Fassbinder and the Red Army Faction
As his fellow West German radicals began to embrace violence in the 1970s, legendary filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder decided to celebrate another path for emancipation: class struggle in the workplace.
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Anthem of the Commoners
Pulp’s 1995 hit “Common People” isn’t just a Britpop classic — it’s a more honest and brutal analysis of class than you’ll hear in the media today.
China’s Slacker Superstar
From America’s Kurt Cobain to China’s Lelush, pop stars earn their adoration not only from performing but from refusing to perform.
When Our Homes Went Miami Vice
As the Reagan era kicked into overdrive, Americans abandoned earthy and organic home decor to turn their residences into cold, sleek totems to upper-class aspiration.
Blue-Collar Jocks
In the 1970s, sports movies were funny, bitter comedies about working-class jocks taking aim at both the front office and the rich.
Labor’s Long March
The question is no longer whether the working class matters, but how it can fight back.
Why Line Cooks Like Me Aren’t Going Back
If an extra $300 a week in unemployment is enough to keep us out of kitchens, it should tell you something about our lives.
My Life as an Amazon Warehouse Worker
I started working at Amazon during the pandemic. I wanted to organize my workplace, but at the end of a long day, everyone just wanted to get home as fast as possible.
We Went to Work. The Next Day, the World Shut Down.
While millions of Americans worked remotely during the COVID pandemic, millions more either showed up to a deadly job site or were thrown into unemployment. What will the recovery be like for them?
How China Avoided a Soviet-Style Collapse
What have three decades of market reforms meant for the world’s largest working class?
Dentists of the World, Unite?
The middle class isn’t going away — and we’re not sure they’ll help us.
The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropist
Robert Tressell was a great writer whose class position meant he died without knowing the appreciation of his work.