Episodios

  • Anti-Capitalist Parenting: A Dialectical Perspective w/ Breht O'Shea (Upstream Podcast)
    Jun 25 2025
    One of the most radical things you can do is live your life in direct opposition to the forces that control our society. Not just fighting for policies or organizing your community, although those are certainly important parts of it, but also living with values that oppose the values of our dominant society. And even more importantly, raising the next generation to embody those values—not in a coercive way, but through organic parenting and role modeling that make radicalism irresistible. This is how we raise revolutionaries: instilling community, love, egalitarianism, and a need for justice into children. And this is just what our guest in today's episode has devoted himself to doing. Breht O’Shea is an activist, organizer, political educator, and host of the podcast Revolutionary Left Radio and co-host of the podcasts Red Menace and Shoeless in South Dakota. He is a father of three based out of Omaha Nebraska. In this conversation, Part 3 of our Post Capitalist Parenting series, Breht shares with us insights about parenting that he's learned over the years as a father of three and what Marxism teaches us about parenting. We discuss the classic text by Engels, The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, which is a dialectical materialist analysis of patriarchy and the family, tracing the emergence of the patriarchal family and it took through various iterations of class society but also exploring what families have looked like under actually-existing socialism and also what it might look like under communism. We also explore the anti-natalist position which attempts to argue that having children is immoral, why this perspective is deeply flawed, what Buddhism can teach us about parenting, and much, much more. Support Breht and Rev Left Radio, and join their community HERE Further Resources The Origin of the Family, Private Property and the State, Freidrich Engels Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: And Other Arguments for Economic Independence, by Kristen Ghodsee Related Episodes: Post Capitalist Parenting Pt. 1: Parenting Under Capitalism w/ Toi Smith Post Capitalist Parenting Pt. 2: Reimagining the Family w/ Kristen Ghodsee Revolutionary Leftism with Breht O'Shea Buddhism and Marxism with Breht O'Shea What is To Be Done? with Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante Imperialism, The Highest Stage of Capitalism w/ Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante Red Menace: "The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and The State" by Friedrich Engels (Pt. 1) Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism w/ Kristen Ghodsee Intermission music: "Cool 4 U" by Club Cafe Upstream is a labor of love—we couldn't keep this project going without the generosity of our listeners and fans. Subscribe to our Patreon at patreon.com/upstreampodcast or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support If your organization wants to sponsor one of our upcoming documentaries, we have a number of sponsorship packages available. Find out more at upstreampodcast.org/sponsorship For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Bluesky. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.
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    2 h y 12 m
  • Fascism w/ American Characteristics (The Pokepreet Podcast Ft. Breht O'Shea)
    Jun 23 2025

    "In this episode we are joined by Breht O'Shea to talk about fascism and it's peculiarities in the 21st Century."

    I went on The Pokepreet Podcast for a second time recently and had a really in-depth and nuanced conversation about fascism, presently and historically; together we discuss how American fascism arising out of the ruins of neoliberalism is qualitatively different than previous fascisms, the role of insecure masculinity in all fascist movements, the implications of a lack of an organized and militant working class to combat it, the feckless liberal (non)response, the Democrats embrace of the "Abundance" agenda, the Palestinian liberation struggle, and MUCH much more.


    You can find Henri's work at:

    ⁠https://substack.com/@henrimartel ⁠

    Support Pokepreet on Patreon:

    ⁠https://www.patreon.com/thepokepreetpod

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    2 h
  • OTU Under Attack by Landlord Lobby
    Jun 21 2025

    In this episode, Breht welcomes on Seth from Omaha Tenants United for an in-studio discussion about OTU's slate of recent successes organizing several tenant unions, and a subsequent new legal assault on the organization by the local landlord lobby. The legal implications of this attack are truly monumental for virtually all forms of organizing. They also discuss how landlordism is a feudal hangover with modern capitalist dynamics, the differences between tenant organizing and labor organizing, tenant organizing as a particularly potent site of struggle, and the material underpinnings of recent superstructural shifts in many people's views of landlords.

    Local media interviews Seth on the issue: https://www.3newsnow.com/central-omaha/omaha-tenants-united-faces-allegations-of-unauthorized-practice-of-law

    OTU's Drake Court Tenant Union (Local 252) covered in local media: https://www.3newsnow.com/central-omaha/drake-court-tenants-unite-to-demand-better-living-conditions-from-property-management

    Increasing number of renters turning to tenant unions in the Omaha metro: https://www.wowt.com/2025/01/25/increasing-number-renters-turning-tenant-unions-omaha-metro/

    Fed up tenants: Renters form unions to hold leasing companies accountable: https://www.ketv.com/article/omaha-renters-form-unions-to-hold-leasing-companies-accountable/62684760

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    59 m
  • Still Laundering Black Rage: DEI as Counterinsurgency
    Jun 19 2025

    In this incisive conversation, Breht welcomes poet, scholar, and organizer, filmmaker, and host of the Black Myths Podcast Too Black back to the podcast to critically examine the recent attacks on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Anchored by the penetrating analysis in Too Black and Rasul Mowatt’s article, "Bootleg Rehab: Still Laundering Black Rage," this episode dissects DEI as a capitalist pacification strategy, historically rooted in reaction to radical Black movements and inherently limited in delivering meaningful change.

    Too Black articulates how DEI serves capitalist interests by redirecting genuine Black rage into symbolic, surface-level victories that do little to alter the underlying structures of oppression. Together, they explore DEI’s historical development, its market-friendly evolution under Nixon, and its role in creating internal class contradictions within oppressed communities.

    Through the powerful analogy of a "bootleg rehab," Too Black vividly illustrates how superficial reforms pacify demands for revolutionary change without addressing systemic injustices like police violence, economic deprivation, and racialized exploitation. They also unpack the dialectical relationship between DEI initiatives and reactionary anti-DEI backlash, showing how both reinforce capitalist stability and deepen racial and class divides.

    Finally, Too Black outlines practical approaches for organizers to bypass capitalist traps, emphasizing the need for movements grounded in materialist analysis and authentic community needs. This essential discussion equips listeners with critical insights to recognize, resist, and transcend the limitations of DEI, advancing a revolutionary politics that refuses to settle for symbolic concessions in the face of real suffering.

    Check out Black Myths Podcast HERE

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    2 h y 18 m
  • Farce, Finance & Fascism: Margaret Kimberley on Empire in Decay
    Jun 18 2025

    In this powerful and wide-ranging conversation, Margaret Kimberley—senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and a leader in Black Alliance for Peace—joins Breht to dissect the spectacle of American decline and, as usual, Kimberley offers a razor-sharp analysis of late-stage capitalism’s collapse into cruelty, chaos, and confusion.

    Together, they explore the Democratic Party’s complicity in ushering in this moment, U.S. weapons transfers to Ukraine in support of their proxy war against Russia, and the genocidal assault on Gaza as a revealing - if disturbing - lens into the true nature of the American empire. Kimberley also shares firsthand insights from delegations to Nicaragua, Venezuela, and China, illuminating how the Global South is resisting U.S. domination and reshaping global power.

    For those feeling the weight of worsening economic conditions, rising fascism, and political demobilization, Kimberley offers hard-won wisdom about organizing in the belly of the beast. We close with discussion about where real hope can still be found.

    Check out Black Agenda Report

    Black Agenda Radio

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    Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio HERE

    Outro Beat Prod. by flip da hood

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    1 h y 18 m
  • Dialectics of Nature: Engels on Dialectical Materialism as a Worldview
    Jun 16 2025

    In this episode, Alyson and Breht explore Friedrich Engels’ Dialectics of Nature, a bold and underappreciated attempt to apply dialectical materialism to the natural sciences. Often dismissed or misunderstood, this unfinished work offers a sweeping view of reality - from physics and chemistry to evolution, human consciousness, and ecological breakdown - through the lens of Marxist philosophy. Together, they unpack Engels’ central claim that nature itself unfolds dialectically: through contradiction, motion, transformation, and interconnection.

    They cover the three laws of dialectics, Engels’ materialist account of human evolution, his critique of mechanistic science, vulgar materialism, and metaphysical thinking, as well as his early warnings about capitalism’s ecological consequences. Along the way, they connect these insights to Marx’s concept of species-being, and reflect on what this revolutionary worldview offers in the age of climate crisis, hyper-alienation, and late capitalist decay. Finally, Alyson and Breht have a fascinating open-ended discussion about the existential and spiritual implications of dialectical materialism as a worldview.

    Whether you're new to dialectical materialism or looking to deepen your understanding, this conversation reframes Engels’ work as a profound contribution not just to Marxism, but to the philosophy of science itself.

    Here are the episodes recommended for further listening in the episode:

    • Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 - Karl Marx

    • On Contradiction - Mao

    • Marxism 101: Intro to Historical Materialism (and the Necessity of Socialism)

    • The Nature of All Things: Spinoza’s Philosophical Odyssey

    • All Dialectic Deep Dive Episodes

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    2 h y 35 m
  • Teaser: The Role of Labor in Human Evolution
    Jun 15 2025

    This is small snippet from a much larger episode coming soon wherein Alyson and Breht cover Friedrich Engel’s famous text “Dialectics of Nature”, in which Engels argues for dialectical materialism as a scientifically grounded, philosophically rigorous, and holistic worldview—one that understands nature, society, and thought as deeply interconnected and constantly evolving.

    Find the clip used at the end of this teaser here: https://youtu.be/YbgnlkJPga4

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    24 m
  • Uprising in LA: ICE, Mass Deportations, and American Fascism
    Jun 12 2025

    Recorded on June 8th: Alyson and Breht record an emergency podcast on the current riots in LA, and resistance across the country, to mass deportations. Together they highlight recent events, discuss the function of mass deporations in a decaying capitalist system, analyze the spontaneous and militant community response, how terrorizing undocumented workers is a form of labor discipline, the fascist tactic of scapegoating the powerless for the crimes and chaos of the powerful, the role of AI in both displacing labor as well as bolstering the repressive state apparatus, and much more.

    Learn more about Red Menace and Rev Left Radio: www.revleftradio.com

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    1 h y 5 m