Base and Superstructure

Thoughts on production, alienation, and ideology

Category: Language (Page 8 of 9)

These are posts on language from the blog Base and Superstructure. Topics include political terminology, language use among politicians and political analysts, and the terminology of social movements.

Why is Labor Day in September?

September 3, 2018 /
labor day

Source: https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/blog/2010/09/06/president-obama-labor-day-fight-americas-workers-continues

Let’s say you don’t live in the United States or Canada. You’re probably confused that we celebrate Labor Day in September. Even Americans might not know this is unusual.

Most countries celebrate International Workers’ Day on May 1. And for most people, this is a holiday of the radical left. By contrast, most people see Labor Day as a holiday for center-left labor movements. International Workers’ Day is broadly international, while Labor Day is mostly American and Canadian.

That’s close, though not exactly right. For one, both holidays come from the US. Specifically, from the US in the 1880s. We know the September Labor Day date came first, but there’s disagreement over the details. What we know pretty well is that someone from the Knights of Labor established it in 1882. And the US made it a federal holiday in 1894.

But International Workers’ Day originated in the US as well. Likely because of the pre-existing folk holiday May Day. A bit later, the Second International set May 1 as a day of labor in 1891. However, in addition to May Day, the May 1 date refers to the Haymarket affair in Chicago.

Continue reading

Political Terms: A Flowchart for Using New Language

July 23, 2018 /

Leftists are building and learning new political terms and new political things.

Mostly this is a good thing. But we need to strategically incorporate words in ways that are inclusive and/or advance our goals, and are not counterproductive. See, for example, Sara Lynn Michener on some cases where use of new language can be counterproductive. Michener’s article is far from perfect, though perhaps that’s some of the point.

With that in mind, I’ll boldly (and at least somewhat seriously) propose this flowchart for deciding whether you should use political terms you’ve just heard.

Continue reading

On Pornography and Its Social Impact

July 9, 2018 /

If you’re familiar with my academic career, you’ll know I’ve written about pornography. But who am I kidding? I’m not famous.

You can find this writing in a book chapter and an article.

Both of these works are broadly accessible to audiences both inside and outside of academic philosophy. The article is a major expansion of the material in the book chapter, and so that’s probably the best place to look.

My perspective on these issues is not exactly abstract. I’m thinking about it from within an ongoing debate over whether and how pornography subordinates, and perhaps oppresses or marginalizes, women. This is a debate conducted largely within academic literature. I’d like to help move it beyond academia.

I recently discovered a blog entry about my article. Someone thought it interesting enough to write about. And so I wanted to reflect on my past work and how I might approach it several years later. It was fun to read the blog entry and get another person’s take on the ‘theory’ I’ve developed.

Continue reading

Identity Politics and Identitarianism

June 1, 2018 /

identitarianism

Identity politics, in various forms, have become perhaps the political ideology of our time and place. I suspect this is true in many places. But I limit my scope in this post to recent politics in the United States. People sometimes toss around the related term ‘identitarianism.’

The trouble is that we don’t really know what ‘identity politics’ means. Or, perhaps worse, we all know what it means. It’s just that no one agrees on what it is they all know.

I’m going to define ‘identity politics’ and ‘identitarianism’ in this post. I don’t claim that my definitions are the right ones, or that everyone else’s are wrong. I’m just laying out how I’ll be using those terms in this blog. Hopefully you’ll find this both explanatory and helpful when looking at real problems and issues.

Continue reading

« Older posts Newer posts »

© 2024 Base and Superstructure

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑