Urban Legends
Politicians and thought leaders have spent decades demonizing American cities. urban-legends
489 Search Result(s) for: “Los Angeles”
The German Take on Gotham
Fritz Lang’s masterful visual depiction of class stratification in Metropolis remains unrivaled by its would-be inheritors.
Palestinians Have a Right to Defend Themselves
Everywhere in the media and in the halls of power, we hear that Israel has a right to self-defense. But when it comes to the question of whether Palestinians suffering under brutal occupation have the right to defend themselves, those same voices are conspicuously silent.
Polluters Will Say Anything to Hide Their Emissions Records
Giant corporations like ExxonMobil are calling on the Supreme Court to block a California law that would require them to release their emissions and climate records. The argument? It would violate businesses’ free speech.
After Almost a Decade, Fight for $15 Has Made Progress — But It’s Not Enough
A national “Fight for $15 and a Union” action yesterday saw thousands of McDonald's workers walk out of their jobs against low pay and disrespect on the job. The decade-long campaign has seen acts of heroism by low-wage workers — but it hasn’t yet been enough to win.
The US National-Security State Has an Invisible Army
Tens of thousands of Americans work for US military and intelligence agencies, operating domestically under false identities with fake documents and James Bond–style spy gizmos. Why? To allow the national-security state to pursue its forever wars smoothly, forever.
Oakland Longshore Workers Say No to Israeli-Operated Cargo
In response to calls for a boycott of Israel from the Palestinian labor movement, longshore workers in Oakland, California, last week refused to unload cargo from an Israeli shipping operator.
The Rich Breathe Easier Than the Poor
A new study shows that disparities in pulmonary health between the rich and poor have been widening for six decades, setting the stage for vastly unequal, devastating outcomes during the pandemic. The rich quite literally breathe easier than the rest of us.
Nora Ephron Wrote Through It
I love Nora Ephron. The world needs more Nora Ephrons. There are potential Noras all around us — they, and we, deserve a society that supports and nourishes and encourages them.
The Running Man Trips Across the Starting Line
Edgar Wright’s dystopian satire, The Running Man, tries to play it safe and ends up pleasing no one.
India Walton Is a Sign of What the Socialist Movement Could Become
India Walton’s victory in Buffalo is an enormous advance. With a clear political strategy, the socialist movement could become less dominated by professionals and more driven by the working-class base it requires.
The US Military Is Destroying the Planet Beyond Imagination
Abby Martin’s new documentary feature, Earth’s Greatest Enemy, takes stock of the US war machine’s environmental damage, tracing a devastating landscape of destruction from poisoned military bases to melting Arctic horizons.
When Fascism Destroyed Italy’s Socialist City Halls
After World War I, city hall Socialists around Italy built an impressive array of welfare programs, schools, and libraries. The Fascist backlash soon showed the limits of their strength and the impossibility of relying on urban citadels of power alone.
Julius Deutsch, an Anti-Fascist Who Organized Workers on the Sports Field
Austrian socialist Julius Deutsch was a key figure in Red Vienna’s workers’ sports clubs. Founder of the Schutzbund workers’ militia, Deutsch and his comrades used the class pride built on the sports field to mobilize against rising fascism.
Adam Silver Is on a One-Man Mission to Ruin the NBA
Adam Silver became the NBA commissioner in 2014. Since then, he has wholeheartedly embraced sports gambling while making games harder for ordinary people to watch.
Why Trump’s Attempt to Bully Brazil Is Falling Flat
In solidarity with the recently imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro, Donald Trump levied tariffs of 50 percent on Brazil. He is quickly learning that the US’s influence is weaker than he thought, thanks largely to Brazil’s growing ties with China.
Trump Tightens the Vise
Donald Trump is amassing more and more tools of repression, and he is not afraid to use them.
Riefenstahl Exposes the Nazis’ Favorite Filmmaker
Darkly influential, the cinema of Nazi propagandist Leni Riefenstahl is a powerful blend of art and propaganda. She’s now the subject of a new documentary that wrestles with the question of the culpability of a talented artist working for a vile regime.
Climate Doom Won’t Save the Planet
This summer has been a cascade of climate disaster. But we shouldn’t assume that ever-worsening floods and heat waves will spur political change — we need a working-class strategy that can excite and win over people to save the planet.
Amazon Is Creating Company Towns Across the United States
In more and more of the country Amazon acts like an employer in a company town, sucking up whole communities and shaping public goods and services to fit its profit-making needs.