A People's Guide to Capitalism
A study guide of Hadas Thier’s 2018 book ‘A People's Guide to Capitalism.’
Praxis
Thier states that the abolishment of capitalist structures is a collective effort. What are some ways, big or small, that you can organize for collective action against capitalist structures in your own community?
Have there been times in your life where you found yourself blaming fellow working-class people for oppressive capitalist structures such as exploitation, rather than your shared oppressor? What kinds of rhetoric have you seen and heard in your own life and in the media that perpetuates these ideas?
What organizations in your community are taking anti-capitalist action? Are you able to volunteer at or donate to these organizations?
How have you observed exploitation under capitalism in your own life, whether against yourself or someone else? How have your different identities impacted your experience under capitalism?
What messaging have you internalized about other countries from the capitalist lens? Do you see other countries as “underdeveloped” compared to the more “developed” countries or “underdeveloped” by those more “developed” countries? How do you see these different perceptions and stereotypes displayed in media, news, and other areas of your life?
Additional Readings
From Marx to Gramsci by Paul le Blanc (our study guide here)
For more on redlining: Race for Profit: How Banks and the Real Estate Industry Undermined Black Ownership by Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor