Philosophical Gathering of the Community

Leslie and Andy briefly discuss the upcoming elections, our current economic dilemma, and ideas for really changing things.

On this episode I interview Nicki and Ryan, who work as baristas / shift managers at Starbucks. They talk about some of their positive experiences with their own coffee crew, some gripes they have with the corporation, and how it was different for a time (but may not last).

Andy talks to Rodrigo of Rebel Diaz on a wide variety of topics including racial and class disparities in the New York area, the undermining of our public education and health systems, and the injustices of capitalist America in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

In the second month of global pandemic, a wave of the dispossessed tries to make due. The government flexes its muscles to help the rich and big business, but not the dispossessed. In this episode we discuss the government’s response, and the people’s response, to the health crisis so far. We ask: what should our demands be? How can we get where we want to go? And who might lead us in the right or wrong direction? Five demands (from 5demands.global): Free healthcare No work No debt Free the prisoners Homes for all Five red flags to watch out for mis-leaders: Says we need to wait for people in power to solve the problem. Funded by / working for people who have a vested interest in things not changing for the better (for us, the dispossessed) Advocates for solutions that have been tried and failed, over and over again through history. People who won’t name an enemy, and/or blur the lines between classes (the owning class vs. the dispossessed) Says we can’t have good things or systemic changes. The more good something is, or the more it challenges the system, the more we cannot have it.

Solidarity, not charity. It may not be the most obvious distinction, but it makes all the difference in the world. In this episode I interview Tito, point person for the newly-formed Uptown/Buena Park Solidarity Network. The solidarity network is a true grassroots organization that is seeing a sudden expansion in Chicago and beyond due to the Covid-19 pandemic. In this episode we talk about the network’s current structuring, the purpose of the network, and the need for this kind of project in the years to come.

A virus has shut down work, making us go inside. This has caused the economy to crash. It doesn’t seem logical. There’s enough of everything to go around — and yet the economy “crashes” when workers take a little time off. A virus has revealed to more and more of us that the system doesn’t make sense. If the economy can’t handle us staying home, maybe there’s something really wrong with the economy! The government is responding in ways that are not very helpful, and the response could go in various directions from here. The crisis could be used as a ramp into full-blown fascism; or it could end with a pandemic of epic proportions. (Possibly, both of these.) In this episode, Sammy sits down with Andy and Leslie to discuss a range of topics, including the nature of the economy, the government response to coronavirus, efforts at mutual aid, the current elections, and the importance of asking good questions about what’s going on. *The sound is a little inconsistent in this episode because we are recording in different locations.

We are living through “interesting” times, and there’s more ahead. In this episode, Sammy gives an update and call to collaboration.

Bill joins Sammy and Andy to talk about housing and gentrification, in Chicago and in general.

What is the real state of the economy? Those who have the wealth and power assure us that the economy is good. But our lives (and many statistics) say otherwise. In this episode, Sammy sits down with Andy and Leslie to discuss jobs, automation, speculation, and more.

Sammy speaks with Andy and Leslie about the “Philosophical Gathering of the Community” — what it is, where it comes from, and where it could go from here. This is the introductory episode of our podcast.