Your identity is a complex issue, but one thing is certain- representation matters.

Through the media you watch, you are told a certain story of who you are. Naturally, you find personalities who you can relate to, athletes that inspire you and institutions that connect with your lived experiences.

But what happens when those characters deviate from your own self image? What happens when the people who claim to represent you are actively discriminating against you and your people? What does that mean for your own identity and self esteem?

Today's episode starts by attempting to answer these questions about the British Monarchy, an institution that has subjugated black people for hundreds of years, but remains atop the British socio- political hierarchy.In segment two, we tackle the more topical issue of athletes switching allegiances. Notable athletes like Mo Farah have dual nationality and can select which nation to represent, but when this decision plays out in the public eye, everyone (including us) has something to say.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro

1:30 British Royal Family: Net positive or not

17:01 Switching allegiances: Net positive or not

Marxism is many things to many people.

For some, it’s a buzzword used by the right-wing to denigrate their political opponents.

For others, it's a comprehensive political ideology that has important and timely critiques of capitalism.

However, ‘Marxism’ makes you feel, today we dig below the surface and look at the philosophy of Karl Marx that came before the politics- Dialectical Materialism.

The philosophy is a combination of two distinct ideas.

The first is Dialectics, which has European roots in Ancient Greece (Plato) and is understood in traditions all over the globe. Put simply, Dialectics is the principle that ideas are constantly in conflict with opposing ideas and this tension causes the birth of new ideas in a never ending process that drives human progress. Hegel, who was Karl Marx’ mentor, is often attributed as the author of this framework and the father of ‘modern’ Dialectics.

Marx took Hegel’s Dialectic and applied it to the second idea, Materialism, to create Dialectical Materialism. In a break from Hegel’s idealism (the belief that consciousness gives rise to the material world), Marx believed in the primacy of the material world (materialism).

Instead of ideas driving human progress, Marx explained the history of humanity as a material class struggle between the capitalist class and workers, which would end in a Communist worker’s paradise.

In today's episode, we try to unpack Marx's ideas and interrogate the materialist worldview from a modern perspective.

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Topics: Karl Marx, Marxism, Leftists, Dialectical Materialism, Plato, African Spirituality, Buddhism, Capitalism, Revolution, Human progress, Hegel, Engels, Plato, Dialectics, Hoteps

Benz and Tef dig into what real political change looks like and whether it comes through steady reform or moments of rupture. They discuss the flaws of democracy, the value of each voice, and when conflict becomes unavoidable. The conversation builds to a stark choice in the moral dilemma - do you step away and make your opposition clear, or stay on the inside and try to bend the system from within?Enjoy!---------------------Credits: Thumbnail art by Tomi Olopade (@eddieapollo on instagram)---------------------Subscribe to our channel: https://bit.ly/tt-subTikTok: https://tiktok.com/@thinktwiceworldInstagram: https://instagram.com/thinktwiceshow--------------------Topics: Protest, Politics, Political Change, Revolution, Haitian Revolution, Russian Revolution, martin Luther King Jr, Malcolm X