Houston: Politics of a Boomtown  

In the fall of 1980 a half dozen huge new office buildings, ranging from trapezoidal to octagonal in shape, are thrusting upward to join Houston’s crowded downtown skyline. These edifices, with most of their space already leased to corporate clients, …



Our First Serious Fascist?  

Lyndon LaRouche, whatever one thinks of his politics, has at least brought a modicum of excitement to the political scene. John Anderson, who recently gained such wide support, is only new as a candidate for the presidency; his opinions, except …



The Polish Workers  

The Polish workers fought for themselves and their families and won a victory for all of us. In coming issues of Dissent we will try to report extensively on the social basis and political meaning of that victory. Here (we …



Memorial to Spain  

On April 13. 1980, a meeting was held at the College of the City of New York at which a plaque was unveiled to honor the students of CCNY who died fighting fascism in Spain. Among the speakers was Joseph …



Hispanics and the Sunbelt  

The Spanish-speaking population constitutes the fastest growing minority group in the United States. The annual growth rate for this group is 2.7 percent, a figure that translates into a doubling, within some 25 years, of the present Hispanic population of …



To the Auto Workers’ Union  

This past June, at Anaheim, California, the United Automobile Workers’ Union held its 26th constitutional convention. Almost a third of its membership has been left jobless as a result of the recession and the poor planning of the auto corporations. …



The Miltie Show  

I have been doing a slow burn over the Miltie Show on television. With his pixielike smile you have to call him “uncle Millie.” You cannot possibly think of him as Professor Milton Friedman, Nobel Prize winner in Economics and …



The Union Movement in the Southwest  

The history of the labor movement in the South is varied and colorful, though little known. The first Southern unions were formed in the major cities early in the 19th century, especially in the building and printing trades. Shortly after …



Sartre in Our Time  

After the initial surprise this sort of news causes, I felt a resigned melancholy at the death of Jean-Paul Sartre. I was living in Paris during those years after World War II when his glory and influence were at their …



Male Soap Opera  

Long after it should be dead at the box office, Kramer vs. Kramer is still thriving. It is not hard to figure out why. Kramer vs. Kramer is a film with a subject to wrench the heart—a failed New York …



The Spirit of Utopia  

Utopia seems deader than a doornail—no better proof than the recent long academic monographs about its history. Yet, the spirit of utopia erupts again and again in the least expected places. While we are sophisticated to the point of scorning …





A Reply to Richard Krouse  

Everyone concerned with the relation of forms of ownership to political equality owes a substantial debt to Richard W. Krouse for his lucid analysis. It invites one to deal with the issues with the greatest clarity one can bring to …



The Last Words of Jean-Paul Sartre  

Shortly before his death last April, Jean-Paul Sartre gave an extended interview–really, a full-scale review of his intellectual career to a young friend, Benny Levy. This interview appeared in Le Nouvel Observateur on March 10, 17, and 24, 1980, and …