George Bailey’s Shrinkage
It’s a Wonderful Life of lowered expectations.
Search Result(s) for: “working class”
In Defense of Rowdy Fans
The experience of thousands of people watching soccer together is at the heart of the game. After decades of being demonized as thugs, the crowd’s absence during the pandemic revealed nothing but a void.
The Extreme Center Keeps Banning Its Critics
In France and beyond, centrist governments are invoking "public order" to crack down on left-wing activism. The recent ban on anti-fascist group Jeune Garde follows a wider pattern — including Britain’s move against Palestine Action — of criminalizing dissent.
American Communists Did a Lot Right and a Lot Wrong
Members of the Communist Party USA in its heyday were much more complicated than the stereotypes of them, shaped so strongly by rabid anti-communism, in our country’s imagination. Today’s socialists should closely examine their track record.
Trump’s Tariffs and Capital’s Constraints
When Donald Trump was forced to pause most of his tariffs, the country got a basic lesson in Marxist state theory: when states push policies that threaten profits, they trigger mechanisms that discipline them back into line with capitalist interests.
Can Canada’s Left Survive Trump’s Second Term?
The NDP helped build Canada’s welfare state. Now, under pressure from Donald Trump’s tariffs and a shifting political terrain, the party risks electoral annihilation as voters split between technocratic centrism and right-wing populism.
How Neoliberalism Has Distorted Human Choice
Since the 17th century, our understanding of choice has undergone profound transformations. In the neoliberal era, an especially individualistic, market-oriented idea of freedom has come to dominate more and more of our existence.
Romania’s Election Front-Runner Sucks Up to Trump
Ultranationalist candidate George Simion has a big poll lead ahead of Sunday’s Romanian presidential election. He’s sought legitimacy from foreign leaders like Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni, showing how the far right is increasingly the establishment.
The Post-Politics Behind Romania’s Rising Far Right
Ultranationalist Călin Georgescu was barred from Romania’s presidential election, but now another far-right candidate has taken over his poll lead. To defeat them requires real social policies, not just calls to stop extremism.
“Woke” or Not, Philanthropy Is a Great Deal for Big Tech
Big tech’s woke era may be over for now. But wealthy elites like Mark Zuckerberg will continue to find philanthropic giving a preferred way to control their wealth and expand their influence, no matter what causes their money goes to.
The Making of London’s General Strike
One hundred years ago today, a general strike led by London’s dockworkers brought the city to its knees. Police violence and a conservative union beat the workers in the end, but the episode helped shape Britain’s labor movement.
High School Protests Have French Establishment on the Ropes
The start of the school year drew attention to disastrously dilapidated classrooms in the Paris suburbs. Rather than listen to students’ complaints, the government has responded with violent repression.
The Debt Economy Is Eating Everyone Alive
For people locked out of homeownership, “Buy Now, Pay Later” has become a way to finance basic expenses — with future income that may not actually materialize. The Trump administration, meanwhile, is busy protecting the lenders.
The Case for Nationalizing Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence has been built by robbing the collective work of humanity. The public built AI — we should own it, not a handful of billionaires.
The Great Whitexican Novel
A scion of the Mexican right, Nicolás Medina Mora promises a window into the country’s elite in his autofiction debut, América del Norte. Had it actually offered that, the book could have been fascinating. Instead it gets mired in musings on whiteness.
France Can’t Ban Solidarity With Palestine
Emmanuel Macron’s government is calling for a ban on one of France’s largest Palestine solidarity campaigns. The proposal is repression of free speech — and makes a mockery of Macron’s attempt to sound more critical of Israeli crimes.
Finnish Right-Wingers Are Defunding Culture
In a land of 5.5 million people, Finnish-language culture is vulnerable to the overwhelming dominance of English. The right-wing government’s plans to slash arts spending risk further stifling Finland’s distinct culture.
Wall Street Turbulence Is Hitting Low-Income Retail Investors
Even as pain, fear, and tariffs dictate economic outlooks, the huge companies losing billions in market capitalization can expect to recover. The millions of lower-income Americans with investment accounts tied to these same firms may not be so lucky.
The Anti-Communism That Fueled Jean-Marie Le Pen
After the Axis powers’ defeat in World War II, many former Nazis and Vichyites recycled themselves as anti-communists. Jean-Marie Le Pen sought to rally such forces with radicalized conservatives in a common front against the red peril.
Don’t Lose Sight of the Oligarchy
Last weekend’s massive “No Kings” rallies proved Donald Trump’s deep unpopularity. But Trump should be opposed as a symptom of America’s vast warmongering, oligarchic elite, not a simply a grotesque anomaly.