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One of the best signs seen at an Occupy Wall Street protest thus far is, "I will believe corporations are people when Texas executes one" -- a slogan that aptly captures the lack of accountability to which corporations have been held while they exact benefits previously limited to flesh-and-blood humans to increase their power and further widen the economic divide. According to Jan Baughman, the Arab Spring has proven that there is power in numbers, not just in wealth, and if even a fraction of the 99% of Americans whose wealth has been siphoned off by the elite participates in this movement, there just might be a true shift from corporate power to people power. Gilles d'Aymery considers the growing anxieties that led people to the streets of New York and beyond and the powerful words of Stéphane Hessel, whose opus Indignez-vous ! urged people to become indignant and demand that general interests be imposed over individual interests. It will be an uphill battle, particularly when faced with the socially-engineered hurdles that work to keep capitalism afloat -- Michael Barker presents Part II of his research on those invisible planners that exploit humanity. And where is Philip Greenspan when we need him?!? If he were alive today, our beloved former contributor would no doubt be on the street with his wife, Fran, signs in hand, protesting the inequities and demanding peace as they did every weekend. Four years ago, Phil asked whether protests make a difference, and we are republishing his answer as inspiration to those continuing his work and occupying cities around the country and the world.
Reaching for the book, Peter Byrne finds that few novels impose the scent and texture of a country on its readers as Aravind Adiga's Last Man in Tower, and Paul Buhle recommends an illuminating introduction to children's book classics as illustrated by comic art in Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History. Turning to the theatre, Charles Marowitz dons his critic cap and considers what true criticism ought to be about, but very rarely is; Raju Peddada casts a short drama that captures the anxiety and the anguish of the common folks who are used and abused by their own leadership to various ends; and Femi Akomolafe stars in a conversation about Ghanaian President Mills's recent performance before the UN General Assembly. We close with Guido Monte's eclectic verses about usual apocalyptical visions of an imaginary TV technician, and your letters -- oops, letter.
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Jan Baughman: From Arab Spring To American Fall
The Occupy Wall Street protesters are gaining traction, and the 99% of disenfranchised Americans need to participate if there is to be a true shift from corporate power to people power. More...
Gilles d'Aymery: Growing Indignation
The Occupy Wall Street movement is carrying forth the words of Stéphane Hessel and demanding that the general interests should be imposed over individual interests: Indignez-vous ! More...
Michael Barker: The Invisible Planners: Part II of II
Second part of a summary of Guy Alchon's book The Invisible Hand of Planning: Capitalism, Social Science, and the State in the 1920s. More...
Philip Greenspan: Do Protests Make A Difference?
From October 2007: A tireless antiwar activist reminds us why our individual efforts do make a difference; in the words of Frederick Douglass, "power concedes nothing without a demand." More...
Peter Byrne: Humanity Hanging On In Mumbai
Few novels impose the scent and texture of a country on its readers as this moral weigh-in of Mumbai, Aravind Adiga's Last Man in Tower. More...
Paul Buhle: Classics Illustrated: A Cultural History
An illuminating introduction to children's book classics as illustrated by comic art. More...
Charles Marowitz: Criticizing The Critics
Theatre critic Charles Marowitz considers what true criticism ought to be about, but very rarely is. More...
Raju Peddada: The Recycling Of Malignance
A conversation that captures the anxiety and the anguish of the common folks, who are used and abused by their own leadership to various ends. More...
Femi Akomolafe: Of School Uniforms And Other Jazz
A conversation regarding Ghana's president John Atta Mills abysmal speech at the 2011 UN General Assembly, when he had the attention of the world. More...
Guido Monte: Usual Apocalypse of a TV Technician (unfinished)
The first part of Guido Monte's verses about usual apocalyptical visions of an imaginary TV technician. More...
A Swans/BBC tie-in around "Henry's Demons." More...
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