449: The Communist Manifesto

The boys drink and review an IPA from Cigar City, then discuss the communist manifesto. With special guest Longinus, Pigweed and Crowhill review the famous manifesto, starting with a brief bio of Marx and Engels. In order to understand Marx and Engels, you have to think about the context -- the industrial revolution and the horrible circumstances of workers in those days. The boys start with giving the manifesto an honest shot. What does it say, and what does it mean? Marx says that all of history is the story of class struggle: the oppressor vs. the oppressed. There are two groups: the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. There is no bond between men but naked self interest. Capitalism is about profit at any cost. After giving the document the fairest reading they can, the boys move into criticism. Longinus and Pigweed have a few points they want to defend. Crowhill despises the whole thing. The boys work through the main premises of the manifesto and tear them to shreds.