19549 Articles by: Benjamin Case
Benjamin Case is a researcher, educator, and organizer living in Pittsburgh.
Prosperity Gospel
The Bible’s actual takes on wealth are not what you might think.
A Biden Envoy to the Pacific Had Major Conflicts of Interest
When Joseph Yun was the chief US negotiator in the Pacific, he also led talks that are likely to deliver a lucrative advantage to the consulting firm where he currently works and the powerful defense contractor it represents in the region.
Netanyahu Has Brought Us to the Brink of War With Iran
The terrifying escalation of attacks between Israel and Iran is a predictable result of Benjamin Netanyahu’s clear desire to start a war with Iran — enabled, like everything else Netanyahu has done since October 7, by Joe Biden.
Édouard Louis: Your Identity Isn’t Private Property
Author Édouard Louis was asked if he thought someone lacking his experience of homophobia could stage a theater adaptation of one of his books. In his response, he argues against a restrictive idea of identity as a property some of us own.
Workers, Not Technocrats, Can Secure a Sustainable Planet
Liberals believe that the greatest obstacle to necessary climate intervention is a lack of social awareness and professional leadership. The real problem is the absence of a militant, worker-led climate stabilization program.
Keir Starmer’s Leadership Is Deeply Antidemocratic
The Labour Party’s online voting system appears open to tampering — and some left-wing candidates claim it’s been systematically rigged. If true, these allegations would mark a new low for party democracy under Keir Starmer.
The Outsize Influence of Small Wars
The small wars waged by European empires generated arguments for the legitimacy of state violence that remain in use today. Lauren Benton’s new book, They Called it Peace, finds that the era of gunboat policing anticipated the age of the predator drone.
America’s Last Violent Strike Has Been Wrongly Forgotten
The 1937 Little Steel strike is often dismissed as a failure and relegated to a footnote. But it was a courageous organizing effort and a crucial moment in US labor history — revealing the limits of the New Deal order and the deepest dynamics of capitalism.
Daimler Truck Workers Are Strike-Ready in the Anti-Union South
The South has long been the Achilles heel of the American labor movement. The United Auto Workers are trying to make inroads — including with a heated contract fight between workers and bosses at the multinational corporation Daimler Truck North America.
Biden’s Attempt to Get Tough on Netanyahu Quietly Failed
Nothing Joe Biden has done to rein in Benjamin Netanyahu’s brutality against the people of Gaza has worked. Biden has proven too weak, indecisive, and indulgent of Israel to even induce Netanyahu into making small tweaks to his behavior.
The Speech That Got Me Banned From Germany
Today, Yanis Varoufakis was banned not just from visiting Germany but from participating in video conferences about politics hosted in Germany. Here’s the plea for humanity and justice in Palestine that got him banned.
The Rich: On Top of the World and Very Anxious About It
The small handful of ultrawealthy winners are firmly ensconced in their positions of privilege in power. Yet so many of them seem haunted by the possibility that maybe they don’t deserve it.
Ken Loach and Paul Laverty’s Final Show
Ken Loach’s longtime screenwriter Paul Laverty talks to Jacobin about their final collaboration on The Old Oak, which follows Syrian refugees and ex-miners in Northeast England, and why the working class remains the last hope for justice in the world.
How Pfizer Completely Dodged the Corporate Income Tax
In 2023, Pfizer made more than $27 billion in revenue and paid zero federal income tax. Like many other large US companies, it took advantage of Donald Trump’s 2017 tax law, which widened existing loopholes and set off a tax-avoidance bonanza.
“Models and Bottles” Clubs’ Extravagance and Exploitation
We know the rich are getting richer, but what exactly are they doing with all those riches? Sociologist Ashley Mears examined one site of elite consumption: the world of VIP clubs and its rituals of garish waste and exploitation of women.
Tenants Are Forcing Bay Area Landlords to the Bargaining Table
San Francisco’s groundbreaking Union at Home legislation encourages tenants to organize in their buildings the way employees organize at work. Housing activists in Berkeley are hoping their city will follow suit — but landlords are pushing back.
Ripley Is a Waste of the Talented Mr Andrew Scott
Netflix’s new series Ripley, the latest iteration of Patricia Highsmith’s murderous con man from The Talented Mr Ripley, is an arty, inert snooze. Its flat portrayal of the title character doesn’t come close to the novels or other fantastic adaptations.