The Ex-Worker

The recent World Cup prompted widespread protests across Brazil. In our 25th episode, we discuss why these protests took place, who participated, and how they connected to the uprisings of the last year. We share an audio collage of protest voices, an interview with Brazilian anarchists, and a Situationist-inspired critique of mass sports spectacles. The new green anarchist journal Black Seed appears on the Chopping Block, while a Ukrainian anarchist offers perspective on why things may not be so bleak there for anarchists as we thought. And there's hooliganism, a June 11th rundown, prisoner updates, reflections on the "global village," and Juggalos to boot!

From the incendiary writings of The Invisible Committee prompting arrests on charges of rail line sabotage in France, to the calculated analysis of Theorie Communiste and Aufheben, we may have skipped a few things in our previous two episodes about communism. The current known as communization emerged out of the struggles of May '68 in France, and to this day the question remains: can we enact communism ourselves, here and now? In this episode of the Ex-worker, we'll take another angle on communism, away from the backstabbing, newspaper-hocking, withering-state-types profiled in Episodes 20 and 21, instead focusing on those who share our dream of breaking with the misery of our conditions and dismantling this world (even if they still talk like Marxists.) In this episode we experiment with different ways of breaking through some of the heavy theoretical language and ideas, including a reportback from a rather unusual Endnotes reading group, and transmit a theme segment from an autonomous, anonymous podcasting

Another May Day come and gone! After we catch up on how radicals around the world celebrated it in the streets this year, we'll turn back the clock a few decades to a particularly notorious May: Paris in 1968. The strikes and riots that nearly toppled the French state—as well as the Situationist International, those Marxist-influenced art radicals whose theories influenced the uprising—are the topic of our main feature for this episode. One of the key texts coming from the Situationist tradition, Raoul Vaneigem's The Revolution of Everyday Life, appears on the Chopping Block. Listeners weigh in on future episodes, "Uncle Ted," and the Ukraine episode and anarchist strategy. And of course there's more news, events, prisoner birthdays, and other goodies.

This week on the Ex-worker, we're responding to a few listener requests and presenting an analysis of the situation in Ukraine, largely borrowed from our recent feature The Ukrainian Revolution and the Future of Social Movements. We'll also hear an interview with a member of Belarus Anarchist Black Cross about repression in Belarus and Ukraine, courtesy of our comrades at A-Radio Berlin, as well as our recommendations for which insurrectionary journals you should take if you get stranded on a desert island.  The episode is rounded out with news, and lots of upcoming events and prisoner birthdays.

We're back with the second installment of our exploration of anarchism's complicated relationship with communism.  Ex-worker's Russia correspondents Misha and Anastasia come to us through the fuzzy airwaves of history, reporting live from the Russian revolution and what the anarchists are up to . . . we'll see how that goes.  We'll also hear some more feedback from everyone's favorite gubernatorial candidate, anarchist prisoner Sean Swain, as well as extensive coverage of eco- and animal-liberation actions and prisoner rebellions from around the world.

It turns out we have a lot to say about our relationship to communism, so we're breaking this theme segment up into a two-parter.  We'll start off our gargantuan exploration by covering some basic  definitions of communism and socialism, and dive headlong into some heated historical splits between Marx and Bakunin.  We'll hear statements from Jeremy Hammond, Marshall "Eddie" Conway, and anarchists holding it down in Ukraine, as well as an interview with Anarcho-communist Wayne Price. 

Our discussion of communism will have to wait … because post-socialist Bosnia is erupting in rebellion! In this episode, we share two interviews with anarchists from the Balkans reflecting on the current uprisings, along with recent updates and a Bosnian hip hop artist's protest anthem. An Ex-Worker travels to Lima, Peru and sends back a report on a recent anarchist book and propaganda fair, including a group shout-out from a workshop about the podcast, live interviews and musical recordings. Listeners critique our treatment of market anarchism, an eco-defense prisoner explains police tactics, and news on state repression, prisoner strikes, and anti-extraction struggles round out our exploration of resistance to authority around the globe.

Anarchism ain't what it used to be … if you search iTunes or Youtube these days, you'll find defenders of capitalism and private property claiming the A word more than ever. In our 18th installment of the Ex-Worker, we kick off a two episode series discussing what anarchism isn't, as Clara and Alanis step in to debunk anarcho-capitalism. Surveying the range of libertarian ideologies in the US, we assess the similarities and differences between these opponents of the state and anti-capitalist anarchists, while clarifying how their free market fantasies fall short of a genuinely anarchist vision of freedom. Our critiques of private property and the free market conclude with a hilarious interview with an anarchist graphic designer about their misadventures laying out a book on "market anarchism." We also hear from recently released grand jury resister Jerry Koch about the insight he's gained into the importance of prisoner solidarity to anarchist struggle, while his lawyer explains how grand juries are used as t

As we complete this episode, trial is about to begin for the NATO 3, Chicago anarchists facing domestic terrorism charges after being entrapped by informants during a 2012 protest summit. To understand the case and its context, the Ex-Worker explores the state's strategy to repress anarchists and social movements through the use of conspiracy charges and entrapment. We interview three activists from the front lines of anti-repression work: a member of the NATO 3 support team, a volunteer with the animal liberation counter-information collective Bite Back, and an anarchist supporter of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation. Our review on the Chopping Block examines Green is the New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege while more listeners write in to share what anarchism means to them. News across the world includes anarchist typhoon relief efforts, Indiana prisoner resistance, and Christian anarchists striking back against sexism. A brief discussion by political prisoner Veronza Bower

It's a new year and a new episode of the Ex-Worker! In our sixteenth installment, we backtrack a little to cover our biggest topic ever: what is anarchism? What pathways led today's rebels to embrace anarchy, and what does it mean to them? We'll hear from historical and contemporary anarchists in a collage weaving together first person experiences and definitions. Also, listeners write in to elaborate on the situation in Ukraine we reported on in our last episode, and to share a provocative perspective on the relationship between religion and anarchism. We've also got our usual news, upcoming events, and prisoner birthdays. Tune in to hear the poignant stories of an anarchist generation.

In our first-ever holiday special, Clara and Alanis take a whirlwind tour through two hundred years of blistering anarchist critiques of religion and morality. From romantic poets to guillotined dynamite artists, from Enlightenment philosophers to punk rockers, anarchists have never been so fiery as when they've denied the gods and affirmed our right to determine our own values. The discussion touches on direct actions against religion, the shifting politics of atheism, and the contradictions of Christian anarchism. Prison rebel Sean Swain responds to our episode on fascism, a murderous police department receives some crime stopping tips, and we offer anarchist reflections on Nelson Mandela's legacy, decapitated Lenin statues, and Finnish hockey riots. As the Greeks say: Merry Crisis and Happy New Fear!

In this episode, Alanis and Clara allegedly break into an abandoned building to begin a conversation about squatting--and why it's so important to anarchists. This episode includes two interviews--one with participants in a squatted social center in the United States, and one from an anti-infrastructure land occupation project in France. We'll also hear the soothing sounds of listener feedback, regarding our last episode and some further clarifications about technology, a review of Hannah Dobbz's "Nine-tenths of the Law: Property and resistance in the United States," news, upcoming events, and prisoner birthdays.

Some radicals believe the internet prefigures a decentralized utopia; others foresee a new digital feudalism of total management and surveillance. In this episode, Clara and Alanis take on the recent CrimethInc. feature "Deserting the Digital Utopia," teasing out some of the limitations and possibilities of resistance that engages with digital technologies. A supporter of imprisoned radical hacker Jeremy Hammond discusses his case. Listeners lambast us on our grievous gaffe from last episode, sketchy cops and masked marchers populate the news, and we announce an anarchist primer competition (even if we can't agree on how to pronounce it).

Anarchist resistance to fascism has a long and colorful history. Our second episode on anti-fascism looks into how anarchists fought against Franco in the Spanish Revolution and beyond. We share an exciting interview with Occupied London about fascism and resistance in Greece, as well as a Free Speech FAQ to help anti-fascists circumvent civil libertarian defenses of fascist organizing. A special guest contributor chips in with a set of lively anti-fascist movie reviews. Listeners offer more antifa updates and crucial ways to get involved, alongside news of riots, blockades, and so much more.

Recently murdered Greek anti-fascist rapper Killah P is just the latest casualty in a worldwide surge of fascist violence. In this episode, we analyze contemporary fascism and the resistance anarchists have mounted to it, including the history of Anti-Racist Action. Interviews with the One People's Project and New York City Anarchist Black Cross discuss the extreme right in the US today, tactics for fighting fascists, and the Tinley Park case. We also clear up a listener's question about "National Anarchism," roll out more Contradictionary terms, and share a ton of news and upcoming events.

Building on our previous exploration of insurrectionary anarchism, our tenth episode examines how these ideas apply to environmental struggles today, as we share excerpts from a debate about "The Issues Are Not The Issue," a critical discussion of tactics and strategy in eco-defense movements. We also take a look at Desert, an anarchist analysis of climate change and the possibilities for resistance in a world of ecological disaster, as well as sharing updates from prisoners, news from global uprisings, more reading recommendations, and more.

We've thrown around the term insurrectionary anarchism in recent discussions, so in our ninth episode we seize the moment and dive headlong into this tendency, exploring where it came from and what it looks like today. We also review the classic Italian insurrectionary text Armed Joy; look back over a summer's worth of animal liberation actions; interview a supporter of the California Prison Hunger Strike, as it enters its 55th day; share some more listener feedback on nihilism, and plenty more. Tune in--the time to act is now!

To conclude our series focusing on prisons and police, our eighth episode looks into strategies to dismantle the prison industrial complex and to hold each other accountable without the state. We interview members of Critical Resistance and Support New York, discuss a new collection of writings from political prisoner Russell Maroon Shoats, respond to listener feedback and anarchist perspectives on gun control, and share a letter from revolutionary Tom Manning about his transfer from solitary confinement--not to mention news, event announcements, Contradictionary terms, and more.

In our seventh episode of the Ex-Worker, we turn south to focus on the massive rebellions that broke out across Brazil in June. We share excerpts from the in-depth report we published from Brazilian anarchist comrades that traces a timeline of the demonstrations and analyzes their politics, tactics, and influences. There's also a review of the nihilist journal Attentat, tips on writing to prisoners, feedback from listeners on Guy Fawkes masks and small-town anarchy, and more. 

So we're still not lovin' the cops—but how do we live without them? In our sixth installment of the Ex-Worker, we follow up on our last two episodes about prisons and police with a discussion of how to stay safe without the state. We also hear a Croatan Earth First! organizer report back on the Round River Rendezvous, review the latest issue of Fifth Estate Magazine, respond to some listener feedback, and share plenty of news and events.