Recorded March 22, 2011 at TRS, Inc. in NYC. Presented by Marxist-Humanist Initiative and the New SPACE (http://new-space-nyc.org). Click here for more information.

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Recorded March 19, 2011 at the Left Forum, Pace University. Featuring Andrej Grubačić, Anne Jaclard, Antti Ronkainen, and Alex Steinberg. Click here for more info.

Is Socialism Possible? (Panel II)

Recorded March 20, 2011 at the Left Forum, Pace University. Featuring Michael Albert, Andrew Kliman, and Cindy Milstein. Click here for more info.

MHI NEEDS YOUR HELP

Please consider a donation for viewing these videos. MHI makes these and other videos available free of charge to stimulate the widest possible discussion, but we need your help to continue providing resources like this. Monetary contributions may be made through PayPal below. If you would prefer to send a check or money order, click here for more information.

The Great Recession & Its Aftermath
Saturday, March 19^th at 3:00 p.m., Room LHN
Alan Freeman: “Waking from the Dream: Europe in the Great Recession”
Andrew Kliman: ”The Great Recession and the Persistent Frailty of Capitalist Production”
David McNally: “Global Slump, Age of Austerity, and the Growing Resistance”
Fred Moseley: “A Lost Decade for Jobs in the U.S., Unless…”
Click here for more info.

Is Socialism Possible? (Panel I)
Saturday, March 19^th at 10:00 a.m., Room W623
Andrej Grubačić: “Anarchism, or Libertarian Socialism for the 21st Century”
Anne Jaclard: “Yes, If a New Mode of Production Lays the Ground”
Antti Ronkainen: “Socialization of the Banking System”
Alex Steinberg: “Socialism and the Role of Consciousness”
Click here for more info.

Is Socialism Possible? (Panel II)
Sunday, March 20^th at 3:00 p.m., Room W504
Michael Albert: “Yes, But Which Socialism”
Andrew Kliman: “Marx’s Lower Phase of Communism: Not Another ‘Labor Money’ Scheme”
Cindy Milstein: “The Horizontalist Moment: Self-organization Works!”
Click here for more info.

We will also have a book table in the Exhibitors area. Please drop by to say “hello” and browse our most recent publications!

For more information about the Left Forum, including details on registration and directions to Pace University, visit www.leftforum.org/conference/2011.



This post was updated on March 26, 2011 to add the titles of Cindy Milstein and Fred Moseley’s presentations.

One of the most notable parts of the rally was the presence of a relatively sizable socialist contingent of approximately 100 to 200 participants that marched down to the rally. The group with the clearest presence by far within this contingent was the International Socialist Organization, which provided most of the signs that the participants in the contingent carried; however, members of the Socialist Party USA and Socialist Action were also present, although in much smaller numbers.

Although the primary aims of the rally–outside of the socialist contingent–were in no way related to breaking with the two-party system, there was a clear air of anger and frustration directed towards the Obama administration for its failure to push through many of the changes that voters had believed his election would bring for the working class. I believe that the rally was definitely worthwhile, and that some of the people who attended it­­­­–those who are very dissatisfied with the present state of political affairs in the U.S. and are becoming disillusioned with the Democratic Party as an advocate for working class interests–present a possible future force for the advancement of a socialist movement.

I believe that the way to bring these dissatisfied people closer to the cause of socialism is to demonstrate that the political and economic failures and shortcomings that they are protesting against are not simply caused by wrong choices within the framework of capitalism by a particular capitalist political party, but that these failures are, rather, inherent in the logic of capitalism itself–a demonstration for which the recent economic crisis and current recession provide the perfect context.

Student Participant

View the video here

The panel featured  Alan Freeman (Chair) – University of Manitoba Greater London Authority;
 Radhika Desai – Politics, University of Manitoba Visiting Fellow, DESTIN, London School of Economics; 
Costas Panayiotakis – Sociology, New York City College of Technology, CUNY; 
Andrew Kliman – Economics, Pace University; and
 Anne Jaclard – National Secretary, Marxist-Humanist Initiative.

Many thanks to Brendan Cooney for the recording.

A Rasmussen poll conducted earlier this month found strong support for socialism, especially among low-income people and youth. And Scott Rasmussen is a Republican pollster.

In a nationwide U.S. survey of 1000 adults conducted on April 6 and 7, Rasmussen asked, “Which is a better system–capitalism or socialism?” Overall, 53% of respondents favored capitalism, 20% favored socialism, and the rest were undecided. That in itself is a surprising degree of support for socialism. But it gets better.

Only 37% of respondents under 30 years old favored capitalism, while almost as many, 33%, favored socialism. Among those between 30 and 40, 49% chose capitalism, while 26% chose socialism.

Respondents whose income is less than $20,000 favored capitalism by only a 35% to 27% margin. Among people with income between $20,000 and $40,000, the results were 46% to 25%.

We don’t know what the people who expressed a preference for “socialism” meant. The poll didn’t define “capitalism” or “socialism.” But one thing is clear: Margaret Thatcher’s TINA doctrine–”there is no alternative” to capitalism–is no longer all-dominating.

And while the poll provides no clue as to why (or even whether) pro-socialist sentiment is on the upswing, I’d bet my last dollar that the answer is: “It’s the economy, stupid.” And the way things are going, “bet my last dollar” might not be just a cliché.

As people begin to search for an explanation of what has gone wrong and a different way of life, we need to be prepared to meet them halfway with a clear understanding of how capitalism works; of why, when push comes to shove, it cannot work for the benefit of the vast majority; and of what exactly must be changed in order to have a viable and emancipatory socialism. Rather than slogans, they need genuine theories and concepts that provide real understanding.

That’s why I’m glad we now have the Marxist-Humanist Initiative, a new organization that can help meet the quest for new beginnings halfway.