Co-written with Jade Saab.
The global pandemic that we are living through, in its origins and defining features, is very much a product of the capitalist system. Moreover, it has developed along lines that corresponded to the particular stage of capitalist development that we can refer to as the neoliberal period. There are several key elements to be considered in this regard.
I won’t pretend to any impartiality when it comes to bringing down the statues of the ‘great men’ of imperialism and colonialism. Sometimes the authorities are forced to remove these symbols of racist triumphalism under the pressure of grass roots campaigns and, on other occasions, they are dragged down by way of bold and defiant direct actions. Either way, it warms my heart to see them fall.
“With compromise sway we gave in half way
When we saw that rebellion was growing.”
Phil Ochs, The Ringing of Revolution.
Some years ago, when I worked as an organizer with the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), we were contacted by people from Indigenous communities along the north shore of Lake Huron. They were bringing a mass contingent to the Ontario Legislature to demand that a particular social cutback be reversed and we rallied to march in solidarity with them.
In December of last year, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) put out a blog post with the intriguing title of ‘When Inequality is High, Pandemics Can Fuel Social Unrest.” A more detailed working paper can be downloaded from the blog post.
