AUDIO posted on January 17, 2012 by Miles Howe

The Left is Dead - Long Live the Platypus

by Miles Howe

» Download file 'platypus.mp3' (7.2MB)

Best Duckbilled Mammal Ever: The Platypus. Photo: Melbourne Water

Andony Melathopoulos thinks the left is dead. But he's not happy about it. Indeed, the driving force behind the Halifax chapter of the Platypus Affiliated Society is part forensic investigator, part Dr. Frankenstein, sifting through the wreckage to see what went wrong, sewing together a piece of Marxist thought here, a morsel of anarchist theory there, in the hopes of revivifying the leftist corpse. Where the monster runs from there is anybody's guess.

The Platypus Affiliated Society started in 2006 as a reading group at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Since then, chapters have been springing up around the world, including in Boston, Philadelphia, New York, Frankfurt, London, Delhi, and Halifax. 

The Platypuses (Platypi?) are interested in defining the notion of “the left”, and employ a variety of means to get there. They do panel discussions, interviews, maintain a reading group, and also publish a monthly broad sheet. Steeped in theory, Platypus does not have an activist wing, but most certainly demands a cranial workout.

This Thursday's panel is titled “The 3Rs: Reform, Revolution, Resistance”, and will examine problems of strategies and tactics utilized by the Left today.

Panelists for the discussion are: Eric Anatolik (Occupy NS), Jacques Beaudoin (Parti communiste révolutionnaire - Revolutionary Communist Party (Canada)) Howard Epstein (New Democratic Party MLA Halifax Chebucto), Max Haiven (Edu-Factory, Historical and Critical Studies NSCAD) and Andony Melathopoulos (Platypus).

Please enjoy the following conversation with Andony Melathopoulos.

The theoretical fur flies in Room 224 of the Dalhousie Student Union Building, Thursday, January 19th, from 7-9pm.