Diet Soap - a podcast

Chris Cutrone discusses how China fits into the Global Capitalist order and how we should understand the way the world works today.Support Sublation Media:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Ethiopia’s Pentay are among the largest evangelical communities in the world, having grown from about 5% of the population in the 1980s to roughly a quarter today. M Rowton's essay "White Fields" in Sublation Magazine presents an expansive realist understanding of the Pentay movement. White Fields by M. Rowtonhttps://www.sublationmag.com/post/white-fieldsSupport Sublation Media https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Benjamin Studebaker and Douglas Lain discuss Trump's new gambit: Project Freedom. Has this already led to an escalation back into combat? Is Trump falling into the escalation trap? What will this do to the markets? Are the walls finally closing in on Trump?Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone and "Tibor Szamuely" discuss the essay Belinksy Meets MAGA, which was recently published on the Sublation Substack. This Substack will be changing its character this month as Expansive Realism is introduced. Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Spencer Leonard follows up on Monday's livestream on Bonpartism with a conversation about the concept of society, the significance of modernity, and the question of Rousseau's anarchism. Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Ashley Frawley returns to discuss her recent essay for Compact entitled "Jeffrey Epstein's Necrophilia." Ashley's Essay at Compact:https://www.compactmag.com/article/jeffrey-epsteins-necrophilia-and-ours/Support Us on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone discusses his essay for Sublation Magazine based on his recent presentation at the Platrypus Affiliated Society convention.Trump's Not Regime Change at Sublation Magazinehttps://www.sublationmag.com/post/trump-s-not-regime-change-in-iran-name-vs-substance Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Arturo Desimone discusses how the contemporary left targets individuality, creativity, and masculinity for cancellation. He uses Noam Chomsky as an example.His Essay at Counterpunch:https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/03/13/against-cancellation-chomsky-and-the-cyclical-emasculation-of-the-left/Support Sublation Media:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Spencer Leonard from the Platypus Affiliated Society discusses the politics of Habermas and how Moishe Postone's critique of Habermas both landed and missed.Support Sublation Media:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

In this episode of the Cutrone Zone, the Last Marxist describes how to separate the propaganda from reality, and declares that this is Trump's World and we're just living in it.Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Rudi Grieser and Douglas Lain discuss the history of the sitcom and the techniques deployed in the television show FRIENDS. How did the FRIENDS machine operate? What were the elements deployed in the production of FRIENDS?Support Us on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Ethan Linehan discusses his 2022 essay for Sublation Magazine entitled, "Wrong Life and Abortion." In the essay he critique's Conrad Hamilton's article "Abortion, Capitalism, and Demographic Control" and discusses how a living socialist movement would approach the question of reproduction and freedom.Wrong Life and Abortion at Sublation Magazinehttps://www.sublationmag.com/post/wrong-life-and-abortionSupport Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

In this Cutrone Zone, the Last Marxist asks: What if Trump and America actually win this conflict with Iran? Cutrone insists this is Trump's world and we just live in it. Not because this is a good thing, but because it's a political reality (Cutrone says). Who does it serve to think otherwise?Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

In this episode of Sublation Magazine, Benjamin Studebaker and Douglas Lain discuss the significance of Habermas. Can we still learn from the junior member of the Frankfurt School? Can there be Communicative Action? Support Sublation MediaHttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Mani is a member of the Expansive Realist Workshop in Portland, Oregon, an Iranian ex-pat, and an MD. In this episode of the Diet Soap podcast, he discusses the attacks on Iran, the Islamic Republic, Christopher Hitchens, and his hopes for an emancipated Iran.  Support Sublation Media https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Benjamin Studebaker and Douglas Lain continue to discuss the war on Iran. How should the left respond to the war on Iran? What was revolutionary defeatism? Will there be a draft? Can the US avoid a ground war? Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone and Douglas Lain discuss Trump's invasion of Iran as an example of bourgeois politics. Rather than condemning the invasion from the perspective of neoliberalism, they neither condemn nor support but describe. Support Sublation Media on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Benjamin Studebaker and Douglas Lain discuss the likely effect of the attacks on Iran. Where will this go next? What motivated the Trump administration? Who will run Iran now? Support Sublation Mediahttps;//patreon.com/dietsoap

Join Spencer Leonard and Douglas Lain on "The Spencer Leonard Hour" as they engage in a systematic study of the history of sociology. They explore the intricate relation between sociological imagination and Marxist theory. This discussion offers a clear perspective on the economy through a socialist lens.Support Sublation Media on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone speaks out in defense of the American Revolution as vital to the struggle for socialism.Why Marxists loved Americahttps://www.sublationmag.com/post/why-marxists-loved-americaSupport Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Benjamin Studebaker and Douglas Lain discuss the question of civility in politics. What is the purpose of the principle of charity? Is civility a hindrance to politics? Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Ralph Leonard, freelance writer for Sublation Magazine and the New Statesman among other publications, joins Doug to discuss the career and reputation of Noam Chomsky and discuss his recent article on Chomsky that appeared in the New Statesman:Ralph Leonard on Chomsky in the New Statesmanhttps://www.newstatesman.com/ideas/2026/02/noam-chomskys-reputation-will-never-recover-from-the-epstein-filesSupport Sublation Media https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone discusses how Trump, Elon, International Capital, and Capital itself are ushering in a world littered with personal robots, self-driving cars, AI therapists, and other Kitsch Crap that could easily have been lifted from an old issue of Amazing Stories. Support Sublation Media:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Danny Mulligan and Douglas Lain discuss Ernest Becker, death anxiety, and modernity in this episode of the Diet Soap Podcast.Support Sublation Media:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Douglas Lain and Chris Cutrone discuss the uprisings in Iran and their meaning within the history of the left.Support Sublation Media:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone discusses the recent peace deal in Gaza and how it came about. Doug and Chris discuss a recent 60 Minutes interview with Kushner and Witkoff. Interview on 60 Minutes:https://youtu.be/dNa6PcU1Ke0?si=IrN7-Gy9XPzaTU0wSupport Sublation Media on Patreon:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

In this episode of the Spencer Leonard hour Professor Leonard discusses the new executive orders from the Trump administration, orders that specifically target "anti-capitalists" and "antifa."Support Sublation Media on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

In this Spencer Leonard Hour, we discuss how Marxism rose up in the last fifteen years only to fall away again. What destroyed the burgeoning neo-Marxist movement?Support Sublation Media https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Benjamin Studebaker and Douglas Lain discuss the assassination of Charlie Kirk and the aftermath. Is America entering into a rerun of the Years of Lead? What was Operation Gladio? Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Sublation Magazine editor Wyatt Verlen discusses who Charlie Kirk was and why he is beloved on the right. Wyatt left socialism to join the right a few years ago and is making his way back to the left now as he works for Sublation. Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone discusses how socialists should create a movement and party in the United States that will resemble, and potentially even be, a religious cult as it gets started.Support Sublation Media https://patreon.com/dietsoap

This is the first half of a podcast Doug recorded with Dillon of the Untrodden podcast. It includes comments from Doug along the way. Dillon defines himself as a "liberal," but by the end of the conversation, it is clear that he is a product of our authoritarian times and not self-reflective enough yet at the age of 21 to overcome the ideological machinery he's trapped in, even in terms of his own thought. Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

In this episode of the CutroneZone, Chris and Doug revisit "The Age of Transition: Trajectories in the World-System" by Immanuel Wallerstein. They walk through Wallerstein’s forecasts for the year 2025 and examine where World Systems Theory succeeded, where it fell short, and what the failures tell us about the Left’s theoretical models.The Age of Transition by Immanuel Wallerstein: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1563245022Chris Cutrone’s Marxism and Politics: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1789047455Support Us on Patreon:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Spencer Leonard responds to a recent episode of Give Them an Argument. Norman Finkelstein, Matt McManus, and Ben Burgis all attempted to defend J.S. Mill from Karl Marx, and in the process demonstrated their failure to understand Marx's criticisms of Mill. Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Douglas Lain speaks with writer and artist Arturo Desimone, who recently attended the Emergency Conference of the Hague Group on Palestine, held in Bogotá, Colombia, in July 2025.Billed as a bold step by Global South nations to enforce international law and support Palestinian rights, the summit ended with non-binding measures, including calls for an arms embargo and support for ICC/ICJ rulings. But beyond strong rhetoric and symbolic gestures, little of substance emerged.Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone discusses his recent essay in Sublation Magazine entitled "Socialist unity!"Excerpt:The current framework of politics and law in capitalism is severely limited, and geared to other needs: the needs and “rights” of capital. But the workers depend on capital and capitalism: their contradiction must be brought about; for now there is an apparent identity of interests — which capitalist politics exploits. The workers are bound to support capitalism out of self-interest.Read the call for "Socialist Unity" at Sublation Magazine:https://www.sublationmag.com/post/socialist-unitySupport Sublation Media on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Dan Davison discusses his essay for Sublation Magazine entitled "Stuck in a time loop? Mamdani and the Left’s Amnesia" on this episode of Diet Soap. Here's an excerpt:Leftists are brimming with joy that Mamdani’s platform has (apparently) shown the world how to build a winning socialist campaign that brings together and highlights the connections between “material” concerns on the one hand and “identity” concerns on the other. Predictably, much of this has been framed in terms of lessons for the Democrats in how to take on Trump. “You see!” cries the would-be left to the Democratic Party. “This is the kind of bold, positive alternative you should present to voters if you want to win! Here are the policies you should adopt, and here’s how you should campaign for them!”Much like the Enterprise crew in the later repetitions of their time loop, my first thought upon seeing all this was “Haven’t I been here before?”Stuck in a Time Loop Essay:https://www.sublationmag.com/post/stuck-in-a-time-loop-mamdani-and-the-left-s-amnesiaSupport Sublation Media:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone discusses his recent essay for Compact entitled "What Musk and Trump Still Have in Common." Why did Musk and Trump break up? What can we learn about capitalist politics by asking this question? Is Musk mentally ill? Is Trump sad? Find out.Support Sublation Media on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Stanley Sharpey joins Douglas Lain to discuss Francis Fukuyama's 1992 book "The End of History and the Last Man," as well as Fukuyama's attempt to defend and return to this work over the last 33 years. Support Sublation Media on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Spencer Leonard discusses Walter Benjamin's "On the Concept of History" with Douglas Lain. He raises the question, "Can a Marxist be an historian?"Support Sublation Media on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Benjamin Studebaker and Douglas Lain discuss Elon Musk's new political party, Trump's Big Beautiful Bill, and Walter Benjamin's On the Concept of History.Support Sublation Media:https://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone describes how the left's history of supporting right-wing reaction in the Middle East has led to this moment of conflict, whether Trump was planning the attack on Iran all along, and the reason we should assume good faith on all sides when considering world politics. Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

What is American conservatism, and how should socialists understand it? In this interview, Wyatt Verlen offers a historical overview of conservatism in the United States, from the Bourbon Democrats and Robert Taft to William F. Buckley and the rise of the New Right. We explore how conservatism evolved in response to the Progressive Era, the New Deal, and the Cold War, and examine the role of political machines, laissez-faire ideology, and anti-communism in shaping the American right. This is a conversation about history, ideology, and strategy through a socialist lens.Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Chris Cutrone explains why the left needs to abandon the liberal conception of "Bonapartism" and take up a Marxist understanding instead. Bonapartism is not Bonaparte at the Platypus Reviewhttps://platypus1917.org/2025/06/01/bonapartism-is-not-bonaparte/Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Stanley Sharpey is a writer and a socialist living in London. His essay for Sublation Magazine, "The Discreet Charm of the PMC" explains the history of the term and ends up sympathizing with the Ehrenreichs given the political dilemma they faced in the 1970s.The Discreet Charm of the PMC at Sublation Magazinehttps://www.sublationmag.com/post/the-discreet-charm-of-the-pmcSupport Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Spencer Leonard discusses the meaning of the term "Historical Materialism," and how it emerged through the historical struggle for socialism. Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Benjamin Studebaker and Douglas Lain discuss Adorno's essay "Commitment" and the failure of leftist politics over the last decade. What level of regression can we expect?Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

In this episode of the CutroneZone, we dive deep into Chris Cutrone’s essay "On Philosophy and Marxism: Response to Suther and Velissaris"—a characteristically sharp and mournful defense of the dialectic against the return to philosophy. As always, Cutrone’s critique is uncompromising, clear, provocative, and melancholic.Support Sublation Media on Patreonhttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Philip Cunliffe discusses his recent essay at COMPACT entitled "How Trump Won the Canadian Election." He explains what constitutes sovereignty, why sovereignty is necessary for democracy, and why Trump turned Canada away from cosmopolitan internationalism and towards patriotic nationalism.Philip Cunliffe at Compacthttps://www.compactmag.com/article/how-trump-won-the-canadian-election/Support Sublation Mediahttps://patreon.com/dietsoap

Fabio Vighi returns to throw cold water on the notion that capitalism can be saved. The crisis is terminal. The financialization will continue. In this era of Emergency Capitalism, the crisis will only deepen in the US, in Europe, and in China.Support Sublaton Mediahttps:/patreon.com/dietsoap