KPFA - Against the Grain

What can the work of Karl Marx tell us about the world we live in, beset by pandemics, economic distress, and vast inequality? The renowned geographer and radical theorist David Harvey has made answering that question his life’s work — and we on the left are so much richer for it. The post Fund Drive Special: David Harvey on Marxism and Capitalism appeared first on KPFA.

Penn professor Paul Goldin discusses the Chinese philosophical text “Tao Te Ching,” which has inspired and intrigued readers for more than two millennia. And we offer as a thank-you gift Ursula Le Guin’s acclaimed rendition of the text. The post Fund Drive Special: Tao Te Ching appeared first on KPFA.

The acclaimed physician Gabor Maté believes that capitalist society damages us at an early age and that we carry that trauma through our lives—making us alienated, sick, and often prone to destructive behaviors. Maté draws from his remarkable background and radical commitments to provide us with tremendous insights into the maladies that are the norm in our society. His deeply humanistic work is featured in an award-winning documentary film. The post Fund Drive Special: Gabor Mate on Trauma appeared first on KPFA.

The acclaimed physician Gabor Maté believes that capitalist society damages us at an early age and that we carry that trauma through our lives—making us alienated, sick, and often prone to destructive behaviors. Maté draws from his remarkable background and radical commitments to provide us with tremendous insights into the maladies that are the norm in our society. His deeply humanistic work is featured in an award-winning documentary film. The post Fund Drive Special: Moving Beyond Trauma appeared first on KPFA.

In the award-winning film “Aware,” six thinkers weigh in on the nature of consciousness. The post Fund Drive Special: On Consciousness appeared first on KPFA.

Oakland’s Police Department has been a poster child for abusive and violent law enforcement. But award-winning journalist Darwin BondGraham argues that the OPD is exceptional only because of the scrutiny it’s received. He discusses the department’s history from the Red Scare of the 1920s to the Black Panthers in the 1960s to Occupy Oakland in 2011 and beyond, highlighting the ways activists and others have fought to hold the police department accountable against the odds. Resources: Ali Winston and Darwin BondGraham, The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-up in Oakland Atria Books, 2023 Photograph by Pete Rosos The post Resisting Police Reform in Oakland appeared first on KPFA.

A number of things are bad for your health. Is economic inequality one of them? According to Stephen Bezruchka, U.S. population health lags behind that of dozens of other countries for two main reasons: extreme economic inequality and a lack of government support directed at early life. (Encore presentation.) Stephen Bezruchka, Inequality Kills Us All: COVID-19’s Health Lessons for the World Routledge, 2022 (Image on main page by AllaSerebrina.) The post Inequality’s Impact on Health appeared first on KPFA.

Atlanta is a pivotal city for reasons cultural, economic, and political. And so the changes that the city and metropolitan area have undergone since the 1990s have been consequential, deepening class and racial inequality. As Dan Immergluck points out, these shifts were not the inevitable product of market forces, but the result of political decisions. He lays out the lessons that can been drawn from the gentrification of Atlanta. (Encore presentation.) Resources: Dan Immergluck, Red Hot City: Housing, Race, and Exclusion in Twenty-First-Century Atlanta UC Press, 2022 The post The Gentrification of Atlanta appeared first on KPFA.

What does May Day, as an anarchist and socialist political project, commemorate? Nicolas Lampert and Paul Buhle share historical background; Cindy Milstein reviews anarchist principles; Richard Lichtman considers what Marx called alienation; and Paul C. Gray discusses the importance of identifying workers’ issues of concern and creating democratic structures. (Image on main page by Washington Area Spark.) The post May Day Meanings appeared first on KPFA.

The experience of awe — of a sense of vast, mysterious wonderment — may feel beyond classification or definition. But recently, awe as an emotion has been deeply probed, and the results are fascinating. Scientist Dacher Keltner, who has pioneered the study of awe, argues that awe allows us to make connections that break down our sense of isolation and can lead to more cooperative ways of seeing and being in the world. (Full-length interview.) Resources: Dacher Keltner, Awe: The New Science of Everyday Wonder and How It Can Transform Your Life Penguin Press, 2023 Photo credit: Natalie Keltner-McNeil The post Dacher Keltner on Awe appeared first on KPFA.