Hey folks welcome to the Skeptical Leftist Interview series. This time around I talked to the one and only Zoe Baker about her book Means and Ends: The Revolutionary Practice of Anarchism in Europe and the United States. This one of the few times I’ve actually made questions ahead of time to ask and then sent them to the guest so they could prepare answers. Not quite as casual as my usual conversation but I quite enjoyed it and if you do too then let me know and I will try to do slightly more preparation for my interviews in the future.
I don’t have a real good rant this time around, there was a bunch of hateful transphobes that tried to put on little demonstrations all around Canada and some were much more successful than others.I never heard anything about any counter protests in the city I call home but in nearby Saskatoon there were as many if not more people counter protesting than there were trying to spread anti-trans hate. Of course if you ask them it isn’t about hate but it is about protecting kids and parental rights. If you want my opinion those are both bullshit excuses for their shitty views on the rights of trans people. There are some very good articles out about how bullshit the whole “parental rights” argument is but I think it’s laid out pretty clear when you ask them about parents who want to affirm their kid’s choice to transition. They claim kids should be taken away from gender affirming parents and the parents should be locked up if they let their kids transition even socially. So basically it’s all about parent’s rights unless they disagree with the hatemongers and then it’s fuck your parent’s rights. Never mind the fact that the law already does what they want it to and teachers treating kids like they want to be treated is impossible to stop. Simply put, you don’t own your kids and you don’t actually have the right to treat them however you want. That’s something that was codified into law back in the 70’s because apparently parents don’t always have the best interests of their children in mind when they’re being emotionally or physically abusive. What do you think we should call it when parent’s refuse to acknowledge the choices their children make regarding their autonomy and identity?
Anyway, I wasn’t going to get too into it because there’s other stuff going on too. The SAG/AFTRA strike is still going on down in the US but it looks like they’re making progress. The United Auto Workers are striking with all GM and Stellantis parts distribution centers being shut down but negotiations with Ford are still ongoing and Shawn Fain the president of the UAW said that Ford seems serious about reaching an agreement. Remember not to cross picket lines and if you see someone else who does you are allowed to call them names and make them feel bad. Also don’t scab
Besides all that I’m excited for you to get into the episode so here is the pre show pitch
Thank you all my patrons and an extra special thanks to new patron nonsequently. Patrons make it possible for me to do this show and the more I get from this the more time I can spend on making sure the final product is of a high quality, as well I can spend more of my time off shift setting up new interviews, recording, and researching. I know some people have been waiting a long time for my video explaining anarchism to non-anarchists but I have to work so much extra that it’s hard to find time to record as well as put out an episode every two weeks. Anyway if you want to help out with that you can become a supporter at patreon.com/skepticalleftist. Support levels start at a dollar per month or $1.50 for Canadians. If you can’t support me with money then please hit the like button or go and write a review on Apple podcasts or on Podchaser or throw me 5 stars on Spotify. I always need more ratings and reviews so please make sure to check out the links in the show notes. You should also subscribe on Youtube or in the podcast app of your choice so that you get new episodes as soon as they come out. A like or comment on youtube is always good for the algorithm too.
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You can get Means and Ends here - https://www.akpress.org/means-and-ends.html
All of Zoe’s links are here https://linktr.ee/zoebaker
Check out the longer version of the either the video or the audio on Patreon
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All of my links are here https://linktr.ee/skepticalcory
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Thanks so much for listening or watching. Make sure to leave a comment on the video or on my website. Join your local org, print off some posters or pamphlets and spread the propaganda.
