Unionizing Made Me a Different Person
Forming a union with my coworkers at the immersive arts company Meow Wolf wasn’t easy. It was stressful and scary. But we pushed past that fear — and ended up transforming our lives in the process.
19172 Articles by: Benjamin Case
Benjamin Case is a researcher, educator, and organizer living in Pittsburgh.
Anthony Fauci Gladly Takes Insurance Lobby Money
On June 13, Anthony Fauci spoke at a conference held by America’s Health Insurance Plans, a well-known lobbying group for health insurers. Fauci has joined the lucrative racket of former public officials taking cash for paid corporate speaking gigs.
Greece Just Elected the Most Right-Wing Parliament Since the Return to Democracy
Greece’s elections on Sunday brought a conservative majority — and seats in parliament for three far-right parties. With the collapse of the left-wing alternative to austerity, neofascist and ultra-Orthodox groups are pulling Greece to the right.
There’s No Such Thing as “Right-Wing Marxism”
The National Review frets that “populist” paleoconservatives are vessels of Marxist influence on the Right. That’s nonsense.
Canada Is Trying to Stop AMLO From Putting Mexico in Control of Its Own Resources
Mexican president AMLO has launched ambitious efforts to strengthen Mexico’s sovereignty over its energy, mining, and agriculture sectors. It’s provoked challenges to AMLO’s democratic mandate not only from the US, but also Canadian premier Justin Trudeau.
Toronto’s Mayoral Election Just Delivered a Surprise Rebuke to the Right
Mere months ago, the Right looked to have secured a political stranglehold on Canada’s largest city for the foreseeable future. Last night, Olivia Chow beat the odds and proved that a social democratic message can win at the municipal level.
The Prigozhin Mutiny Is a Lesson in the Folly of War
This past weekend’s attempted insurrection in Russia is a reminder of the self-defeating stupidity of Vladimir Putin’s invasion. It should also be a reminder of the profound dangers of attempting to carry out regime change.
Artificial Intelligence Is Driving Discrimination in the Housing Market
Landlords are increasingly turning to AI programs to screen prospective tenants. The prevalence of incorrect, outdated, or misleading information in such reports is increasing costs and barriers to housing, especially among people of color.
To Stop the Race to the Bottom, Europe Needs to Recognize Platform Workers as Workers
Plans for EU-wide regulation of digital platforms could finally enshrine labor rights for workers for firms like Uber. Neoliberals from Emmanuel Macron to the far right are resisting the move.
Rolling Back Birthright Citizenship, Rolling Back Democracy
The Right’s recent attacks on birthright citizenship are a further step in their slide toward “postfascism.”
Russia Shows How Fascist Ideas Can Triumph Over an Atomized Society
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s coup attempt demonstrated the conflicts within Russia’s elite — but also the great political passivity of the general population. In today’s Russia, a fascist cult of violence has taken root in an atomized, demobilized society.
Why Are Liberals Constantly Fixated on “Competence” Instead of Politics?
Democrats for DeSantis? Seems hard to justify. William Cooper’s recent contrarian case for Ron DeSantis in the Orlando Sentinel is an unwittingly perfect satire of contemporary American liberalism’s technocratic obsessions.
Georgii Plekhanov Was the Father Of Russian Marxism Who Disliked His Children
Georgii Plekhanov did more than anyone to popularize Marxist ideas in Russia from the late nineteenth century. While he fell out with the Bolsheviks and condemned the October revolution, Plekhanov had a huge influence over the development of Soviet Marxism.
Jennifer Lawrence’s No Hard Feelings Is a Class-Conscious Comedy That Almost Works
Jennifer Lawrence is a fantastic comic actor. So it’s too bad that No Hard Feelings trades in the raunchy laughs for feel-good sentimental dramedy.
Poland’s Opposition Is Failing to Turn the Right-Wing Tide
This month, Poland’s liberal opposition mobilized hundreds of thousands of people to protest the ruling party’s attacks on the rule of law. But it’s less clear that it’s winning over the government’s supporters, who remain wedded to its social programs.
France’s Justice System Has Become an Ally to Police Repression
The movement against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform saw shocking scenes of police violence against protesters. Yet far from standing up to abuses, the justice system is turning a blind eye to the government’s attacks on civil liberties.
The Left Must Radicalize the Middle Class’s Fear of Downward Social Mobility
In Britain, inequality within the top 10% is greater than it is within the bottom 90%. This has created a middle-class politics centered on a fear of downward mobility. The Left must offer its own vision of society, focused on equality rather than competition.
Public Sector Strikes Are About Aligning Our Society With Its Stated Values
Our society values health care and education in theory, but it constantly undermines them in practice. Public sector workers feel that discrepancy most acutely. They’re striking to force our society to put its money where its mouth is.
Agricultural Land Is Becoming an Investment Vehicle for the Rich
Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t work the land on his Hawaii ranch, but he and other wealthy landowners still benefit from huge agricultural tax breaks. The scheme allows the superrich to hoard wealth at the expense of the general public.
Gamification Is Exploitation
The trend of gamification — applying elements of game play to other areas of life — is the apex of the neoliberal fantasy, rendering both work and our leisure time outside of it into a series of games that we supposedly enjoy playing for their own sake.