The Socialism of Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde is known today for his satirical wit and literary accomplishments. But he was also a socialist committed to the fight against oppression and exploitation.
19424 Articles by: Abigail Torre
Abigail Torre grew up in Chile and now lives in Berkeley, California where she is cochair of the East Bay chapter of Democratic Socialists of America.
Andrew Cuomo Isn’t the Only One Who Needs to Answer for COVID-19 Mismanagement
Our press corps is wielded as a partisan and corporate weapon, making journalists averse to covering corruption and avarice if leaders from both parties are implicated in shilling for corporate power. Which is why the press is unable to handle a scandal like Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s alleged mismanagement of nursing home policy during the pandemic.
Why the Uprising in Belarus Failed
It’s six months since the fraudulent election in Belarus sparked mass protests against Alexander Lukashenko’s authoritarian regime. The collapse of his statist model of capitalism has fed mass discontent with his rule — but the liberal opposition’s own promises of change also drew skepticism among working-class Belarusians.
What Thomas Mann Can Tell Us About Defending Democracy
German novelist Thomas Mann spent most of World War II rallying the American people against Nazism and exhorting them to stand up for democratic values. Yet he also understood that no democracy can survive by culture alone — it also needs social justice to thrive.
Pete Buttigieg Is Bootleg Obama in the Worst Ways Possible
Pete Buttigieg, a shape-shifting knockoff of the Obama original, has written a book about the importance of Trust — a surprising topic for a politician who elicits suspicion every time he opens his mouth. Can we just let bootleg Obama wander off into obscurity?
A Key Fight Against Criminalizing Homelessness Is Playing Out in Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas, has been an important front in the battle for housing justice, where efforts to decriminalize homelessness have previously been successful. The city’s voters will soon need to defend those gains from a right wing trying to claw them back.
Why “Pro-Worker Conservatives” Misrepresent Viktor Orbán’s Hungary
Figures like Tucker Carlson have hailed Hungarian premier Viktor Orbán for marrying cultural conservatism with protectionist economic measures. Yet for all his demagogic attacks on finance, Orbán’s policies have favored local oligarchs and sharply increased social inequality — pointing to the hollowness of his American fans’ own “pro-worker conservatism.”
Workers Should Take Back Control of Their Pension Funds
Australia’s pension funds control nearly $3 trillion of workers’ capital, but they’re currently dominated by corporate interests. The labor movement should take back control over them from bankers and use the funds to build a better future.
Alberta’s Jason Kenney Bet the Political Farm on Keystone XL — and Lost
Jason Kenney’s government seems increasingly desperate, conjuring up dark conspiracies to explain its own failures. Beneath the lurid rhetoric, there’s a last-ditch effort to keep the fossil-fuel industry profitable and prop up a conservative “success story” that couldn’t endure.
American Workers Aren’t Striking
Strikes are the labor movement’s muscle, and when unions don’t strike, that muscle atrophies. Unfortunately, the latest data shows just how atrophied that muscle is. Simply put, workers aren’t striking.
Understanding the Right-Wing Political Ecosystem
The Left’s strategy for fighting the Right isn’t constant — it depends on which segment of the right-wing coalition is dominant at any given time.
Social Housing Is Becoming a Mainstream Policy Goal in the US
Slowly but surely, the idea of social housing — a public housing model most commonly associated with the socialist government of “Red Vienna” — is moving from being a leftist dream to a concrete policy agenda item in a number of US states.
Flaws and All, You Should Watch Judas and the Black Messiah
The story of Black Panther leader Fred Hampton’s assassination by Chicago Police and the FBI has finally been made into a movie. Judas and the Black Messiah is uneven as a film, but it’s a small step toward a serious reckoning with America’s past.
The Australian Facebook News Ban Isn’t About Democracy — It’s a Battle Between Two Rival Monopolies
On Thursday, Australians woke to find Facebook had banned all news on the platform. Liberal PM Scott Morrison has refused to back down over the laws that triggered the move. Beneath the rhetoric, Morrison’s stand is about serving the interests of News Corp, not saving democracy.
Ecuador’s Likely Next President, Andrés Arauz, Talks to Jacobin
An interview with Andrés Arauz on his surprising journey to the verge of state power, what his ally Rafael Correa accomplished in Ecuador, and how he plans to win April’s election, rebuild his party, and deepen the Citizens’ Revolution.
School Districts Around the United States Lack Any Real Regard for Educators’ Lives
Throughout the country, teachers are being forced back into schools before it’s fully safe. And while many teachers’ unions are waging valiant fights against unsafe reopenings, too many of them are losing.
Andrew Cuomo Declared War on Ron Kim for Telling the Truth
New York legislator Ron Kim confronted Governor Andrew Cuomo over his move to give nursing home executives immunity for their deadly negligence during COVID. Cuomo responded with threats of retribution. We talk to Kim about the episode.
Catalan Independence Can’t Win Without Broad Working-Class Support
In Sunday’s Catalan elections, pro-independence parties topped 50 percent support for the first time. But with popular mobilization on the decline, pro-independence forces will need to answer the social needs of the working-class majority if they are to rally a broad front against Spain’s inflexible constitutional order.
Emmanuel Macron’s Government Is Mounting a Witch Hunt Against “Islamo-Leftism” in France’s Universities
This week, Emmanuel Macron’s higher education minister alarmed researchers and students by calling a formal investigation into the alleged “Islamo-leftist” atmosphere in France’s universities. The announced witch hunt is a worrying assault on critical inquiry — and shows the neoliberal government’s willingness to amplify baseless far-right talking points.
The Energy Policy Culture War Is an Absurd Fantasy
What a surprise — the Texas energy disaster has been turned into a yet another culture war scrimmage field, pitting right-wing advocates of fossil fuels against liberal supporters of renewable energy. But the red vs. blue framing conceals something important: when it comes to the climate, Texans are far to the left of their representatives.