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In this episode of the It’s Going Down podcast, we spoke with Jasper Bernes, the managing editor at the autonomous anti-capitalist publication, Commune, and also the author of The Work of Art in the Age of Deindustrialization (Stanford, 2017) and two books of poetry: We Are Nothing and So Can You, and Starsdown.

All of us with pandemic birthdays should reschedule for the first available non-isolation day, and then gather together and wreck capitalism. — Jasper Bernes (@outsidadgitator) March 28, 2020

In this episode, we look at the economic impact of the coronavirus meltdown. Specifically, we discuss what it means in terms of a possible authoritarian turn for the State and how it might serve as a launching off point for autonomous struggles. We also discuss what the crisis might mean for the capitalism of the future and the continued popularity of social democracy.

"What is happening is a strange feeling for many, but for me it feels extremely familiar, which is, in itself, uncanny." – reflections from a researcher of plague https://t.co/KNsp9azvde — Commune (@commune_mag) March 29, 2020

We cover a lot of ground in this discussion, but focus on what we can expect from this crisis, how it compares to the economic collapse of 2008, and if the current crash marks a historic turning point in US society. Lastly we discuss what a possible anti-capitalist response might look like, and what this new cycle of struggles might learn from those of 2008-2010, if anything.

More Info: Commune Magazine, Jasper on Twitter, After the Fall, and Looking Back at the Student Occupation Movement.