Why I Can’t Celebrate Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is now far bigger than its founder. But I can’t forget that Ron Karenga helped murder Black Panther militants and his other heinous crimes.
19515 Articles by: Jonathan Sas
Jonathan Sas has worked in senior policy and political roles in government, think tanks, and the labor movement. He is an honorary witness to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. His writing has appeared in the Toronto Star, National Post, the Tyee, and Maisonneuve.
The Attack on Public Housing
Public housing should embody a promise: free housing for all, free of segregation. Reserving it only for the poorest undermines that promise.
The Death of the German Dream
Angela Merkel has resigned as CDU leader. Her failed promises of “prosperity for all” are leading to the disintegration of the traditional mass parties.
You Don’t Want Hygge. You Want Social Democracy.
Hygge has exploded as a cozy, comforting interior design trend. But the security and intimacy it evokes can’t be achieved by scented candles alone — that requires social democracy.
How Workers Win and Lose
In 2018, workers started getting restless. Some unions took advantage of that restlessness — and won big. Others rolled over to management without a fight.
Laboring Under an Illusion
“Post-work” Marxism aims to liberate us from the coercion of wage labor. But without a program for reorganizing production, it can only return us to the tyranny of the market.
Russia Beyond Supervillainy
In Russia, Vladimir Putin’s evil genius matters less than pressures from the ultrarich, US foreign policy, and the ravages of the neoliberal Yeltsin years.
A Milestone on the Timeline of Israeli Brutality
A decade ago today, Israel launched “Operation Cast Lead” against the Gaza Strip. The military campaign took the lives of some 1,400 Palestinians, including more than three hundred children.
Why the US Loses Wars
The United States has the most powerful military in the world. Yet it just keeps losing wars. Why?
Belgium Is No Island
In Belgium, far right ideas are entering the political mainstream.
Medicare Will Be Good for Everyone — Except CEOs
The only people who won’t benefit from Medicare for All are the insurance industry CEOs profiting off people’s pain.
The Public Really Can Own Everything
Paul Krugman recently argued in favor of a mixed economy. But his imagination is a bit limited: we can expand public ownership into every aspect of the US economy.
Revolutionary Christianity
Tony Benn’s call for Christians to remake the world along socialist lines.
Have a Very Gory Christmas
Forget about Love Actually. This holiday season, take a trip back to Black Christmas, 1974’s secretly feminist horror film that spawned a generation of slashers after it.
Max Zirngast Has Been Released
Max Zirngast is out. After being jailed for more than three months in Turkey, the Jacobin contributor was released today from “pre-trial detention.”
The Socialist Case for Santa Claus
Old St Nick is egalitarian and internationalist; he disregards free-market mores and nation-state borders. Socialists should embrace Santa Claus.
The Class Struggle in the North Pole
What’s behind Santa’s bloody rise? Three leading elven labor activists offer a class analysis of the North Pole ‘gift economy.’
Join Our War on Christmas
This holiday season, smash Santa and help your favorite magazine grow.
Give Your Family the Gift of Socialism
$5 gift subscriptions to a socialist magazine for the relatives you forgot about.
Privatizing Morality
Individual acts of holiday charity by the rich are a hustle. Real altruism is collective.