SPS

This episode comes in two segments. The first is a reflection about the German Platypus Review #39. Lisa and our new co-host Nora sit down with Moritz Schiffmann from Leipzig, Editor in Chief of the German PR, and Johann Richter from Halle, the author of a book review included in the issue. In the second part, Lisa moderates a discussion between our members Artur and Jasper from Germany about the Party Congress of Die Linke back in June this year. Both segments address the long history of Platypus' engagements with Die Linke over the years. We discuss the party's framing of "proletarianization," the turn to class, and how Die Linke turned from a Millennial to a Zoomer project. We touch upon the meaning of Die Linke in the context of the party system in Germany and how we experienced the resurgence of a party which was once believed to be dead. Please note that this discussion took place before the electoral success of Die Linke in Berlin. ----- FURTHER READING IN GERMAN German Platypus Review #39: https://platypus1917.org/category/ausgabe-39/ PDF: https://platypus1917.org/wp-content/uploads/ausgabe_39.pdf Von Kautsky lernen heißt siegen lernen? (Johann Richter's review of Ingar Solty): https://platypus1917.org/2026/05/29/von-kautsky-lernen-heist-siegen-lernen/ Was ist DIE LINKE? (Panel Discussion in German. July 2025, Berlin): https://platypus1917.org/2026/05/29/was-ist-die-linke/ Mit Haustürwahlkämpfen in Richtung einer organisierenden Klassenpartei (Jorrit's response to the panel above): https://platypus1917.org/2026/05/29/mit-hausturwahlkampfen-in-richtung-einer-organisierenden-klassenpartei/ Die Linke als verbindende Partei in der Krise des Neoliberalismus (Interview with Mario Candeias, 2024): https://platypus1917.org/2024/05/27/interview_candeias/ Was ist DIE LINKE? (Panel Discussion in German. June 2021, Frankfurt): https://platypus1917.org/2022/08/31/podium_2021_linkspartei/ German Platypus Review #6: https://platypus1917.org/category/ausgabe-6/ Kämpfen statt Verwalten (Interview with Sascha Staničić, 2017): https://platypus1917.org/2017/08/12/kampfen-statt-verwalten-interview-mit-sascha-stanicic/ Der Fortschritt der bürgerlichen Gesellschaft muss verteidigt werden (Interview with Wolfgang Gehrke, 2017): https://platypus1917.org/2017/08/12/der-fortschritt-der-burgerlichen-gesellschaft-muss-verteidigt-werden-interview-mit/ In 120 Jahren sind wir kein Stück vorangekommen“ (Interview with Werner Dreibus, 2017): https://platypus1917.org/2017/08/12/120-jahren-sind-wir-kein-stuck-vorangekommen-interview-mit-werner-dreibus/ Revolutionen heute sind anders (Interview with Dietmar Bartsch, 2017): https://platypus1917.org/2017/08/12/revolutionen-heute-sind-anders-interview-mit-dietmar-bartsch/ ----- Music by Tamas Vilaghy Editing by Michael Woodson ----- platypus1917.org

On this episode, Ed & Persaud discuss the controversy around Cesar Chavez and what it could tell us about the state of labor organizing today. They reflect on their experiences as union members and how labor organizations appear to a young person entering them today. ------ FURTHER READING: What is a Movement? (Platypus Panel, Chicago 2008) - https://platypus1917.org/2009/08/24/what-is-a-movement-platypus-review/ Left Behind: The Working Class in the Crisis (Platypus Panel, Chicago 2009) - https://platypus1917.org/2009/07/01/left-behind-the-working-class-in-the-crisis/ The Politics of Work (Platypus Panel, Chicago 2013) - https://platypus1917.org/2014/05/06/politics-work-chicago/ The Politics of Work (Platypus Panel, U of California 2022) - https://platypus1917.org/2023/06/02/the-politics-of-work-2/ ----- platypus1917.org

For this episode of Shit Platypus Says, Tamas V sits down with Lou S, editor in chief of the Platypus Review for the last 5 years, and Allen Y, who will take over the job. They discuss the transformations in capitalist politics and the Left's responses to them, which the Platypus Review has tracked under Lou's tenure. We discuss the exhaustion of the Millennial Left in the post-Trump era, the long arc of the DSA, and the role of the PR on the Left today and in the future. The Platypus Review is an open-submission journal published monthly worldwide and online. You can find the latest issue, the complete archive going back to 2007, as well as submissions guidelines at platypus1917.org. ----- Links: Full Editorial Statement: https://platypus1917.org/platypus-review/editorial-statement/ Jamal Abed-Rabbo, D.L. Jacobs, Harold Meyerson, Matthew Strupp, "The politics of the Democratic Socialists of America" - https://platypus1917.org/2023/12/01/the-politics-of-the-democratic-socialists-of-america/ Benedict Cryptofash, “The Left is not a concept” - https://platypus1917.org/2021/12/01/the-left-is-not-a-concept/ Mitchel Cohen, Melvyn Dubofsky, Daniel Lazare, Sebastian LM, “Whither socialism? Mamdani and the Left” - https://platypus1917.org/2025/11/01/whither-socialism-mamdani-and-the-left/ James Heartfield, Spencer Leonard, Anthony Monteiro, Benjamin Studebaker, “Marxism and liberalism” - https://platypus1917.org/2022/10/01/marxism-and-liberalism-2/ Ben B. and Clint M., “‘The epoch of empires’: An interview with Haz Al-Din” - https://platypus1917.org/2024/02/01/the-epoch-of-empires-an-interview-with-haz-al-din/ Caleb Maupin, “We are the city-building tendency” - https://platypus1917.org/2021/12/01/we-are-the-city-building-tendency/ Pamela C. Nogales C., “Helplessness without history: Political education after the Millennial Left" - https://platypus1917.org/2024/10/01/helplessness-without-history-political-education-after-the-millennial-left/ Chris Cutrone, “Israel–Palestine and the ‘Left’” - https://platypus1917.org/2024/02/01/israel-palestine-and-the-left/ Jan-Georg Gerber, “Who were the Antideutsch? An obituary” - https://platypus1917.org/2025/04/01/who-were-the-antideutsch-an-obituary/ ----- platypus1917.org

In this episode of Shit Platypus Says, members Laurie R, Cam H, and Ethan L dig into the archives for a wide-ranging conversation on Cuba. Together, they trace Cuba’s historical role in the socialist imagination and ask what the latest crisis means in the shadow of the twentieth century. Their discussion is interspersed with highlights from an interview members Ben K. and Mohammad H. conducted with Steve Eckardt of the Chicago Cuba Coalition. Listen for a reflective conversation on whether, and how, Cuba still matters for anyone trying to think seriously about the past, present, and future of the Left. ----- Links: Ethan Linehan, “The revolution marooned: Cuba and the Left,” in Platypus Review 114 (March 2019) https://platypus1917.org/2019/03/02/the-revolution-marooned-cuba-and-the-left/ 
C.D. Hardy, “Cuba and Trotskyism’s breakdown,” in Platypus Review 116 (May 2019) https://platypus1917.org/2019/05/01/cuba-and-trotskyisms-breakdown/ Fidel Castro, “The Universal Conscience,” speech to the Cultural Congress of Havana, January 1968, in The New Left Reader, ed. Carl Oglesby (New York: Grove Press, 1969), 186–206. Frantz Fanon, “Algeria Unveiled,” in The New Left Reader, ed. Carl Oglesby (New York: Grove Press, 1969), 161–185. Carl Oglesby, “The Idea of the New Left,” in The New Left Reader, ed. Carl Oglesby (New York: Grove Press, 1969), 1–20. New Left Reader: https://archive.org/details/newleftreader0000ogle Port Huron Statement by the SDS in 1962. https://www.crmvet.org/info/620615_sds_huron-stmt.pdf Joseph Hansen, "Cuba- The Acid Test: A Reply to the Ultra-Left Sectarians" https://www.marxists.org/archive/hansen/1962/11/acidtest.htm Tom Kerry, "Anatomy of Stalinism" (1972) Kerry's remarks about Cuba are in the Q&A, which is not included in the published Education for Socialists pamphlet (pdf below), but audio is available online, link below in three parts. https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/document/swp-us/education/anatomy-of-stalinism.pdf Audio, part 1:https://marxists.architexturez.net/history/etol/audio/kerry/The%20Anatomy%20of%20Stalinism%20Part%201.mp3 Audio, part 2: https://marxists.architexturez.net/history/etol/audio/kerry/The%20Anatomy%20of%20Stalinism%20Part%202.mp3 Audio, part 3: https://marxists.architexturez.net/history/etol/audio/kerry/The%20Anatomy%20of%20Stalinism%20Part%203.mp3 C. Wright Mills, Listen, Yankee! (1960) https://archive.org/details/listenyankeerevo0000mill Additional readings: https://www.marxists.org/history/etol/document/icl-spartacists/cuba/index.htm

Lisa talks with Natalie, Ben, and Farsad, the organizers of our upcoming annual convention. See you in Chicago! ----- 18th ANNUAL PLATYPUS CONVENTION 1776, 2006, 2026: Marxism and the Fate of the American Revolution April 9-11, 2026 Chicago, IL https://www.platypus.events/ ----- www.platypus1917.org

This episode was recorded in the summer of 2025, before the current protests in Iran. Itsi sat down with Platypus members Stanley Sharpey and Ian Morrison to talk about the history of the Left in Iran and the significance of the Iranian Revolution for the Left. We touch on Ervand Abrahamian’s book "Iran Between Two Revolutions," which was read in the early days of Platypus, along with other works on Iran by writers such as Fred Halliday, Janet Afari, and Kevin Anderson on Foucault and Iran. We also talk about Platypus panels and articles that address the Iranian Revolution and the Left’s historical response to it, and the millennial Left’s response to the Iranian Green Movement, specifically the panel “The Green Movement and the Left: Prospects for Democracy in Iran.” Ian also reflects on his involvement during this moment, as well as his interview with Homayoun Pourzad, a trade unionist. Finally, we talk about the changing landscape of the Left from the Obama presidency to our current moment. -------- "The Green Movement and the Left: Prospects for Democracy in Iran" (3/20/10 panel) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzK9cPxPdVA&t=60s Against the status quo: An Interview with Iranian trade unionist Homayoun Pourzad - Ian Morrison: https://platypus1917.org/2010/01/08/against-the-status-quo-an-interview-with-iranian-trade-unionist-homayoun-pourzad/ The Iranian Revolution and Its Implications - Interview with Fred Halliday: https://platypus1917.org/wp-content/uploads/readings/hallidayfred_iranrev1987_NLR16202.pdf Revisiting Foucault and the Iranian Revolution- Janet Afary & Kevin B. Anderson: https://newpol.org/issue_post/revisiting-foucault-and-iranian-revolution/ Foucault and the Iranian Revolution: Gender and the Seductions of Islamism - Janet Afary & Kevin B. Anderson: https://caringlabor.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/foucault-and-the-iranian-revolution-janet-afary.pdf ----- www.platypus1917.org

This New Years' episode of SPS comes in two parts. In the first, co-hosts Pam N. and Itsï R. take up the Epstein files. What is this about? What does it have to do with the Left? And what does it have to do with political reality? We discuss. In the second part, Itsï and Pam sit down with Marco T. to talk about the new Paul Thomas Anderson film, One Battle after Another (2025). We treat the film as a work of art -- try to understand the world of the film and its nutty vision of paranoid cabals. We get into how it measures up to the rest of Anderson's work and what it reveals about the imagination of the last 15 years. And we comment on the reviews from Jacobin, the World Socialist Website, and the National Review. That's a wrap for the SPS team in 2025! Thanks to our listeners for the great feedback and suggestions -- keep them coming. As always, if you like the podcast, share it, and leave us a review! It goes a long way to help us get the word out. SPS is on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Soundcloud. If you want to send us a message, find us at [email protected] and on IG: @shitplatypussays. Episode Links: - Chris Cutrone on Venezuela (Sublation Media, December 2025) https://youtu.be/EYdgYDMqG7Y?si=LIYIAOPAYVJxCSpF - Spartacists on Venezuela (Workers Vanguard No. 1188, December 2025) https://iclfi.org/pubs/wv/1188/venezuela Published after our recording so we didn't get a chance to discuss it, but take a read! - Jacobin review of One Battle after Another https://jacobin.com/2025/09/one-battle-after-another-review - WSWS review of One Battle after Another https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2025/10/04/xvwh-o04.html - Armond White's review of One Battle after Another for the National Review https://www.nationalreview.com/2025/09/there-will-be-bloodlust-in-one-battle-after-another/ - Sunit Singh's review of The Baader-Meinhof Complex (2008) (Platypus Review 12, May 2009) https://platypus1917.org/2009/05/15/film-review-the-baader-meinhof-complex/ - SPS on Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood https://soundcloud.com/platypus-affiliated-society/ep19

On this episode of SPS, we talk about all things Mamdani -- the new DSA mayor of New York City. Your host Pamela N. sits down with former co-host Laurie R., Platypus president Erin H., and our New York member Benjamin K. -- one of the organizers of the recent Platypus Mamdani panel in NYC. We give our impressions of the Oval Office press conference, after the first Trump and Mamdani meeting, and we digest the discussion by the Left on Mamdani captured in our NYC Mamdani panel. We discuss the history of Sewer Socialism, the Second International, and the Millennial Left's journey towards a "new New Deal." The episode features clips from the panel recording to anchor the conversation for our listeners. The edited transcript of that panel has been published on the Platypus Review's most recent issue, linked below. We encourage our listeners to take a read! Links - Platypus Panel (NYU): "Whither socialism? Mamdani and the Left," with Mitchel Cohen, Melvyn Dubofsky, Daniel Lazare, and Sebastian LM (September 26, 2025, published Nov. 2025) Edited Transcript: https://platypus1917.org/2025/11/01/whither-socialism-mamdani-and-the-left/ Video recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRmIkNQB4ME - Mamdani Victory Speech (Nov. 2025) https://youtu.be/_650kn3RpmI?si=IfgevMLTzgJEpDSh - Michael Kinnucan, "How Zohran Mamdani Triumphed Over a Decrepit Establishment" (Nov. 2025) https://jacobin.com/2025/11/mamdani-dsa-democrats-cuomo-socialists - Derek Thompson, "'What Speaks to Me About Abundance': My Full Interview With Zohran Mamdani" (Jun. 2025) https://www.derekthompson.org/p/what-speaks-to-me-about-abundance - "Socialism in one City?" Independent Labor Club of New York event (Sept. 2025) https://x.com/ILCofNYC/status/1964339829446946907?s=20 - "Socialism in Our Time: A Jacobin Conference" (Sept. 2025) https://www.eventbrite.com/e/socialism-in-our-time-a-jacobin-conference-tickets-1485130077039 - Jacobin obituary for David Dinkins, “What David Dinkins Taught Us" (Nov. 2020) https://jacobin.com/2020/11/david-dinkins-mayor-new-york-city-obituary - Daniel Lazare, "Cheering on Trump" (Jan. 2025) http://forum.permanent-revolution.org/2025/01/cheering-on-trump.html - Mamdani Meet the Press Interview (Nov. 23, 2025) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YNwdXW64WA

This mini-episode is a teaser for our eighth European Conference, soon to be held in Leipzig. Lisa sits down with the organizers to discuss the program for the weekend. See you there! Details as follows: VIII. Annual Platypus European Conference What's Left of Europe? 13th-15th November 2025 Leipzig, Germany Highlights include panel discussions on the French Revolution and the state of the European Left today, teach-ins on Ferdinand Lassalle and the American Revolution, and a book talk by Spencer Leonard. Full schedule here: https://sites.google.com/view/whatsleftofeurope Get in touch with our Leipzig chapter at https://www.instagram.com/platypus_leipzig www.platypus-leipzig.de Get in touch with our Paris chapter at https://www.instagram.com/platypusfrance www.platypusfrance.org Access our entire archive at www.platypus1917.org

Pam, Andreas, Bekah, and Itsï from our editorial team discuss the state of the Left, how Platypus proceeds in such an atmosphere, and the opportunities for education in the present. This is a prelude to Lisa's conversation about a Reading Group on Chris Cutrone's book, The Death of the Millennial Left, organized by members Elli (Leipzig) and Nezam (Munich). They are joined by our contact Anna, as well as our Philly member Ethan K, who reflects on his teach-in on the Millennial Left back from 2022. They discuss their personal experiences and the relation of the Zoomers to the Millennial generation. --- Links: Ethan‘s teach-in (2022): https://youtu.be/giFPwmi49Tk?si=ZC9OZDEgNu0KMM3u Chris Cutrone, The Death of the Millennial Left: US: https://www.amazon.com/Death-Millennial-Left-Interventions-2006-2022/dp/B0C7SH5XTY EU/DE: https://amzn.eu/d/e4Ssu8s Ethan‘s article (for the assiduous): https://platypus1917.org/2025/09/01/the-ends-of-abstinence/