From the Boston Political Education Editorial Committee
- Nafis H. The novel coronavirus pandemic has governments scrambling to declare national emergencies and orders to “shelter-in-place” for residents of major cities. Scientists, both in the public and private sector, are working around the clock to develop a vaccine for this virus, but best case estimates suggest that it is still going to take …
Continue reading "Against Corona Capitalism: The biopolitics behind Covid19 drug development"
A Review of "Dust Bowls of Empire" by Hannah Holleman - Tim L. Lack of action in the face of scientifically predicted doom may feel like a unique feature of 21st century life. Whether it is the refusal to address climate change by politicians of all stripes, or the delusional denial by the President of …
- Claire Blechman Who is Hank Hill? You don’t have to ask; he’ll tell you, with pride: Assistant Manager, Strickland Propane. He sells propane and propane accessories. Lady propane has been good to him. Has there ever been a better example of the perfect worker than Hank Rutherford Hill? Excessively competent, inexplicably dedicated, and willing to …
- Gracie Brett A near total consensus has been reached amongst scientists: climate change threatens life on Earth, and it is caused by human actions (FitzRoy & Papyrakis, 2010). Essentially, the release of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere traps heat, thus warming the planet. The implications of this are myriad and devastating. Sea levels …
Continue reading "The Case for Ecosocialism: Polluting Plutocracy vs. Prosperity"
by Ben M As we pass the 10th anniversary of the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the subsequent descent of the world economy into the Great Recession, the horizon is once again darkening for capitalism. While economic forecasts often resort to little more than reading tea leaves, e.g.- the regular predictions of a “double dip” …
Continue reading "The Coming Capitalist Crisis and the Tasks for Socialists"
On Wednesday, August 22nd, about 50 people gathered at the Cambridge Public Library to hear four members of Boston DSA speak on an introduction to ecosocialism.This article is a recap of the concepts discussed at the panel and discusses the central tenets of ecosocialism, and ongoing ecosocialist struggles within DSA nationwide.
There is a widespread problem in capitalist nations within the Global North, of conflating GDP with “standard of living”, and equating possessions and access to technology with personal well-being. Economic growth, in practice, means growth for the few privileged individuals and growing inequality for the rest. It is an obvious moral obligation to mitigate the destruction wrought by growth-induced climate change for vulnerable communities and future generations. We must rethink the modern meaning of the words “needs” and “well-being” in order to imagine a revolutionary post-growth future.