McCallum’s book well illustrates how the pandemic revealed what Gramsci called capitalism’s “morbid symptoms” (a phrase McCallum borrows). But Essential is equally a cautionary tale about how capitalists can shift the cost of their crises onto workers if workers aren’t strong enough to resist.
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UAW strike update
The strikers’ mood is upbeat. A September 23 rally organized by UAW Local 551 at the Chicago Ford Assembly Plant is a good example of this. Workers, in their bright red UAW T-shirts, took part in a call and refrain chant. The organizer would call out the name of a section of the plant: trim, paint, etc. The workers would then respond, “Strike It Out!” It was clear at the rally careful preparations had been made if the plant was chosen to strike in the escalating strike program.
Netanyahu shows map of ‘New Middle East’—without Palestine—to UN General Assembly
Middle East Eye reported Netanyahu also held up a map of “Israel in 1948″—the year the modern Jewish state was established, largely through the ethnic cleansing of more than 750,000 Arabs—that erroneously included the Palestinian territories as part of Israel.
Can the UAW make history again?
The UAW now has the opportunity—perhaps its last—to revive the class struggle, which is the only way to begin to reverse the balance of class forces weighted so heavily in favor of the employers for so long.
The new Syrian uprising
“These courageous women and men across the country have shown that the regime cannot bomb, starve, torture, gas and rape the Syrian people into submission. Despite everything they have been through, and in the absence of meaningful solidarity with their struggle, the dream of a free Syria is alive.”
Blinken indulges Republican senator toying with Palestinian hunger
Risch’s position threatens the health and well being of Palestinian children who are refugees while disregarding the misdeeds of the apartheid state next door that denies Palestinians their fundamental rights, including the right of UNRWA-assisted children to return to homes and lands from which their families were expelled.
Remembering September 11, 1973: the US backed Pinochet coup in Chile
This September marks the 50th anniversary of the US backed coup by Pinochet in Chile. It was one of the heaviest and bloodiest defeats ever suffered by the left and progressive movement in Latin America…
Imperialism, racism and the atomic bomb
As Hollywood celebrates the release of Oppenheimer, protests have focused on the devastating impact of the Trinity atomic test in New Mexico on local Hispanic and indigenous communities. The protests have brought attention to the ongoing struggle of the communities for recognition and compensation, and the film’s whitewashing of racism during the development and testing of the bomb.
1.2% of adults have 47.8% of the world’s wealth while 53.2% have just 1.1%
The wealth pyramid shows that 62 million people out of a total of 4.4 billion adults in the world, or just 1.2%, had 47.8% of the world’s wealth while 2.8 billion adults (or 53.2%) had just 1.1% – a staggering level of inequality. While the top 1.2% had average wealth after debt of well over $1 million each, the bottom 53% had well below $10,000 each, at least 100 times less.
A seed grows in Guatemala?
Here, the ISP translates and republishes a report on the recent landslide election in Guatemala of the reformist candidate Bernardo Arévalo. This article appeared first on the independent Guatemalan news site Divergentes. Correspondencia de Prensa republished it.
Jason Aldean, purveyor of hate in a violently racist world
Aldean has been known to sport the Confederate flag on t-shirts as recently as 2019. He also established himself as anti-vax and anti-mask during the pandemic. He has given voice to Trump’s stolen election conspiracy theory.
US public overwhelmingly support striking actors’ and writers’ demands: poll
“Even a plurality of voters who have an unfavorable opinion of labor unions (48%) support the strikes.”
The Barbie movie—how we were told to stop worrying and love the doll
The film’s plot was frequently directionless and overly saccharine. I developed a grim respect for Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling (Barbie and Ken) who work hard to carry off the script. But outside of a few satisfying gags, I found much of the humor over-reliant on a stale self-reflexivity and nostalgia factor for the little plastic doll.
Capital putting its own house in order
There can be a relative autonomy of base from superstructure. Importantly, the superstructure can in turn reflect back and impact upon the base. There are many factors other than the economy that need to be taken into account when examining a particular conjuncture.
The left’s self-fulfilling prophecy: condemning Cornel West’s third-party challenge before it gets off the ground
An array of liberal and left-wing pundits is already blaming West in advance for the unpopular Biden’s (potential) loss to the (as yet unnamed) Republican candidate next year. Apparently, the conventional wisdom even among most self-described socialists is that it is our job to ensure Biden’s victory, even though he has done nothing to earn it.