On October 12, 2018, Platypus member Richard Rubin delivered a talk at New York University on what it means to be a Marxist in the 21st Century.
On this episode, Pamela Nogales, Laurie Rojas and Suzy Vogenthaler talk about the Kavanaugh hearing, his virginity and the failing Democratic Party strategy in the midterm electoral campaign. Laurie and Pamela interview Jack Devine from the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) and discuss the organization's strategy and long term goals. We end by interviewing Tana Forrester, from the Socialist Party USA (SPUSA), on the need to build a mass socialist party today.
Articles for further reading:
(1) Jack Devine, "The death agony of meritocracy" in the Platypus Review 109 (September 2018)
platypus1917.org/2018/09/04/the-dâŠ-of-meritocracy/
(2) Erin Hagood & Stephanie Gomez, "What was the Socialist Party? An interview with David McReynolds" in the Platypus Review 110 (October 2018)
platypus1917.org/2018/10/01/what-âŠavid-mcreynolds/
Hosted by Laurie Rojas, Pamela C. Nogales C. and Suzy V.
On October 24, 2018, the Platypus Affiliated Society hosted a discussion on 50 years of 1968 at Berkeley City Community College. The discussion was moderated by Audrey Crescenti.
Description:
For half a century, 1968 has represented a high-water mark of social and political transformation, a year of social upheaval that spanned the entire globe. Ushered in by a New Left that sought to distinguish itself from the Old Left that emerged in the 1920s and â30s, the monumental events of 1968 set the tone for everything from protest politics to academic leftism.
Today, with the U.S. entangled in a seemingly endless war in Asia and people calling for the impeachment of an unpopular president, with activists fighting in the streets and calling for liberation along the lines of race, gender, and sexuality, the Leftâs every attempt to discover new methods and new ideas seems to invoke a memory of the political horizons of 1968. We can perhaps more than ever feel the urgency of the question, What lessons are to be drawn from the New Left, as another generation undertakes the project of building a left for the 21st century?
Panelists:
- Bobby Seale (Black Panther Party)
- Max Elbaum (Students for a Democratic Society)
- Watson Ladd (Platypus Affiliated Society)
Held October 4, 2018 at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Panelists:
John Abbott, Senior lecturer of history at UIC
John Bachtell, Chairman of the Communist Party USA
Fred Mecklenburg, News and Letters
David Faes, Platypus / Campaign for a Socialist Party
Panel Description:
The term âsocialismâ appears to be enjoying a resurgence of public interest - both favorably where it is self-prescribed and pejoratively where it is meant to degrade the respectability of public figures. From early 2016 at the height of Bernie Sanders's campaign for the Democratic Party nomination to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezâs victory over Joe Crowley in June, the term âsocialismâ appears to be gaining some level of purchase and a whole lot of press. In many instances, âsocialismâ is commingled with terms as varied as âsocial democraticâ, âcommunistâ, âmarxistâ, âanarchistâ, etc. As such, we view this is as an opportune moment to ask, âwhat is socialism after all?â What do public figures mean when they identify as socialists or any one of its varied strains? What do their opponents think it means? What does it mean and what can it mean? And perhaps, most important of all, what did it mean in the past?
Held September 27, 2018 at Oregon State University. Moderated by Andony Melathopoulos.
Speakers (in order):
- Mika Goodwin - Democratic Socialists of America (Corvallis)
- Paige Kreisman - Communist Party of Oregon (CPUSA)
- Douglas Lain - publishing manager Zero Books, author of Bash Bash Revolution
- Christopher Nichols - History Department, OSU, author of Promise and Peril: America at the Dawn of a Global Age
Panel Description:
The term âsocialismâ appears to be enjoying a resurgence of public interest - both favorably where it is self-prescribed and pejoratively where it is meant to degrade the respectability of public figures. From early 2016 at the height of Bernie Sanders's campaign for the Democratic Party nomination to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezâs victory over Joe Crowley in June, the term âsocialismâ appears to be gaining some level of purchase and a whole lot of press. In many instances, âsocialismâ is commingled with terms as varied as âsocial democraticâ, âcommunistâ, âmarxistâ, âanarchistâ, etc. As such, we view this is as an opportune moment to ask, âwhat is socialism after all?â What do public figures mean when they identify as socialists or any one of its varied strains? What do their opponents think it means? What does it mean and what can it mean? And perhaps, most important of all, what did it mean in the past?
