> Dollars and Sense is a pretty good left econ pub too, but suffers from
> the same low readership problem. The problem is that any Left position
> is mightily unpopular in the US (it is a Dog's country, after all) and
> those who are attracted to it are idealistic/culturalistic types, often
> with upper middle class background, who do not give two shits about how
> the real world really works.
Chris Doss wrote:
> Maybe I'm mistaken, but I think a lot of the US left tends to be big on moralizing and short and facts. Moralizaing's all well and good, but be sure you know what you're talking about first. (Are you listening, Counterpunch?)
>
This is all a bunch of nonsense and helps prove my point about how the Left sells itself short when it comes to spreading and sharing its ideas among the general populaton. The Left has developed all kinds of disempowering mechanisms to discipline members of the Left out of thinking that our ideas could resonate among large sectors of the general population.
The fact is that Left ideas, for the most part, resonate with many Americans. Chomsky and other folks have pointed this out. The popularity of Chomsky and Amy Goodman and other lefties on the bookshelves is one example of the potential that exists. Left news and analysis is in great demand. The traffic for Infoshop News increases every month. CounterPunch operates one of the most popular left websites, mainly because it publishes original analysis of current events that is one of the most in demand forms of content on the Internet. Z Magazine and newer websites such as Dissident Voice are incredibly popular.
This thread is mostly about Left magazines, so let's talk about them. There is lots of interest out there in Left magazines. As Lance points out, you can get several Left magazines at Grand Central Station. Out here in the Kansas City burbs I can go to any corporate bookstore and find the same titles and often other titles such as Clamor, Anarchy, Punk Planet, and Earth First magazine. Readership of Left magazines has declined--echoing the rest of the publishing industry which has lost readers to the new media--but Left magazines are widely available. And they sell well. Tom can tell you about how well Alternative Press Review does on the newstand.
The fact is that there is widespread interest in Left ideas, news and analysis among working Americans. But if we decide in our typical loser mode that we are alone and nobody likes us, then we won't do the things and support the projects that can carry our message to the general population. There is a growing Left media that is comprised of people who understand that people want to hear our opinions. They aren't making excuses, nor are they listening to the usual naysayers.
Nathan Newman wrote:
>So maybe the problem is not the
> conservatism of the American people but the lack of skill of the organizers
> on the left?
No. Which skills are we lacking? The ability to talk to bookbuyers and newstand coordinators? I think one of the main problems is resources. There are many of us, but we don't support our projects like people on the right support theirs. How many of you don't subscribe to a leftist magazines (The Nation doesn't count)? How many of you have donated money to a radical activist organization (NGOs don't count) or a radical publisher? The Right does have a stable of rich dudes who float millions for Right projects. How do we level the playing field?
Lance Murdoch wrote:
> I can buy the Nation in Penn Station. In Grand Central Station I can buy not only the Nation but the Progressive, International Socialist Review, Monthly Review, Z Magazine and so forth. Then there's what you can pick up at Barnes and Noble, never mind May Day books, Revolution Books, Bluestocking Books and so forth. Is there anywhere in New York that the Left Business Observer can be purchased off the newsstand? If you can buy the Anarcho-Syndicalist Review in Grand Central Station, I don't see why you can't buy the LBO.
>
The Nation is a mainstream liberal magazine, so it shouldn't be mentioned when you are talking about the Left alternative press. To some extent Left magazine publishers could do a better job at cultivating newstand sales. But it's more important to build a subscriber base, which may be more relevant to LBO. If LBO wanted to increase newstand sales it would have to have a color cover. And let's not forget that there is limited newstand space for any kind of magazine.
Chuck0