Posts Tagged neoliberalism

By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 10 years ago

The sharing economy, gender, and why individualistic solutions won’t disrupt neoliberalism

Especially if you live in a bigger city, you might have been been hearing a lot about the “sharing economy” — the all-encompassing name given to the economic system propped up by a set of services that are popping up for people to share and monetize their private assets, from their apartments with Airbnb to their cars with Lyft. There is a ton of excitement about it out of the Silicon Valley, and “sharing economy” evangelizers appear to see this as a disruption of current economies and cash flows — a democratization, a decentralization of wealth and power. But is that really the case? And where do structural factors like race and gender fit in?

Especially if you live in a bigger city, you might have been been hearing a lot about the “sharing economy” — the all-encompassing name given to the economic system propped up by a set of ...

Im-not-victim-blaming-She-just-shouldnt-have-walked-down-there-on-her-own
By Alexandra Brodsky • 11 years ago

Feministing Chat: Individualism, violence, and victim blaming

At this point, the cycle is familiar. A commentator writes an article telling women how they can avoid rape through individualistic, ineffective methods. Dress conservatively! Shout loudly! Stay sober! The piece never addresses how we, as a community, can resist violence, and it shifts the focus from perpetrators’ wrongdoings to the “mistakes” of survivors. In response, the feminist internet rises up to condemn the victim-blaming. The fury dies down and, a few weeks later, another, similar article emerges again.

In these reactive conversations, we rarely get the chance to dig deeper and proactively consider the roots and harms of victim blaming. We sat down (at our individual computers, thousands of miles from ...

At this point, the cycle is familiar. A commentator writes an article telling women how they can avoid rape through individualistic, ineffective methods. Dress conservatively! Shout loudly! Stay sober! The piece never addresses ...
By Verónica Bayetti Flores • 11 years ago

Has feminism really become capitalism’s handmaiden?

Has feminism become capitalism’s handmaiden? That’s what Nancy Fraser argues in a really fascinating piece over at The Guardian, claiming that feminist ideas have been used in the rise of neoliberalism:

In a cruel twist of fate, I fear that the movement for women’s liberation has become entangled in a dangerous liaison with neoliberal efforts to build a free-market society. That would explain how it came to pass that feminist ideas that once formed part of a radical worldview are increasingly expressed in individualist terms. Where feminists once criticised a society that promoted careerism, they now advise women to “lean in”. A movement that once prioritised social solidarity now celebrates female entrepreneurs. A perspective that once valorised “care” and ...

Has feminism become capitalism’s handmaiden? That’s what Nancy Fraser argues in a really fascinating piece over at The Guardian, claiming that feminist ideas have been used in the rise of neoliberalism:

In a cruel twist of ...