There is power in a voice that can be missed when when those words are on a page or a screen. My writing here will be affected. I feel I could convey the meaning better if I spoke to you. The words sit there and you merely consume them and digest them. Words spoken aloud have a life of their own. They enter through your ear and into you mind and they affect you as you listen and consider. There is a difference between a book of poems and a poetry slam, between a quotation of a speech and it's original oration. Words are affected as the speaker lets them loose from their lips, they are filled out, colored in, animated with infliction, pause, pronunciation. Words are more than just words then. Spoken words were one of the first and most important steps in the advancement of human intelligence. Spoken words are an essential part of the process of political organization. The internet is a conduit of voices of protest, of outrage, of teaching, of truth telling.
Access to the air waves has been barred from people wishing to fundamentally change the world for a long time. I'm not talking about so call 'progressive' talk radio or public radio or evening locally controlled community radio. Some of such shows are better than others, sometimes the radicals can carve themselves out a place for awhile. But were can the revolutionaries be heard consistently? Where can those who seek the unmaking and transforming of this society have all the time they can handle to promote their views? The internet of course.
I have been combing the interwebs for revolutionary podcasts here are some I found.
The first is a well polished and put together weekly radio show by the Party for Socialism and Liberation. There are interviews and some back and forth conversation that is reasonably engaging. I need to say that I am opposed to a number of the political positions of this organization including their support for a number of repressive governments described as somewhat socialist or anti-imperialist. However on most things I agree so I think this show is worth a listen as always with a critical mind. http://www.liberationradio.org/
Another podcast by an established socialist group is one by the World Socialist Web Site. This group once again is good on some things and bad on others. I found this show to be a bit weaker because it consists of the reading of two articles available at wsws.org rather than something more unique. I think that the articles can be valuable so therefore I think that these readings can be as well.
The next two are more interesting to me however. These are both new, each have only two and three episodes. Both have news and interview features. Both I think will only improve with time and experience. I see a lot of potential in them. I guess what is most interesting is that they are independent efforts by a couple political individuals and a small group meaning that they are not associated with an established national group which has already defined it's political thinking. It has been my experience that a number of larger established socialist groups have already figured everything out, in their minds anyways, and then are less open to new thoughts especially if they go against the old thoughts. Local groups and individuals have to be humble about their knowledge and their place in the world. They can be and often are more open minded than members of groups with established orthodoxy. These are very important revolutionary traits. No one group or individual has all the answers. Socialist groups, even tiny ones, often have the unfortunate habit of believing they do.
The first socialist podcast comes from some people I know in Madison WI. The show is called Black Sheep. These are good folks and I look forward to more episodes.
The last socialist podcast is called Anti-Capitalist Radio and it's by a group in Iowa called the Socialist Peoples' Party but they recently changed names to Movement for Socialism. I don't know much about them but I also look forward to more.
I think all these radicals do well to use the medium of the podcast radio show to spread their views. I hope you check these out and that these shows help advance the struggle for a better society.
*note that these most of these shows are available on iTunes
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