Lytt til Upstream

“What is the price of an assassin’s bullet? Some dollars here and there. The cost of the bullet.  The cost of a taxi ride, a hotel, an airplane, the money paid to hire the assassin, his silence purchased through a payment into a Swiss bank, the cost to him psychologically for having taken the life of one, two, three, or four. But the biggest price is not paid by the intelligence services. The biggest price is paid by the people. For in these assassinations, these murders, this violence of intimidation, it is the people who lose their leaders in their localities.  Each bullet fired struck down a Revolution and gave birth to our present barbarity. This is a book about bullets.” These are the words of Vijay Prashad [https://x.com/VijayPrashad] in the opening paragraphs of his book, Washington Bullets: The History of the CIA, Coups, and Assassinations—a fascinating and meticulously researched and gut-wrenchingly evocative book which takes readers on a tour of the US empire’s wide-ranging project of global dominance.  Vijay Prashad is a journalist, political commentator, and Executive Director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research. He’s the author of many books including Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations, and the book that we’ll be discussing today, Washington Bullets. This conversation explores many of the concepts outlined in the Washington Bullets, from the CIA’s manual for regime change to how economic shock and military coups were utilized to achieve said regime changes in countries like Chile. But more than just a chapter by chapter overview, today’s conversation with Vijay takes many side-alleys and side-paths that range from the importance of art and emotion in politics, why we need to rethink the idea of conspiracy theories, why cancel culture is a dead end, and why the left needs to reexamine its use of language and propaganda in the face of a US cultural apparatus that won the PR campaign against socialism decades ago.  Further Resources * Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research [https://thetricontinental.org/] * Washington Bullets, by Vijay Prashad [https://1804books.com/products/washington-bullets?srsltid=AfmBOorXmgNAdqPQteDZi5QMXJgzdViZbrWxgWQnv-HpRnznAKVlgcnx] Related Episodes: * China Pt. 3: Bourgeois Democracy vs Socialist Democracy w/ Vijay Prashad [https://www.patreon.com/posts/china-pt-3-vs-w-123859701] * The Fight for The Congo w/ Vijay Prashad [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/the-fight-for-the-congo-w-vijay-prashad] Intermission music: "Stolen Empires" by Andrew Glencross [https://andrewglencross.bandcamp.com/track/stolen-empires] Artwork: Tings Chak [https://www.instagram.com/tingschak/?hl=en] 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 [https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support [https://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 [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fupstreampodcast.org%2Fsponsorship&token=fb395-1-1663029755269] For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upstreampodcast.org&token=efc9f5-1-1663029755269] and follow us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/upstreamPodcast], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/upstreampodcast/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/UpstreamPodcast], and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/upstreampodcast.bsky.social]. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KwWOMp24P9cVVR6d0i7Zq?si=ec90ca944bcb43cf&nd=1], or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

This is a free preview of the episode "How Fascism Works." You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast [https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great way to make Upstream a weekly show, and it will also give you access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes along with stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. You’ll also be helping to keep Upstream sustainable and allowing us to keep this project going. In this episode of our reading series, Robbie reads and provides real-time analysis of the opening chapter of the classic book Blackshirts & Reds: Rational Fascism & the Overthrow of Communism by Michael Parenti. The text covers the topics of plutocracy and autocracy, whom the fascists last century supported, a bit of history on Hitler and Mussolini, the rational and irrational aspects of fascism, patriarchy and pseudo-revolution, collaboration, and much more.  The analysis provided in the reading brings this text into our current conditions and looks at where Parenti's analysis holds up and where it might need to be stretched and adapted to help us understand the rise of neofascism in the United States under Trump and his modern day fascist footsoldiers. We explain why it's more important than ever to resist collaboration and to stand in full solidarity with all of the racialized and criminalized "others" in order to combat the fearmongering and scapegoating that fascism relies on in order to grow in strength.  Further resources: * Blackshirts and Reds: Rational Fascism and the Overthrow of Communism [https://citylights.com/city-lights-published/blackshirts-reds-rational-fascism/], by Michael Parenti Related episodes: * From the Frontlines: State Repression and Anti-Imperialist Organizing w/ Calla Walsh [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/from-the-frontlines-state-repression-and-anti-imperialist-organizing-w-calla-walsh] * Capitalism, The State, and How We Got Here with Christian Parenti [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/capitalism-the-state-and-how-we-got-here-with-christian-parenti-in-conversation] 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 [https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support [https://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 [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fupstreampodcast.org%2Fsponsorship&token=fb395-1-1663029755269] For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upstreampodcast.org&token=efc9f5-1-1663029755269] and follow us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/upstreamPodcast], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/upstreampodcast/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/UpstreamPodcast], and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/upstreampodcast.bsky.social]. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KwWOMp24P9cVVR6d0i7Zq?si=ec90ca944bcb43cf&nd=1], or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

The moniker The Merrimack Four might be something you’re already familiar with—perhaps you saw the headlines in the late fall of 2023 about a handful of direct actionists being arrested on the rooftop of a facility owned by a major weapons manufacturer in New Hampshire. Maybe you heard about the multiple felony charges that were being pressed against these actionists, the concern about RICO charges…or maybe you haven’t heard about any of this at all. Regardless of how familiar you are with the Merrimack Four, you’d be hard-pressed not to be gripped by the story you’re about to hear recounting the events of November, 2023 from someone who was actually on that rooftop facing down US empire.  Calla Walsh [https://x.com/callawalsh] is an anti-imperialist organizer and activist who was part of the Merrimack Four—a group of activists who faced severe state repression in response to an action organized by Palestine Action US against an Elbit Systems facility in Merrimack, New Hampshire—Elbit is one of the major arms suppliers to the IDF—or more accurately IOF—in Israel.  In this conversation, Calla tells us about the momentous event which changed her life forever. She talks about Palestine Action [https://palestineaction.org/]—an organization who you might be familiar with if you’ve been listening to our series on Palestine—and walks us through the action in New Hampshire, her arrest along with her fellow actionists, and the long and winding journey through the legal system which landed her in jail. We talk about state repression more broadly, looking at what is taking place right now under the Trump administration with abductions and deportations, talk about some cases that haven’t made it into the mainstream coverage, and end with a discussion about why Palestine is the tip of the spear when it comes to the fight against US imperialism.  Further Resources * Calla Walsh [https://x.com/callawalsh] * The case against the Merrimack Three is an attack on the Palestine movement as a whole, Mondoweiss [https://mondoweiss.net/2023/12/the-case-against-the-merrimack-three-is-an-attack-on-the-palestine-movement-as-a-whole/] * Palestine Action [https://palestineaction.org/] * Support Women in Valley Street Jail (GoFundMe) [https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-women-in-valley-street-jail] * Struggling single mama looking for help (GoFundMe) [https://www.gofundme.com/f/struggling-single-mama-looking-for-help] * Capitailsm Plus Dope Equals Genocide [https://www.marxists.org/history/usa/workers/black-panthers/1970/dope.htm] * Perfect Victims And the Politics of Appeal, Mohammed El-Kurd [https://www.haymarketbooks.org/books/2499-perfect-victims]  * Samidoun: Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samidoun] * #FreeCaseyNow: On Casey Goonan and the Abandonment of Political Prisoners in the Pro-Palestine Movement  [https://itsgoingdown.org/freecaseynow-on-casey-goonan-and-the-abandonment-of-political-prisoners-in-the-pro-palestine-movement/] Related Episodes: * Palestine Pt. 7: Direct Action w/ Max Geller  of Palestine Action [https://www.patreon.com/posts/palestine-pt-7-w-99738919] * Palestine Pt. 11: Israel and the U.S. Empire w/ Max Ajl [https://www.patreon.com/posts/palestine-pt-11-106590046] * Palestine Pt. 12: Resistance in the West w/ Max Geller and Sanyika [https://www.patreon.com/posts/palestine-pt-12-112063925] * Stop Cop City with Keyanna Jones and Matthew Johnson [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/stop-copy-city-with-keyanna-jones-and-matthew-johnson-in-conversation] * Listen to our 14-part series on Palestine [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/category/Palestine] * Listen to our ongoing From the Frontline [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/category/From+the+Frontlines] series Intermission music: "Erase" by Scary Hours [https://scaryhours.bandcamp.com/album/cant-contend] 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 [https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support [https://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 [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fupstreampodcast.org%2Fsponsorship&token=fb395-1-1663029755269] For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upstreampodcast.org&token=efc9f5-1-1663029755269] and follow us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/upstreamPodcast], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/upstreampodcast/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/UpstreamPodcast], and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/upstreampodcast.bsky.social]. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KwWOMp24P9cVVR6d0i7Zq?si=ec90ca944bcb43cf&nd=1], or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

This is a free preview of the episode "China Pt. 4: Unlearning Anti-China Propaganda w/ Li Jingjing". You can listen to the full episode by subscribing to our Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast [https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] As a Patreon subscriber you'll get access to at least one bonus episode a month (usually two or three), our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes, early access to certain episodes, and other benefits like stickers and bumper stickers—depending on which tier you subscribe to. access to bi-weekly bonus episodes ranging from conversations to readings and more. Signing up for Patreon is a great way to make Upstream a weekly show, and it will also give you access to our entire back catalog of Patreon episodes along with stickers and bumper stickers at certain subscription tiers. You’ll also be helping to keep Upstream sustainable and allowing us to keep this project going. Living in a world dominated by the United States leaves us all with a lifetime of propaganda to unlearn. No matter what corner of the globe we’re in, we’re not immune to Western hegemony and the hard and soft power deployed to brainwash our minds, exploit our bodies, and destroy our cultures. But there are, despite the power of capitalist PR and commodity fetishism—alternative pathways. There are ways to unlearn the propaganda. And in today’s episode, we’re going to attempt to do just that: break at least some of the chains of imperialist propaganda when it comes to China. Li Jingjing is a multimedia reporter at China Global Television Network, or CGTN, based in Beijing, China. And despite the scare-tactics of Mark Zuckerberg and our other tech overlords labeling her Instagram account as “China state-controlled media”—which is a real pot calling the kettle black moment as the oligarchs in the White House text their plans to bomb hospitals in Yemen to high-profile journalists—despite these red-scare labels applied to Li only meant to fearmonger and propagandize, Li’s social media is a breath of fresh air when it comes to unlearning Western propaganda on China.  In this conversation, Part 4 of our China series here on Patreon, we bring some Li’s shorter videos dispelling propaganda to you in a more longform way, starting with a conversation about her recent coverage of the National People's Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, which we introduced in Part 2 of this series with Ken Hammond. Li explains to us how the political system in China works and what some of the policy outcomes of these conferences were before embarking on a fascinating conversation that weaves together personal anecdotes and stories with data and statistics to dismantle many of the myths we believe about China and which reveal a picture of a society that our warmongering policymakers and their lapdogs in the media don’t want you to know about.  Artwork: Chinese Communist Party propaganda poster commemorating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the party. Further resources: * CGTN [https://www.cgtn.com/] * Li Jingjing on Twitter [https://x.com/Jingjing_Li], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/jj_ontheroad/?hl=en] and Tiktok [https://www.tiktok.com/@iamlijingjing] * Studies show strong public support for China’s political system, Jason Hickel [https://jasonhickel.substack.com/p/studies-show-strong-public-support] * Ne Zha 2 (film) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ne_Zha_2] Related episodes: * (Chinese) Socialism vs (U.S.) Capitalism [https://www.patreon.com/posts/chinese-vs-u-s-121133610] * Listen to our ongoing series on China [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/category/China] 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 [https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support [https://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 [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fupstreampodcast.org%2Fsponsorship&token=fb395-1-1663029755269] For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upstreampodcast.org&token=efc9f5-1-1663029755269] and follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/upstreampodcast/] and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/upstreampodcast.bsky.social]. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KwWOMp24P9cVVR6d0i7Zq?si=ec90ca944bcb43cf&nd=1], or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

Capitalism is a social phenomenon—yes, it is deeply grounded in concrete, material reality—but it’s a reality that ultimately relies on a series of tricks and spells, awash in deceit and veiled in subterfuge.  What is capitalism, exactly? How does it function? Why are we seemingly trapped inside of it? And, perhaps most importantly, how can we break free? Well, in this episode we’re taking a very deep dive into the crowning achievement of a man who spent his entire adult life seeking answers to these questions. Karl Marx wrote Capital Vol. 1 over ten years, spending countless hours researching and redrafting this crucial text until it was finally published in 1867. It incorporates vast amounts of historical data, concrete examples, and brilliant theorizing and is ultimately one of the most important books to ever be written. In it, Marx explains how capitalism functions. And in this episode, we’ve brought on a scholar and expert on Marx to walk us through it.  David Smith is Professor of Sociology at the University of Kansas and author of the book Marx’s Capital Illustrated. In this conversation, we explore Capital Vol. 1 through the lens of David’s accessible guide, illustrated by Phil Evans. We explore and unpack concepts like the commodity, use and exchange value, and abstract and concrete labor. We talk about what money is, what capital is, and unpack the famous concept of commodity fetishism and the role it plays as the guiding spirit of capital accumulation. We talk about how capital accumulates while taking a journey into the history of expropriation and the creation of the propertyless proletariat during the enclosures in Britain and in other parts of the world. We talk about how profit is generated by capitalists through our surplus labor, what the rate of profit is and why it has a tendency to fall, and finally, why Capital Vol. 1 remains an essential text for understanding the world around us.  Further Resources * Marx's Capital Illustrated [https://allpowerbooks.org/products/marxs-capital-illusrated], by David Smith (Illustrated by Phil Evans) * Capital: A Critique of Political Economy Vol. 1 [https://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1867-c1/], Karl Marx * Why Socialism? by Albert Einstein [https://monthlyreview.org/2009/05/01/why-socialism/] * How Europe Underdeveloped Africa [https://www.versobooks.com/products/788-how-europe-underdeveloped-africa?srsltid=AfmBOoqzGOQgPjD3keHXqHqacDKPFTbhTEONIQLEUun6Z-ttOUXgbdcT], Walter Rodney * Planet of Slums [https://www.versobooks.com/products/1959-planet-of-slums?srsltid=AfmBOoprR-soqqc2mioLBfG67VGk4JzV18YyfK6dhfDS34WkCzUyoFiw], Mike Davis * Roots of the Current Economic Crisis: The Falling-Rate-of-Profit Tendency, Insufficient Destruction of Capital, and Bubbles [https://www.hetecon.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Kiliman.pdf], Andrew Kliman Related Episodes: * Historical Materialism w/ Torkil Lauesen [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/historical-materialism-w-torkil-lauesen] * Dialectical Materialism w/ Josh Sykes [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/dialectical-materialism-w-josh-sykes] * Marxism for the Masses w/ Savannah from All Power Books [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/marxism-for-the-masses-w-savannah-from-all-power-books] * The Myth of Freedom Under Capitalism (Documentary) [https://www.upstreampodcast.org/the-myth-of-freedom-under-capitalism] * Walter Rodney, Marxism, and Underdevelopment with D. Musa Springer & Charisse Burden-Stelly [https://sites.libsyn.com/435210/walter-rodney-marxism-and-underdevelopment-with-d-musa-springer-charisse-burden-stelly] Intermission music: "November Rain" by Mount Eerie 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 [https://www.patreon.com/upstreampodcast] or please consider chipping in a one-time or recurring donation at www.upstreampodcast.org/support [https://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 [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fupstreampodcast.org%2Fsponsorship&token=fb395-1-1663029755269] For more from Upstream, visit www.upstreampodcast.org [https://gate.sc?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.upstreampodcast.org&token=efc9f5-1-1663029755269] and follow us on Twitter [https://twitter.com/upstreamPodcast], Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/upstreampodcast/], Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/UpstreamPodcast], and Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/upstreampodcast.bsky.social]. You can also subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, [https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/upstream/id1082594532] Spotify [https://open.spotify.com/show/4KwWOMp24P9cVVR6d0i7Zq?si=ec90ca944bcb43cf&nd=1], or wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.