The Regrettable Century

91

The old forms of the Left are moribund and the new forms are stupid. We're making a podcast that discusses the need to organize a Dialectical Pessimism and develop a salvage project capable of sparking a new workers' movement for socialism. A clean, honest, and unsentimental melancholy is required; we are cultivating one and would like to share it with you.

“The challenge of modernity is to live without illusions and without becoming disillusioned. I’m a pessimist because of intelligence, but an optimist because of will.”
 -- Antonio Gramsci

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Recent Episodes
  • Patreon Preview -- Boundless and Bottomless Bonus: Updates On Pessimism
    Jun 5, 2025 – 13:14
  • Patreon Preview -- The Question of Nationalities and Social Democracy by Otto Bauer: Regrettable Book Club (Episode X)
    May 28, 2025 – 22:27
  • From Dawn to Decadence (Part IV) With Varn Vlog
    May 26, 2025 – 02:05:21
  • Trump's America and the Working Class Fightback (Crossposted From the For a New Republic podcast)
    May 20, 2025 – 01:27:14
  • PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 05/17/2025
    May 18, 2025 – 10:33
  • The Ever Present Present: The Long Now and the Cancellation of the Future
    May 12, 2025 – 01:13:51
  • PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 05/09/2025
    May 10, 2025 – 10:08
  • PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 05/02/2025
    May 5, 2025 – 12:17
  • The Stumbling God Emperor (or the 100 Days of Gomorrah)
    Apr 30, 2025 – 01:30:21
  • PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 04/24/2025
    Apr 28, 2025 – 10:19
  • Patreon Preview -- For What We Will: A Brief History of American Socialism (For the New Zealand Federation of Socialist Societies)
    Apr 26, 2025 – 13:14
  • Freedom Stumbles On: Hegel and the Slaughter-Bench of History (PART II)
    Apr 21, 2025 – 01:12:59
  • PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 04/12/2025
    Apr 14, 2025 – 10:54
  • Patreon Preview -- The Question of Nationalities and Social Democracy by Otto Bauer: Regrettable Book Club (Episode X)
    Apr 11, 2025 – 10:37
  • Unbreakable Union: Introductions (With an introduction to the introduction by Jason and Chris)
    Apr 9, 2025 – 43:03
  • PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 04/02/2025
    Apr 4, 2025 – 12:54
  • Introducing The Unbreakable Union Podcast: The Contemporary Importance of Soviet History
    Apr 2, 2025 – 01:25:10
  • *REUPLOADED* PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 03/29/2025
    Mar 30, 2025 – 10:38
  • Patreon Preview: Patron Q&A #3
    Mar 26, 2025 – 15:48
  • Freedom Stumbles On: Hegel and the Slaughter-Bench of History -- Part I (Featuring Mir)
    Mar 24, 2025 – 01:11:28
  • PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 03/23/2025
    Mar 23, 2025 – 14:02
  • Patreon Preview: Patron Q&A #2
    Mar 19, 2025 – 21:04
  • Bring the Race-War Home: Foreign Fighters, Neo-Nazi Networks, and Domestic Terrorism
    Mar 17, 2025 – 01:11:45
  • PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics -- 03/09/2025 (a little Syria, a little Europe, and a lot of Russia/Ukraine)
    Mar 12, 2025 – 17:21
  • From Dawn to Decadence (Part III): With Varn Vlog *UNLOCKED*
    Mar 11, 2025 – 01:51:46
  • PATREON PREVIEW: Regrettable Geopolitics 03/01/2025 (Ukraine: Trump vs Zelensky, Manpower Crisis, Dictatorship, Attritional Warfare)
    Mar 3, 2025 – 25:16
  • The Neverending Pursuit of Truth: T.G. Masaryk's Challenge to Marxism
    Feb 24, 2025 – 01:27:19
  • Patreon Preview -- A Refutation of All Judgements... (A Discussion of the film by Guy Debord)
    Feb 19, 2025 – 20:55
  • In Defense of Proletarian Idealism
    Feb 10, 2025 – 01:17:21
  • Patreon Preview -- Question of Nationalities & Social Democracy by Otto Bauer: Regrettable Book Club (Episode IX)
    Feb 6, 2025 – 20:37
  • Partisans of a Dying Dream: The Populist Moment and American Socialism
    Jan 27, 2025 – 01:10:10
  • Patreon Preview -- From Dawn to Decadence (Part III): With Varn Vlog
    Jan 22, 2025 – 32:23
  • Patreon Preview -- The Question of Nationalities & Social Democracy by Otto Bauer (Episode VIII)
    Jan 16, 2025 – 20:51
  • Our Regrettable Trash Can of Ideology
    Jan 8, 2025 – 01:08:47
  • Patreon Preview -- Film Review: The Society of the Spectacle (w/Grindhaus Podcast)
    Jan 2, 2025 – 21:06
  • The Long, Slow Death of the 5th Republic
    Dec 25, 2024 – 01:07:27
  • Patreon Preview -- The Question of Nationalities & Social Democracy by Otto Bauer (Episode VII)
    Dec 19, 2024 – 20:15
  • Patreon Preview -- Books Chris Read in Grad School: The Peculiarities of German History
    Dec 13, 2024 – 11:11
  • Class Struggle & Christian Love: Herbert McCabe & Marxist Christianity
    Dec 4, 2024 – 01:31:58
  • Year VI In Review: More Geopolitics but Finally Also Podcast & Personal Stuff (II of II)
    Nov 27, 2024 – 01:33:03
  • From Dawn to Decadence (Part II): With Varn Vlog *UNLOCKED*
    Nov 20, 2024 – 01:46:41
  • Year VI In Review: US Elections, Gaza, & Ukraine (Part I of II)
    Nov 13, 2024 – 01:10:12
  • Patreon Preview -- The Question of Nationalities & Social Democracy by Otto Bauer (Episode VI)
    Nov 8, 2024 – 15:19
  • The Socialism of Fools: Weimar National Bolshevism & Strasserism (Part II of II)
    Nov 4, 2024 – 53:06
  • Patreon Preview -- Boundless & Bottomless Seas: Dugin's 4th Political Theory (Part VIII)
    Nov 3, 2024 – 26:27
  • The Socialism of Fools: Weimar National Bolshevism & Strasserism (Part I of II)
    Oct 30, 2024 – 01:02:43
  • Patreon Preview -- The Tragedy of the Hungarian Soviet Republic
    Oct 25, 2024 – 13:32
  • Real Grouchy Old Man Hours: What's Left of the Left?
    Oct 21, 2024 – 45:32
  • Patreon Preview -- The Question of Nationalities & Social Democracy by Otto Bauer (Episode V)
    Oct 9, 2024 – 19:37
  • UNLOCKED -- Socialism With a Human Face: The Prague Spring & Its Defeat (Czechoslovak Socialism Part II)
    Sep 30, 2024 – 01:04:59
Recent Reviews
  • pataphysician
    Make America Grate Again
    A healthy antidote for a sickly era. Thanks to all concerned.
  • Dea B
    Blah blah blah
    Recently came to your podcast - you guys are doing great work - love the stuff you are doing. Going through your catalog with great zeal, somewhat obsessively. You guys are my new para-social besties. Thank you.
  • Drunk Dalek
    Good stuff
    Not the cheeriest, but worth your while.
  • BigBlindMax
    Good Marxist podcast.
    One of few that doesn’t put me to sleep. RIP Kevin.
  • L. Blownapart
    Young doomer hours?
    Still clinging to Marx? Maybe he was just wrong. These folks seem smart, I eagerly await their moving on to some better ideas.
  • j&e777
    transcendent Marxism
    Marxism considering the human species-being. What does it need to thrive?
  • PunkHymns
    Incredible podcast
    Very fun, does a great job at explaining Marxist theory while making you feel less alienated for a brief hour. Would be cool if they set up a discord for their Patreon
  • Egg hijo75
    Best lefty podcast out there
    Kevin’s the best co-host
  • Daveiii
    Revolutionary Pessimism
    or maybe it was revolutionary melancholy? I forget. It doesn’t matter, really, because the insightful analysis from the hosts is so good, so sharp, so revolutionary-minded, that you almost forget just how bad things currently are under capital’s yolk. If there’s any chance of a more equitable tomorrow, it’s from folks like the RC hosts ✊
  • Collind1123
    Hopeful doom & gloom
    I love how these folks are willing to look at how utterly devastating things are and what won’t work. Jenny is mvp!
  • mike_mo8
    It's lit
    This pod cast is the dopest thing my ears have very heard in my 26 years of life. Swag on guys
  • GracielaSJK
    Jenny’s Mom
    Love y’all sweeties
  • Jvycnjhhgt
    Instant subscribe!
    A great listen for pretty much any occasion! So glad I found this podcast
  • carlwinslow123
    YES!!!!
    JENNY! JENNY! JENNY! The Beyonce of the socialist movement.
  • FyaVasquez
    Jenny
    Jenny is such a blessing to the left
  • Blessed be we
    Authentic Human #34
    I was looking for a podcast about cooking, thanks to these guys I burnt my creme brûlée... and my old ideologies!
  • JennyJennyEspino
    Yeah
    Hell yeah
  • klarissa :,)
    Klarissa :,)
    Great job y’all !
  • Posi.santi
    *explosion sound*
    I used to be a dummy.... and now I know things.
  • The Lord 2
    Man
    I have listened to this like 30 times.
  • Mr_Revolution
    Stellar
    Absolutely stellar stuff.
  • Steve McJeans
    The Episodes
    Listen
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