Disco and Communism
The Italian Communist Party saw culture as a key political battleground. But the arrival of disco challenged its assumptions about what music should be.
20404 Article(s) by: Kool A. D.
Kool A.D. is a rapper, author, and astrological navigator.
Who Wants Bernie to Run?
Pundits claim that Bernie has a “problem” with minority voters. But the polling is clear — Sanders is advancing a vision of politics that challenges injustice in a way that black voters broadly support.
We Have a Right to Boycott Israel
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is trying to criminalize boycotts of Israel — an appalling, McCarthyite attack on free speech.
Beale Street’s Tragedy Made Gorgeous
In If Beale Street Could Talk, the ugliness of oppression and persecution stand in tense contrast with Barry Jenkins’ lush, color-drenched cinematography.
The 2018 Jacobin Mixtape
Don’t cry in your champagne. Here’s the best of Jacobin from a remarkable year.
The Carceral Problem Is Getting Worse
Despite new legislation, American hyper-punishment is not slowing. It’s even accelerating.
The King Stands Naked
The gilets jaunes movement has discredited not just Macron, but the entire French elite.
The Attack on Palestinian Universities
The brutality of Israeli occupation isn’t limited to wars. It also includes constant assault on Palestinians’ access to basic necessities like higher education.
The Left Side of the Church
The church is responsible for a litany of injustices — and today Christian rhetoric is used to defend a violent neoliberal capitalism. But the glorious tradition of liberation theology can’t be forgotten.
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.
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.