Recent Labor Struggles Challenge Ruling Class Image of Workers

In this episode of By Any Means Necessary, hosts Sean Blackmon and Jacquie Luqman are joined by Brother Mwalim, Professor of English, Communication, and Black Studies at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and member of the Wampanoag tribe to discuss the anniversary of the occupation of Alcatraz by indigenous activists and how it demonstrated solidarity between indigenous and Black liberation struggles, the mythology of the Thanksgiving holiday and why it's considered a day of mourning among many indigenous people, and the inherent capitalist nature of the process of genocide and colonialism in the US and how that's reflected in the celebration of Thanksgiving. In the second segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by KJ Noh,a scholar, educator and journalist focusing on the political economy and geopolitics of the Asia-Pacific to discuss Kamala Harris' visit to the Philippines and her provocative rhetoric on the South China Sea and China's territorial claims, the radical difference between this rhetoric and the tone struck by joe Biden after his meeting with Xi Jinping at the G20, what the US is interested in disrupting China's ability to trade in the South China Sea, and how this visit plays into the US campaign to wage a new cold war on China and transform East Asia as a theater of war. In the third segment, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Nate Wallace, co-host of Red Spin Sports to discuss the ongoing World Cup and the orientalist coverage of the event and of Qatar as similar issues in the west are ignored during major sporting events, how the west colludes with Qatar and other gulf countries in war and continues to profit from its partnerships with the country, and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones record on race and hiring of Black head coaching staff. Later in the show, Sean and Jacquie are joined by Maximillian Alvarez, Editor in Chief of the Real News Network and and host of the podcast “Working People" to discuss the state of the labor movement after the historic wave of strikes in 2021 and 2022 , how the strikes of academic workers and the Starbucks unionization drive challenge the image of the working class that the ruling class uses to divide workers, and how labor struggles have been shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic.