Why Not Marxism? (Ft. Benjamin Studebaker)

Get access to The Backroom, with 100+ exclusive episodes of 1Dime Radio, on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/OneDimeThis special bonus episode of 1Dime Radio is a rare public release of a conversation previously available only through The Backroom, my Patreon-exclusive podcast. I sit down with political theorist Benjamin Studebaker to challenge assumptions on the far left about Marxism, communism, class, and revolution, from the decline of the organized working class and the rise of rentier capitalism to Marxism’s missing theory of politics, the failures of one-party states, China’s relationship to the world system, and the fantasy of world revolution.This public release contains the first half of our three-and-a-half-hour conversation and ends just as we turn to the dictatorship of the proletariat. Patrons can hear the full discussion in The Backroom.You can listen to 1Dime Radio on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts.Timestamps:0:00 Preview: How Capitalism Ruins the Elite2:37 Intro3:35 Are We Marxists?10:43 Middle Capitalism and the New Class Structure25:14 Labor vs. the Vulnerable30:27 What Marxism Gets Right About Capitalism37:36 Marxism’s Moral and Political Blind Spot46:45 Needs, Consumer Goods, and Soviet Collapse54:38 False Needs, Christianity, and the Internet1:03:09 Pessimism, Accelerationism, and Anti-Imperialism1:06:05 Why Not Communism?1:12:01 Can Politics Exist Without the State?1:16:21 China, the WTO, and the Limits of Socialist Power1:25:01 Can Internationalism Avoid Imperialism?1:40:22 Socialist Geopolitics and the Burden of Proof1:43:17 Hear the Full Conversation on Patreon1:44:25 The True Test of a RevolutionGUEST:Benjamin Studebaker: political theorist and author of Legitimacy in Liberal DemocraciesWebsite: https://benjaminstudebaker.com/Substack: https://bmstudebaker.substack.com/Political Theory 101: https://soundcloud.com/benjamin-studebakerFOLLOW 1Dime:1Dime Radio YouTube channel: https://youtube.com/@1dimeradioSubstack: https://1dimereview.substack.com/X/Twitter: https://x.com/1DimeOfficialInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/Main 1Dime YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@1DimeeLeave a like, comment, and subscribe. Give 1Dime Radio a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.