Captain Swing
@cptnswing.bsky.social
I like political theory, history, and baseball. Writing about the history of slavery in the Americas and Jewish messianic movements
"The Old world... is running up like parchment in the fire." Gerrard Winstanley
June 15, 2025 at 11:00 PM
"The Old world... is running up like parchment in the fire." Gerrard Winstanley
"It is up to us that every day of social childbirth have this grandeur and joy..." Communard Jules Valles, March 29, 1871
May 27, 2025 at 10:23 PM
"It is up to us that every day of social childbirth have this grandeur and joy..." Communard Jules Valles, March 29, 1871
The world just screams and falls apart
May 27, 2025 at 10:20 PM
The world just screams and falls apart
Reposted by Captain Swing
"White genocide" has been a longstanding American myth, going back to the early Republic, when some of the new country's most famous names claimed that Native Americans needed to be exterminated because they had committed genocide against a lost (and fictitious) white race of Mound Builders.
Unreal: To sustain his lie about a "genocide" of "white farmers" while meeting with the South African president, Trump used a photo of war deaths in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
I looked into this a bit more. It's worse than it first appeared. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/1956...
I looked into this a bit more. It's worse than it first appeared. 1/
(new piece)
newrepublic.com/article/1956...
Trump’s Lie about Dead “White Farmers” Just Got Even More Grotesque
That photo he brandished to Cyril Ramaphosa was from the Democratic Republic of Congo—whose refugees the Trump administration is pointedly not welcoming to America.
newrepublic.com
May 24, 2025 at 2:00 PM
"White genocide" has been a longstanding American myth, going back to the early Republic, when some of the new country's most famous names claimed that Native Americans needed to be exterminated because they had committed genocide against a lost (and fictitious) white race of Mound Builders.
Reposted by Captain Swing
@workingclasshistory.com just did two episodes on pirates with the great (historian) Marcus Rediker, go check it out!
May 8, 2025 at 7:09 AM
@workingclasshistory.com just did two episodes on pirates with the great (historian) Marcus Rediker, go check it out!
Americans continue to know nothing about communism (except perhaps american communists and the cia)
May 6, 2025 at 3:55 PM
Americans continue to know nothing about communism (except perhaps american communists and the cia)
Reposted by Captain Swing
Marx: "The less you eat, drink and read books; the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorize, sing, paint ... etc., the more you save—the greater becomes your treasure which neither moths nor dust will devour—your capital. 1/2
May 5, 2025 at 10:33 PM
Marx: "The less you eat, drink and read books; the less you go to the theatre, the dance hall, the public house; the less you think, love, theorize, sing, paint ... etc., the more you save—the greater becomes your treasure which neither moths nor dust will devour—your capital. 1/2
We have it in our power to begin the world over again.
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
May 2, 2025 at 12:48 AM
We have it in our power to begin the world over again.
Thomas Paine
Thomas Paine
Reposted by Captain Swing
“ 'And when everything is at an end give me your hand so that we may begin again from the beginning.' "
www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/v...
www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/v...
Value Theory for the End of the World
Poet, communist, cat-lover, teacher, music critic, roadrunner, critical theorist, Marxist: though not necessarily in this order, Joshua Clover was all those things--and more. To me, however, he was fi...
www.versobooks.com
April 30, 2025 at 4:25 PM
“ 'And when everything is at an end give me your hand so that we may begin again from the beginning.' "
www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/v...
www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/v...
Perhaps the most central contradiction of the moment is that we truly do have the means to provide a good life for everyone on earth. And a small class of people are fighting harder than ever to make that impossible
April 30, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Perhaps the most central contradiction of the moment is that we truly do have the means to provide a good life for everyone on earth. And a small class of people are fighting harder than ever to make that impossible
Reposted by Captain Swing
ultimately the question is not is Donald Trump popular but can you organize the anger against him in a way that matters
April 29, 2025 at 10:28 PM
ultimately the question is not is Donald Trump popular but can you organize the anger against him in a way that matters
Reposted by Captain Swing
“Black Press USA has learned that Trump officials are sending back exhibit items to their rightful owners and dismantling them—starting with the 1960 Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in exhibit.”
blackpressusa.com/the-smithson...
blackpressusa.com/the-smithson...
The Smithsonian PURGE: Trump Team Removes Artifacts of Black Resistance
Critics warn: it’s not just history being erased—it’s identity.
blackpressusa.com
April 25, 2025 at 2:44 PM
“Black Press USA has learned that Trump officials are sending back exhibit items to their rightful owners and dismantling them—starting with the 1960 Woolworth’s lunch counter sit-in exhibit.”
blackpressusa.com/the-smithson...
blackpressusa.com/the-smithson...
Reposted by Captain Swing
Here my colleague Gabe Winant asks "Who governs the University?" We should all be asking this question. These institutions are landlords, healthcare providers, employers, police forces, and educators. They should be democratically governed.
chicagomaroon.com/47073/viewpo...
chicagomaroon.com/47073/viewpo...
Who Governs the University?
With authoritarian threats looming, our campus needs democracy.
chicagomaroon.com
April 23, 2025 at 2:24 PM
Here my colleague Gabe Winant asks "Who governs the University?" We should all be asking this question. These institutions are landlords, healthcare providers, employers, police forces, and educators. They should be democratically governed.
chicagomaroon.com/47073/viewpo...
chicagomaroon.com/47073/viewpo...
Reposted by Captain Swing
Trump is sticking with Hegseth because he can count on Hegseth to order American troops to fire on American citizens.
April 22, 2025 at 8:35 PM
Trump is sticking with Hegseth because he can count on Hegseth to order American troops to fire on American citizens.
Reposted by Captain Swing
The White House doesn’t care about Garcia’s legal status because they’re not enforcing immigration law—they’re conducting ethnic cleansing.
They can’t justify their actions legally, but they don’t think they need to.
They can’t justify their actions legally, but they don’t think they need to.
April 18, 2025 at 4:14 PM
The White House doesn’t care about Garcia’s legal status because they’re not enforcing immigration law—they’re conducting ethnic cleansing.
They can’t justify their actions legally, but they don’t think they need to.
They can’t justify their actions legally, but they don’t think they need to.
"My good friends, things cannot go on well in England, nor ever will until everything shall be in common, when there shall be neither vassal nor lord, and all distinctions levelled; when the lords shall be no more masters than ourselves." John Ball, English Priest, leader of the 1381 peasant revolt
April 18, 2025 at 3:48 PM
"My good friends, things cannot go on well in England, nor ever will until everything shall be in common, when there shall be neither vassal nor lord, and all distinctions levelled; when the lords shall be no more masters than ourselves." John Ball, English Priest, leader of the 1381 peasant revolt
Reposted by Captain Swing
disabled people deserve to live fulfilling lives no matter their productivity to society
April 16, 2025 at 10:31 PM
disabled people deserve to live fulfilling lives no matter their productivity to society
Reposted by Captain Swing
Historians: Quibbling Over Exact Definition Of Concentration Camp Sign Of Healthy Society
Historians: Quibbling Over Exact Definition Of Concentration Camp Sign Of Healthy Society
NEW HAVEN, CT—Calling such concern for linguistic precision a clear indicator of a thriving country, a panel of historians from Yale University issued a statement Thursday announcing that quibbling ov...
theonion.com
April 17, 2025 at 4:59 PM
Historians: Quibbling Over Exact Definition Of Concentration Camp Sign Of Healthy Society
Reposted by Captain Swing
This take has been common & completely wrong. The lack of system redesign & even coherently discussing system redesign led us to this moment. If anything, what has been illustrated is the weakness of CB independence as a concept. It can't even protect payments! Will write about it in the next month
A hundred anti-neoliberal academics over the last decade: "I sure wish someone would break the taboo that protects central bank independence and make monetary policy explicitly political."
[one short finger on the monkey's paw curls]
[one short finger on the monkey's paw curls]
April 17, 2025 at 5:51 PM
This take has been common & completely wrong. The lack of system redesign & even coherently discussing system redesign led us to this moment. If anything, what has been illustrated is the weakness of CB independence as a concept. It can't even protect payments! Will write about it in the next month
"No freemen shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or exiled or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him nor send upon him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land."
Thanks Magna Carta. I like not having a god king.
avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/mag...
Thanks Magna Carta. I like not having a god king.
avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/mag...
The Avalon Project : Magna Carta
avalon.law.yale.edu
April 17, 2025 at 5:14 PM
"No freemen shall be taken or imprisoned or disseised or exiled or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him nor send upon him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or by the law of the land."
Thanks Magna Carta. I like not having a god king.
avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/mag...
Thanks Magna Carta. I like not having a god king.
avalon.law.yale.edu/medieval/mag...
Reposted by Captain Swing
Chicago! tomorrow! Lawyers and law profs and doctors and science profs and historians and more, fighting for public goods!
in Chicago, join us at UIC for a teach-in against the assault on Science, Humanities, and Freedom, with an incredible roster of teachers!
April 16, 2025 at 7:30 PM
Chicago! tomorrow! Lawyers and law profs and doctors and science profs and historians and more, fighting for public goods!
Reposted by Captain Swing
Allowing individual police districts to arbitrarily set curfews is a terrible policy proposal.
This will inevitably lead to unnecessary arrests & civil rights violations that taxpayers will end up having to pay for.
chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/20...
This will inevitably lead to unnecessary arrests & civil rights violations that taxpayers will end up having to pay for.
chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/20...
Chicago police could impose last-minute 'snap curfews' under new City Council proposal
Ald. Brian Hopkins told colleagues he would back off after "working with the superintendent's office" on an alternative to an 8 p.m. curfew for minors in the downtown area.
chicago.suntimes.com
April 16, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Allowing individual police districts to arbitrarily set curfews is a terrible policy proposal.
This will inevitably lead to unnecessary arrests & civil rights violations that taxpayers will end up having to pay for.
chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/20...
This will inevitably lead to unnecessary arrests & civil rights violations that taxpayers will end up having to pay for.
chicago.suntimes.com/city-hall/20...
Trump confirms my belief that the Articles of Confederation were superior to the Constitution and that we've been fed lies to convince us otherwise. What I'd give to not have an executive branch right about now...
April 16, 2025 at 1:09 AM
Trump confirms my belief that the Articles of Confederation were superior to the Constitution and that we've been fed lies to convince us otherwise. What I'd give to not have an executive branch right about now...