Since millions of workers around the world are currently under quarantine, now is the perfect time for socialists to catch up on the classics of leftwing cinema. Here are four films for the lockdown that focus on themes of antifascism, labor, capitalism, and imperialism.
Read moreHackers and Slackers: Encounters with Science and Technology in Nineties Cinema
For cinema, the 1990s marked the era of special-effects blockbusters versus low-budget indies, many of which grappled with ideas about techno-optimism versus techno-cynicism. Despite being considered a cheesy decade for film, nineties cinema revealed profound social and political anxieties that stemmed from an era of globalization and cultural change precipitated by late capitalism and cutting-edge technology. For all the hopes that these new technologies were supposed to bring, nineties cinema exposed the skepticism and fears that lurked beneath the optimistic surface.
Read moreAdorno and the Culture Industry
Adorno wanted to understand how capitalism, especially through the culture industry, exploits us and pervades our everyday lives so that we could figure out how to liberate ourselves from it. Essentially, his underlying message is that liberation cannot happen if we remain blind and complacent to the system that oppresses us: it can only happen when the people rise up and revolt against it.
Read more“Freedom’s Just Another Word for Nothin’ Left to Lose”: Janis Joplin, the Mistaken Icon of the Counterculture
Janis Joplin died fifty years ago, and she is often remembered as the poster child of the counterculture. Yet, her values did not fully mesh with the counterculture ethos. Whether or not Janis deserves to be the icon of the counterculture depends on how the counterculture is remembered.
Read moreScience Books for Laypeople
This is a list of popular science books for people who want to learn more about science but do not have a background in it. In an age where misinformation abounds, scientific literacy is important, but it can be daunting if one does not have any formal education or training in science or technology. This list does not focus on the philosophy of science, as that would be a very different list and much longer. Instead, this compilation just deals with books that discuss the actual science without too much technical or academic jargon. This list should provide some enjoyable and readable texts to fill in those gaps for the regular person who wishes to learn more about our universe and how it works.
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