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A review by bernrr
We Own the Future: Democratic Socialism—American Style by Peter Dreier, Michael Kazin, Kate Aronoff
4.0
A very good primer on the policy positions of the DSA, and one that has convinced me that socialism (in some form) and democracy are a good pairing. The essays are diverse in scope and subject (and readability, though most are solid), leading to an overall sense that while there may be discrete policies that could be enacted to advance DSA values, the writers share a refreshingly holistic sense of the changes that need to be made.
Whether the U.S. is ready for these is another question, not really addressed, and it's may be beside the point--the policies advocated in these essays could end certain types of bureaucratic and institutional hypocrisy and racism that have been shrugged off as unalterable during my entire life. One hopes their specificity and indicated values might help break down the boogeyman label of "socialism" as a scare tactic in our politics, though I'm afraid that's a long hard road.
PS: possibly the best essay is by Francesca Fiorentini, writing about the situation of the arts and cultural workers in the U.S., of which she says, "What we're left with is what I call 'Coors Light Sharia,' a cultural handmaid's tale that looks a lot like the 2017 presidential inauguration, in which country singer Toby Keith sang his hit 'Beer for My Horses.' Cringe." No doubt at all where she stands.
Whether the U.S. is ready for these is another question, not really addressed, and it's may be beside the point--the policies advocated in these essays could end certain types of bureaucratic and institutional hypocrisy and racism that have been shrugged off as unalterable during my entire life. One hopes their specificity and indicated values might help break down the boogeyman label of "socialism" as a scare tactic in our politics, though I'm afraid that's a long hard road.
PS: possibly the best essay is by Francesca Fiorentini, writing about the situation of the arts and cultural workers in the U.S., of which she says, "What we're left with is what I call 'Coors Light Sharia,' a cultural handmaid's tale that looks a lot like the 2017 presidential inauguration, in which country singer Toby Keith sang his hit 'Beer for My Horses.' Cringe." No doubt at all where she stands.