Looking for "Forget Democratic Socialism—We Need Real Socialism" February 2, 2018 12:08 PM Subscribe
My search powers on MeFi and on Google have failed me. I could have sworn somebody in one of the MeFi politics megathreads linked to an article (I thought it was in The Nation, but it's looking like nope) whose premise was that, while progressive-left movements like DSA are fine, there's actually a golden opportunity to be seized by the USA adopting some major actual socialist measures.
I know for sure the article was in a not-explicitly-socialist source (e.g., Jacobin) and it mentioned the US government straight-out buying huge tracts of property for affordable housing, and straight-up investing a ton of money into index funds to bolster the economy. And if I'm correct, it was a recently-published article (say, less than a month or two old).
Anybody remember seeing this?
I know for sure the article was in a not-explicitly-socialist source (e.g., Jacobin) and it mentioned the US government straight-out buying huge tracts of property for affordable housing, and straight-up investing a ton of money into index funds to bolster the economy. And if I'm correct, it was a recently-published article (say, less than a month or two old).
Anybody remember seeing this?
Yep, that one in The Week is it. Thanks so much. Y'all are the best.
posted by Rykey at 7:10 PM on February 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Rykey at 7:10 PM on February 2, 2018 [1 favorite]
Maybe someone can find me an article on where all the old socialists go. I’ve been to DSA gatherings and I’m always the oldest one there by 25 years or so. It’s sort of demoralizing.
posted by holborne at 2:04 PM on February 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by holborne at 2:04 PM on February 4, 2018 [2 favorites]
I’ve been to DSA gatherings and I’m always the oldest one there by 25 years or so. It’s sort of demoralizing.
that's really great that you're sticking it out; most people get turned off by less than a couple meetings if everything's not perfectly working out to their liking
in any case, if there's a Jobs With Justice or 9to5 near you, they tend to coordinate with local unions and also feature older folks in their ranks. our DSA has a good relationship with unions here but, like your experience, it's usually people in their 20s to early 30s - all the people in their late 40s and up are union or have been in the scene for decades
besides that, the only Gen Xers who are organizers that I've seen are all people of color. they tend to be at the heads of responsible, accountable non-profits, most of em working in civil rights here along a huge range of identities (queer, racial, etc). and you do kind of want to avoid organizing only with people who are like you and share your identity - the more exposure you get to different points of view, the better it is for your own practice of social consciousness. as they say, you can't organize in a vacuum. I mean, you could, it's just not an ethical practice because it doesn't reflect an interest in helping oppressed communities who know what they need, when, and will tell you about it
posted by runt at 11:29 AM on February 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
that's really great that you're sticking it out; most people get turned off by less than a couple meetings if everything's not perfectly working out to their liking
in any case, if there's a Jobs With Justice or 9to5 near you, they tend to coordinate with local unions and also feature older folks in their ranks. our DSA has a good relationship with unions here but, like your experience, it's usually people in their 20s to early 30s - all the people in their late 40s and up are union or have been in the scene for decades
besides that, the only Gen Xers who are organizers that I've seen are all people of color. they tend to be at the heads of responsible, accountable non-profits, most of em working in civil rights here along a huge range of identities (queer, racial, etc). and you do kind of want to avoid organizing only with people who are like you and share your identity - the more exposure you get to different points of view, the better it is for your own practice of social consciousness. as they say, you can't organize in a vacuum. I mean, you could, it's just not an ethical practice because it doesn't reflect an interest in helping oppressed communities who know what they need, when, and will tell you about it
posted by runt at 11:29 AM on February 5, 2018 [2 favorites]
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The National Dividend
January 5, 2018 9:24 AM Subscribe
While not the only way to combat the massive wealth inequality in the United States, there is a way that’s simple, proven to work, and can exist inside our current system: A social wealth fund, a pool of investment assets in some ways like the giant index or mutual funds already popular with retirement savings accounts or pension funds, but one owned collectively by society as a whole. Matt Breuing (The People’s Policy Project, previously), NYT Opinion.
posted by The Whelk
I know that the article you are looking for is not from Jacobin, but they did run one with a very similar title,
Social Democracy Is Good. But Not Good Enough.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 1:37 PM on February 2, 2018