Author: The abolitionist

I come from a working-class background. My lost paid job was a teacher, substituting for a number of years before obtaining a permanent position. I obtained my doctorate in 2009. I am an unapologetic critic of capitalism and the way in which various institutions and ideologies reinforce it.

The Reality of Police Action: The Use of Force Against a 95-year Old Woman

I read an article on Saturday, May 20, in the Toronto Star newspaper. I mentioned this to my wife, who was shocked and began to cry (her mother is 85). John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, commented on this article recently, and added a link to the Guardian's account. John … Continue reading The Reality of Police Action: The Use of Force Against a 95-year Old Woman →

What Are Some Organizational Models (and Sources) of Class and Community Struggle?

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently requested information about different models of class (and, presumably, community) struggle. Apart from the Leninist democratic centralist model, what are some other models? Sources? John Clarke This is one of my appeals for ideas and sources. We are clearly living at a … Continue reading What Are Some Organizational Models (and Sources) of Class and Community Struggle? →

Class Harmony and Social Reformism: The United Way as a Reformist Organization, Part Two

This is the continuation of a previous post. In the first post, I looked critically at the web site of the United Way Centraide Canada. The following post looks critically at one of its branch publications, Rebalancing the Opportunity Equation (May, 2019), by United Way Greater Toronto. The publication contains many implicit statements that illustrate … Continue reading Class Harmony and Social Reformism: The United Way as a Reformist Organization, Part Two →

Police and the Poorer Sections of the Working Class

John Clarke, former major organizer of the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP), recently wrote on Facebook: I hate seeing cops persecute those they have targeted based on racism or the selection of the visibly poor. It's difficult to play a useful role in these situations. I have had a couple of bad experiences where my … Continue reading Police and the Poorer Sections of the Working Class →

The Courts (and the Rule of Law) as Oppressive

John Clarke, former major organizer for the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty, has this recently to say on Facebook about the nature of courts--which the radical left simply often ignores: John Clarke The judicial wing of the state plays a huge role in wielding the repressive power of the state. The criminal courts, interwoven with the … Continue reading The Courts (and the Rule of Law) as Oppressive →

Critique of a Book Used by Many Psychologists and Psychiatrists to Oppress Patients, Part Two

Introduction This is  the second part of a five-part series of posts that criticize a book that serves to oppress individuals, whether they have mental health problems or not. As I indicated in another post (A Worker’s Resistance to the Capitalist Government or State and Its Representatives, Part Nine), I engaged in a partial critique of … Continue reading Critique of a Book Used by Many Psychologists and Psychiatrists to Oppress Patients, Part Two →

The Limitations of Social Democracy, or Social Democracy as Possibily the Lesser Evil

John Clarke, fomrer major organizer for Ontario Coalition Against Poverty,  posted on Facebook yesterday the following: John Clarke Watching social democratic parties operate today, makes you appreciate that the political tendency they represent was at its most effective at a time of relative class compromise, when they could give working class people some of what … Continue reading The Limitations of Social Democracy, or Social Democracy as Possibily the Lesser Evil →

The Primary Function of the Police: To Maintain Social Order

I have criticized the views of John Clarke, a former major organizer for the poverty organization Ontario Coalition Against Poverty (OCAP). However, he has written some interesting posts on Facebook, which indicat a welcome change of position. Thus, I read the following today on Facebook: John Clarke Watching police in London move, on the shabbiest … Continue reading The Primary Function of the Police: To Maintain Social Order →

The Rate of Exploitation of Workers at Stantec, One of the Largest Private Employers in Edmonton, Or: How Unionized Jobs Are Not Decent or Good Jobs

Introduction In three others posts I presented a list of some of the largest employers in various cities (such as Toronto and Calgary) according to level of employment (see A Short List of the Largest Employers in Toronto, Ontario, Canada),  and A Short List of the Largest Employers Based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, Based on … Continue reading The Rate of Exploitation of Workers at Stantec, One of the Largest Private Employers in Edmonton, Or: How Unionized Jobs Are Not Decent or Good Jobs →