By Vicky Cookies, a Marxist writer from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Over the past year, Vicky has worked with activists, students, Muslims, Quakers, and Marxist-Leninists to raise awareness about the genocide in Gaza, and to put pressure on people. The last grade Vicky graduated was 8th
Kamala Harris’ recent, yet natural, happiness shows just how great the desire for something to believe in is in a world full of chaos, crisis, and, often, bad news.
I have good news for us: The nakedness of Capitalism is one of those rare Good Things, its clear value is still alive in rational thinking, and our greatest criticism in the statement. The effort to support the site is a cause in which we would be happy to participate. The vibes may not always be happy, but the content, the policy, the meat, it’s all there. So please go to the donation page and support this worthy effort.
A few months ago, Naked Capitalism survived a ham-fisted, automated attempt to monetize the Google Adsense algorithm. Thankfully, the same strong commitment to fact-checking and close reading that makes the site’s content so valuable has helped repel the attacks, which should be celebrated.
We cannot however be too comfortable in thinking that NC is invincible. The hardworking writers and moderators of the site are counting on you and me to continue their diligent work. The Tip Jar, over there to your right, beckons.
A World Without Naked Capitalism
To highlight the disturbing contrast between Naked Capitalism and the platform, let’s briefly examine the media landscape, a dystopian one to be sure. The mass media can be characterized by concentration, bias, and dishonesty, and the consciousness of the PMC class. Entertainment, distraction, and advertising monetization are their main activities outside of election years; in those sad years, the promotion of hatred and group unity gave them purpose.
Before discovering Naked Capitalism, like Columbus, my news feed consisted mainly of these news sources, and the few remaining sites left to me by my ex-communist father. They were unhappy, desolate days. Readers are urged to recall those inky, dark moments: where did you wander in the desert? Sometimes, I’ll browse the Independent, for a series nostalgie de la boue; it’s like using a papyrus scroll or other ancient technology: one is immediately grateful for the time-saving advances made. It is this attitude that we must allow to motivate us to give generously; the Tip Jar, too, is there.
What we have
Both regular writers and daily commentariat create a journalistic and intellectual atmosphere that is immediately visible, honest reporting of the institutional entropy that defines our age and a contribution to the evidence collected historically of Homo Sapiens as a creature – while also creating the truth. TV, demining the planet, and making a continuous war – real efforts to understand the world together; NC hosts the views of those whose views are to be considered.
This author is based on the careful analysis of Yves Smith, Conor Gallagher and Lambert Strether, and enriched by the wild memories and wisdom of Amfortas the hippie, the words about the British ruling class of Colonel Smithers, and the songs and wisdom of Wukchimi. Polar Socialist, Terry Flynn, DJG, Reality Czar (from his undisclosed location); Rev Kev, Aurelian, IMDoc, Rob Urie, Michael Hudson, and the rest of our cast provide incredible breadth, depth and detail.
In a society like this, what are the few giants, anyway? Think again about the Tip Jar, and what its name means: remember the saying that if a person can’t tip, they can’t eat out.
We must express our gratitude for Lambert’s spelunking into the black abyss of the COVID-19 wastewater data and the spread of general election, evolution over time, and life-saving ideas. With Yves posting articles that are surprisingly suggestive and hopeful as an exercise in close reading and critical thinking we should also open our hearts and wallets.
I apologize for the outburst.
Not Just Good Commenting – Fearless Commenting
NC has been consistent, timely, and clear in its views on Israel’s genocide of the Palestinians, and bold in its writers’ responses to the future prospects of that God-forsaken piece of land. For this, I am very grateful, myself; for the past 10 months (and counting) I have had Palestinian friends on the streets, in City Halls, and on university lawns. Anyone can check the archives from last October and see the clarity of our hosts on this matter. Although it is easier than living in Gaza, it has not been easy to share these views: many have lost their jobs, or been beaten and imprisoned. Having had to deal with the police many times since then, this unrelenting writing has earned my respect.
From the point of view of those of us who have been involved in organizing events, and raising awareness for the purposes of expressing solidarity with the Palestinians, Naked Capitalism has been supporting Palestine in the way that Che Guevara noted that “truth is Marxist”. A commitment to intellectual integrity, to analysis that requires a strong and rigorous constitution, contributes raw knowledge and meaning that helps create grounded, rational plans. Bad analysis leads to bad strategies, which is why I rely heavily on Naked Capitalism
Admittedly parochial, I would say that Naked Capitalism is one, perhaps, of the leading light among the networks of writers and intellectuals whose thinking, in a roundabout way, helps to inform movements like this one. Most of the participants, who attend our meeting from time to time, do not have the time or inclination to search and use the tools made available by Yves, Lambert, Conor et. al., and description; many get their stories and views from TikTok. Those of us in such a position can have a little influence by presenting the facts and opinions offered here. It seems appropriate, and it will be the subject of some research in one of the writing projects I am doing, to investigate the last sources of information and ideas that make their way into the “content” that makes up the media spaces of many organizers and protestors. Having been in both roles, I can say that in my case, Naked Capitalism, and the networks it belongs to (check out the blog post, and the many links in the comments section posts) are an excellent resource; I suspect I’m not alone in this across the US and elsewhere.
This does not mean that without Naked Capitalism, the movement would not exist; It’s just that Naked Capitalism is the best example of what the writing community can do for the people’s movement in general.
That’s why I’m donating the dough, folks. Please join me at Jar Tip.
I look forward to reading with you all for years to come.
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