Link to an article by Angie Schmitt:
“Self-Driving Cars Are Coming. Will They Serve Profit or the Public?”
Tag: Politics
Vijay Prashad – Mexico Elected a Left-Wing President
Kalundi Serumaga – On Reinventing Europe: An Open Letter to Mr George Soros
Link to an article/letter by Kalundi Serumaga:
“On Reinventing Europe: An Open Letter to Mr George Soros”
This pieces raises many excellent points. But it is also worth pointing out some questionable aspects of its theoretical framework and recommendations. First, while the article characterizes the essence of Europe as Bonapartism, it does so by applying philosophical standards that originated in Europe, or at least drew from European precedents. While it may well be fair to call the current hegemonic ideology of Europe (and elsewhere) Bonapartist, to treat all of Europe as monolithic and without counter-currents seems rather reductionist. Second, the “tasks for EU civil society” include “2. Find out what your countries truly owe, and make them pay it back” This is basically both a politics of victimhood and an expression of ressentiment. Frantz Fanon once wrote, “The colonized man is an envious man.” That seems accurate in this context, but as a statement of limitation of vision. The last chapter of Fanon’s Black Skin, White Masks explicitly rejected Serumaga’s approach, and that is a big part of why Fanon is a stronger theoretical reference point than what is expressed in Serumaga’s article. Lastly, the article concludes by saying, “It is time for the North to (once again, after Ancient Egypt) learn from the South.” This is a dubious offhand assertion of identity politics, yet again in the service of the valorization of victimhood status and ressentiment. It is problematic mainly because, in a cynical way, “[w]e thus enter a cruel world of brutal power games masked as a noble struggle of victims against oppression.”
Yanis Varoufakis – How Capitalism Works—and How It Fails
Link to a video of a speech by Yanis Varoufakis:
“How Capitalism Works—and How It Fails”
Bonus Link: Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: A Brief History of Capitalism
Alyssa Battistoni – Jobs Guarantee or Universal Basic Income? Why Not Both?
Link to an article by Alyssa Battistoni:
Bruce Lerro – Big Brother Facebook
Link to an article by Bruce Lerro:
“Big Brother Facebook: Drawing Down the Iron Curtain on Yankeedom”
Bonus links: “RYM Shitheads” (describes how another, less popular web site has taken a very similar approach) and “The Limits of the Web in an Age of Communicative Capitalism” and “Why ‘Russian Meddling” Is a Trojan Horse” Quote and “Democrats and the Crisis of Legitimacy” and “Technology Giants Hold Censorship Meeting With US Intelligence Agencies” and “Facebook’s New Propaganda Partners”
Russell Mokhiber – Les Bernal on Predatory Gambling in the USA
Link to an interview conducted by Russell Mokhiber:
“Les Bernal on Predatory Gambling in the USA”
Bonus link: Stop Predatory Gambling
Joanne Barkan – Death By a Thousand Cuts
Link to an article by Joanne Barkan:
Bonus links: “A Guide to the Corporations That Are De-Funding Public Education & Opposing Striking Teachers” and “The Assault on Veterans’ Health Care” and An American Utopia
Erwin Chemerinsky – Arbitration Agreements Ruling Is a Significant Loss for Workers
Link to an article by Erwin Chemerinsky:
“Arbitration Agreements Ruling Is a Significant Loss for Workers”
Chemerinsky’s article is well-reasoned, though it should be emphasized that all judges on the U.S. supreme court are pro-capitalist and pro-business, differing only in degree about how many restrictions can be imposed on business.
Bonus links: “Stop Calling It an Arbitration Agreement—Employers Are Forcing Workers to Give Up Their Rights” and “Grand Theft Paycheck: The Large Corporations Shortchanging Their Workers’ Wages” and …And the Poor Get Prison
Subcomandante Marcos – The Fourth World War Has Begun
Link to an article by Subcomandante Marcos:
“The Fourth World War Has Begun”
Bonus link: Late Capitalism