Political Media Review

In mid-January, I received a mass email asking me to donate $10 for bottled water and other supplies for participants in an important immigrant rights march in Phoenix.

Michael Moore’s latest documentary is a critique of capitalism- in mainstream theaters- pretty big deal. “Capitalism: A Love Story” starts off comparing the US to the Roman Empire- a fairly easy task. In addition to other commentary, the documentary seems to be focused on the anti-capitalist stance of various Catholic priests, the consequences of the housing crisis, corporate bailouts and, finally, some alternatives in the form of worker-run workplaces.

A collection of essays by and interviews with some of the well-known faces of the anti-capitalist/globalisation movement, including Subcommandante Marcos, Naomi Klein and the McDonalds – trashing Jose Bove, amongst others.

This poetic book of history is about those who found themselves on the wrong side of the American Dream. Specifically, it examines the thoughts by and about the striving, and mostly failing, businessmen who exemplified the ‘entrepreneurial spirit.’

This is a novelized true story by Ann Hansen describing vividly the rise and eventual downfall of the Canadian urban guerrilla group Direct Action. The book is engaging from the start, opening with a dramatic police ambush.

Brilliant debunking of anything you thought was ever good about corporations (which may not have been much). Bakan goes through the rise of the entity of the corporation, from its humble beginnings a mere 150 years ago, to the Globe-strangling monster that it is today.

After reading No Logo, you may feel that Bill Hicks was understating things a little: by the end of the first chapter you’ll be en route to the nearest McDonalds with a crate of Molotov cocktails. No Logo is a book about brands, which means it’s a book about popular culture – Golden Arches, the Nike “swoosh”, Tommy Hilfiger jackets and Starbucks coffee. It’s about the television you watch and the newspapers you read, the theme parks you visit and the films you go to see. It’s about magazines and rock music, universities and the Internet. In short, it’s a book about everyday reality – or, rather, what lies behind it.