The populist manifesto: Why policy trumps rhetoric and how Ye might synthesise Bernie and Trump’s platforms into one unity campaign for the American working class

‘I could build a new Rome in one day.’ Ye, ‘Clique’, from Kanye West Presents, Good Music - Cruel Summer As the title of this article suggests, I want to propose a populist manifesto — a manifesto to transfer power from the wealthy and powerful back to the people of the world. This does not … Continue reading The populist manifesto: Why policy trumps rhetoric and how Ye might synthesise Bernie and Trump’s platforms into one unity campaign for the American working class →

Chaos: The energy, evolution, and end of capitalism

The economist Joseph Schumpeter termed the key to technological development under capitalism ‘the gales of creative destruction.’ For Schumpeter, the state plays a role in this market dynamism. This is because states compete with each other very much like corporations and classes do. All competition has the potential for conflict; and all conflict, for war … Continue reading Chaos: The energy, evolution, and end of capitalism →

Ultrapredators: The demonisation of the working class and the new Jim Crow

I have previously compared class hierarchy to slave systems of times gone by. Indeed, the master/slave dialectic of many societies is the archetypical class division. It denotes a complete asymmetry of power between two classes of people: the rulers, and the ruled. It is no surprise that the ancient concept of tyranny is adapted in … Continue reading Ultrapredators: The demonisation of the working class and the new Jim Crow →

Marx’s madness: Why ‘Parasite’ explains everything, basically

The movie Parasite stands in my mind on the same level as Moonlight. It is a distinctive and cutting portrayal of the modern condition of Homo sapiens. It is ‘terrifying.’ And it is, fundamentally, true. Here is why. ‘Parasite’, directed by Bong Joon-ho. In Parasite, the enduring question is: who is the parasite — the … Continue reading Marx’s madness: Why ‘Parasite’ explains everything, basically →

Westfailure: How the Kanye Presidency might turn out if Ye is not careful

‘Be more specific.’ This phrase, once uttered by Ye (the artist formerly known as Kanye West) is mentioned countless times by advisers and journalists in the statements to the press given by Pusha T (nicknamed King Push) upon the inauguration of Ye to the Presidency of the United States of America. From Ye’s Telegram account, … Continue reading Westfailure: How the Kanye Presidency might turn out if Ye is not careful →

A modern Achilles: The savings glut and the paradox of capitalist development

I would like to consider a paradox. On the one hand, prices are driven by demand for the product, and thus for the expenditure of savings from the income of labour. On the other hand, prices are shaped by the accumulation of savings which are diverted from ordinary spending to extraordinary spending on financial commodities. … Continue reading A modern Achilles: The savings glut and the paradox of capitalist development →

Labour without complications: Theses on the new proletarian economy

It has occurred to me the world is indelibly stupid and so, probably, am I. Friedrich Engels, colleague and interpreter of Marx. My theory is as follows: economic precarity makes people say what they really think because the energy they would spend self-censoring is instead spent on grinding / grifting / gigging / etc. Therefore, … Continue reading Labour without complications: Theses on the new proletarian economy →

The Omnicrisis

The world is beset not by one crisis, nor by many crises, but by the crisis of the Whole. The distance between consciousness and subconsciousness has collapsed. Taboo is now broken and reasserted as if it were nothing (well, technically, it is). Institutions are ripped up and put back together again. Crises are asserted and … Continue reading The Omnicrisis →

Technology: The nuclear DNA of social evolution

First published in August 2022. I would like to propose a sociology which mimics both physics and biology in its emphasis on the molecular code of relational life. Everything is connected to everything else in the web of reality, but certain elements ‘code’ for other elements, like how a recipe ‘codes’ for the food that … Continue reading Technology: The nuclear DNA of social evolution →

Tenet, temporal geopolitics, and Elon Musk’s East-West gambit

Who is Elon Musk? Iron Man? No, too boring. The new Steve Jobs? No, too interesting. The new Christopher Nolan? More like it. Let me explain. East meets West: Elon Musk and Ye (The Artist Formerly Known As Kanye West). In Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, admired by engineers in Elon Musk’s line of work, a war … Continue reading Tenet, temporal geopolitics, and Elon Musk’s East-West gambit →