The US Plasma Industry Has Blood on Its Hands
America’s blood plasma industry is the largest in the world and preys on the economically desperate.
Search Result(s) for: “working class”
Socialists Invented Summer Vacation
Summer at work is unbearable when we can’t look forward to some time off. In 1930s France, the labor movement made the fight for vacation a top priority — and forced bosses to pay for our time at the beach.
Remeasuring Stephen Jay Gould
Fifteen years after his death, Stephen Jay Gould’s ideas have never been more vital.
Sex House and the Refusal to Fuck
The problem for reality TV is that real life is too dull to make compelling TV, but compelling TV is obviously contrived.
The Progressive Case for the SAT
If you believe in equality, you should defend the SAT.
Playing at Politics
Video games can and should be full of interesting politics. So why aren't they?
The NHS Is Failing Because It’s Not Public Enough
Right-wingers use today’s NHS shortcomings to argue that a public health system doesn’t work. But its failings stem from decades of pro-market reforms.
Don’t Trust the Antitrust Narrative: Farmers Benefit from Industrial Ag. Workers Do Not.
Most farmers in the US are wealthy and benefit from industrial agriculture. Farmworkers are not — and they’ll be the ones to democratize the agriculture system.
Peace in Ukraine Isn’t Coming Soon
Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine one year ago today hoping to capture it in a few days — then spent the last year turning its southeast into a bloodbath. Even if the current military stalemate is broken, the divides created by the war won’t heal soon.
Power at the Point of Production
From iconic strikes at Goodyear to the battle against GM, episode 3 of Organize the Unorganized: The Rise of the CIO tells the story of transformational victories in rubber, auto, and steel that put the militant CIO on the map.
What the New Deal Can Teach Us About a Green New Deal
The original New Deal was a bold, visionary effort that transformed the economic and political life of the country. The Green New Deal could do even more.
Stop Blackmailing Georgians Over EU Membership
Anti-government protests in Tbilisi have been hailed as a fight over Georgia’s European future — even though the government itself wants to join the EU. Amid the geopolitical posturing, the real issue being ignored is the chronic crisis of Georgian democracy.
Ding Dong, Former Canadian PM Brian Mulroney Is Dead
Canada’s former Conservative prime minister Brian Mulroney reshaped the country with a mix of free trade enthusiasm and privatization. Lionized in his passing by Canada’s press, his legacy of undermining the country’s working classes shouldn’t be whitewashed.
St. Louis’s Shameful Workhouse Jail Must Be Shut Down
In St. Louis, the demand to defund the police has dovetailed with long-lasting struggles against cash bail and the abuse of prisoners. The Board of Aldermen’s passing of a bill that promises to start closing the city’s most notorious jail reflects the movement’s strength — but also the need for pressure to ensure that abolitionist demands are not watered down into merely cosmetic reforms.
Emmanuel Macron’s Government Is Mounting a Witch Hunt Against “Islamo-Leftism” in France’s Universities
This week, Emmanuel Macron's higher education minister alarmed researchers and students by calling a formal investigation into the alleged “Islamo-leftist” atmosphere in France’s universities. The announced witch hunt is a worrying assault on critical inquiry — and shows the neoliberal government’s willingness to amplify baseless far-right talking points.
Japan’s Long Stagnation Is a Case Study for the Future of Western Capitalism
The major capitalist economies of Europe and North America have been experiencing low rates of economic growth and population increase. Japan has been in that position since the 1990s, and its experience offers some important clues about what the future holds.
There’s No Such Thing as the “National Interest”
According to establishment pundits and politicians, countries have “national interests” they carry out in the international arena. But “national interests” is just another phrase for ruling-class interests. The old socialist argument is true: workers of all countries have more in common with each other than their respective countries’ ruling elites.
Justin Trudeau Is Joe Biden With Abs
The Canadian professional middle class will not punish Justin Trudeau for his transgressions.
Stop Using “Europeanism” to Undermine Workers’ Rights
Plans for closer ties between Switzerland and the European Union threatened a bonfire of Swiss labor law. Liberals attacked trade unions for holding up the talks — but organized labor was right to prioritize workers’ rights above the European project.
Socialists Should Talk About Aspiration
Rebecca Long-Bailey's "aspirational socialism" is an attempt to overcome a pervasive problem: after a decade of austerity, many working people don't believe that politics can make their lives better.