Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Get access to The Backroom, with 100+ exclusive episodes of 1Dime Radio, on Patreon: [patreon.com/OneDime](https://www.patreon.com/OneDime)
In this episode of 1Dime Radio, I am joined by Chris Cutrone, founder of the Platypus Affiliated Society, to debate the professional-managerial class, elite theory, and whether either offers a better explanation of today’s left than Marxism. Taking Cutrone’s essay “Was Lenin PMC?” as our starting point, we clash over the 20% versus 80% framework, liberal democracy, managerialism, the role of intellectuals in socialist politics, and what Marxism is actually for in the absence of a proletarian socialist movement.
In exclusive The Backroom segment on Patreon only, we move from history into strategy: whether a viable class coalition must extend beyond the proletariat, and debate the extend as to whether Marxism is still relevant. We talk about why most self-described Marxists have no real commitment to communism and I also ask Cutrone why he still considers himself a Marxist. Then we dive into the Graham Platner fiasco, the culture of #MeToo, and some characteristically hot takes from Cutrone.
You can listen to 1Dime Radio on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts.
Timestamps:
0:00 The Backroom Preview: Graham Platner and MeToo
4:12 1Dime Radio Intro
5:10 Marxism vs. Elite Theory
13:42 The 20% vs. the 80%
18:15 Is the Left Actually Left?
22:50 Marxism and Liberal Democracy
30:01 What Elite Theory Explains
36:34 Theory, Strategy, and Practice
41:03 The Synthetic Left and Family Abolition
51:26 Marxism as the Critique of Socialism
59:20 Intellectuals, Class, and the PMC
66:15 Elite Overproduction and Academia
74:16 What Is Marxism For?
78:28 In What Sense Is Cutrone a Marxist?
1:25:48 Join Us in The Backroom
GUEST:
Chris Cutrone | Founder of the Platypus Affiliated Society
* Chris Cutrone’s website: [chriscutrone.platypus1917.org/](https://chriscutrone.platypus1917.org/)
* Platypus Affiliated Society: [platypus1917.org/](https://platypus1917.org/)
* “Was Lenin PMC?”: [sublationmag.com/post/was-lenin-pmc-how-elite-theory-doesn-t-fit-the-movement-for-socialism](https://www.sublationmag.com/post/was-lenin-pmc-how-elite-theory-doesn-t-fit-the-movement-for-socialism)
FOLLOW 1Dime:
* 1Dime Radio YouTube channel: [youtube.com/@1DimeRadio](https://youtube.com/@1DimeRadio)
* Substack: [1dimereview.substack.com/](https://1dimereview.substack.com/)
* X/Twitter: [https://x.com/1DimeOfficial](https://x.com/1DimeOfficial)
* Instagram: [instagram.com/tonyof1dime/](https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/)
* Main 1Dime YouTube channel: [youtube.com/@1Dimee](https://www.youtube.com/@1Dimee)
Leave a like, comment, and subscribe. Give 1Dime Radio a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
Get access to The Backroom, with 100+ exclusive episodes of 1Dime Radio, on Patreon: [patreon.com/OneDime](https://www.patreon.com/OneDime)
In this episode of 1Dime Radio, I am joined by Chris Cutrone, founder of the Platypus Affiliated Society, to debate the professional-managerial class, elite theory, and whether either offers a better explanation of today’s left than Marxism. Taking Cutrone’s essay “Was Lenin PMC?” as our starting point, we clash over the 20% versus 80% framework, liberal democracy, managerialism, the role of intellectuals in socialist politics, and what Marxism is actually for in the absence of a proletarian socialist movement.
In exclusive The Backroom segment on Patreon only, we move from history into strategy: whether a viable class coalition must extend beyond the proletariat, and debate the extend as to whether Marxism is still relevant. We talk about why most self-described Marxists have no real commitment to communism and I also ask Cutrone why he still considers himself a Marxist. Then we dive into the Graham Platner fiasco, the culture of #MeToo, and some characteristically hot takes from Cutrone.
You can listen to 1Dime Radio on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get podcasts.
Timestamps:
0:00 The Backroom Preview: Graham Platner and MeToo
4:12 1Dime Radio Intro
5:10 Marxism vs. Elite Theory
13:42 The 20% vs. the 80%
18:15 Is the Left Actually Left?
22:50 Marxism and Liberal Democracy
30:01 What Elite Theory Explains
36:34 Theory, Strategy, and Practice
41:03 The Synthetic Left and Family Abolition
51:26 Marxism as the Critique of Socialism
59:20 Intellectuals, Class, and the PMC
66:15 Elite Overproduction and Academia
74:16 What Is Marxism For?
78:28 In What Sense Is Cutrone a Marxist?
1:25:48 Join Us in The Backroom
GUEST:
Chris Cutrone | Founder of the Platypus Affiliated Society
* Chris Cutrone’s website: [chriscutrone.platypus1917.org/](https://chriscutrone.platypus1917.org/)
* Platypus Affiliated Society: [platypus1917.org/](https://platypus1917.org/)
* “Was Lenin PMC?”: [sublationmag.com/post/was-lenin-pmc-how-elite-theory-doesn-t-fit-the-movement-for-socialism](https://www.sublationmag.com/post/was-lenin-pmc-how-elite-theory-doesn-t-fit-the-movement-for-socialism)
FOLLOW 1Dime:
* 1Dime Radio YouTube channel: [youtube.com/@1DimeRadio](https://youtube.com/@1DimeRadio)
* Substack: [1dimereview.substack.com/](https://1dimereview.substack.com/)
* X/Twitter: [https://x.com/1DimeOfficial](https://x.com/1DimeOfficial)
* Instagram: [instagram.com/tonyof1dime/](https://www.instagram.com/tonyof1dime/)
* Main 1Dime YouTube channel: [youtube.com/@1Dimee](https://www.youtube.com/@1Dimee)
Leave a like, comment, and subscribe. Give 1Dime Radio a 5-star rating on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
