Base and Superstructure

Alienation, autonomy, and ideology

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housing co-op

3 Reasons Why I Can’t Live in a Housing Co-op

June 13, 2019 /

Last spring, the Iowa DSA chapters held an event called the Socialist Feminist Convergence. It was a great event for lots of reasons, but one thing we talked about is the idea of a housing co-op. The idea is simple enough. How do we create more democratic (and more feminist) spaces outside the system of financialization of basic goods and services? A housing co-op is one possibility. (A tenants union is another.)

Housing co-ops are great, and I want to be the sort of person who wants to live in a housing co-op. In Iowa City, we have the River City Housing Collective, which has operated since 1977.

But even though I love the idea of a housing co-op, I don’t want to live in one. Let’s talk about why.

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The Socialist Manifesto

June 10, 2019 /

socialist manifesto

Jacobin founding editor Bhaskar Sunkara recently published his first book, The Socialist Manifesto.

He’s trying to do a lot with the book. But here’s the main goal as I see it. Sunkara wants to distinguish between social democracy and socialism. He draws this distinction primarily in terms of the political methods people use in their pursuit. And he argues that the best political vision for our times is one that helps us move from the former to the latter. He does this via a historical project, covering everything from the feudalist roots of capitalism to German and Swedish social democracy to the Soviet Union and China to the history of leftism in the United States. Again, quite a project.

I’ll lay out some of Sunkara’s key arguments in The Socialist Manifesto. And I’ll offer some agreement and criticism along the way.

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blogging one year

One Year of Blogging!

June 6, 2019 /

I started this blog one year ago with three posts on some of the political issues I find most central. The first is an overview of a Marxist explanation of society. The second is an overview of the history and role of identity politics in the US. And the third is an overview of what makes for successful activist movements.

That was a start, anyway. 70 or so posts and one year later, here we are!

I’m going to celebrate the blog’s one year anniversary with an FAQ.

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open borders

Open Borders and the Left

June 3, 2019 /

In the US, leftist attitudes toward immigration vary. At least, they did for much of the 20th century. Now, ‘open borders’ is an idea on the table across the US left in a way it hasn’t been previously. Much of the reason for this is reaction to the US’s increasingly draconian immigration policies since 9/11.

But there are also key issues of leftist theory and practice involved. Suzy Lee’s recent article in Catalyst provides a helpful frame for thinking about this. You can find the article here. I’ll sketch out Lee’s leftist argument for open borders before laying out some of the further issues and challenges.

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The 50-Game Rule

May 30, 2019 /

We’re finally all done with the folderol. Baseball season is long underway, but I’ve been resisting the urge to evaluate the Yankees. Never evaluate your team before they’ve played 50 games. That’s my 50-game rule.

So we’re 50 games in. Actually a few more than that, but that’s OK.

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