Doomscroll: Amber A'Lee Frost

Welcome to Doomscroll. Episode #09 with guest Amber A’Lee Frost is out now. I know there’s been a lot of anticipation for this video (yes, I am reading the comments on YouTube lol). This episode is a comprehensive overview of our unique cultural and political moment. I’m excited to share it with all of you.

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Amber A’Lee Frost is a writer, organizer, co-host of the Chapo Trap House podcast and the author of Dirtbag (2023). Amber’s writing has inspired me for many years. When I taught in universities, I would often include several of her articles on my syllabus. We discuss:

• The powerful draw of online political subcultures and the emergence of “youth” as a counter-cultural and consumer demographic. Why do we assume young people will lead the revolution?

• The emergence of the New Right and recent pro-labor sentiments from the Republican party. Is it real? What does this mean for American workers?

• Today’s dysfunctional “left”, elite overproduction, and its roots in the student radical movements of the 1960s. What happens when so many people have advanced degrees but there are too few jobs for them to go into?

• How to be a normal person and where to begin with a meaningful political engagement.

Since 2009, Amber A'Lee Frost has been a member of the Democratic Socialists of America. In this episode, she describes how the political landscape has shifted and provides an historical context for our moment of online hyper-political chaos.

Dirtbag is available through Macmillan Publishers. The book tells the story of the millennia struggle for socialism, recapping its victories and many failures. Its an inspiring first person account, written in Amber’s distinctive and humanizing prose. Its one of the few histories available from inside the movement. If you have stage 4 internet poisoning and are feeling like a pessimaxed irony-pilled doomcel going depair-core, it might be time to read Dirtbag. This book will help you to remember what you’re fighting for. I was personally very moved by it and included several chapters on the most recent syllabus.

You can watch the full episode here. Likes, shares, comments, all that stuff helps us to successfully launch this project and reach new viewers. Remember to subscribe to the YouTube channel too. I hope you all appreciate this episode as much as I do. I’m grateful for your support in this project.

Doomscroll #09 Amber A’Lee Frost: Vulgarity and the Dirtbag Left