by Cam W. According to the online Gun Violence Archive, a non-profit organization that tracks all gun-related activity in the United States, there has been 37,000 shootings and deaths in America thus far in 2018 alone. While this number in itself is absurdly high, gun violence is only a culturally relevant discussion topic after mass …
For Workers and Patients, not Greed and Profits: Vote Yes on Question 1
by Socialist Nurse For 4 months now, we’ve been waiting for management to fill an open nursing position in our department. The word from the nursing manager is that there are “very few applicants” none of whom appear to be a “good fit.” Insert your bromides about the nursing shortage here, if you’d like, but …
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Environmental Justice is as Much Social as It is Scientific
We participate in this grand illusion of uncritical domination through our dates to botanical gardens, our Instagram-worthy hikes, and our family camping trips. So, if we can’t forge a proper connection and respect for what’s natural through the integration of our current culture, does this mean the proper solution is to hike the Appalachian Trail for 6 months? Should we fully capitulate to nature? What I hope we’ve come upon through this analysis is to realize that there were various discrete historical events related to the development and spread of capitalism (from the so-called “enlightenment” and the industrial revolution, to the imperialism of Baconian science) which has brought us to this inflection point in the development of humanity and nature. The very fact that climate change is such a political issue necessarily exposes it to dialectical examination.
Having Children Won’t Fix You: A Socialist Feminist Response to Connor Kilpatrick
Amy Brown writes a socialist feminist response to Connor Kilpatrick's Jacobin essay "It's Okay to Have Children." By delving into the history of women at work and Marxist thought, Brown argues against Kilpatrick's assumptions about women.
Toward Radical Democracy: A Proposal for Internal Voting Reform in Boston DSA
by Kit C., Treasurer, and Evan L., Steering Committee Democratic Socialists of America is an organization founded on the idea that socialism is inseparable from democracy. The democracy we envision is not one founded on the hollow institutions of liberal-democratic representative government, but a direct, radical democracy grounded in true collective liberation. We demand that …
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MA Nurses Say “Yes on 1” and You Should Too. Here’s Why.
by Nafis H. On Wednesday, August 15th, the Boston DSA Healthcare working group organized a panel on an ongoing crisis in the healthcare industry - chronic understaffing and overworking of nurses leading to poorer patient care. The discussion centered around Safe Patient Limits, a proposal that is appearing as Question 1 on the ballot of …
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I’m a Postal Worker. Bernie’s Plan Won’t Save Us.
A Rural Carrier Associate write about their experience working for USPS and how Bernie Sanders's plan to save the Post Office ignores the most important part, the workers.
There is No Justice in This System
All who are free in this room are either enforcing or complying with this criminal punishment system, myself included. Fear of retaliation, of being charged with contempt of the court, of the shame associated with disrespecting the courtroom, keeps me from crying out, “Free them all!” or “This is bullshit!” There is no justice in this system, and all we can do is observe and take notes.
On Aug 4th, the Bangladesh government tried to kill children for demanding road safety and justice.
For the past 6 days, Bangladesh has been rocked by protests that no one had imagined. In a country where school students are actively kept away from politics, high school students came out to protest the killings of two classmates by reckless driving. So far, 115 have been reported to be injured, student protesters have been shot at, and journalists and citizens who have tried to take photos and videos of the incidents have been harassed and assaulted, especially women, and their phones or cameras have been broken or snatched by Bangladesh Chhatra League thugs.
Independent Power or Betrayal
Institutions are never neutral. Political parties, companies, churches, schools, media outlets - they are created out of the interests of certain classes or sections of classes and find their form and function based on the mode of production of production and the social relations that arise from it...So what kind of institution are we building with our participation in the DSA?