Against the Grain – September 15, 2004
A conversation about the netherworld between childhood and adulthood with Linda Perlstein, author of Not Much Just Chillin’: The Hidden World of Middle Schoolers.
12:00 PM Pacific Time: Mondays - Wednesdays
Acclaimed program of ideas, in-depth analysis, and commentary on a variety of matters—political, economic, social, and cultural—important to progressive and radical thinking and activism. Against the Grain is co-produced and co-hosted by Sasha Lilley and C. S. Soong.
A conversation about the netherworld between childhood and adulthood with Linda Perlstein, author of Not Much Just Chillin’: The Hidden World of Middle Schoolers.
Paying for Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart is famous for low prices and substandard wages — but who really pays for what the giant retailer does to its workers? A recent report co-authored by Arin Dube says we taxpayers do. Scott Klinger of United for a Fair Economy discusses CEO compensation and the myth of the self-made millionaire.
A conversation about auto industry politics and alternatives to petroleum-powered cars — such as electrical vehicles, natural gas vehicles and hybrid cars — with Bluewater Network’s Russell Long and Rainforest Action Network’s Michael Brune.
A Step Forward? A week of marches, rallies, direct action and collective outrage in New York City culminated in … what? Did progressives win a big victory during RNC week — or any victory at all? A31’s Tim Doody, veteran agitator Starhawk, media activist Doyle Canning, and Hany Khalil of UFPJ offer their reflections and … Continued
A discussion about black women’s sexuality with Tricia Rose, author of Longing to Tell.
What does it mean to witness the dying and death of a loved one? Richard Lichtman has written a memoir about his father’s illness and passing, as well as a broader critique of aging and death under modern capitalism.
What will happen to the Supreme Court if Bush wins — or if Kerry does? Also, what if a simple, additional tax on California’s rich would solve the state’s budget woes? Edward Lazarus, author and former Supreme Court clerk, and John Bachar, co-author of a tax-the-rich proposal, join the program.
A conversation about the money behind the Republican and Democratic National Conventions and the Bush, Kerry and Nader campaigns with Alex Knott from the Center for Public Integrity and Michelle Ciarrocca from the Arms Trade Resource Center.
Attempts to privatize power, from South Korea to Canada to Russia, have met with strong resistance from workers. Trade unionist Bruno Silano and energy economist Gene Coyle talk about privatization and its discontents.
Left Behind? Neoliberalism has accomplished a shocking upward redistribution of wealth. Lisa Duggan contends that the right, much more than the left, has successfully connected its economic goals with cultural and identity-based politics. If progressives and radicals don’t respond in kind, she argues, a vibrant and truly expansive left will be impossible to construct.