakable Union) *re-upload*
*re-uploaded*
This week we sat down with Matthew from the Unbreakable Union podcast and talked about the changing state of the world, what it's been like to be on the left throughout the years, the situation in France, and why maybe our pessimism makes a little bit more sense than it might first seem.
https://unbreakableunion.buzzsprout.com/
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Toward a Materialist Conception of Music History: With Stephan Hammel (Part II of II)
This week, Jason and Ben continued their conversation with Stephan Hammel of The Measures Taken Podcast about his new book Toward a Materialist Conception of Music History.
From the publisher:
"This book argues for the relevance, appropriateness, and usefulness of historical materialism to the musicological project. It interrogates the history of encounters between Marxism and music studies — both within and without the Soviet sphere — before staging the missed encounter between classical musicology and Second International Marxism. It concludes with a framework for understanding style history in terms of changes in the forces and relations of musical prod...
PATREON PREVIEW -- Regrettable Geopolitics 11/27/2025
Trump Wants to Talk to Maduro, Israel is Still Murdering Children, Zelensky Has Lost Touch With Reality, Ukraine Is Losing and Being Forced Into an Unfavorable Peace Deal...
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Toward a Materialist Conception of Music History: With Stephan Hammel (Part I of II)
This week, Jason and Ben got together with friend and comrade Stephan Hammel of The Measures Taken Podcast to talk about his new book Toward a Materialist Conception of Music History.
From the publisher:
"This book argues for the relevance, appropriateness, and usefulness of historical materialism to the musicological project. It interrogates the history of encounters between Marxism and music studies — both within and without the Soviet sphere — before staging the missed encounter between classical musicology and Second International Marxism. It concludes with a framework for understanding style history in terms of changes in the forces and...
Patreon Preview: Regrettable Book Club -- Disaster Nationalism by Richard Seymour (Part II)
It's once again time for 'Disaster Nationalism' by Richard Seymour. The gang dives into chapters one and two, which means there is still time to become part of the group. If you would like to join in, go to the Discord!
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The Conclusion of the Glorious Seven Year Plan: Year Seven in Review
Another year of podcasting is in the books. Listen to our post-game wrap of the year's events, the podcast, and our lives.
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Patreon Preview -- Antagonizing and Provoking Russia: The US’ Long Plan to Kneecap Russia and Escalate the New Cold War
This week we did a close reading of a RAND corporation policy proposal paper called Overextending and Unbalancing Russia: Assessing the Impact of Cost-Imposing Options. It has been argued that this document is the root of America's disastrous foreign policy regarding Russia, which has plunged Ukraine and the Middle East into misery and death.
https://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/research_briefs/RB10000/RB10014/RAND_RB10014.pdf
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PATREON PREVIEW -- Regrettable Geopolitics 11/01/2025
Trump's Fake Drug War Against Venezuela, Trump's Dumbass Diplomacy Nets Big L vs China, Trump's Protection Racket Only Works on US Allies, Genocide in Darfur Has UAE and Israeli Fingerprints, Kiev Won't Last till Spring?, The Ukrainian Nazi Cult of the Christchurch Shooter, Zelensky Threatens Journalists, The Collapse Speeds Up...
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The Left Needs a Utopian Vision (Part I)
This week, we began (and had to cut short) a close reading of The Concept of Left by Leszek Kolakowski. Kolakowski was a dissident Polish Marxist who later turned against the project altogether. However, before he did, he wrote much that is worth reading.
The Concept of the Left- Leszek Kolakowski
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Patreon Preview: The Gang Resolves the Contradictions
This week, Jason and Ben sat down to acknowledge and resolve all the contradictions that have manifested in our discussions on this podcast. Actually, we don't resolve anything, but we do acknowledge some things. Our listeners will know that we often disagree with the broader left, each other, and our earlier selves. While we don't manage to piece together a solid line for the podcast, we do manage to talk a lot about those contradictions.
Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here).
Support the show
Visit the Regrettable...
On Care For Our Common Home: Laudato Si and Christian Anti-Capitalism (Part III)
This week, the Regrettable Christian Caucus begins Chapter II of Laudato Si, by the late Pope Francis. You can follow along by grabbing the PDF from Verso or from the Vatican website.
This Papal Encyclical calls for urgent action to address the global environmental crisis, critiques consumerism, blind developmentalism, inequality, and profit seeking. The document calls for global political solidarity to transition to a sustainable economy and for the protection of the world's most vulnerable populations.
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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 10/11/2025
Samantha Powers' UN/Israel Collusion, Anduril/Palantir Intel Risks to US Military, Right Wing Imperialist Proxy Wins Nobel Prize, Cease Fire in Gaza?, Angela Merkel Shifts Blame Onto Poland and Baltics, Poland's Imperial Ambitions, Zelensky's Wunderwaffen Scams, Ukraine's Energy Industry Crippled...
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Patreon Preview -- Regrettable Book Club: Disaster Nationalism by Richard Seymour (Part I)
It's time for a new patron reading group, and we've chosen 'Disaster Nationalism' by Richard Seymour. The gang gets started with the introduction, which means there is still time to become part of the group. If so, go to the Discord to join in.
From the publisher:
Liberal civilisation is in crisis - now is a time of monsters.
While the spotlight often shines on the actions of charismatic right-wing leaders such as Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro, defeating these people will not stem the tide behind them. They are the embodiment...
A Cascading Series of New Lefts (Part II of II)
This week the boys finish a close reading of an interview with Terence Renaud wherein he discusses his new book New Lefts: The Making of a Radical Tradition.
We weigh in on the positive and negative legacies of the multiple revisions to "leftism."
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/qa-terence-renaud-new-left/
Listen to Part I:
https://regrettablecentury.buzzsprout.com/220523/episodes/17815226-a-cascading-series-of-new-lefts-part-i-of-ii
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Patreon Preview -- Much Ado About Not Very Much: ”Red-Brownism” and the Anti-War ”Movement”
This week, we read and discussed an article about a phenomenon that apparently some people are, or were, concerned about: the problem of fascist infiltration of the anti-war movement. We discuss the problems inherent in gatekeeping social movements and the lack of left-wing organizations of any size. We also chime in on the overblown concerns about "Red-Brownism."
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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 09/20/2025
The US is Behind On Drone Warfare, Satano-Nazi Terror in the USA, The Global Turn Against the Genocidal Apartheid State, The AFD's Gains in Former SPD Bastion, Reform UK is Britain's Most Popular Party, The Neo-Nazi Who Knew Too Much, Zelensky Is Losing Touch With Reality, Ukraine's Slow Collapse Continues...
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Years of Dread: Political Violence & The Spectacle of Tension
Instances of stochastic violence in the United States are at an all-time high and the political violence of our era mirrors the political topography, disaggregated and rudderless. The boys got together this week to talk about Charlie Kirk and the newer/dumber "Years of Lead."
A Stark Look at the Recent History of Political Violence in America https://time.com/6998406/political-violence-united-states-recent-history/
Our Own Worst Enemies https://www.foreignaffairs.com/united-states/political-violence-our-own-worst-enemies-robert-pape
A Brutal Decade: Dissecting the Causes of Violence in the 1970s https://brilliantio.com/why-were-the-1970s-so-violent/
‘Days of Rage’ and the Fo...
PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 09/14/2025
Newer Dumber Years of Lead, Newer Dumber Cold War Heats Up, Israel Kills Kids in Doha This Time, Europe Can't be Inconvenienced by Sanctions on India and China, Poland Shoots Down Three Slow Moving Unarmed Decoy Drones...
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A Cascading Series of New Lefts (Part I of II)
This week the boys do a close reading of an interview with Terence Renaud wherein he discusses his new book New Lefts: The Making of a Radical Tradition.
We weigh in on the positive and negative legacies of the multiple revisions to "leftism."
https://www.thenation.com/article/culture/qa-terence-renaud-new-left/
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Patreon Preview: Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? (Part II of II)
Today we read the second half of an article titled Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? Theorizing the nature and implications of the global far-right resurgence by Prof. Dr. Alex Demirović, which was published by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung.
We liked this article for a few reasons, not the least of which was that it sparked good discussion...
Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? by Alex Demirović
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Patreon Preview: Anatomy of the Microsect (Patron Roundtable)
We sat down with our patrons to read and discuss the 1973 Hal Draper Pamphlet, Anatomy of the Microsect. https://www.marxists.org/archive/draper/1973/xx/microsect.htm
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Under an Elm Tree: William Morris, Animism, and Anti-Capitalism (Featuring Dr. Mathias Nordvig and Arnold from Fight Like an Animal Podcast)
This week, the animist caucus of the Regrettable Century (Kevin) teamed up with Dr. Mathias Nordvig, professor of Nordic Studies at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Sacred Flame Podcast, as well as Arnold from the Fight Like an Animal Podcast to talk about the intersection of animist spirituality and radical politics. To that end, the crew read and discussed William Morris' short essay titled Under an Elm Tree.
Click Here for More Mathias Nordvig
Click Here for Fight Like an Animal Podcast
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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 08/23/2025
Bounty on Maduro, Israeli Pedophile Protected by Trump... Again, Palestinian Dead are 83% Civilians, Zelensky in the Whitehouse... Again, Ukraine's Failing Drone Industry, The Inexorable Russian Lava Flow Pushes On...
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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 08/19/2025
Trump Wusses out on China Tariffs... Again, Leaks Expose Netanyahu's Hunger Plan, Israeli Spies Have Thoroughly Infiltrated Big Tech, The Alaska Summit, Ukraine's Infantry Crisis, Ukraine's Morale Crisis, Dobrapilia Breakthrough, The Collapse Speeds Up...
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Never Coming of Age in America: Adulting and Alienation in a Decadent Society
This week the boys are joined by eternal co-host Jess to discuss the novelty of adults being adults. We discuss the self-infantilization of millennials and older zoomers, which is a reflection of the crisis of meaning and deep rot at the heart of liberal modernity. We believe this is the result of a purely self-oriented conception of liberty and the ideological victory of capital's redefinition of the very essence of what it means to be human.
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Adulting in Middle Age
https://jacobin.com/2024/01/adulting-middle-age-millennials-boomers
Are millennials really an ‘in...
Patreon Preview: Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? (Part I of II)
Today we read an article titled Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? Theorizing the nature and implications of the global far-right resurgence by Prof. Dr. Alex Demirović, which was published by the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung. This is an excellent article that we think misses the mark in a few places and provides much fodder for discussion.
Do We Need an Updated Theory of Fascism? by Alex Demirović
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The Luddites Were Right, Actually
Marxist, as well as conservative and liberal bourgeois historians alike, have always had a fundamental misunderstanding about the Luddites. It turns out they weren't just reactionary peasants who feared technology and wanted to keep the world mired in an economy based on stacking sticks and mud. The Luddites weren’t resisting technology itself—they were fighting the economic systems that exploited them through it. This week, the boys dive into a conversation about Luddism's past, present, and future.
The Luddites Were Right
https://www.currentaffairs.org/news/2021/06/the-luddites-were-right
What...
Patreon Preview: Towards the Founding of Something New
This week Chris, Jason, and Ben read over the founding document of a now-defunct group to which Jason and Ben used to belong. While much has changed in the years since Jason wrote this document, the fundamental arguments remain the same. It is time for new working-class organizations that seek to build power from the ground up, abandoning any association with liberal NGOs, the democratic party, the microsect form, and internet-based culture war.
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We've including the document that we're reading below as a PDF.
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PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 07/18/2025
Ultra-Orthodox Abandon Bibi, Israel Kills More Christians, Israel Kills a US Citizen, SBU Chief Merc'd in Broad Daylight, The West Slowly Begins to Abandon Ukraine, Zelensky's Authoritarianism, Pokrovsk in Peril, Russia's Methodical Advance is Unchecked...
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On Care For Our Common Home: Laudato Si and Christian Anti-Capitalism (Part II)
This week the gang tackles Chapter I of Laudato Si, but the late Pope Francis. You can follow along by grabbing the PDF from Verso or from the Vatican website.
This Papal Encyclical calls for urgent action to address the global environmental crisis, critiques consumerism, blind developmentalism, inequality, and profit seeking. The document calls for global political solidarity to transition to a sustainable economy and for protection of the worlds most vulnerable populations.
Send us a message (sorry we can't respond on here).
Support the show
Vi...
