The finer points of economics go over my head, but this article is fairly clear, and I feel there's value in the conclusions it draws. Because corporations now have the upper hand in bargaining, they don't need to invest in developing countries' infrastructure if they don't want to. Taiwan and South Korea were able to negotiate this in a laxer era of globalization, and it eased their integration into the global economy. Ethiopia, on the other hand, would have to find new ways to entice reluctant corporations:
I've only seen three films by James Gray (including AD ASTRA), but he's always on my to-do list.
An excerpt from a new book by Matt Stoller, who is always eagle-eyed on Democratic corruption.
Making sense of Bruno Latour and politics. (Reminder to self to read We Have Never Been Modern)
Who JoJo Rabbit is really for.
A topic very near and dear to my heart: dance-pop music, 2009-2012. While some of the words and phrasing used here imply negative value judgment (i.e. nihilism/nihilistic), I'm inclined to give the benefit of the doubt because so much of this analysis dovetails with what these years felt like. In 2009 I was on the cusp of graduating high school (Just Dance/I Gotta Feeling); in 2010 I was watching from Japan while Tik Tok took over the world; and later that year I entered college and began partying in earnest, my head buzzing from the ecstatic interplay of beats, rhythms, sounds and synthesizers. Those times are among my fondest memories, and while I experienced them as a time of endless possibility (hence my objection to the dour overtones of the linked article), I have to admit there were times when it felt like this was it, and not much else was waiting for me on the other side. It was a dream, and adulthood was the reality I hadn't woken up to yet. As I became more politically aware and, inevitably, more focused on actually getting the degree I was in school for, the eternal party started to die down. Years kept passing and passing. Now it's 2019, and I'm a leftist, a graduate, a worker, a mortgage-payer. Funny how short that compulsory present actually ended up being...even though it still feels infinite, in memory.
Free from all constraints, liberalism still has nothing to offer.
Multifaceted deconstruction of mind-body duality.
Too much brain activity could lead to a shorter life. This legitimately terrifies me.
Really really liked this interview with McKenzie Wark.
Against individualistic surveying, this statistical analysis argues that the strongest predictor of an area's support for Trump was growth in overdose deaths.
A lovely introduction to Issue 2 of Chuang, followed by a superb series of conversations between Chuang and the pseudonymous Lao Xie. I strongly, strongly recommend the latter link. It's taught me so much about contemporary China and Xi Jinping's reign, and I expect it will ground much of my understanding from here on out. I hope to delve into the remaining essays soon (not to mention the whole of Issue 1!).
I have to disagree a bit with what's written here. I think most of the constraints on a Warren presidency would be the same for Bernie, and thus the difference between the two is not as wide as the article claims. Yet I think the mainframe of the argument is solid, even as it (inadvertently) points to the fact that hopes shouldn't be pinned on a left-liberal savior to "fix" the US. Ultimately, the best outcome anyone can expect is that Bernie continues to stir up leftist energy that can be deployed through a diversity of tactics for a variety of goals, the effects of which cannot currently be predicted.
Sentences laid out for Catalan separatists. There's no way this will defuse the ongoing independence question.
D. Watkins bids farewell the neighborhood he said he'd never leave, wanting to give his daughter better opportunities than he had. I feel for him, it sounds like an impossible choice to make.
Right-wing shooters are live-streaming their slaughters for internet fans.
Regional dispatches from a suffering Britain. From the other end: the Tories and capital are uncoupling.
Hoarded wealth could fund a welfare state.
Seems there was a big debate this month on the professional-managerial class. The term is new to me but an intuitive one; here's Gabriel Winant on what it is, whether it really exists, where the concept came from, and what it would take to radicalize its nominal members.
The world's first novel (it's from Japan!) gains a new chapter.
The work of building solidarity between Palestinians and Kurds.
43 more accusations of sexual assault against Trump.
Heteropessimism.
Nostalgia is (profitable) poison.
The hypothetical goods of automation can't be realized under capitalism.
How Rosalie Varda helped her mother make movies, and a little on what life is like for her now. Bittersweet interview; I still miss Agnés a lot.
Golden Dawn, one of Europe's most successful fascist parties, is finally on the wane.
This is a helpful aid for me as I try to wrap my head around the concepts in Robin James' next book.
Thoughtful interview with the Dardennes about their risky new film YOUNG AHMED. They're a little too attached to universalism still, but I can recognize their efforts to tackle a tough subject respectfully. (The real problem is I've heard twice now that THE UNKNOWN GIRL has a more racist passage than anything in this new one.)
Centrist-child syndrome, which terrifies us and makes us fear ever raising children.
(Only half joking!)
Not that I consider myself PhD material, but if I ever thought of pursuing one, the idea of applying to hundreds of positions (which would surely require relocation) is an anxiety nightmare that strikes me to the core. And that's before the work even starts.
Women and erotic thrillers.
I thought this was a really honest account of being the older woman in a heterosexual relationship.
The corporate model of fandom.
Mariame Kaba on her history and how to do things together.
Total meltdown at WeWork. I've been following it with horrified fascination, waiting to see what the fallout will be. The end of money-losing monopolies? Too soon to say, but with any luck...
Is eating less red meat worth it? It's anyone's guess, but I had steak twice last week, and I definitely felt concerned about it. I'll probably just keep it minimal out of caution.
I remember encountering this anti-poptimism post like seven years ago when Trevor Link objected to the half-joking implication that his argument had fascist overtones. The Pop Utopianism Manifesto changed my life and I still count myself a poptimist, but out of intellectual honesty I have to admit there are some points made in this counter-argument worth considering. (I don't think anyone ended up taking juke as a liberatory practice though...)
Often say to myself (and others): it's a bubble!
This summer, we encountered something unexpected during our trip to Japan: extreme heat. The last time we visited was June 2017, and nothing seemed too out of the ordinary. We were totally caught off-guard by how hot it was, and it altered our plans for the trip in a fundamental way. Previously we'd planned on being out all day exploring; now we had to limit our excursions to the morning and late afternoon/evening/night, avoiding almost altogether the hours between 11:00 and 4:00. It was a huge setback, and the hindrance only compounded when I stayed my extra two weeks. Long hours were spent indoors listening to music, meditating on my relationship to Japan in a manner far more abstracted than I'd planned for. We know better now, but the rest of the world won't be so savvy next summer. It could be a very big problem.
