The Killer Is David Fincher at His Most Bland
David Fincher’s new movie The Killer is supposedly a metacommentary on hit-man films — and possibly on the director himself. Or that could just be an excuse for how boring it is.
19559 Articles by: Christina Groeger
Cristina Groeger is a history professor at Lake Forest College and a member of the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America.
If Donald Trump Wins Next Year, Don’t Blame the Voters. Blame Joe Biden.
It’s the job of politicians to appeal to voters. Right now what Joe Biden is selling is two wars and an economy that isn’t working for far too many ordinary people. If Donald Trump wins, don’t blame the electorate: this is Biden’s election to lose.
The Grim Reality of Israel’s Corpse Politics
A Jacobin investigation explores Israel’s practice of using the bodies of slain Palestinians as bargaining chips, refusing to return them to their families. Denying the right to bury loved ones, this policy inflicts the anguish of mourning without closure.
Gustavo Petro’s Left-Wing Government Is Facing Staunch Resistance in Colombia
After a hopeful start in 2022, Gustavo Petro’s leftist Colombian government has run into major obstacles from economic elites. But the powerful mobilizations that brought him to power, paired with parliamentary negotiating, may be able to turn that around.
A Victory for the Right on Chicago’s City Council
A recent fake controversy stoked by right-wing forces on Chicago’s city council led to socialist alderman Carlos Ramirez-Rosa losing two key positions. The antics would be laughable if they weren’t a major blow against Mayor Brandon Johnson’s working-class agenda.
Billionaires Are Suing the Honduran Government for Blocking Their Profit-Making Scheme
US billionaires are trying to establish a libertarian city-state in Honduras to evade democratic constraints. As progressive president Xiomara Castro resists their efforts, the Peter Thiel–backed firm Próspera is suing the country for constraining its profits.
Dockworkers and Labor Activists Can Block the Transport of Arms to Israel
Pro-Palestine “Block the Boat” actions, where dockworkers block the transport of arms to Israel, have proliferated in recent years. Recalling actions against apartheid South Africa, they’re an effective way for labor to oppose Israel’s war on Gaza.
Telecom Companies Are Failing to Keep People Safe During Disasters
For several years, California has had a rule requiring three days of backup power at many telecom sites in areas with high fire danger, to help prevent communication outages during emergencies. But companies are not fully complying with the requirements.
Unions Should Start Planning for a Mass Strike on May Day 2028
Calls for a general strike usually skip over the hard work of organizing one. But UAW leader Shawn Fain is urging unions to align their contract expiration dates for May 1, 2028 — setting up the possibility of a mass May Day strike.
Otto Bauer’s Theory of Nationalism Is One of Marxism’s Lost Treasures
Critics of Marxism say it cannot explain why nationalism is such a powerful force in the modern world. But the Austrian socialist thinker Otto Bauer developed a sophisticated, illuminating theory of nationalism in the 1900s that is ripe for rediscovery today.
The Defeat of Public Energy in Maine Isn’t Reason for Despair
Earlier this month, Maine’s voters rejected a referendum for publicly owned energy after a disinformation campaign led by the energy lobby. But in the US, ordinary people have beaten these interests in the past, and they can do so again.
Israel’s War on Gaza Has Unleashed a Wave of Repression Against Pro-Palestine Artists
Across the UK and the US, a wave of repression is muzzling pro-Palestine speech, especially from Muslim and Arab writers and artists. But Palestinian voices refuse to be silenced.
Israel’s War on Gaza Has Destabilized the Entire Regional Order in the Middle East
Israel’s war on Gaza has sent shock waves echoing throughout the Middle East. Mohamed Naeem, an Egyptian socialist activist, talks about the war’s impact and the way countries like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Iran are likely to respond.
CEO Performance Pay Is One of Capitalism’s Great Myths
The ratio of CEO pay to worker pay is almost 300 to 1. Are we really supposed to believe CEOs work 300 times harder or create 300 times more value than us?
Meet Argentina’s Free-Market Authoritarian President-Elect, Javier Milei
Argentina is reeling after self-styled anarcho-capitalist Javier Milei won its November 19 presidential election. Milei combines the worst elements of the global far right with the darkest episodes of Argentine national history.
A Sociopathic Julianne Moore and a Narcissistic Natalie Portman Clash in May December
In May December, a narcissistic actress gets the role of her dreams: playing a woman who slept with, got pregnant by, and later married a twelve-year-old. It pits an actress desperate for fame against an emotionally hollow sociopath.
Far-Right Geert Wilders Won the Dutch Election Because the Establishment Indulged Him
While the election victory of Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders is being treated as a shock, his rise was long in the making. For years, mainstream conservatives have echoed his talking points — and now, they may well make him prime minister.
Amazon’s Climate Pledge Was a Lie
Jeff Bezos pledged four years ago that Amazon would lead the way on carbon reduction. Since then, the firm’s emissions have risen by 40 percent — and its use of creative accounting suggests that the real figure is far higher.
Commie Camp Celebrates a Socialist Summer Camp at Its Centennial
Camp Kinderland is a socialist summer camp in Massachusetts that has been going strong for 100 years. As a new documentary shows, it’s an impressive survivor of a once-vibrant tradition of socialist summer camps in the US that we should look to revive.
Wealth Increases Under Joe Biden Haven’t Meant Much for Most People
Some have defended Joe Biden’s economic record by noting that median household wealth has increased on his watch. But that uptick is mostly due to home and car value inflation — meaning it’s of limited use to regular people who need their home and cars to live.