I Went on Joe Rogan’s Show, and I Don’t Regret It
I was told not to go on Joe Rogan’s podcast. I did anyway — and I talked for an hour to millions of listeners about democratic socialism.
19552 Articles by: Yi San
Yi San is a freelance writer based in New York.
The Class War Is Raging at Amazon’s Staten Island Complex
The atmosphere was electric at a prevote rally Sunday in Staten Island where workers prepared to cast ballots on whether to become the second Amazon facility to join the Amazon Labor Union. Bernie Sanders was among the speakers.
Verizon Is Cracking Down on Unionization Efforts in Washington
Days after workers at two Verizon stores in Washington State voted to unionize, the company fired one of the main organizers without warning.
Amazon Workers Are Organizing, and Elected Officials Are Supporting Them
A reborn workers’ movement needs both organized workplace militancy and left-wing politicians that back them. Sunday’s Staten Island Amazon rallies — attended by Bernie Sanders, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and other elected officials — featured both.
For True Sovereignty, Ukraine’s Foreign Debt Must Be Canceled
Even before Russia rained terror on its cities, Ukraine was a poor country with limited economic sovereignty. Today, Ukraine’s creditors should free it of its debts, allowing it to rebuild on the basis of self-sufficiency and democratic choice.
Unionizing Gave Me Hope — and Made Me Feel Like a Human Being
I work for a prestigious university with a $7 billion endowment, yet I still struggle to pay rent. Joining with my coworkers and fighting for a union finally gave me hope that the odds aren’t stacked against my survival.
Emmanuel Macron Is Forming a New Right-Wing Bloc
Emmanuel Macron won Sunday’s French election with the weakest popular vote for any winner since 1969. But the once “progressive-neoliberal” president has won over the old bourgeois right — the social force whose interests his second term will best serve.
Canada’s Left Shouldn’t Cede Populist Politics to the Right
The discontent that fomented the Freedom Convoy was caused by problems around wages, housing, and health care — problems for which the Left has long had solutions. The Canadian left needs to step up and take these issues back from reactionary populists.
Jean-Paul Sartre’s Anti-Imperialism Is Still Too Radical for France Today
Jean-Paul Sartre’s uncompromising opposition to the crimes of empire makes him a taboo figure in French culture. The French political mainstream is still in denial about the bloody history of colonialism.
Marine Le Pen Would Destroy French Democracy
Emmanuel Macron has hacked away at civil liberties, with heightened police repression and ministers promising to root out “Islamo-leftism.” Marine Le Pen would be much worse — she’ll wage all-out war on France’s democratic institutions.
The Workers Behind Amazon’s Historic First Union Explain How They Did It
Staten Island Amazon workers endured thunderstorms, racism, and arrests to organize in break rooms, bus stops, and grocery aisles to win their union — and one of the world’s most powerful companies couldn’t stop them. Here’s how they did it.
Bernie Sanders Joined Us to Salute Amazon Labor Organizers
This month, Bernie Sanders got the chance to talk to Amazon Labor Union organizers at a Jacobin event. He told them that he will do everything he can to see their efforts spread all over this country.
South Africa’s Electricity Workers Can Teach Us About Winning a Green New Deal
South African trade unions have pushed for a just transition that prioritizes workers’ jobs and the public good against green neoliberals seeking to privatize the country’s energy. Their mission is clear: workers, not capital, must lead the climate movement.
In Louisville, a Socialist Candidate Speaks to an Abandoned Working Class
Robert LeVertis Bell is a socialist, parent, public school teacher, and veteran of the Red for Ed movement. Now he’s seeking to become a state representative to build working-class political power in Kentucky.
What the Creator of Parks and Recreation and The Good Place Gets Wrong About Ethics
In his new book about moral philosophy, the TV creator of The Good Place, Michael Schur, reduces ethics to an individual skillset, thereby failing to properly reckon with the significance of collective human action and its ability to transform society.
We Want Longer Weekends — but Not Longer Workdays
Romanian lawmakers have called for a three-day weekend — but with the existing 40-hour workweek now crammed into four shifts. The situation shows how reorganizing the workweek can hurt workers’ interests if they don’t have a say in the process.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon Defied the Smears — and Provided Hope for France’s Left
After years of media attempts to cast him as “divisive” and “soft on Islamism,” Jean-Luc Mélenchon took a historic high vote in France’s election. Leftist MP Danièle Obono told Jacobin how his campaign defied the smears — and saved the Left from collapse.
Unionized Nursing Homes Literally Saved Lives at the Pandemic’s Height
A new study finds that the COVID-19 mortality rate in unionized nursing homes was more than 10 percent lower than in their nonunion counterparts. Unionizing the whole industry, the numbers suggest, would have saved the lives of 8,000 nursing home residents.
There’s a Reason Doing Taxes Sucks So Much
Tax preparation companies like H&R Block and TurboTax’s Intuit admit they have a financial interest in the government making it all but impossible to fill out your taxes on your own — and they lobby to block the IRS from implementing return-free filing.
UIC Grad Workers Are on Strike for the Second Time in Three Years
Despite slogging through the difficulties of teaching during a pandemic, graduate workers at the University of Illinois Chicago say they continue to face low pay and disrespect at work. On Monday, they went on strike.