Two new books see disability as a source of solidarity.
capitalism
The Disappearing Art of Maintenance
What do you do with a subway car that’s been operating 25 years longer than it was designed to? What do you do with a phone that’s only designed to work for three? In this thoughtful essay, Alex Vuoco suggests that we look to the make-it-last ethos as a course out of the increasingly wasteful […]
Our Animals, Ourselves
In their passionate and powerful essay, Astra Taylor and Sunaura Taylor call for socialist feminist solidarity with nonhumans and explain that we need much more than vegan products to consume — “we need a paradigm shift.” While the trauma inflicted on people and animals by these industries isn’t the same, it is interconnected. We are […]
Taking Stock
Rob Horning explores the term “creator” in this essay on labor, exploitation, and content production and consumption on the internet. “Creator,” like “creativity,” is essentially a null term that signifies nothing about one’s activity but instead marks one’s limitless availability — a willingness to make anything at all in one’s life into content for sale.
The Complicated Capitalism of Plastics
“It might not seem like the right time to talk about plastics…But it is. And the world doesn’t have a moment to waste.”
Killer Mike Takes His Allies Where He Finds Them
“You may start off with Professor X but Magneto got a fucking point.”
Godspeed Your Journey to the Great PlayPlace In the Sky
“Once the love-language of a brand to its audience, the place of a modern mascot has never been less sure-footed.”
Real Estate for the Apocalypse: My Journey into a Survival Bunker
In the Black Hills of South Dakota, entrepreneurs are translating fears of societal collapse into post-apocalyptic gated communities.
Behind One of the Sketchiest Men, a Sketchy Woman
Moe Tkacik reveals the web of shadiness lurking behind WeWork’s facade.