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A review by kayexplores
Feminism for the 99%: A Manifesto by Nancy Fraser, Tithi Bhattacharya, Cinzia Arruzza
3.0
Sending appreciation to the authors of this book for advancing collective thought in this area. As AOC said regarding the Green New Deal, “If you don't like it, then YOU try.”
With that said, I’m likely an ideal target persona for this book, and it didn’t convert me. The major thesis of this book is capitalism is the root of all evil, which felt a little… lazy and oversimplified? There was no talk about actionable steps to move us in a better direction… ie: higher taxes on corporate profits, reallocation of government spending, raising minimum wage, proper climate regulations & funding, stopping war & the funding of the military industrial complex - all of those have to do with proper government oversight, not capitalism.
I don’t know the background of these authors, but I would guess they haven’t spent time in capitalistic corporations. If they did, they may find that capitalism is a tool America & the world isn’t welding appropriately, rather than a personified boogeyman with its own villainous ambitions.
It also seemed odd to me that a book for the majority - the 99% - alienates so many. There was a subtext that the only “good” virtuous people are women with children living in squalor, with everyone else being “bad” and fueling oppression. This is problematic for many reasons.
Lastly, this book struggles with concrete solutions, alternatives, examples, and calls to action. This begs the question that if ideas and examples aren’t readily available, are these really the correct underlying thesis regarding the very real issues of our day outlined that I full heartedly agree with?
Other reviewers call out the concern that this book speaks to peers, rather than those they’d like to convert. I’m one of the latter. I spent a good deal of time trying to find related content on Podcasts & the web to further understand the points made and sadly didn’t have luck.
With that said, I’m likely an ideal target persona for this book, and it didn’t convert me. The major thesis of this book is capitalism is the root of all evil, which felt a little… lazy and oversimplified? There was no talk about actionable steps to move us in a better direction… ie: higher taxes on corporate profits, reallocation of government spending, raising minimum wage, proper climate regulations & funding, stopping war & the funding of the military industrial complex - all of those have to do with proper government oversight, not capitalism.
I don’t know the background of these authors, but I would guess they haven’t spent time in capitalistic corporations. If they did, they may find that capitalism is a tool America & the world isn’t welding appropriately, rather than a personified boogeyman with its own villainous ambitions.
It also seemed odd to me that a book for the majority - the 99% - alienates so many. There was a subtext that the only “good” virtuous people are women with children living in squalor, with everyone else being “bad” and fueling oppression. This is problematic for many reasons.
Lastly, this book struggles with concrete solutions, alternatives, examples, and calls to action. This begs the question that if ideas and examples aren’t readily available, are these really the correct underlying thesis regarding the very real issues of our day outlined that I full heartedly agree with?
Other reviewers call out the concern that this book speaks to peers, rather than those they’d like to convert. I’m one of the latter. I spent a good deal of time trying to find related content on Podcasts & the web to further understand the points made and sadly didn’t have luck.