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Red Menace
by Red Menace
Red Menace is a podcast that explains and analyzes revolutionary theory and then applies its lessons to our contemporary conditions. Hosted by Alyson Escalante and Breht O'Shea.
Episodes
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An Inhuman Future: Nick Land, Techno-Accelerationism, and the Dark Enlightenment
In this episode Alyson and Breht enter the strange and unsettling world of Nick Land: Marx, Nietzsche, Delueze, cybernetics, accelerationism, and the possibility that capitalism is becoming something more than a human social system. For Land, techno-capital may be an inhuman process using…
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Che's "New Socialist Man" and the Bodhisattva Revolutionary
Breht reads the speech he recently gave in-person at the 2026 Socialism Conference in Chicago. In the Speech, he analyzes the role of human subjectivity in revolutionary politics, explicates Che's argument in his famous essay "Socialism and Man in Cuba", articulates his notion of the Bodhisattva...
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The New Red Scare: Trump's War on the American Left
In this episode, Alyson and Breht examine the Trump administration's emerging campaign against what it calls "far-left terrorism." We begin with NSPM-7, the presidential directive encouraging federal agencies to investigate not only alleged political violence, but the organizations, funders…
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Socialism Conference '26: Labor Day Weekend in Chicago!
Breht gives details on his upcoming speech and Q and A at the Socialism Conference in Chicago this September, the listener meet-up afterwards, and the patreon raffle for TWO FREE TICKETS! Check out the Socialism Conference HERE Join the Patreon for a chance to win free tickets and attend the...
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Substance, Spirit, Struggle: From Spinoza through Hegel to Marx (and Beyond)
In this unlocked patreon episode Breht traces and explains a subterranean philosophical lineage running from Spinoza through Hegel to Marx and Louis Althusser. Beginning with Spinoza's conception of God or Nature as a single, immanent Substance, he explores how Hegel transforms Substance into a...
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Democratic Socialist Electoral Victories and the Implications for American Politics
Alyson and Breht reflect on recent Democratic Socialist electoral victories, the ongoing contradiction between the progressive left and the corporate center within the Democratic Party, the principled and strategic approach to this development that Marxists should take, the implications for the...
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Philosophy of Mind: Marxism, Materialism, and Dialectical Monism
In this episode, Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante join forces for a deep philosophical conversation on Marxism, consciousness, and the mind-body problem. Using China Miéville's essay on consciousness and materialism as a starting point, they explore why the nature of subjective experience…
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Alyson and Breht Answer Your Questions
Alyson and Breht spend three hours answering your questions about politics, theory, socialist stragey and much more! Watch the video version on Youtube HERE ----------------------------------------------------------------- Follow, Subscribe, & Learn more about Rev Left Radio...
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The Worldwide Family of Militant Women
In this episode, Breht and Alyson sit down with Arlene Eisen to discuss her new memoir, In the Worldwide Family of Militant Women. Eisen reflects on her political formation across the upheavals of the 1960s through the early 1980s, her encounters with Black liberation and anti-imperialist…
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The Iran War: A Dialectical and Historical Materialist Analysis
Alyson and Breht apply dialectical and historical materialist analysis to the current war of aggression in Iran. Together they break down the Marxist methodology into its three main parts - dialectics, materialism, and history - and showcase how they apply to the US and Israeli war on Iran…
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Iran Under Attack
On this YT livestream (3/1/26) Alyson and Breht discuss the illegal war of aggression launched by the US and Israel against Iran. Throughout the discussion they take live questions from the chat. https://www.youtube.com/@revleftradio ---------------------------------------------------- Support…
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Guillotines for the Epstein Class
Alyson and Breht discuss a range of current events, including Cuba, the Epstein Files, Iran and much more. Make a donation to Socialist Night School via Venmo @OmahaNightSchool Outro Song: "to each their dot" by Haley Heynderickx & Max Garcia Conover
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Minneapolis on Fire
Breht discusses recent events in Minneapolis... --------------------------------------------------------------------- Outro Music: Haley Heynderickx & Max García Conover - Song For Alicia
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Jesus Christ Beyond Belief: A Mystical Reading of the Gospels
In this Christmas special, Alyson and Breht reinterpret Jesus through Jewish mysticism, Christian contemplative traditions, and Buddhist conceptions of Enlightenment, offering an understanding of his teachings and words as attempts to articulate the ineffable and non-dual, rather than…
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(Teaser) The Anti-Human Nihilism of the Techno-Oligarchs
This is a small snippet from a much larger patreon exclusive episode, which you can sign up for (and support the show in the process) here: www.patreon.com/revleftradio
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The Years of Lead in Italy: Strategy of Tension, Operation Gladio, & the Long 1970s
Most people, even on the Left, only know fragments of Italy's "Years of Lead." This episode pulls the whole picture into focus: the mass worker upsurge after the boom years, the 1969 Piazza Fontana bombing and the death of Giuseppe Pinelli, the rise of the Red Brigades, the kidnapping and…
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Ceasefire in Gaza, The Monroe Doctrine Under Trump, and a US Economy on the Brink of Collapse
Alyson and Breht analyze current events, including the ceasefire in Gaza and its implications, the newest round of US imperialist aggression against Venezuela, Regime Change aspirations in Iran and Venezuela, the absolutely horrific state of the American economy, the AI bubble, Free Speech, ICE...
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Discussing Popular Education (w/ Ultra-Red)
In this episode, Alyson joins members of the Ultra-Red collective to discuss their recent trip to Central America where they learned first hand about popular education movements of the past and present. The discussion gets into the history of popular education, existing social movements in…
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On Technofeudalism: Rent Seeking in Late Stage Monopoly Capitalism
Alyson and Breht critically engage with the concept of "technofeudalism" from a Marxist (and thus historical materialist) perspective, analyzing its origin and recent popularity, critiquing its depoloyment and the implication that it represents a "new mode of production", explaining related...
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Red Star Ministry: Marxism, Theology, & The Human Condition
Alyson and Breht are guests on the Red Star Ministry Podcast, a Christian Communist outlet. Together with the host Christian, they discuss Alyson and Breht's evolving personal relationship with religion and atheism, the Dialectics of Nature and Human Consciousness, Spinozist Philosophy, Marxist...
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On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among The People
In this episode of Red Menace, Breht and Alyson dive into Mao Zedong's pivotal 1957 speech On the Correct Handling of Contradictions Among the People. This foundational text offers insight into Mao's dialectical approach to politics, particularly in navigating the complex terrain of class…
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Uprising in LA: ICE, Mass Deportations, and American Fascism
Alyson and Breht record an emergency podcast on the current riots in LA, and resistance across the country, to mass deportations. Together they highlight recent events, discuss the function of mass deporations in a decaying capitalist system, analyze the spontaneous and militant community…
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Dialectics of Nature: Engels on Dialectical Materialism as a Worldview
In this episode, Alyson and Breht explore Friedrich Engels' Dialectics of Nature, a bold and underappreciated attempt to apply dialectical materialism to the natural sciences. Often dismissed or misunderstood, this unfinished work offers a sweeping view of reality - from physics and chemistry to...
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Teaser: The Role of Labor in Human Evolution
This is small snippet from a much larger episode coming soon wherein Alyson and Breht cover Friedrich Engel's famous text "Dialectics of Nature", in which Engels argues for dialectical materialism as a scientifically grounded, philosophically rigorous, and holistic worldview—one that understands...
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Tenant Unions Under Attack by Landlord Lobby
In this episode, Breht welcomes on Seth from Omaha Tenants United for an in-studio discussion about OTU's slate of recent successes organizing several tenant unions, and a subsequent new legal assault on the organization by the local landlord lobby. The legal implications of this attack are truly...
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Farce, Finance & Fascism: Margaret Kimberley on Empire in Decay
In this powerful and wide-ranging conversation, Margaret Kimberley—senior columnist at Black Agenda Report and a leader in Black Alliance for Peace—joins Breht to dissect the spectacle of American decline and, as usual, Kimberley offers a razor-sharp analysis of late-stage capitalism's collapse...
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Trotsky on Fascism (and Lessons for us Today)
In this episode, Alyson and Breht welcome Brendan to the show, a close comrade with a bit more sympathy toward Trotsky in order to be as fair as possible and get a fresh perspective. Together, we dive deep into Leon Trotsky's Fascism: What It Is and How to Fight It, a sharp and urgent…
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City of Ashes: The Los Angeles Wildfires
Alyson - a lifelong and current resident of Los Angeles - and Breht discuss the wildfires ravaging L.A. Together they discuss the acute and structural causes of the fires, the role played by Climate Change, the reactionary propaganda surrounding the fires, the class dynamics at play, the...
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New Years Reflection: Reviewing 2024 and Looking Ahead to 2025 & Beyond
It's time for our annual Revolutionary Guerrilla Menace episode, where we crossover with Rev Left and the Red Menace in order to review the past year in world events and look forward to what we think will be coming in the next year. Breht, Alyson, Adnan, and Henry discuss Palestine, BRICS, the...
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Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism (Upstream)
Alyson and Breht were invited to join Robbie on the Upstream podcast to talk about Lenin's "Imperialism: The Highest Stage of Capitalism". Capitalism, imperialism, monopoly—far from being separate concepts that just happen to take shape parallel to one another or to overlap from time to time…
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The German Revolution
Alyson and Breht finally dive into the German Revolution of 1918! Together they discuss this rather ambigious revolution, give a detailed overview of events, and reflect on what lessons we can learn from it. From the toppling of the Kaiser, to the brutal fight between social democrats and...
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Shattering the Spectacle: Trump, Kamala, and the 2024 Election
Alyson and Breht analyze the results of the recent presidential election and explore its various meanings. Together they discuss the grotesque hollowness of the Democratic Party, the identity crisis of the post-Trump Republican party, dealignment and realignment, the end of neoliberalism, the…
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Yahya Sinwar: Living and Dying for National Liberation
Alyson and Breht reflect on the life and death of the Palestinian resistance leader Yahya Sinwar. Outro Song "Gaza Strip 2 Detroit" by Sammy Shiblaq
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War in West Asia: When A Dying Settler Colony Lashes Out
Alyson and Breht discuss the unfolding regional war between Israel and literally all of its neighbors, the restrained Iranian response to Israeli aggression, US complicity and contributions to the fascist mass murder campaign, Hezbollah and Lebanon, Russia and Syria, the decrepit war criminals...
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On Mysticism II: Enlightenment, Non-Duality, & Perennialism
Alyson and Breht return to do a follow up conversation to their well-received previous episode regarding this topic, "On Mysticism: Ego, Suffering, & Love". In this episode, they dive even deeper, discussing what enlightenment really is, the universal accessibility of Non-Dual awareness, the...
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The Democrat's War on Democracy & Trump's Brush with Death
Trump gets shot. Biden drops out. Kamala is coronated. Alyson and Breht discuss and analyze it all. Omaha Tenants United: https://omahatenantsunited.wordpress.com Outro Song: Music for Shoplifting by P.O.S.
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Empty Spectacles and Heightening Contradictions
Alyson and Breht reflect on the pathetic Presidential Debate, analyze the fallout from the debate, and then reflect on some major internal divisions within both American and Israeli societies.
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Student Encampments for Palestine: An Interview with Student Organizers
Students and organizers Cheli and Phia join Alyson and Breht to discuss their different experiences on the front lines of student encampments at Cal State LA and the University of Oregon. Together, they discuss the reasons for their protests, share the differing reactions from university...
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Students Revolt: The Campus Uprisings for Palestine
Alyson and Breht discuss the student-led protests for Palestine sweeping across American universities, the reaction to them by the ruling class elite and their attack dogs (the cops), lessons learned from previous movements over the past decade or so, parallels to 1968 and the anti-Vietnam War...
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Ghosts in the Machines: Artificial Intelligence, Consciousness, & Capitalism
In this episode, Alyson and Breht wrestle with the possible rise of artificial general intelligence and its implications. Together they discuss the Silicon Valley Techno-Cult and their dark religious search for immortality, their hubristic attempts to "build god" and escape death, their…
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"The 18th Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte" by Karl Marx
Alyson and Breht explain and explore this famous text from Karl Marx, in the process they discuss French history, class conflict, the peasantry and lumpenproletariat, Bonapartism and Fascism, history, the role of the State under capitalism, and how all of this helps us to make sense of our...
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Man on Fire: Aaron Bushnell's Sacrifice for Palestine
Rest in Peace, Aaron. Free Palestine! "To burn oneself by fire is to prove that what one is saying is of the utmost importance. There is nothing more painful than burning oneself. To say something while experiencing this kind of pain is to say it with utmost courage, frankness, determination, and...
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On Mysticism: Ego, Suffering, & Love
On this episode of Red Menace, Alyson and Breht had some things come up such that they couldn't record their planned episode on Marx's 18th Brumaire (coming soon!), so instead they have a deep, organic and wide-ranging conversation on mysticism; together they explore humanities religious and...
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Apartheid in South Africa: An Investigation
In this Rev Left Family Annual Collab (Rev Left+Red Menace+Guerrilla History), Alyson, Henry, Adnan, and Breht sit down for a deep dive on South African Apartheid. Together they discuss its euro-colonialist origins, explain the significance of the Boer Wars, define and explicate the origins of...
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Decolonizing Palestine: Toward National Liberation in the Levant
Alyson and Breht discuss the ongoing national liberation struggle in Palestine (recorded Oct. 30th 2023). Together, they discuss the incredible shift in public opinion on Israel and Palestine, the internal and external contradictions culminating in unison for Israel, the discussion about whether…
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What Is To Be Done? with Breht O'Shea and Alyson Escalante (Upstream Interview)
What Is To Be Done? This is the question so profoundly posed by the Russian Revolutionary and Bolshevik leader, Vladimir Lenin, in his landmark text of the same name. Although it was written well over a century ago, this text, the questions it asked, and the paths forward that it provided, are…
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Toward Liberation: Palestine on Fire
Breht discusses the current situation in Palestine, helps listeners navigate and dismantle common Zionist talking points, and (hopefully) brings some much needed moral clarity and intellectual honesty to a topic that, especially in the West, often lacks both...
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[RE-UPLOAD] Decolonization is Not a Metaphor - Tuck & Yang
Originally Aired on Oct 31, 2021 On this episode of Red Menace Alyson and Breht teach, discuss, and apply the lessons of 'Decolonization is Not a Metaphor' by Tuck and Yang Support Red Menace and get access to bonus monthly content on Patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/TheRedMenace
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"The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and The State" by Friedrich Engels (Pt. 3)
Alyson and Breht finish their 3-part series on Friedrich Engels' text "The Origin of the Family, Private Property, and The State", and reflect on the text as a whole. Together, they wrestle with questions, like: What is family abolition? How do rich people buy extended, communal family? What...
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American Rot: SCOTUS' War on the American People
Alyson and Breht discuss the recent rulings by the Supreme Court, a wildly anti-democratic, thoroughly corrupt, and staunchly reactionary institution that the American right has spent years and billions of dollars capturing in order to impose its minoritarian rule on an American majority that...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Red Menace is a podcast that explains and analyzes revolutionary theory and then applies its lessons to our contemporary conditions. Hosted by Alyson Escalante and Breht O'Shea.
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Red Menace
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Red Menace currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
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Red Menace is a podcast that explains and analyzes revolutionary theory and then applies its lessons to our contemporary conditions. Hosted by Alyson Escalante and Breht O'Shea.
How often does Red Menace release new episodes?
Red Menace has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
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