Philosopher Henry David Thoreau has developed a reputation as an advocate for self-help in the form of withdrawal from work. But in his writing, he advanced a thoroughgoing critique of work under capitalism and defended the emancipatory potential of labor.
Even if we were to free ourselves from the capitalist work ethic and provide everyone with a universal basic income, our society would still require some amount of socially necessary labor. Socialists should strive to reimagine work, not eliminate it.
Donald Trump is rightly facing legal consequences for his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. But with his supporters unwilling to accept the facts and a Supreme Court likely to side with Trump, the situation may be a powder keg under US democracy.
If you peel back the curtain of professional baseball, there’s a labor battle between players and owners that has been raging for more than a century. And in recent years, fans have started to side more with the players.
This week, the UAW presented proposals to automakers in contract negotiations covering some 150,000 workers. Autoworkers want big raises, an end to tiers, and the right to strike over plant closures — and conditions appear favorable for them to win.
Early 20th-century unions rejected the idea that bosses should be the dictators of the workplace. Today, the WGA, SAG-AFTRA, and other major unions have rediscovered the strike’s power to secure workers’ control over their own lives.
When Justice Samuel Alito was securing his place on the Supreme Court, he promised to adhere to ethics laws from Congress. But after failing to comply with anti-corruption laws, Alito is now insisting lawmakers have no authority to regulate the court.
Sinéad O’Connor was more than just a musician. She was a symbol of a changing society in Ireland that made defenders of the status quo incredibly uncomfortable.
Donald Trump’s apologists argue that his indictment for conspiring to overturn the 2020 presidential election is overreach. They’re wrong. Presidents and ex-presidents shouldn’t be above the law.
Actor Maxine Peake is well-known for her appearances in Black Mirror, Peterloo, and countless other films and series. A socialist to the core, Peake is proud of her working-class background and vocal about the need for a left-wing political alternative.
Paul Reubens and his brilliant character Pee-wee Herman offered viewers a kind of weird, joyful, hilarious television and film that we aren’t lucky enough to get very often.
Republican super PACs in the House and Senate raked in major donations from the fossil fuel industry this year. Proving to be money well spent, GOP lawmakers are ramping up a campaign of outright climate denial.
Capitalism may not be producing “bullshit jobs” in the way David Graeber argued. But our working lives are indeed full of bullshit: marked by the petty despotism of the boss and directed to ends no one would freely choose to pursue.
We spoke to some of the Democratic Socialists of America members deciding the future of the country’s largest socialist organization this weekend.
New York State Senator Gustavo Rivera talks to Jacobin about his proposed state-level single-payer health care bill, why covering undocumented immigrants is crucial, and the state of progressive politics in New York.
British prime minister Rishi Sunak has launched a crackdown on what he calls “rip-off university degrees.” It’s really a push to discourage working-class students from choosing subjects that will help develop their critical understanding of the world.
The Australian Labor Party is introducing legislation it claims will help end endemic insecure work. But if the party’s track record is anything to go by, casual workers shouldn’t hold their breath.
Russian anarchist Azat Miftakhov is spending his fifth year in jail for “hooliganism” — and now faces being framed on fake terrorism charges. His persecution is part of the Russian state’s campaign to intimidate the Left and silence opposition to the war.
In the 1988 Democratic presidential primary, the pro-business centrism of Michael Dukakis faced off against the pro-worker populism of Jesse Jackson. Dukakis won — and set the stage for the Democrats’ decades-long race to the middle.
Since their contract expired on June 30, hotel workers across the Los Angeles area have launched a wave of rolling strikes against 62 hotels. They are demanding raises to keep up with LA’s skyrocketing cost of living — especially rents.