Class Struggle
The share of Americans who say they disapprove of labor unions hasn’t been this low since September 1967, per new Gallup data. Why it matters: Unions have seen a resurgence in recent years, with an uptick in strikes and organizing efforts, helped along by more positive public sentiment and, until recently, a strong labor market that emboldens
Capitalism
Political preferences are often discussed through a one-size-fits-all middle-class lens. But empirical data shows that class significantly influences voting patterns, with growing class consciousness driving dissatisfaction with established parties. Karl Marx’s most profound insight was recognizing how commodity fetishism — the fixation on simple commodities themselves — obscures the ways that workers’ labor shapes most
Capitalism
Libertarians argue that capitalism is superior to socialism because in capitalism anyone is free to do anything — including start a worker cooperative. In truth, capitalism constrains our options, while socialism can liberate us to live as we please. Capitalism is a system under which the means of production can be bought and sold by
Class Struggle
The history of socialist politics in the Global South shows that all capitalists want a government that will govern unapologetically in their interests — and would prefer the intervention of foreign powers than democracy and socialism at home. Today, we too often study Salvador Allende’s government nostalgically, as a tale of heroic struggle and martyrdom.
Capitalism
The ratio of CEO pay to worker pay is almost 300 to 1. Are we really supposed to believe CEOs work 300 times harder or create 300 times more value than us? As an abstract value at least, equality is generally seen as a good thing in most liberal democratic societies. Outside certain fringes of
Capitalism
Increased productivity has failed to translate into fair compensation, and we’re all working ourselves to death. Not having time to rest or think is not just terrible for human beings — it’s terrible for democracy. All Work, No Play In our market society, time spent outside work is often infiltrated by work-related concerns, upsetting what