Joker and the Long History of Movie Moral Panics
Moral panics about provocative films like ‘Joker’ are as old as cinema itself. But more often than not, they’re just proof of a film’s merit — and of a deeply anxious middle class.
19586 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
GM Strikers Are Waging a Battle on Two Fronts
Almost 50,000 UAW workers are on strike against GM and a two-tier labor system that undermines worker solidarity. But members may need to wage a battle on two fronts — against the company, but also against their own union leadership.
The New Benchmark for Progressives on Housing
You want to call yourself a progressive? Demand national rent control, just-cause eviction, and billions of dollars of funding for new affordable and social housing, as Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez have recently endorsed. Anything less is an unacceptable concession.
James Connolly, a Socialist for the Present
In his recent James Connolly lecture, Labour’s John McDonnell praised the Irish revolutionary as a formative influence on his politics. Connolly’s republicanism isn’t just of historical interest — it tells socialists how to think about democratizing society today.
Israel Elects Apartheid
Benjamin Netanyahu might have taken a hit in the Israeli elections. But whether or not he forms the next government, Israel’s occupation will continue — and Palestinians will have their democratic rights snuffed out.
Striking GM Workers Aren’t Backing Down
Nearly 50,000 UAW members are on strike for the third day. For years, they’ve been hit with plant closings, pay cuts, and two-tier contracts — and they aren’t ready to make concessions.
A Shit Job for One Is a Shit Job for All
Last week’s passage of a bill in the California state legislature ending the rampant misclassification of workers as independent contractors was a huge win. The bill was animated by the spirit of unions fighting for the entire working class — the exact principle that should animate all unions.
Ban Private Jets
We know who’s responsible for the climate crisis: rich people. Nowhere is this clearer than in aviation, with billionaires’ private jets ravaging the planet. We need to ban them now.
Andrew Yang and the Failson Mystique
America has already witnessed the largest UBI experiment known to history — the postwar middle-class housewife. And she was utterly miserable.
Bernie Sanders Probably Won the WFP Membership Vote
The Working Families Party won’t release its membership’s vote on who to endorse for president, so here’s our math: Bernie probably won.
Bernie Sanders Wants to Alleviate Senior Loneliness
Here’s another crazy socialist idea: seniors deserve to feel cared for and socially connected. Bernie Sanders has a plan for that.
American Factory Stops Short of Class Conflict
‘American Factory’ gives us some glimpses of a union-busting campaign in real time. But it shortchanges this story of class conflict for an apolitical one about a “clash of cultures.”
Elizabeth Warren Still Isn’t Getting Specific on Medicare for All
Elizabeth Warren’s stance on health care reform has been murky throughout her campaign, so her health care plank announced last week was welcome. Unfortunately, that plank still doesn’t answer some fundamental questions about where exactly she stands on Medicare for All.
The Red-Tory Philosopher of Canadian Nationalism
George Grant’s eclectic thought made him an unlikely figure in Canadian intellectual life: a Tory philosopher who exerted a profound influence on the 1960s socialist left.
The Great Socialist Bake Off
The Great British Bake Off isn’t just wonderful entertainment. By prizing cooperation over cutthroat competition and solidarity over selfishness, it’s also quietly radical.
The Galling Hypocrisy of the Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats’ hypocrisy has never been clearer. Their demagogic new Brexit policy, their welcoming of distinctly illiberal Tory defectors, and their willingness to keep the Conservatives in government all show how willing centrists are to betray their own supporters for a whiff of power.
The Working Families Party Has Written Itself Out of History
Make no mistake: the Working Families Party’s opaque presidential endorsement process signaled a rejection of not only Bernie Sanders but the movement emerging around him.
GM Workers Strike Against Low Wages and Two-Tier Contracts
General Motors workers are stuck between a greedy boss and corrupt union leaders. But neither have stopped them from striking against the auto giant — and demanding higher wages and an end to the two-tier contract system that hurts and divides autoworkers.
The Welfare State Is a Poverty-Fighting Machine
Anyone who tells you the welfare state doesn’t reduce poverty is lying. Last year, even the United States’ tattered system of social provision cut poverty by two-thirds.
Bernie Has Been Vetted, and He Can Beat Trump
Bernie Sanders is a democratic socialist, vetted after four years in the national limelight, who polls repeatedly show can demolish Trump. The media should lay to rest the dominant narrative that the United States is a center-right nation with a public committed to capitalism.