logo
episode-header-image
Aug 11
21m 55s

SOLVED! #18 - How to Live Under Fascism

BestOfTheLeft.com
About this episode

Air Date: 8–10-25

Today, Jay!, Amanda, and Deon (Erin was on vacation!) discuss:

  • How modern fascism does not look like the jarring and brutal images people think of, and the “rituals of conformity” in Nazi Germany that remind us of another era we’ve lived through
  • How despotism affects the citizen psyche and how to counter those effects
  • The importance of countering Orwellian language under fascism
  • Advice on living under authoritarianism, with a big focus on community for sanity and resistance
  • BACKSTAGE: Beyond the Algorithm (Members Only): A look at the way societies have collapsed throughout history and where the U.S. falls in the pattern

 

FOLLOW US ON:

Bluesky

Mastadon

Instagram

Facebook

YouTube (This episode drops on YouTube on Friday - please share!)

Nostr public key: npub1tjxxp0x5mcgl2svwhm39qf002st2zdrkz6yxmaxr6r2fh0pv49qq2pem0e

 

REFERENCES:

Life in authoritarian states is mostly boring and tolerable - Vox

Rituals of Conformity in Nazi Germany - The Montreal Review

The Psychological Impact of Despotism on Citizens: Development Implications - GaradeSud

The Language of Surrender - Notes from the Circus

How to Live Under Authoritarianism (And Protect the People You Love) - Dispatch Revolution

 

BACKSTAGE:

History shows that societies collapse when leaders undermine social contracts - Phys.org

 

TAKE ACTION:

One Million Rising Trainings

In a blue state? Help stop ICE overreach

Use the 5 Calls app for scripts and to reach all your elected officials

Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

Find your Indivisible group - or start one

Write to the DNC

 

Join our Discord Server

Reach us via Signal:

Bestoftheleft.01

Leave a message at 202-999-3991

 

Produced by:

Jay! Tomlinson

Thanks for listening!

Visit us at BestOfTheLeft.com

Contact me directly at Jay@BestOfTheLeft.com

Review the show on Apple Podcasts!

Up next
Aug 19
SOLVED! #19 - Big Data: Putting Digital Fingerprints in the Pie of Freedom
Air Date: 8–19-25 Today, Jay!, Amanda, Deon, and Erin discuss: Ch.1 - The Trump administration’s unprecedented attempts to get your data from the states Ch. 2 - Why Trump’s new private health tracking system is a wolf in sheep’s clothing Ch. 3 - How HIV patients suffering in the ... Show More
16m 35s
Aug 12
#1729 Monthly-ish Mix: Layers of Authoritarian Control and the Rising Resistance
Air Date 8/12/2025 The Monthly-ish Mix™ is here to get you caught up on recent news without being overwhelming! This month, we're covering the full spectrum of authoritarian threats—military in the streets, surveillance in our phones, conspiracies in our feeds, and corruption at ... Show More
3h 48m
Jul 23
#1724 How to Socialism: Einstein liked socialism, you think you know better?
Check out our new show, SOLVED! on YouTube! BestOfTheLeft.com/Support (Members Get Bonus Shows + No Ads!) Use our links to shop Bookshop.org and Libro.fm for a non-evil book and audiobook purchasing experience! Join our Discord community! KEY POINTS KP 1: Old Democrats Must Go or ... Show More
3h 47m
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2021
Karl Marx's Unique Theory of Social Classes
Brian and Prof. Wolff continue a series of discussions about the basics of Marxism — a method for understanding and changing  the world used by many of the great revolutionaries of modern history. Today, they discuss Karl Marx's theory of classes. Politicians of all stripes love ... Show More
32m 15s
Mar 2025
Marxism for the Masses w/ Savannah from All Power Books
Marxism is not some esoteric philosophy meant to be analyzed and discussed in the ivory towers of the academy—not that appreciating Marxism from an intellectual perspective is wrong, or anything—we do that quite a bit—but at its essence, Marxism is a weapon. It’s a tool for chang ... Show More
1h 49m
Aug 8
Philosophy Series: Hegel, Marx, & Modern Life (Part 1)
Breht listens to, comments on, and expounds upon a public lecture by the late professor of philosophy Rick Roderick from 1989 on Hegel, Marx, and modern American capitalism. Along the way he explicates the Hegelian notion of Freedom, Right and Left Hegelianism, the End of History ... Show More
1h 15m
May 1
[BEST OF] Estranged Labor: Karl Marx on Alienation
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Apr 4, 2020 In this solo episode, Breht breaks down Karl Marx’s powerful concept of alienation from his Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844. He walks listeners through the four types of alienation Marx identified—alienation from the product, the labor ... Show More
22m 13s
Jun 16
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 ... Show More
2h 35m
Jun 10
[BEST OF] The Fundamentals of Marxism: Intro to Political Economy
ORIGINALLY RELEASED Feb 3, 2021 In this episode of Red Menace, Alyson and Breht introduce the core concepts of Marxist political economy by an analysis of the history of political economy, core economic concepts within Marxism, and much more! Make sure to subscribe to Red Menace ... Show More
1h 26m
Sep 2017
Episode 26, Karl Marx's Political Philosophy (Part II)
Website: www.thepanpsycast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast Karl Marx is one of the most influential figures in human history. The Prussian-born philosopher, economist, political theorist, sociologist, and revolutionary socialist, produced some of the most controversial ... Show More
37m 50s
Sep 2017
Episode 26, Karl Marx's Political Philosophy (Part I)
Website: www.thepanpsycast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast Karl Marx is one of the most influential figures in human history. The Prussian-born philosopher, economist, political theorist, sociologist, and revolutionary socialist, produced some of the most controversial ... Show More
36m 20s
Oct 2017
Episode 26, Karl Marx's Political Philosophy (Part IV)
Website: www.thepanpsycast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast Karl Marx is one of the most influential figures in human history. The Prussian-born philosopher, economist, political theorist, sociologist, and revolutionary socialist, produced some of the most controversial ... Show More
1h 3m
Oct 2017
Episode 26, Karl Marx's Political Philosophy (Part III)
Website: www.thepanpsycast.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/thepanpsycast Karl Marx is one of the most influential figures in human history. The Prussian-born philosopher, economist, political theorist, sociologist, and revolutionary socialist, produced some of the most controversial ... Show More
32m 15s
Listen to millions of songs and podcasts on Anghami