Dérive

"I am convinced there is only one way to eliminate these grave evils, namely through the establishment of a socialist economy, accompanied by an educational system which would be oriented toward social goals. In such an economy, the means of production are owned by society itself and are utilized in a planned fashion. A planned economy, which adjusts production to the needs of the community, would distribute the work to be done among all those able to work and would guarantee a livelihood to every man, woman, and child. The education of the individual, in addition to promoting his own innate abilities, would attempt to develop in him a sense of responsibility for his fellow men in place of the glorification of power and success in our present society." - Albert Einstein, Why Socialism? Over the weekend, thousands of people gathered across the country for the March for Science. National organizers of the march said the event was calling for “political leader

  This article draws heavily from a much longer piece - “ Origins of the Police ” - by David Whitehouse. I’ve summarized some important points and added original thoughts, including quotes and bits of history from other sources. I've also added a "present" and "future" section to the discussion, in order to discuss contemporary points about the police and take a few haphazard shots at what be coming down the tracks. What follows in not a substitute for a close reading of Whitehouse’s work, which I consider a must-read. Nothing can be properly understood without historical context, and the police are no exception. Whitehouse’s article lends important insight into such questions as: Why do police exist? Can the police be reformed? Are police a part of the working class? Can the police be won over in times of revolutionary upheaval? What is the relationship between the police and the capitalist state? Throughout, Whitehouse stresses a Marxist perspect

At risk of selling more hard liquor , I'm going to talk about an advertisement for Jose Cuervo called "Last Days." The tagline, complete with hashtag, reads: "A group of fearless bargoers enjoy their last moments together, as civilization crumbles around them. As the impending doom worsens outside, inside they are doubling down on the Cuervo (and the Elvis), as for these brave souls #TomorrowIsOverrated." The purpose of this ad, like any other, is only to sell Jose Cuervo. All talent whatsoever is consumed by this one goal. It looks pretty and sounds good so that people will buy the commodity. For now I'm less interested in dissecting advertising (done wonderfully here ). I'm more interested in the ad's theme - it's the end of the world but "tomorrow is overrated" - and how our current social climate is used to sell more commodities. Among its many talents, the ad industry takes the social decay of our society and packages it

Streetcars pass through Saint Charles St. in New Orleans, 1900. The New Orleans General Strike lasted five days and completely shut down what was then American's 12th largest city. The strike involved 25,000 workers and is considered the first general strike to include skilled, unskilled, black, and white workers. It's this final distinction - the first biracial general strike - that makes the strike stand out as worthy of discussion so lessons can be learned for today's struggles. A grand narrative  The 19th century is full of many important events that must be understood as part of a larger narrative - the cementing of capitalism as the dominant economic system in the world and the attempts of one class to maintain control over - and extract profits from - another class. But this is a much larger topic for another time. Our scope of focus must be narrowed to the United States and finally to the city of New Orleans in 1892. But no event can

"99 cent II, diptychon" - Andreas Gursky, 1999. "The wealth of those societies in which the capitalist mode of production prevails, presents itself as 'an immense accumulation of commodities, ' its unit being a single commodity. Our investigation must therefore begin with the analysis of a commodity." - Karl Marx, Capital Volume 1  I've mentioned commodities in past post. But what exactly is a commodity, and why did Marx place the commodity at the center of his analysis of capitalism and capitalist society? What's the big deal? This person on YouTube has a great description.

Not many people know about May Day and even fewer know its rich history . This reality is discouraging but not surprising. Struggles waged and battles won against oppression are powerful tools in the hands of those still seeking freedom. It behooves those in power to distort or hide histories that counter the narrative of capitalism as a harmonious system and the end of history. We will never be taught the history of class struggle so long as we live in a class society. Audre Lorde said it best: "The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house." The battle for history is a battle worth waging, for no theory can be created and tested without reference to past events. Theory needs action, just as much as action needs theory. What follows will be a series of posts detailing major strikes in US history, starting with the New Orleans General Strike of 1892. This is just a taste of history - the history of workers taking power into their own hands - that must