“Generous” Billionaires Are Part of the Problem
Modern-day elite philanthropy serves the same purpose as it did in the days of the robber barons: reinforcing the power of the rich.
21058 Article(s) by: Elizabeth Mahony
We Spoke With the Socialist State Senator Who Represents the District Where George Floyd Was Murdered
As the George Floyd murder trial’s deliberations continue, Jacobin spoke with Omar Fateh, the Democratic Socialists of America member who represents the district where Floyd was killed. He decries the appalling militarized response to protests — and says police must be placed under civilian control rather than being allowed to kill with impunity.
How Customer Service Surveys Are Eroding Workers’ Rights
The use of customer reviews to evaluate workers is rising across the service sector. Once you get past the shiny rhetoric of consumer empowerment, it’s a new variation on an old story: enlisting customers on the side of management to help discipline and exploit workers.
Democrats’ Lies About Tax Breaks Sound a Lot Like Republicans’
Against the opposition of AOC and other progressives, key Democrats are demanding a tax break for their wealthy donors more regressive than even Trump’s notorious tax cuts.
Fredrick Brennan Is the Founder of 8chan. Now He Wants to Take It Offline.
Fredrick Brennan founded the 8chan image board that became home to QAnon conspiracists. Now he’s horrified by the site — and wants it offline. Brennan talks to Bhaskar Sunkara about free speech in the digital age, how 8chan became such a reactionary cesspool, and what we need to do to build a better internet.
Jeremy Corbyn Was Right About Billionaire Football Owners
When Jeremy Corbyn warned of the need to rein in billionaire team owners, the media dismissed his plans to hand more power to fans as “communist.” But that’s exactly what we need to fight the European Super League.
Amazon Doesn’t Know How to Innovate. It Knows How to Exploit
Amazon’s very business model is based on ruthless exploitation of workers and methodical plunder of public goods — fueling massive inequality between the places it enriches and those it leaves behind.
Making Sense of QAnon With Q: Into the Storm’s Cullen Hoback
With his HBO documentary series Q: Into the Storm, filmmaker Cullen Hoback manages to demystify QAnon, exposing the mechanisms that underpin the right-wing conspiracy theory — above all, how it gives its followers a way of making sense of the spectacular failure of so many powerful institutions.
WeWork Was the Embodiment of Silicon Valley’s Culture of Delusion
WeWork, the coworking start-up once valuated at $47 billion, was a cult masquerading as a company pretending to be a movement. Focusing on its “charismatic” CEO, Adam Neumann, a new Hulu documentary misses a chance to expose the irrationality and waste of an economic system that lets such charlatanism thrive.
The Lead Organizer for the Amazon Union Drive Has No Regrets
In an interview, the lead organizer for the Amazon union campaign in Bessemer says that the drive has built momentum to unionize Amazon despite the defeat — and that “Bezos had better not get too cocky, because them folks are pretty fired up.”
Capitalist Greed Created the European Super League
The disgraceful European Super League is a disaster for football. But it’s just the last step in capitalists stripping away the beautiful game from the working-class communities that built it.
The Fight for Health Care for All Is Opening Up in the States
There’s no substitute for a national Medicare for All program. But with federal action shelved for now, states like Colorado and Washington are grappling with creating public health insurance alternatives in the face of industry opposition.
We’ll Have a Socialist New York City Mayor — But Not This Year
This year’s race for New York City mayor is off to a disappointing start as Andrew Yang hoovers up media attention while the Left lacks any unifying favorite in the race. But NYC socialists are honing their electoral skills and deepening their bench of candidates for the long haul.
In New York City, Big Tech Is Bailing Out Big Real Estate
Tech firms have been moving into New York since well before the pandemic. But over the course of the last year, that trend has only accelerated, with the biggest companies all significantly expanding their footprints across the city as retail businesses shutter.
Canada’s Carbon Tax Has Survived a Legal Challenge — But It’s Still No Help In the Fight Against Climate Change
A challenge to Canada’s carbon tax has failed, clearing the way for Justin Trudeau to press ahead with the policy. But carbon pricing is the brainchild of the fossil fuel industry — a green fig leaf put forward as an alternative to the ecological transformation we need.
America’s Unions Are More Popular Than You Think
Despite labor’s recent defeat at Amazon in Alabama, the current moment holds out cautious hope for the movement — not least because of a solid majority in favor of trade unionism in American public opinion.
Ernest Hemingway Was a Leftist Who Was Hounded By the FBI
Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s PBS docuseries Hemingway sheds new light on writer Ernest Hemingway’s life. But it leaves out key details of his left-wing political convictions — including the FBI surveillance that haunted him until his suicide.
In Che Guevara’s Veins Flowed the Blood of Irish Rebels
From Cuban solidarity with IRA hunger strikers to Irish support for the Nicaraguan Revolution, a shared anti-imperialist cause has forged a deep bond between Ireland and Latin America.
Australia’s Government Is Refusing to Support Myanmar’s Anti-Coup Movement
For Australia’s conservative government, keeping Myanmar open for businesses is more important than justice for massacred anti-coup protesters.
Canada’s Media Establishment Is Afraid the NDP Will Shift Left
The recent NDP convention passed several important left-wing motions, and Canada’s conservative pundits lined up to ridicule the prospect of a left turn by Jagmeet Singh’s party. Beneath the bluster, they’re clearly worried that left ideas have the potential to gain wide support.