Mainstream Media Really Doesn’t Want You to Get a $2,000 Check
Mainstream news outlets like the Washington Post are working overtime to argue against the $2,000 survival check we were promised by the Democrats.
19186 Articles by: Enver Motala
Enver Motala is an associate of the Centre for Education Rights and Transformation (CERT) at the University of Johannesburg and of the Centre for Integrated Post-School Education and Training at the Nelson Mandela University.
Means-Testing Has Nothing to Do With “Getting Help to Those Who Need It Most”
Lawmakers and wonks who insist on means-testing every government program like to posture as champions of the poor and downtrodden. But the fake Robin Hood act is just a cover for their deep-seated suspicion of the welfare state.
Today, We’re All Living in Mad Max’s World
George Miller’s Mad Max film series has become synonymous with the postapocalyptic genre. At their core, however, Miller’s films aren’t so much a prediction of the future as an indictment of our capitalist present and the ruthless individualism that maintains it.
Antiwar Activists Have Scored an Apparent Victory on Yemen. It’s Time to Keep Pushing.
Joe Biden is sounding the right notes about halting US participation in the Saudis’ catastrophic war in Yemen. But now, more than ever, it is vital to hold a firm line about what ending support for the war means: an end to all US assistance, no exceptions, before one more Yemeni dies.
Soviet Modernism’s Enduring Baltic Legacy
Three decades since the USSR collapsed, the small Baltic states still have many visual reminders of a half century of Soviet rule. Today, the husks of grand modernist buildings look like monuments to the state’s vanity — but their legacy also reflects the efforts of local architects who resisted stylistic conformism.
“We Have an Obligation to Ensure That Justice Is Not Defined by the Borders of Our District”
Zohran Mamdani is one of five new democratic socialists that just joined the New York State Legislature. We spoke to him about housing justice, taxing the rich, and why it’s crucial for elected officials to speak out for Palestinian rights, even at the state and local level.
Slimer on Coke, Muncher on Zoloft
Ghostbusters’ Slimer embodied the hedonistic greed of the Reagan era. But the reboot’s Muncher is a reflection of our sad and depressed 2020s.
Secession Planning
A looser union with more room for state and regional autonomy, as two recent books advocate, would cede much of America to the mercies of the Right.
Why the Alt-Right Will Lose
Thankfully, almost nobody likes a Nazi, and even fewer still like a Nazi steeped in a creepy online subculture.
The Year Twitter Tried to Dictate an Election
If you want to see the future, imagine a finger clicking “mute” on anything criticizing an establishment presidential candidate, forever.
There’s Absolutely No Reason to Means Test the Stimulus Checks
Means testing is bad politics and bad policy. Democrats should stop worrying and just pass a bill with $2,000 stimulus checks for everyone, no questions asked.
AOC Is Right to Get Personal About the Capitol Riot
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has been criticized for her Instagram video last week recounting the Capitol riot. But AOC showed exactly how a left-wing politician should act: courageous, genuine, and refusing to back down in the face of right-wing threats.
The Chicago Teachers Union’s Karen Lewis Dared Us to Believe We Could Win
At a time of austerity and teacher demonization, Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis — whose death at age sixty-seven was announced today — dared to believe that educators and the working class as a whole could fight back and win.
AMLO Cannot Build a Transformative Political Project Through Mexico’s Military
Andrés Manuel López Obrador has wagered that he needs the support of the military in order to execute his progressive agenda. But the Mexican army is a conservative organization looking after its own interests, and it is no substitute for the mass base that AMLO must mobilize if he is to achieve true transformation.
Everyone Hates the Democrats
Progressives and moderates accuse each other of being unable to appeal to working-class voters — and maybe they’re both right.
The Barack Obama Memoir: Don’t Trust the Process
From his new memoir, it’s clear that Barack Obama believes process is politics. But no amount of “process” will solve the problems that plague us — for that, we need the political will he could never muster as president.
Cyberpunk Needs a Reboot
Cyberpunk once stood out as a vital genre of anti-capitalist fiction. Today, it’s been reduced to a cool retro aesthetic easily appropriated by the world’s second-richest man to market ugly Blade Runner–inspired trucks to nostalgia-drenched Gen Xers.
Leo Panitch (1945–2020)
We’ve suffered an irreparable loss with the passing of our friend and comrade Leo Panitch.
Medicare for All: No Victory in Sight
As the Trump era draws to a close and yesteryear’s centrist, Joe Biden, takes office, can the Medicare for All movement build the momentum it needs to win?
Your Quarterly Horoscope
Looking forward to 2021? Read this horoscope first.