Halyna Hutchins’s death during the filming of Rust is a tragic consequence of studios prioritizing profit and speed over crew members’ lives. Alec Baldwin’s culpability isn’t about him pulling the trigger on a prop gun — it’s about his and his fellow producers’ cost-cutting decisions.
Billionaires Are Partying in Space While Planet Earth Burns
At a time when people around the world are suffering from shortages due to supply chain bottlenecks, megalomanic capitalists are organizing space flights with B-list celebrities — further proof of the urgency of separating the billionaires from their billions.
Netflix’s Maid Offers a Rare Portrayal of Low-Wage Domestic Work
Adeptly exploring the compound effects of low-wage work, unsupported parenthood, and our broken social support system, Maid rings true for millions of working-class women.
Class Politics in America Is Far From Dead
A venerable theory about people’s political values is making a comeback: the theory of “postmaterialism.” But despite what you may have heard, the theory doesn’t say class politics is doomed in rich countries — and neither did the scholar who created it.
The Progressive Pieces of the Budget Reconciliation Bill Are Quickly Disappearing
Democratic leaders are moving to gut the parts of the budget reconciliation bill that would aid workers and fight climate change. House progressives like Pramila Jayapal shouldn’t vote for an empty husk of a bill.
- Issue No. 42 out now!
- Summer 2021
The Working Class
In this issue
We Built the Golden Age
The culture of British trade union militancy in auto plants like Austin Longbridge wasn’t the “natural” result of a Golden Age of capitalism — it came from organizing.
Jacobin chatted with former R.E.M. frontman Michael Stipe about why he backed Bernie Sanders, his longtime support for progressive causes including South African anti-apartheid organizing, and why the B-52s are “fucking amazing.”
Meet the Detroit Socialist Running to Rein in the Police
Landis Spencer is a socialist running for the civilian board that oversees the Detroit Police Department. His goal: to curb police power and shift public money to poor and working-class residents.
Big Tech Won’t Make Health Care Any Better
Apple CEO Tim Cook claimed in 2019 that his company’s greatest achievement will be “about health.” But the pandemic has shown that Big Tech’s involvement in health care is all about data collection.
Jeremy Corbyn: Socialists Are Rebuilding Bolivia
In 2019, a right-wing coup deposed Bolivia’s elected government. But the people fought back — and now the socialist government they elected in its place is more popular than ever.
No, Japan Should Not Remilitarize
Washington’s push to rebuild Japan’s military, disbanded after World War II, is incredibly dangerous. Not only would remilitarization stoke conflict in the region, it would also embolden the growing Japanese far right.
In a column for Jacobin, Jeremy Corbyn writes that we need class politics to transform our economies and save humanity from climate apocalypse. There’s no other way.
Argentine Filmmaker Lucrecia Martel on Cancel Culture, Colonialism, and Chocobar
Director Lucrecia Martel is famous for her subtle portrayals of class and race relations in Latin America. In Chocobar, she’s turning her lens on how 500 years of colonial history is connected to the contemporary murder of indigenous activist Javier Chocobar.
The EU’s Border With Belarus Has Become a Deadly Rampart of Fortress Europe
This spring, Belarus announced that it would retaliate against European sanctions by loosening its border controls. Neighboring EU countries have responded with a brutal crackdown on asylum seekers — with deadly consequences.
15 Minutes of Shame Has Nothing New to Say About Cancel Culture
To its credit, the new Monica Lewinsky–produced documentary about cancel culture takes the issue seriously without turning it into a cultural war bludgeon. But it can’t imagine a solution that isn’t dangerous, like tech censorship.
Multilevel Marketing Scams Expose Capitalism’s Foundational Lie
Pyramid schemes aren’t a corruption of capitalism — they’re a microcosm of how the class system arbitrarily creates winners and losers while falsely promising opportunity for all.