Episodes
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Ep 84: German PR & Die Linke Party Congress
This episode comes in two segments. The first is a reflection about the German Platypus Review #39. Lisa and our new co-host Nora sit down with Moritz Schiffmann from Leipzig, Editor in Chief of the German PR, and Johann Richter from Halle, the author of a book review included in the issue. In…
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Ep 83: Cesar Chavez & Labor Organizing Today
On this episode, Ed & Persaud discuss the controversy around Cesar Chavez and what it could tell us about the state of labor organizing today. They reflect on their experiences as union members and how labor organizations appear to a young person entering them today. ------ FURTHER READING: What…
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Ep 82: The Platypus Review in the Last 5 Years
For this episode of Shit Platypus Says, Tamas V sits down with Lou S, editor in chief of the Platypus Review for the last 5 years, and Allen Y, who will take over the job. They discuss the transformations in capitalist politics and the Left's responses to them, which the Platypus Review has…
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Ep. 81: The End of the Cuban Revolution?
In this episode of Shit Platypus Says, members Laurie R, Cam H, and Ethan L dig into the archives for a wide-ranging conversation on Cuba. Together, they trace Cuba’s historical role in the socialist imagination and ask what the latest crisis means in the shadow of the twentieth century. Their...
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Marxism and the Fate of The American Revolution (2026 International Convention Teaser)
Lisa talks with Natalie, Ben, and Farsad, the organizers of our upcoming annual convention. See you in Chicago! ----- 18th ANNUAL PLATYPUS CONVENTION 1776, 2006, 2026: Marxism and the Fate of the American Revolution April 9-11, 2026 Chicago, IL https://www.platypus.events/ ----- www.platypus1917.org
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Ep 80: Engagements with the Iranian Left
This episode was recorded in the summer of 2025, before the current protests in Iran. Itsi sat down with Platypus members Stanley Sharpey and Ian Morrison to talk about the history of the Left in Iran and the significance of the Iranian Revolution for the Left. We touch on Ervand Abrahamian’s…
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Ep 79: On Epstein & One Battle after Another
This New Years' episode of SPS comes in two parts. In the first, co-hosts Pam N. and Itsï R. take up the Epstein files. What is this about? What does it have to do with the Left? And what does it have to do with political reality? We discuss. In the second part, Itsï and Pam sit down with Marco…
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Ep 78: On Zohran Mamdani's NYC Mayoral Election
On this episode of SPS, we talk about all things Mamdani -- the new DSA mayor of New York City. Your host Pamela N. sits down with former co-host Laurie R., Platypus president Erin H., and our New York member Benjamin K. -- one of the organizers of the recent Platypus Mamdani panel in NYC. We…
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2025 European Conference Teaser
This mini-episode is a teaser for our eighth European Conference, soon to be held in Leipzig. Lisa sits down with the organizers to discuss the program for the weekend. See you there! Details as follows: VIII. Annual Platypus European Conference What's Left of Europe? 13th-15th November 2025...
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Ep 77: On Psychosis & the Death of the Millennial Left
Pam, Andreas, Bekah, and Itsï from our editorial team discuss the state of the Left, how Platypus proceeds in such an atmosphere, and the opportunities for education in the present. This is a prelude to Lisa's conversation about a Reading Group on Chris Cutrone's book, The Death of the Millennial...
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Ep 76: Tariffs and Trade
Bekah welcomes back SPS's resident financial guru to discuss the impact of Trump's tariffs on the state of world finances, markets, and leftist politics on both sides of the Atlantic. --- Further Materials: What is the Relevance of the EU for the Left? (Leipzig, 06/24):...
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Ep 75: Immigration & the Left
Lisa sits down with Erin, Danny, and Tim to discuss recent iterations of our Immigration & the Left Panel, as well as the trajectory of immigration politics from the Millennial Left to the present. --- IMMIGRATION & THE LEFT PANEL SERIES UC San Diego (5/22/25) -...
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Ep 74: The Left in the 21st Century & Interview with Doug Lain
We're back with a long episode in two parts. In the first half, Pam, Natalie, and Ed reflect upon the closing plenary of the 2025 Platypus International Convention, "Is there a Left in the 21st Century?" which featured Andrew Hartman (author of Marx in America), Branko Marcetic (Democratic...
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Is There a Left in the 21st Century? (2025 International Platypus Convention Teaser)
Rebekah, Ismail, and Michael introduce the upcoming Platypus International Convention, featuring Bill Ayers, Chris Cutrone, Alex Higgins, Michael Kazin, Branko Marcetic, Dave McKerracher, and Pamela Nogales among many more speakers, teach-ins, and social events. Is There a Left in the 21st…
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Ep 73: On the German Elections and the Antideutsch
In this episode of Sh-t Platypus Says, we focus on the German politics in the present and since the aftermath of the New Left. In the first half, Lisa discusses the recent German elections results with Jule, Daron, and Andreas. What does the victory of Friedrich Merz's center-right CDU mean for…
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Ep 72: The Right for the Left
Itsï and Johannes sit down with Chris Cutrone to reflect on last year's summer reading group, The Right for the Left. They discuss the historical difference between the Right and the Left, the prevalence of right-wing ideas on the Left, and how the Left conceded the contestation of ideas to the...
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Ep 71: Nina Power Interview & the United Healthcare Assassination
Episode 71 comes in two parts: In the first, Pam sits down with Audrey and Itsï to discuss the assassination of United Healthcare's CEO, and what the Left has to say about it. They consider the historical anarchist tactic of the propaganda of the deed, and what Marxism had to say about it. In the...
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Ep 70: Trump's Reelection & Interview with Carlos Garrido
In this episode, Pam sits down with Platypus members, Ethan and Gabe, to discuss Trump's reelection and the Republicans' victory in Congress, the Left's nostalgia for Bernie along with its efforts to "critique" the Democrats, and the new multiracial coalition behind the GOP. In the second part,...
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Ep 69: Platypus Review Reader 2 Roundtable & Millennial Helplessness
This episode comes in two parts. At the beginning of this year the PAS published its second installment of the Platypus Review Reader. This volume, in addition to Marxism in the Age of Trump and Chris Cutrone's recent publication The Death of the Millennial Left, are a curated selection of…
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Ep 68: Free Speech & the Left, an interview w/ Nadine Strossen
On this episode of SPS, Pamela N. and Platypus member Adrienne F. interview Nadine Strossen, an American legal scholar and civil liberties activist. Strossen served as the president of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) from 1991 to 2008; she is currently a senior fellow at the Foundation...
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Ep 67: Kamala IS brat & the Pro-Palestinian Protests
On this episode of SPS, Sophia and Pam hammer out whether or not Kamala Harris IS brat. They discuss the Republican National Convention and the consolidation of the new Republican Party under Trump. In the main segment, Andreas W and Pam N. sit down with Platypus members Ali (Australian National...
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Ep 66: AfD & Sahra Wagenknecht in Germany, Anarchism on the West Coast
Episode 66 comes in two parts. In our first segment, Lisa sits down with German members Jan and Henry to discuss post-neoliberal transformations in German politics, understood through the AfD and Sahra Wagenknecht's split from Die Linke. In the second segment, Andony talks with fellow West Coast...
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Ep 65: The Platypus International Convention & EuroCon Reflections
Episode 65 comes in two parts: In the first segment, Andreas talks with Platypus members Clay (Chicago) and Ethan (Philadelphia) about the upcoming Platypus International Convention, taking place in Chicago April 4-7 under the title "What is Left after Trump?". They discuss the various panel…
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Ep 64: Revolutionary Communism in Australia (Reds: RCO)
In this episode of Shit Platypus Says, we introduce the first segment of Reds, a series examining the growth of new communist organizations around the world. Hosts Tamas, Lisa, and Rebekah discuss the impetus for such a series: the sudden growth of self-styled communist organizations after a…
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2024 European Conference Teaser
Andreas sits down with Berlin-based members Jakob and Tamas to discuss the upcoming sixth annual Platypus European Conference, set to take place January 25th through the 27th. Further info can be found at: https://100yearsafterlenin.com --- A century after Lenin’s death, the Platypus Affiliated...
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Ep 63: Left Perspectives on Israel & Palestine
This special holiday episode of SPS comes in three parts: (1) In order to make sense of the present, Platypus is hosting an international series of panels "Left Perspectives on the Israel-Palestine Conflict". In the first segment, member Gabe G. and Pamela N. reflect on the first panel of the...
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Ep. 62: On Protests in France
We discuss this year's protests in France around police brutality, pension reform, and cost of living with our members Lucas from Bretagne and Paul from Vienna, as well as check in with Parisian protestors with Kristian. To stay up to date with Platypus France, get in touch at: platypusfrance…
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Ep. 61: On Russell Brand & Barbie, and an interview w/ Benjamin Studebaker
On this special back-to-school episode of SPS, Pamela & Laurie discuss the recent Russell Brand controversy. Brand has been in the news lately, under some heat, as a result of public allegations of sexual assault and misconduct. We take this up in the context of the ongoing sex panic and the...
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Ep. 60: On Szikra & Hungarian Politics
In this episode of SPS, Tamas sits down with Aram Shakkour (@ShaqArama) of the Szikra Movement (@SzikraMozgalom), an oppositional movement based around Budapest, Hungary. They discuss the state of leftist politics in Hungary after the oppositional coalition which Szikra supported, United for...
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Ep. 59: On the German Platypus Review #23
In this episode, the Editor-in-Chief of the German Platypus Review, Tobias Rochlitz, sits down with Platypus members Stefan H, Jan BH, and our co-host Lisa M, all of whom contributed to the content of the special PR issue on Gender, to discuss an reflect upon the interview with Koschka…
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Ep 58: On Trump's Indictment & 100 Years of Lukács
In this episode Pamela and Laurie discuss the Trump indictment, DeSantis, and the conservative “resolution” to the crisis of neoliberalism through the Culture Wars. In our main segment, Platypus members from Vienna, Berlin, Melbourne and Chicago reflect on the Platypus panel, "A Century of…
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Ep. 57: On the Crisis of DIE LINKE & interviews at the Conference on "Revolutionärer Bruch"
In the first part of this episode, Lisa is joined by our German members Jakob, Nezam and Sebastian to discuss the crisis and history of DIE LINKE. They reflect on Platypus panels, interviews, and PR articles to think about the recent manifestations of the crisis within DIE LINKE and the radical...
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SPS #56: Spencer Leonard on Marx & Engels
On this episode of SPS, Pamela & Andreas interview Spencer Leonard. Spencer is a founding member of Platypus and has recently published a two-volume selection of Marx & Engels journalism. The first volume focuses on Bonapartism, with selections from 1851–1859, and the second focuses on their...
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SPS #55: The Platypus International Convention, and Anti-imperialism & the Left
On this episode of SPS, we first focus on our Annual International Convention (March 29–April 1), which will take place in Chicago, at the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, & the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Planning committee members, Ryan & Ethan introduce the…
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Ep. 54: Interview w/ Chris Cutrone on his "The end of the Gilded Age" article
This episode includes an interview with Platypus founding member Chris Cutrone, who was interviewed by Johannes K. and Lisa on his article “The end of the Gilded Age: Discontents of the Second Industrial Revolution today”. They talked about the history of progressivism, the deferred problems of…
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Ep. 53: The Elections & the Left, and Platypus Review #152
In the first part of this episode, Lisa & Rebekah are joined by members, Laurie R. & Jasper to talk about how Platypus has captured the relationship between the Left & the elections. They have gone into the archives of the Platypus Affiliated Society, and have asked how our work can help us to...
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Ep. 52: Interviews at the UC Strike & 'End Fossil: Occupy' Protests
On this special holiday episode, SPS brings to you reports from protests in the USA, Germany and Austria. We include shotgun interviews with participants and reflections by our members. In the first segment, our West Coast members interview the academic workers part of the strikes at the…
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Ep. 51: On the Brazilian & US Midterm Elections
On this episode of SPS, Pamela first sits down with Platypus Brazilian members Paulo & Rosa. They comment on the election results, how the Left is responding to the return of Lula, and what the election of the Brazilian Workers Party means for the future of a socialist Left. In the second part,...
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Ep. 50: The Cost of Living Protests, & Platypus on Sexual Liberation
Our 50th anniversary SPS episode comes in two parts. First, we cover the on-going cost of living protests organized by the Left in the U.K, Germany and Austria. Co-hosts Lisa and Andreas attended protests in Leipzig and Vienna, where they recorded soundbites and interviews with several leftist...
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Ep. 49: An interview w/ Emanuel Rota & the New Zealand Left Today
In the first segment, our European Correspondent, Andreas W. interviews Emanuel Rota, a leftist historian from Italy who published extensively on the history of the Italian Communist party. He currently lives in the US and is the director of the European Union Center at the University of…
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V. Platypus European Conference (SPS Teaser)
This is a stand alone SPS segment to promote and introduce our fifth Platypus European Conference in Vienna, from 8 - 10 September, 2022. Lisa and Rebekah interview the lead organizers of the conference, Victor and Andreas. They talk about the different events of the conference and how they…
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Ep. 48: The Great Resignation & an Interview w/ Andy Gittlitz
On this episode of SPS, our resident financial guru sits down with Pamela to discuss the so-called Great Resignation, or “Big Quit”. They take up the concerns over birth rates & mental illness, as well as how social democratic policies naturalize the crisis of capital. In the second half of the...
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Ep 47: On Depp v. Heard, the Ukrainian War, and Platypus Summer Readings
On this episode of SPS, Pamela and Sophia discuss the Depp v. Heard and the exhaustion of #metoo. Andreas and Platypus members, Sebastian Vogel interview Boris Kagarlitsky on the war in Ukraine and the Russian Left. Finally, Lisa and Rebekah sit down with Chris Cutrone to discuss the Platypus...
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Ep 46: Roe v. Wade & the Left; Reflections on the Platypus Convention 2022
In this episode of SPS, Pamela sits down with Platypus member Tana F. to discuss the potential overturning of Roe v. Wade and the responses by the Left, including Marxist Humanist member, Mike Dola, and the Socialist Workers Party's newspaper, The Militant. They talk about what it means to defend...
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Ep. 45: 2022 Platypus International Convention & the German Platypus Review
In the first part of the episode our co-hosts Lisa Müller und Rebekah Parlar sit down with Platypus member Clint Montgomery to talk about our annual international Platypus Convention. Our international Convention, which is sort of the highlight in your platypus calendar, will take place in…
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Ep. 44: After the Freedom Convoy & the Hungarian Left Today
On this two-part episode of SPS, Pamela sits with Leila Mechoi, the co-host of Red Star Radio podcast. They reflect on the Left's reaction to the late trucker protest in Canada, and discuss the role of civil liberties in the organization of the working class, as well as what sort of missed...
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Ep. 43: On the Freedom Convoy, the Austrian Communist Party (KPÖ) & 2021 Platypus Highlights
On this episode, Pamela sits down with our Toronto member Cam Hardy to discuss Canada's "Freedom Convoy", and the responses by the "Left". They investigate Jacobin's hot take on the "inauthentic" working-class character of the protests, and the call by the Canadian Communist Party to criminalize...
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Ep 42: The Concept of the Left, a special Xmas edition
In this special Xmas edition of SPS, your new hosts of the "Sh-t Platypus Does" segment, Rebekah and Lisa, chat with the Platypus Review Editor-in-Chief, Lou, about the new issue, PR #142 -- including articles: "What can one learn from the Right?" by D.L. Jacobs, "The Left is not a concept" by...
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Ep. 41: On Rittenhouse & Aussie Protests against the Vaccine Mandate
On this episode of SPS, Sophia and Pamela sit down with Spencer L., founding member of Platypus and historian of imperialism, to discuss the Rittenhouse trial and the “Left’s” response. They clear up the confusion around the Second Amendment among todays leftists, address the anti-racism of...
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Ep 40: On Chappelle & The End of the End of History
For this episode of SPS, Sophia and Pamela take up Dave Chappelle's latest Netflix special, "The Closer," and the blowback following its release. For the main segment, Sophia catches up with the makers behind the Aufhebunga Bunga pod, Alex Hochuli and George Hoare, to discuss their new book, The...
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does SPS have?
SPS currently has 89 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is SPS about?
The commentary on the commentary on the Left.
How often does SPS release new episodes?
SPS has 89 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to SPS?
You can listen to SPS on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts SPS?
SPS is created and hosted by Platypus.
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