Persecuting Ordinary Russians Won’t End Putin’s War
Opposing Vladimir Putin’s horrific war in Ukraine is no reason to target ordinary Russians or Russian culture. Anti-Russian bigotry won’t bring peace to Ukrainians.
19119 Articles by: James Bloodworth
James Bloodworth is a writer and journalist from London.
What the Anti-Psychiatry Movement Got Wrong About Mental Illness
The anti-psychiatry movement advanced a radical critique of the role that capitalism and power play in the medical profession. Its motives were noble, but it ended up closing the door to understanding, and properly treating, psychological suffering.
Leo Kofler Was a Marxist and a Revolutionary Humanist
The boundary-crossing social theorist Leo Kofler was one of postwar West Germany’s most important Marxists. Today, he is little known outside his homeland — yet his revolutionary humanism has much to tell us about freedom today.
Friedrich Engels’s Eulogy to Karl Marx
Karl Marx died on this day in 1883. At his funeral, Marx’s lifelong friend and comrade Friedrich Engels delivered a eulogy predicting Marx’s work would endure through the ages. We reprint Engels’s speech here in full.
The War in Ukraine Shows That Europe Could Help Refugees If It Really Wanted To
In Europe, the volunteers welcoming Ukrainian refugees are often the same people attacked for aiding refugees in the Mediterranean. That’s not just hypocritical, it’s inhumane — we should welcome all migrants fleeing war and terror.
Why 9 to 5 Still Resonates Today
A new documentary goes inside the making of the classic labor-feminist movie 9 to 5 — and shows how many of the problems it lampooned still plague working women today.
Canada’s Liberals Are Refusing to Deal With the Opioid Crisis
Canada’s New Democratic Party has introduced a new bill to decriminalize drug possession and improve harm-reduction measures. Passing it would need the support of the Liberals, who have thus far proved unwilling to fight for reform.
Vladimir Putin’s War Spreads Resignation and Despair Among Ordinary Russians
Pro-Putin pollsters maintain that most Russians support the “special military operation” against Ukraine. But artificial efforts to stir public enthusiasm can’t hide the disastrous effects the war is having on ordinary Russians.
Hugo Soto-Martinez Wants to Represent Working-Class Los Angeles
In a pro–Bernie Sanders district with a strong union presence, a son of immigrant street vendors seeks election to LA City Council. Hugo Soto-Martinez wants “to create a new society: a world with good union jobs, universal health care, and affordable housing.”
In Erdoğan’s Turkey, Privatization Means Corruption and Collapsed Infrastructure
Residents of Isparta, Turkey, were left without power for weeks after the city was hit by blizzards. This was no mere natural disaster — the lights wouldn’t have gone out if not for the chronic mismanagement of basic utilities by President Erdoğan’s cronies.
“Lunch Ladies” Are Tired of Being Underpaid and Overlooked
Cafeteria staff make learning and healthy development possible by providing balanced meals to kids who otherwise might not get them. In return, they bring home some of the lowest earnings of the generally underpaid K–12 workforce.
In Mexico, AMLO’s Opponents Are Resorting to Smear Campaigns
In an effort to damage his reputation, sections of the Mexican media are coming after Andrés Manuel López Obrador with baseless charges and concocted slander. Staving off these right-wing media attacks is an essential line of defense for the Left.
Solidarity With Ukraine Doesn’t Mean Calling for More War
Vladimir Putin’s criminal invasion of Ukraine has stirred calls for solidarity across the West. A useful response should focus on material aid to the war’s victims — and condemn war-hawk posturing.
The Idiotic “Sex Scandal” in Texas Is Further Proof That Henry Cuellar Needs to Go
By playing up a fake tabloid scandal involving his progressive opponent Jessica Cisneros, the scandal-plagued anti-abortion Texas House Democrat Henry Cuellar has only further disgraced himself.
Why Is the Teamsters Backing an Uber- and Lyft-Friendly Worker Classification Bill?
Uber and Lyft continue their crusade to misclassify drivers as “independent contractors,” now with a bill in the Washington State Legislature. Unfortunately, they’ve hit on a new tactic: cutting deals to get labor union support.
The Red Scare Scarred the Left — But Couldn’t Kill It
The postwar Second Red Scare successfully smashed the American left. But in the midst of its devastation, a small number of old leftists refused to be shut up by the climate of fear. Without their heroism, the New Left could never have emerged.
Chuck Klosterman Remembers the ’90s Wrong
The Nineties is, on the surface, a mixture of ’90s pop culture nostalgia and cultural critique. But it also has a political agenda: Chuck Klosterman wants the leftist kids to knock it off.
Your Boss Wants to Know Your Love Language So He Can Better Exploit You
The fad of employers using workers’ “love languages” as an HR tool is a good reminder that the boss will do anything to avoid giving you a raise.
Oil Company Profits Have Surged. It’s Time to Tax the Windfall.
Amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a chorus of voices is trying to convince ordinary consumers that paying higher gas prices is some kind of patriotic act. Big Oil doesn’t need the extra profits — it needs to have those profits taxed away.
How Boris Johnson’s Party Shielded Russian Oligarchs’ Cash
Bankrolled by the finance sector, Boris Johnson’s Conservative Party has made the UK a safe haven for the dirtiest money in the world.