Discussion June 23: The Politics of Inequality Discourse

OUR VIDEO OF THIS MEETING IS NOW POSTED

MHI will sponsor a public discussion on

The Politics of Inequality Discourse

Monday, June 23 at 7:00 p.m.

at Pearl Studios, 500 8th Ave (btwn 35th & 36th Sts.), Manhattan, Rm 403
Outside NYC: we will livestream this meeting—email us by June 22, at mhi@marxisthumanistinitiative.org, for the necessary information

The economy remains very sluggish, five years after the official end of the Great Recession. Leading economists warn about the prospect of long-term stagnation. Mass unemployment has led to stagnant wages and income and to rising poverty, and more than 5 million homes have been lost to foreclosure. Yet in much liberal and left discourse, these problems are increasingly ignored, crowded out by concern over inequality. Why is this happening?

This meeting will explore the politics behind the inequality rage. In his opening talk, Andrew Kliman will suggest that this phenomenon is rooted in acceptance of the permanence of capitalism, and in a failure to listen to the renewed aspirations for a different future that opinion polls and grassroots struggles have brought to light. He will also ask why so many liberals and leftists resist accepting facts that challenge their preconceptions about the extent and causes of increasing inequality, and suggest that lack of concern for truth is a main factor.

Donation requested, but no one will be turned away for inequality of funds.

Andrew Kliman is the author of The Failure of Capitalist Production: Underlying Causes of the Great Recession (Pluto Books, 2012) and Reclaiming Marx’s “Capital”: A Refutation of the Myth of Inconsistency (Lexington Books, 2007).