Politics Forum Reading Group

Yeah let's do this

 

we need Dom! but hell yeah

 

I'm interested.

 

What do you folks want to read?

 

I'm not sure. If we're doing an introduction to radical politics, it might not be a bad idea to start with something short & sweet like the manifesto, but I'm not sure if that's the direction people want to go.

 

Well, if political philosophy is of interest, then we can make a small list of introductory texts, then democratically choose from them. Would that work?

 

Seems like a good idea, if that's the area people are interested in

 

How about the Lies Journal?

For those who want to take a cursory look:

https://libcom.org/files/lies-final-download-single-page.pdf

 

If people are wanting to commit to something that long, for sure. If not, maybe a choice article or two from it?

 

I figured that an essay or to could be picked, and then we can proceed from there. But, I'd be interested in hearing any other recommendations as well.

 

Subbin. @Dominick, I've been re-reading The New Jim Crow, do you have recommendations on similar books?

 

Essay or two a week depending on the length seems like a good pace.

 

I also like the idea of an essay or two each week, with maybe a full book every month or so.

 

I haven't read anything substantial in a minute need to jump back in.

 

Subbin.

excited to learn some things in here.

 

This is my submission for an essay:

Ideology and Ideological State Apparatuses by Louis Althusser 1969-70

Also, the LIES Journal has a bunch of essays if we want to pick one from there as well.

 

How about some Zizek?

 

no zizek imo

 

also LIES is incredible. have yet to read vol II, though my s/o has a copy

 

Could we add thoughtful, non-election, news articles to the reading list? I've seen a few good pieces in the last two months that may be interesting; assuming they're still up.

 

Titles I hope to read this summer:

Days and Nights of Love and War - Eduardo Galeano
Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor - Paul Farmer
The Memoirs of Richard Nixon

 

Not so much politics but history related... anyone read Sarah Vowell? I only know her from Daily Show appearances. Are her books worth reading?

 

Subbing.
Excited for this

 

I don't know if anyone here is interested in learning about the origins of American Congressional gridlock and the poisonous political climate currently dominating our culture, but Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein's book It's Even Worse Than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided With The New Politics of Extremism is a pretty enlightening read. Some pretty surprising things in that book that, when considered together, really do explain a lot of what is going on today in Washington, D.C.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0465031331/?tag=absolutepunk-20