Posting Cringe
Dispatches from Jeff Bezos’s Washington Post.
19558 Articles by: William G. Martin
William G. Martin teaches at SUNY-Binghamton and is co-author of After Prisons? Freedom, Decarceration, and Justice Disinvestment (2016) and a founding member of Justice and Unity for the Southern Tier; he covers local justice matters at www.justtalk.blog
Political Football
On November 20, the 2022 World Cup began in Qatar. It is the first time the event has been held in the Middle East. Over the last ten years, countless migrant workers suffered abuse and exploitation, and even died, to make it possible.
Beaucoup
There have been eight coups d’état in West Africa since 2020 — a marked uptick after years on the decline. The US has trained and armed many of the responsible parties. It’s 10 PM: Do you know where your tax dollars are going?
Planning for a White Terror
In 1919, with the US ruling class gripped by fear of a Bolshevik-inspired revolution in America, nativist army leaders made contingency plans for a brutal crackdown. Here’s what they had in store for New York City, the epicenter of immigrant radicalism.
Australia’s New Workplace Laws Will Not Improve Wages
The Australian Labor government’s new industrial relations bill promises to boost wage growth. But the legislation’s key components work to undermine that goal.
As Religious Institutions Decline, the Left Loses Out. We Can Change That.
The decline of religious affiliation in the United States has harmed the Left more than the Right. It has also produced millions of spiritual-but-not-religious Americans who are lonely and hungry for a nourishing community. We should organize them.
The Free Market Can’t Meet Families’ Childcare Needs
American childcare workers like me are confronted every day with a basic fact: the United States has more than enough resources to provide public, high-quality childcare to everyone who needs it, yet it chooses not to.
How to Blow Up a Pipeline Doesn’t Give Easy Answers on Radical Climate Activism
The film How to Blow Up a Pipeline explores themes from Andreas Malm’s book of the same name by way of a heist thriller, in which fictional activists grapple with the real question of whether disruptive action helps or hinders a mass climate politics.
Railroad Workers’ Lives Revolve Entirely Around Their Jobs
We spoke with a longtime BNSF conductor about the labor agreement recently imposed on railroad workers by President Biden. He says he feels betrayed by a president he thought was pro-labor and explains how his job has gotten worse over time.
Neo-Noir From South Africa Gets to the Heart of Social Violence
The South African noir drama Reyka, nominated at the 2022 International Emmys, draws inspiration from real-life crimes. The series depicts a society in which the ruthless pursuit of money turns human life into the cheapest commodity of all.
Everything Revolves Around Housing Affordability
In Uptown, one of Chicago’s most racially and economically diverse neighborhoods, a socialist named Angela Clay is running for city council. We spoke to Clay about her campaign.
The Supreme Court Isn’t Coming for Your Condoms — It’s Coming for Economic Regulation
After Dobbs, liberals are warning of a Supreme Court assault on personal liberties like sexual autonomy, contraception, and even interracial marriage. But the court actually has its sights on social and labor protections — and progressives are unprepared.
A Record Number of Canadians Are Now Going Hungry
Even before the pandemic, decades of cuts and austerity were already pushing Canada’s social fabric to a breaking point. Now, more Canadians than ever are being forced to turn to food banks to stave off hunger.
What If Sam Bankman-Fried Is an Evil Genius Sent to Teach Us All That Crypto Is a Scam?
Sam Bankman-Fried, apostle of “effective altruism,” has done one good thing for humanity: he’s revealed that finance, and particularly crypto, is a wasteful cesspool that must be reined in.
Joe Biden Could Singlehandedly Lower Rents for the Millions Crushed by Them
Rents are too high. Joe Biden should issue an executive order to lower them.
UAW Reformers Are Taking Over Their Union. That’s Good for the Entire Working-Class.
In a historic election, the rank-and-file caucus in the United Auto Workers has won several top positions, potentially even including international president. It’s a landmark victory that anyone who wants a fighting labor movement should celebrate.
Jair Bolsonaro Won’t Accept Lula’s Victory
Last week, Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro filed a complaint with Brazil’s highest court on election law, claiming buggy voting machines denied him victory in October’s election. The court ruled against him — but like Trump, Bolsonaro won’t admit defeat anytime soon.
Nick Ward Wants to Join Chicago’s Socialist Caucus on City Council
The Chicago City Council’s Socialist Caucus has five members. Nick Ward wants to join them. We spoke to the socialist candidate about his campaign.
The New US Military Budget Enriches Private Contractors at the Cost of Human Well-Being
Congress will soon vote on an $850 billion military budget that would lavish over $400 billion on private contractors. It would be a massive redistribution of wealth to for-profit hands — at the same time millions of workers are struggling to pay the bills.
This World Cup Needs the Spirit of Sócrates
In the 1970s and ’80s, Brazilian footballer Sócrates used his sport as a vehicle to challenge military dictatorship and fight for democracy. Qatar’s ugly World Cup needs more of that heroic spirit today.