We take another break from WW3 and various attempted assassinations with a sojourn into some economic shit with our guest Nicolas D Villarreal, an independent researcher focusing on the capitalist political economy.

For the full episode, support the show at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage

Full piece: https://cosmonautmag.com/2026/04/the-capitalist-in-the-21st-century/

Response https://cosmonautmag.com/2026/04/letter-limiting-factors-in-capitalist-growth/

Counter-Response https://cosmonautmag.com/2026/04/letter-why-the-limit-is-not-a-lack-of-opportunity/

FT article in agricultural inflation: https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/e13369c2-edb8-4418-adfb-3496d2fae185

CBS News' penny pinching tips: https://x.com/TheRealVarnVlog/status/2048217038443991052

Song: Kinks - Maximum Consumption

Sean and Andy are joined by researcher A.J.A. Woods to discuss their new book The Cultural Marxism Conspiracy: Why the Right Blames the Frankfurt School for the Decline of the West.

How did this basket of conspiracies come together in the post-60s moment? Who was Lyndon Larouche and how did he provide a bridge from quasi-Leninist elitism to the Reaganite New Right? What does culture even mean for the right and how has it taken such outsized importance for them?

And, in the bonus for subscribers, what might an actual Marxism that is cultural look like and how many Beatles songs was Theodor Adorno responsible for writing?

Become a supporter of our work at www.patreon.com/thiswreckage

Song: Alien Nosejob - Kinks vs. Stones

NEWS EP! Andy is a bestseller. Sean becomes a Luddite Gnome. Orbon is Or-gone. Situation monitoring Hormuz, and looking back at the Suez crisis.

In the bonus we discuss AI-generated Iranian propaganda. To hear that, support the show at http://patreon.com/thiswreckage

Metropolitans B&N event with Noah Kulwin: https://stores.barnesandnoble.com/event/9780062206054-0

‘Summer of Ludd’ https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/30/style/lamp-club-luddites.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Orban Loss: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/13/us/politics/orban-trump-maga.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

Audio of Iranian warning that scared away US Navy warship https://x.com/eternalphysics/status/2043309125572936047?s=46

Suez and Iran by Niall Ferguson https://www.thetimes.com/comment/columnists/article/america-suez-crisis-trump-presidency-world-order-iran-cqrfs86z0

Central banks sell US Treasuries in wake of Iran war: https://giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/actions/redeem/6fac51c8-b650-48d4-82eb-e6e66f75dd2fForeign

Iran plans permanent changes to world economy https://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2026/04/10/766586/why-no-matter-can-undermine-iran-eternal-dominance-over-strait-hormuz