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In-depth analysis and commentary on a variety of matters — political, economic, social, and cultural — important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. Against the Grain is co-produced and co-hosted by Sasha Lilley and C.S. Soong.
The birthrate in the U.S. has hit a historical low, with fewer babies being born than that necessary to replace the existing population. Organizer Jenny Brown argues that that’s because the social support for women and families is so meager, that women have stopped having children or have reduced the number of kids they’re having. …
Intellectualism and cosmopolitanism aren’t things typically associated with working-class people and communities. But James Barrett has investigated, and unearthed, highly literate and often quite radical working-class cultures, cultures in which people read widely, engaged in group discussions, and in some cases traveled a great deal. James Barrett, History from the Bottom Up and the Inside … Continued
Happiness seems elusive in our society, despite the many industries attempting to sell it through a multitude of products and services. What’s missing, according to feminist Lynne Segal, is the sense that our happiness is intertwined with the happiness of others. She calls for reclaiming radical joy, through collective life and activism. (Encore presentation.) Resources: … Continued
In March 1871, socialists, anarchists, workers, and others took control of the second most populous city in Europe. Before it was brutally suppressed two months later, the Paris Commune constituted a worker-controlled, radically democratic alternative to the capitalist status quo. David B. Downing discusses the Commune’s beginnings, its accomplishments, and its legacy. Socialism and Democracy … Continued
Are we facing a new Cold War with Russia? Does that country represent a serious threat to the United States? Tony Wood separates myths from facts about Russia’s domestic and foreign policy — and whether Putin represents a return to the authoritarian Soviet past. (Encore presentation.) Resources: Tony Wood, Russia Without Putin: Money, Power and … Continued
Marshall Rosenberg lays out some of the basics of Nonviolent Communication, the method he developed for connecting compassionately with others.
The spiritual pioneer, writer, and teacher Ram Dass on how to embrace aging, changing, and dying.
Alan Watts, the author, lecturer, and prominent interpreter of Eastern thought, gave a talk called “Way Beyond the West.”
What do the resistance of soldiers in Vietnam, the death of Ho Chi Minh, the film Easy Rider, and future Trump-fixer Roy Cohn’s defense of Joseph McCarthy have in common with each other? Among other things, they all took place in 1969 — and the voices of the participants were all captured by KPFA Radio … Continued
“Working-Class Heroes” is a presentation on CD of 20 folk songs rooted in the militant labor struggles of the early twentieth century and revived by Mat Callahan and Yvonne Moore.
Democracy is one of the most contradictory terms in political discourse today. On the one hand, it evokes rule by the people. On of the other, it’s used relentlessly by elites to mask where power truly resides in our society. Is it still a word worth fighting for? That’s one of the questions posed by … Continued
