The Third Rail

The Third Rail

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Racism is no illusion. "Racecraft" is.
Why race is like Santa Claus—a pervasive myth we love to convince each other of.
Aug 31, 2020 • 
Cedrick-Michael Simmons
22

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Racism is no illusion. "Racecraft" is.
4
Confessions of a Failed Journalist
An American worker's story.
Aug 24, 2020 • 
Ryan Zickgraf
11

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Confessions of a Failed Journalist
4
Don’t laugh, GameStop really is Occupy Wall Street 2.0
The Left ignores it at its own peril.
Feb 3, 2021 • 
Ryan Zickgraf
11

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Don’t laugh, GameStop really is Occupy Wall Street 2.0
1
The quest for the mythical "class reductionist"
Sorry, but Bernie, Briahna, Bhaskar, and others don't dismiss racism—they just believe in universal solutions for a more equitable future.
Aug 19, 2020 • 
Ben Burgis
17

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The quest for the mythical "class reductionist"
13
The political awakening of Michael K. Williams
The late actor's activism was stubbornly local and focused on substantive change over symbolism.
Sep 8, 2021 • 
Ryan Zickgraf
12

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The political awakening of Michael K. Williams
Halloween is the canary in the coal mine of our civic decline
Trick-or-treating participation is a good measure of community and neighborhood trust. The 2021 numbers are bad.
Nov 1, 2021 • 
Ryan Zickgraf
5

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Halloween is the canary in the coal mine of our civic decline
The Metaverse™ is dead. Long live the metaverse.
How Mark Zuckerberg's virtual playland helps disguise the fact that America already is the metaverse.
Oct 13, 2022 • 
Ryan Zickgraf
11

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The Metaverse™ is dead. Long live the metaverse.
Will the Real Right-Wing Populists Please Stand Up?
Talk is cheap when it comes to the politics of Steve Bannon and Tucker Carlson.
Aug 5, 2020 • 
Ben Burgis
11

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Will the Real Right-Wing Populists Please Stand Up?
3
The struggle for the history of class struggle
At a time when history is contested, some figures are more hidden than others.
Dec 7, 2021 • 
Ryan Zickgraf
12

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The struggle for the history of class struggle
1
The 18th Anniversary of the Most Important Election of Our Lifetime
November 2004 was supposed to be the endgame of elections yet no one remembers it.
Nov 7, 2022 • 
Ryan Zickgraf
11

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The 18th Anniversary of the Most Important Election of Our Lifetime
An anti-Hillbilly Elegy
Why the memoir I wrote for Jacobin isn't like the kind you'd read from J.D. Vance
Aug 25, 2021 • 
Ryan Zickgraf
8

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An anti-Hillbilly Elegy
1
The "blackwashing" of the fine art world
What does it mean when the world’s second-richest art dealer, David Zwirner, lends his capital and influence to the creation of an “all-black” art…
Oct 26, 2020 • 
Adam Lehrer
5

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The "blackwashing" of the fine art world
1
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