Liza
Thursday, October 17 7:30 pm
FORUM
Anti-Capitalist Entrepreneurs
Radicalism in the Marketplace
Jeff Ballinger, Colin Robinson & Others TBA
Radicals are right to be skeptical about the notion of ³corporate responsibility² - after all, union-busters from Ben & Jerry's to Wal-Mart have claimed to be ³doing well by doing good.² But does that mean leftists should avoid business enterprise altogether?
Some say no. "Socialist Entrepreneurship," a term borrowed from Kevin Danaher of Global Exchange, reflects a belief that radical projects should be self-sustaining, and even profitable. After all, how do most progressive organizations survive? Some rely on the goodwill of generous (rich) individuals. Others get cozy with foundations, often compromising their radical ideals to accommodate ruling class notions of ³social change.² ³Socialist Entrepreneurship² rejects these dysfunctional relationships, instead asserting that by engaging the marketplace, we can change it. Is that possible? Can we fight capitalism by becoming capitalists?
Speakers will include Colin Robinson, longtime publisher of profitable anti-capitalist books (first at Verso and now the New Press), and Jeff Ballinger, a leading anti-sweatshop activist and co-founder of No Sweat Apparel, which will sell clothing made by workers in independent unions around the world. The discussion will be moderated by Doug Henwood, editor of the Left Business Observer and author of Wall Street: How it Works and for Whom?
Socialist/Capitalist Sliding Scale: $6/$75/$150
122 West 27th Street, New York, NY 10001 - info at brechtforum.org
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