The Skeptical Leftist Podcast

Cory Johnston
  • 4.4 (14)
  • POLITICS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Become a Paid Subscriber: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe Promoting critical thinking, social justice, and left wing politics by covering current events and talking to a variety of people. Include the Red Reviews podcast where Justin Clark talks about a book relevent to leftist theory or practice

  1. Antifascism Begins At Home with Matthew Remski

    11/23/2025

    Antifascism Begins At Home with Matthew Remski

    I talk with Matthew Remski about his new project Antifascist Dad and the work he has been doing on masculinity, parenting, and the rise of fascist politics. We get into the difference between liberal parenting and antifascist parenting, how family life becomes a political space, and how kids understand power in ways adults often miss. Matthew explains the two competing definitions of fascism, the history of religious antifascism, and the ways capitalism shapes our emotional lives. This episode looks at the role of fathers and caregivers in resisting authoritarian culture and raising kids who understand solidarity, care, and critical thinking. Matthew’s Linkshttps://linktr.ee/Matthew_Remskihttps://www.instagram.com/matthew_remski/https://www.tiktok.com/@antifascistdad https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/807656/antifascist-dad-by-matthew-remski/ My Linktree https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

    1h 32m
  2. Individualist Solutions Can't Solve Systemic Problems

    11/16/2025

    Individualist Solutions Can't Solve Systemic Problems

    For this episode of Solidarity Across Borders, Owen brings two stories from his week that highlight a recurring theme in political life. He spoke with a conservative teacher who works in an underfunded classroom and still blames parents instead of the system. He also talked with a liberal vegan who sees ethical clarity in individual choices but avoids examining the global forces shaping the food industry. We look at how both viewpoints fall short and why systems analysis matters if we want real change. Owen's Linkshttps://www.youtube.com/@owenmacdonald7428 https://bsky.app/profile/owenmacdonald.bsky.social My Linkshttps://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

    1h 19m
  3. Trying To Build Utopia

    11/09/2025

    Trying To Build Utopia

    Stafford Taylor joins me to talk about his path from homelessness to writing The Transcendence Manifesto. We get into life in Goa, lessons from community work, and what it means to build something better when the world keeps people isolated. Stafford’s links: https://www.youtube.com/@StaffordGrayman https://www.instagram.com/blueeyedphoenix1991/ https://www.facebook.com/stafford.taylor.18  https://www.amazon.ca/Transcendence-Manifesto-Secular-Gospel/dp/1036909654  Find all my links here:https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

    1h 12m
  4. Everyone's Angry and No One's Listening

    11/02/2025

    Everyone's Angry and No One's Listening

    We start by reflecting on criticism from a past discussion and what it says about how people hear and respond to political conversations. Then we talk about a stream Owen did with someone who says they’ve left the left and explore why anger and burnout push people toward reactionary thinking. The episode ends with a look at how solidarity can survive in a world that rewards outrage and division. Links: https://www.youtube.com/@owenmacdonald7428 https://bsky.app/profile/owenmacdonald.bsky.socialMy Linktreehttps://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist  Sourceshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_Qatar#Stadium_construction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_issues_involving_the_2022_FIFA_World_Cup# https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Qatar#FIFA_World_Cup_preparations_and_reported_abuses https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_2022_FIFA_World_Cup_controversies#

    1h 33m
  5. The Anti-Influencer's Case For Anarchism with Graham Culbertson

    10/26/2025

    The Anti-Influencer's Case For Anarchism with Graham Culbertson

    Graham Culbertson joins me to talk about anarchism as a lived practice, how people already cooperate without coercion, why authority rarely works the way we think it does, and what it means to resist systems of control in everyday life. We also get into the pressures of podcasting in an algorithmic world and how staying authentic can itself be an act of resistance. Guest: Graham Culbertson – https://everydayanarchism.com All links: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

    1h 14m
  6. Gaza, Ecuador, and Beyond: An Anarchist Look at the War on Protest

    10/19/2025

    Gaza, Ecuador, and Beyond: An Anarchist Look at the War on Protest

    From Gaza to Ecuador, governments are cracking down while people fight back. Nick and I talk about global uprisings, the criminalization of protest, and why power always reacts the same way when ordinary people demand justice. We cover Gaza marches, Ecuador’s Indigenous protests, Assata Shakur’s legacy, media capture by billionaires, Apple’s censorship of an anti-ICE app, and the right’s obsession with calling antifascists terrorists. Sources:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/5/mass-protests-from-amsterdam-to-istanbul-denounce-israels-gaza-genocide https://truthout.org/articles/indigenous-led-movement-against-austerity-is-gaining-momentum-in-ecuador/ https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2025/oct/05/police-to-get-new-powers-to-crack-down-on-repeated-protests-says-home-office https://www.teenvogue.com/story/assata-shakur-black-revolutionary-who-fought-for-freedom-in-exile https://gizmodo.com/apple-caves-to-trump-pressure-removes-app-that-let-immigrants-track-ice-activity-2000667208  https://www.salon.com/2025/10/06/from-dan-rather-to-bari-weiss-how-far-cbs-news-has-fallen/  https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/oct/05/trump-behavior-online-posts https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/09/designating-antifa-as-a-domestic-terrorist-organization/  The Guardian – Trump signs order designating antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization” https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/trump-wants-to-designate-antifa-as-a-major-terrorist-organization-can-he-do-that?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/what-is-antifa-and-why-trump-wants-to-label-it-a-terrorist-organization https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-designating-antifa-terrorist-organization/ https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/18/what-is-antifa-what-does-trumps-major-terrorist-label-mean Nick’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickdgirard/ My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist  Mutual Aid: Regina Cathedral Community Fridge — volunteer-run, 24/7 mutual aid fridge in Regina; feeding local neighbours every day. Help them here: https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/ Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF) — offering medical care, food, and humanitarian aid to children and families in Gaza and the West Bank: https://www.pcrf.net/donate Taylor Mcnallie is an activist and organizer from out of Calgary Alberta who has a number of pages to help support others and also she needs help with legal fees after being targeted by the Calgary police for her activism  https://linktr.ee/taylor_mcnallie. SomeRandomG33k gives a lot of their income to people in need so you can either donate to them through streamlabs https://streamlabs.com/somerandomg33k/tip or check out their charity links page https://charitylinks.page/

    1h 4m
  7. Power, Policy, and Privatization with Simon Enoch

    10/12/2025

    Power, Policy, and Privatization with Simon Enoch

    Simon Enoch from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives joins me to talk about how neoliberalism reshaped Canadian policy and what privatization has done to public services. We cover the rise of corporate think tanks, the loss of economic democracy, and why evidence-based policy still matters. Links: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/ https://bsky.app/profile/simonenoch.bsky.social  https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

    49 min
  8. Why the Internet Just Keeps Getting Worse with Cory Doctorow

    10/07/2025

    Why the Internet Just Keeps Getting Worse with Cory Doctorow

    Cory Doctorow joins me to talk about Enshitification, his new book about the long decline of the internet. We go through how platforms start out good for users, turn on them once they’re locked in, and finally become unrecognizable corporate machines. Cory explains how this pattern connects to monopoly power, labor exploitation, and government capture, and why it’s not just a tech problem but a political one. Cory Doctorow’s links:https://craphound.com/https://craphound.com/shop/ https://us.macmillan.com/books/9780374619329/enshittification/ https://x.com/doctorow  My links: https://linktr.ee/skepticalleftist

    1h 3m
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4.4
out of 5
14 Ratings

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Become a Paid Subscriber: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe Promoting critical thinking, social justice, and left wing politics by covering current events and talking to a variety of people. Include the Red Reviews podcast where Justin Clark talks about a book relevent to leftist theory or practice

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