In Defense of Slavoj Žižek
Slavoj Zizek has made some serious missteps in recent years — but he remains an important theorist for the Left in our postmodern, neoliberal era.
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Liberal Freedoms Were Won Despite, Not Because of, Capitalism
Leftists have often dismissed liberal freedoms as a justification for capitalist domination. This is wrong. Exploited and oppressed people across the globe fought for these rights against an illiberal elite.
There’s Trouble in El Salvador’s Bitcoin Paradise
Between the growing authoritarianism of his government and the massive popular pushback to his absurd new Bitcoin law, the honeymoon for El Salvador’s young, self-styled “disrupter” president Nayib Bukele is over.
Mark Zuckerberg’s “Metaverse” Is a Dystopian Nightmare
The Facebook founder intends to usher in a new era of the internet where there’s no distinction between the virtual and the real — and no logging off.
Living in the First Draft
Sheila Heti’s Pure Colour is a novel for our time of uncertainty.
The USA Is Living Under Political Capitalism
The form of capitalism we currently live under is one in which wealth extraction depends increasingly less on market power and more on political maneuvering.
LSD Capitalism Promises a Bad Trip for Us All
Silicon Valley figures like Peter Thiel and Elon Musk are getting excited about the growing market in psychedelics. Their rising quasi-medical use provides profit opportunities for a few — but it’ll be a bad trip for the rest of us.
Hegel Is Still an Important Thinker for the Left
In the last century, liberals claimed that Hegel had inspired fascism, and socialists accused him of having held back Marxist theory. Today the German idealist has drifted into obscurity. A new book makes the case for his contemporary relevance.
The Empty Promises of Pierre Poilievre’s Pocketbook Populism
Canada’s Pierre Poilievre is attempting to refashion ruling-class ideas as populist politics. He has no actual solutions for our current crises. But in today’s political environment, his message may resonate — and the consequences could be disastrous.
Billionaires Like Elon Musk Don’t Know the First Thing About Democracy
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has bought Twitter. Musk says he’s trying to safeguard democracy and promote free speech — but what does a megabillionaire with a history of silencing critics and retaliating against workers know about democracy?
Anthony Albanese Needs to Stand Up to the Right of His Own Party
Labor’s Anthony Albanese has been elected Australia's prime minister just as the economy looks set to plunge into a recession. To avert the worst effects, he’ll need the audacity to transform production — which means taking on the right wing of his own party.
High-End Art Fairs Give Capitalism a Glow Up
Art is an essential expression of human creativity. But today’s high-end art fairs are a carnival of consumerism for the ultra-wealthy rather than a celebration of creative expression.
Gun Control Alone Won’t Suppress the US’s Death Drive
Mass shootings are only the latest horrific chapter in the US’s long history of gun violence, which stretches from prerevolutionary slave patrols to our ongoing trade in military technology. Confronting this bloodlust will require more than just gun control.
Expropriate Canada’s New Pandemic-Era Billionaires
The wealth of Canada’s new billionaires is the result of speculation, subsidies, low interest rates, and leveraged investment. Money that could be used for the public good in this time of crisis is instead being hoarded by racketeers and profiteers.
Austerity Is Causing America to Rot
If it seems like nothing works anymore in the US, you’re not imagining things. Record-low public investment and declining private investment have given us a failing, decrepit infrastructure.
The US Economy Runs on Billionaire Pocket Change
The top 10% of earners account for almost half of all consumer spending in the United States. Wealth concentration has made economic stability shockingly reliant on elite consumption.
Inflation Is Hurting Average People Right Now
The standard left analysis of inflation says it’s a concern of elites and not the masses. This couldn’t be more wrong: working people are the ones suffering under inflation.
How Julius Evola Became the Internet’s Favorite Fascist
The fascist writer Julius Evola is loved by monologuing YouTubers, Greece’s far-right Golden Dawn party, and Steve Bannon. The hallmark of his work is a rejection of modernity, and his popularity is owed to the persistence of antidemocratic ideas on the Right.
Today’s Conservative Movement Has Roots in the Capitalist Backlash Against the New Deal
During the New Deal, right-wing businesspeople were furious that their authority was being challenged in the workplace and in society. So they started organizing. And that’s the origin story of the modern conservative movement.
Pfizer Is Raising Drug Prices and Paying for Good PR
Corporate news outlets like Semafor are running sponsored posts from Pfizer bragging about how the pharma manufacturer is altruistically working to expand access to its products overseas — the same month Pfizer raised prices on 99 of its drugs in the US.