David Berman and the Re-Enchantment of Life
On his life, work, and existential longing in late capitalism.
19592 Articles by: Opal Lee
Opal Lee is a writer.
America Needs a Nonvoter Revolution
Tens of millions of Americans don’t vote because they are underrepresented by US political institutions. To get those voters to the polls, we need a politics that puts the needs of the many before the wealth and power of the few.
An Industrial Policy That Puts Workers First
Even the Financial Times, the mouthpiece of international business, is suggesting the US needs an industrial policy. But we need one that empowers workers, not American corporations.
The Attack on Owen Jones Is a Grim Sign of the Times
Last week’s attack on Guardian columnist Owen Jones is another sign of an emboldened far right and the degeneration of public discourse in Brexit Britain.
The Internet’s Invisible Cleanup Crew
A hidden army of tens of thousands of content moderators is at work every day — in often appalling conditions — to make the internet as we know it habitable. We should hold Silicon Valley responsible.
Salvini Can Be Beaten
Far-right leader Matteo Salvini brought down the Italian government because he wanted fresh elections. A pact among the other parties could stop his advance — but only if it breaks with austerity.
Why I’m a Socialist
I believe in democracy, freedom, and humans’ ability to create a better world than the one we have now. That’s why I’m a socialist.
Bernie’s Plan Rings in a New Era of Criminal Justice Politics
With his Justice and Safety for All plan, Bernie Sanders is applying his democratic socialist vision to one of the urgent questions of our time: ending the carceral state. He’s opted to follow the lead of criminal justice reformers — and their demands are starting to look like his, too.
Nonprofit Workers Need Unions, Too
Young radicals often work at nonprofits out of a genuine desire to challenge the symptoms of capitalism. But they often find that the nonprofit model rests on their own exploitation — and on preserving the political status quo.
Basquiat’s Story We Need to Hear
The Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibit currently on display at the Guggenheim does exactly what art should do: tell us a story we don’t want to hear but need to, about the racist brutality so prevalent in American life.
Socialists Need to Be Part of the Labor Movement
Politico recently attacked the Democratic Socialists of America for the high crime of looking to transform the labor movement. But for young socialists, there are few better ways of doing politics than getting a union job and working to push that union to the left.
“Kashmir Has Been Turned Invisible”
India’s military blockade of Kashmir is breathtaking in its brutality and violence. We can’t let them silence Kashmir’s dreams for freedom and justice.
No, the European Commission Isn’t Fighting the Patriarchy
Both the last two German defense ministers have been women, and one of them is about to become European Commission president. But Ursula von der Leyen’s rise through the ranks has nothing to do with feminism.
Miliband and the State
Ralph Miliband was right in urging socialists to leave the legacy of Leninism behind us. But achieving socialism will still require a change in the fundamental nature of the state.
Yes, We Can Have a $20 Minimum Wage — And More
Conservatives ridiculed Rashida Tlaib for suggesting that we can have a $20 minimum wage. In fact, a $20 minimum wage is viable, as is an economy where workers control the entirety of their firms.
Solidarity With the People of Kashmir
India’s brutal occupation of Kashmir is only getting worse. The situation there demands our attention and those struggling for justice need our solidarity.
The Sudanese Revolution Enters a New Phase
The Sudanese Revolution has won major victories. But it still needs to wrestle control from the military to popular forces.
Abortion Is Our Right To Strike
Abortion isn’t a “cultural” issue. The production of children, and who will pay for it, is a key economic battlefront.
Ann Snitow (1943–2019)
Ann Snitow was at the heart of the radical feminist movement in the 1960s and ’70s. She spent the next several decades working for a feminism that never shied away from robust debate — but always demands liberation.
The Quiet Death of the “White Bernie Bro” Attack
The media used to say Bernie Sanders’s coalition was too white and male. Now that that’s so obviously not true, they should admit why they really hate Bernie — his class politics.