In this video, Chris from It Had to Be Said joins me for a deep dive into Boiler Room. We explore the film’s themes of ambition, greed, and the toxic hustle culture that fuels them, all while connecting the story to modern parallels like crypto scams and hustle culture myths. If you’ve ever wondered about the cost of chasing success, this conversation is for you.

Make sure to check out Chris’s channel and subscribe for more great content. Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

Here are the links where you can find and follow Chris

https://www.youtube.com/@ItHadToBeSaid

https://theruleoffreedom.wordpress.com/

https://todon.eu/@adaoist

https://bsky.app/profile/anarchodaoist.bsky.social

And check out my linktree

https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

If you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/ for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!

And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/ or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

In this episode of Red Reviews, Justin and I dive into Naomi Klein's latest work, Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World. We unpack the concept of the "mirror world," where misinformation distorts reality, and examine how diagonalism—blurring the lines between left and right—has created some of the strangest political figures of our time. From Naomi Wolf’s baffling transformation to the role of social media in spreading toxic narratives, this episode is all about the fight for a shared reality.

As always, stay skeptical, stay informed, and keep fighting for a better world.

You can get a copy here

https://z-library.sk/book/26306193/436a34/doppelganger.html

Or you can buy one here

https://www.akpress.org/doppelganger.html

https://redemmas.org/titles/39586-doppelganger-a-trip-into-the-mirror-world/

Check out Justin's links and follow him

https://www.justinclark.org/

https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/

https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph

https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social

https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph

https://www.in.gov/history/

https://blog.history.in.gov/

https://newspapers.library.in.gov/

And check out my linktree

https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

If you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/ for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!

And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/ or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

In this episode of The Skeptical Leftist Podcast, I talked to with Matt McManus, a political theorist and author who identifies as a liberal socialist. While this idea might seem unusual at first, Matt dives into how it blends individual rights with collective well-being in a thoughtful and relevant way.

We break down what liberal socialism means, how it stacks up against anarchism, and why it might be a key framework for building economic democracy. Whether you’re a political theory nerd or just curious about how these ideas can work together, there’s a lot to unpack here.

As always, stay skeptical, stay informed, and keep fighting for a better world. Enjoy the show!

You can find Matt at these links and buy his book too.

https://www.routledge.com/The-Political-Theory-of-Liberal-Socialism/McManus/p/book/9781032647234

https://x.com/MattPolProfhttps://bsky.app/profile/mattpolprof.bsky.social

https://umich.academia.edu/MatthewMcManus

https://x.com/edgelordpod

https://www.academicedgelords.com/

And check out my linktree

https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

If you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/ for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!

And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/ or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

In this episode, I sat down with Steve Shives to talk about how we both went from New Atheism’s golden age to something a little more… let’s say, nuanced. We talk about why the New Atheist movement felt like home at first and why it didn’t go deep enough when it came to actual social change. Steve doesn’t hold back on what he thinks about some of the big names in the atheist world and how his focus has shifted over time—from taking down religious beliefs to taking on bigger social issues.

We also discuss what it was like navigating all the divides within the skeptic and atheist communities, why breaking away from that world opened up new perspectives for us, and how we both ended up in the realm of leftist politics and social justice. Whether you’ve followed the atheist movement for years or just want to hear about evolving perspectives, there’s a lot for you here.

Here are some links where you can find Steve

https://www.youtube.com/c/steveshives

https://bsky.app/profile/steveshives.bsky.social

https://www.threads.net/@steve.shives

https://www.instagram.com/steve.shives/

https://www.facebook.com/thatguysteveshives

https://x.com/steve_shives

And check out my linktree

https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

If you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/ for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!

And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/ or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

This week, Justin and I are talking about gender and the manufactured panic surrounding it. We’re digging into the fear tactics, misinformation, and the fake ‘gender debate’ that keeps us from addressing real issues—like the rights and dignity of trans and non-binary people, access to gender-affirming healthcare, and the fight against discrimination. With insights from Judith Butler’s Who's Afraid of Gender, we’re breaking down the lies and exposing the real stakes they don’t want us to see.

You can get the book here

https://z-library.sk/book/28106498/164331/whos-afraid-of-gender.html

Or purchase it at these bookstores online

https://www.akpress.org/who-s-afraid-of-gender.html

https://redemmas.org/titles/41691-who-s-afraid-of-gender/

https://bookshop.org/p/books/who-s-afraid-of-gender-judith-butler/19994814

Check out Justin's links and follow him

https://www.justinclark.org/

https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/

https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph

https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social

https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph

https://www.in.gov/history/

https://blog.history.in.gov/

https://newspapers.library.in.gov/

And check out my linktree

https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

If you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/ for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!

And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/ or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!

In this episode of Red Reviews, Justin and I tackle one of the biggest questions for leftists: where do Marxism and Anarchism actually meet? Inspired by Daniel Guérin’s For a Libertarian Communism, we explore how these two ideologies—often seen as opposing forces—come together in their shared goal of dismantling state control and capitalist exploitation. Guérin’s work is a powerful roadmap for those of us who want a world where people have real freedom and power over their own lives. We’re digging into what libertarian communism actually looks like in practice and why this synthesis matters for anyone dreaming of a world built on solidarity, mutual aid, and true liberation. If you’re curious about where radical thought can take us, this one’s for you.

You can find For a Libertarian Communism here

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/daniel-guerin-for-a-libertarian-communism

https://www.pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=823

Read more on Daniel Guerin

https://libcom.org/article/guerin-daniel-1904-1988

Check out Justin's links and follow him

https://www.justinclark.org/

https://www.instagram.com/justinclarkph/

https://www.tiktok.com/@justinclarkph

https://bsky.app/profile/justinclarkph.bsky.social

https://www.threads.net/@justinclarkph

https://www.in.gov/history/

https://blog.history.in.gov/

https://newspapers.library.in.gov/

And check out my linktree

https://linktr.ee/Skepticalleftist

If you enjoyed the show, consider supporting us on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/skepticalleftist to help keep the content coming. You can also subscribe to my Substack https://theskepticalleftist.substack.com/ for updates and extra content or get bonus episodes through Spotify https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/skepticalleftist/subscribe . Every bit makes a difference! If that’s not your thing, sharing the episode with friends or on social media goes a long way too. Thanks for listening and for your support!

And please, if you can, support the Cathedral Community Fridge https://www.cathedralcommunityfridge.com/ or your local community fridge. Mutual aid matters—let’s help each other thrive!