The Democratic Facade: ‘Practicality’, Identity Reductionism, and the Erosion of Genuine Change

The U.S. political system, particularly during election seasons, is often portrayed as a robust and vibrant democracy where citizens exercise their power through voting. However, beneath this facade lies a deeper narrative of complacency, apathy, and complicity that serves to maintain the status quo. The rhetoric of “practicality,” and the manipulation of identity politics reveal how the democratic process has been co-opted to stifle genuine efforts for systemic change. These dynamics contribute to the erosion of true democratic engagement and reinforce oppressive structures, particularly in the context of global struggles and the perpetuation of colonial systems. The Rhetoric of ‘Practicality’ . . .

Biden and Trump puppets illustrating the election spectacle

The Election Spectacle

Advertisements are ramping up, words are becoming fiercer, and skeletons are coming out of candidates’ closets. This game is nothing new, yet we play it all the time. What does it mean to vote? What does the election spectacle do for us? Within a bourgeois fantasy, it is to elect a person who is totally accountable to the community they represent. I mean . . . this is the ideal, an ideal which has material consequences. The fantasies are, in some perverted way, a reality. The structures and institutions we all engage with organize around these principles rooted in anti-blackness . . .

Reaction to Nancy Pelosi's ill-advised trip to Taiwan

How the US is Using Taiwan to Provoke a War with China

When the US House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, visited Taiwan on 2 August 2022, it predictably enraged China because the island of Taiwan is part of China. The visit was a condescending challenge to China (especially when it was backed up by a U.S. aircraft carrier battle group and military jets).  The Pentagon provided fighter jets as escorts for Pelosi’s congressional visit with an increased US naval presence. Two aircraft carriers, two amphibious assault ships, 36 warships and three submarines were in the vicinity of Taiwan.  US chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Mark Milley, declared that America’s armed . . .

Joe Biden Gaslights Voters With $10,000 Student Loan Forgiveness

Biden Gaslights Us With $10,000 Student Loan Forgiveness

Just as I suspected, Biden is announcing that he will approve the cancellation of $10,000 in federal student loan debt. I guess Biden is expecting some kind of returns on his efforts in the midterm elections, but I seem to recall his campaign promise to “Forgive all undergraduate tuition-related federal student debt from two- and four-year public colleges and universities and private Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs) for debt holders earning up to $125,000.” That’s directly from the Biden/Harris campaign website as confirmed by Politifact and their Biden Promise Tracker (which you should definitely check . . .

Stacey Abrams speaks at a press conference.

Stacey Abrams: Bossed & Bought

In 2020, Stacey Abrams, Jon Ossof, and Raphael Warnock led a coordinated campaign to usurp and ultimately neuter massive amounts of radical potential from Atlanta’s grassroots community. Abrams, who’d just unsuccessfully taken on Brian Kemp for Georgia Governor in 2018, became the face of an effort to boost “minority” voter turnout for the 2020 elections, particularly targeting Black voters in the state. The issue of voting rights became synonymous with her name, and in fact with “saving democracy” as the Democrats framed it; Abrams surprise-opened the highly watched Verzuz battle between ATL rappers Gucci Mane and Jeezy to remind the . . .

Donald Trump and Barack Obama wearing suits and smiling at each other.

The Similar Logic of Trump and Obama Supporters

Since the emergence of Donald Trump as a dominant political figure in U.S. capitalist politics, the narrative coming out of the liberal bourgeoisie has been to criticize the lack of analytical capabilities coming from Trump supporters. For several years now, there has been a consistent focus around the lack of intellectual foundation contained within the thinking of anyone who supports Trump’s and the Republican Party’s thoughts and actions. And, without question, there is overwhelming evidence to support this critique. Even surface level students of history can see clearly the lack of truth coming from Trump supporters with their superficial and . . .