Base and Superstructure

Thoughts on production, alienation, and ideology

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Jamaal Bowman DSA

DSA’s Issue Is Deeper Than Jamaal Bowman

December 1, 2021 /

Within the Democratic Socialists of America – especially the very online parts of DSA – there’s been a hot debate lately over whether to expel Jamaal Bowman from the org. Bowman recently won an election to Congress, joined The Squad, and formed a big part of the DSA’s strategy of building membership through electoral engagement.

I won’t recap all the details. Readers can check out coverage from the DSA Observer. But the basic story: Bowman voted for Iron Dome funding for Israel. He took a lobbyist-paid trip to Israel and posed with Israel’s right-wing prime minister, among other things. In response to a rebuff from Bowman and his supporters, the DSA’s Palestine Solidarity Working Group called on him to fix these issues or face expulsion. Some on the online left sided with the WG, while other parts sided against expulsion.

But I think the whole expulsion question arrives far too late. The DSA should look into how it got into this mess in the first place.
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linkedin

The Problem(s) with LinkedIn

November 29, 2021 /

LinkedIn has a lot of haters these days. Why? According to critics, it combines the worst features of Facebook (lack of privacy, mindless chatter) with the worst features of the business world (corporate politics, self-promotion, professional class propriety). To boot, LinkedIn doesn’t even do the things it’s supposed to do, i.e., it usually doesn’t help you network or land a job.

I’ll admit I don’t know exactly what’s wrong with LinkedIn. I just know it sucks and I don’t like using it. Do I still have a LinkedIn account? Yes. Will I get rid of it? Probably not. But I rarely use it, and I don’t expect that to change.

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thought leader office space

‘Thought Leader’: A Business ‘Intellectual’

November 18, 2021 /

Not long ago, I watched a LinkedIn video that defined a ‘thought leader’ as “a person who helps people make difficult choices by being a decision leader.” As a philosopher, I wasn’t too impressed with this display. And as a definition of ‘thought leader,’ that’s about as unhelpful as it gets.

But I think it shows us a few things about business jargon and the nature of the ‘business intellectual.’ What does it show us?

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feminization of work

The Feminization of Work

November 15, 2021 /

I often make the point that the left should target a broad working-class coalition. Every now and then to the point of sounding like a broken record. This includes an approach from multiple vectors – not only people on the job, but also unemployed people and the precariat. But while I often talk about race and about tenants unions, I don’t talk as often about gender. I’ll do that here by looking at the feminization of work.

Readers who know me might be surprised that I haven’t written as much about gender. After all, I have a background in feminist philosophy and activism. So, in that spirit, I’ll use this post to share one key data point on the feminization of work. I think it addresses why it’s so important for leftists to address issues of gender, especially in the world of work.

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