Material Culture

In this episode we will discuss what the left-wing arguments against immigration are, why right-wing parties sometimes deliver high immigration numbers, and what the historic relationship between the left and migration is.Timestamps:0:00 introduction, what I mean by "left"3:55 wages9:10 rents and public services16:20 culture and social cohesion28:35 crime36:55 (digression - "the immaterial left"45:08 (historical digression - Asahi Heigo and political violence as a response to immateriality)48: 15: Ecology54:48: Indigenous Rights58:25: Brain Drain1:06:07: Addressing some pro immigration arguments from the right and left1:14:15: (digression - "Cruelty Theatre")1: 19:35: History - Marx, Engels, Kearney, and Chavez on migrant crises1: 39:43: History - Debs in favor of internationalism1: 46: 00: Thought terminating cliches about immigration1: 50: 30: Terrifying predictions of the future and how to avoid them

Do the democrats have a messaging problem, or a material problem? In this episode we critically discuss David Brooks' June 5, 2025 NYT opinion piece, "The Democrats’ Problems Are Bigger Than You Think".