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This story is the second in Truthout's "Visions of 2018" series, in which activist leaders answer the question: "What would you like to see created, built, imagined or begun this year?" Each piece will focus on a bold idea for transformation, to give us fuel as the year moves...
Ejeris Dixon
Questioning the pro-digital consensus
Steven Gorelick
The wealthy have taken everything from us, and continue to find ways to take even more. It is never enough for them. And, year after year, their political puppets in both capitalist parties ensure that their rivers and avenues of unfathomable, flowing wealth never dry up or...
A fascinating insight into what perpetuates patriarchy in our society, and how we can change it.
Bethany Webster
A major internal contradiction with capitalism is that it needs workers to also be consumers. While owners (and the system in general) constantly seek to drive down wages, they also seek to continue selling their products and services. The problem is that when workers have...
Neoliberalism is a mature stage of capitalism - a reciprocal process of concentrated wealth taking control of the public agenda via government. Capitalist economists like Milton Friedman were instrumental in paving the way for neoliberalism. The idea gained prominence in...
Taking a microscope to the beloved old phrase
Nilüfer (Turkey) is the winner of the 2017 Transformative Action Award.
4 min
The problem with Donald Trump is not that he is imbecilic and inept—it is that he has surrendered total power to the oligarchic and military elites. They get what they want. They do what they want. Although the president is a one-man wrecking crew aimed at democratic norms...
Chris Hedges
“So many people are frightened by the wonder of their own presence. They are dying to tie themselves into a system, a role, or to an image, or to a predetermined identity that other people have actually settled on for them.”
Maria Popova
"Science is the process by which we understand nature, by which we understand our place in the world, how we all fit in," Nye says in the human sexuality episode of Bill Nye Saves the World. "We used to think it was pretty straightforward. X and a Y chromosome for males. Two...
4 min
Think of your most noticeable feature. Maybe it’s your radiant smile, or your long, piano-playing fingers. Maybe it’s your stellar jump shot, or the way you recite Shakespearean sonnets at the drop of a hat. Or maybe it’s your penchant for scientific knowledge. But whatever...
Katherine J. Wu
DETROIT—The abolition of net neutrality and the use of algorithms by Facebook, Google, YouTube and Twitter to divert readers and viewers from progressive, left-wing and anti-war sites, along with demonizing as foreign agents the journa
Chris Hedges
I went to the theatre to talk to people who saw the movie, “The Post”. It’s about Daniel Ellsberg’s famous “Pentagon Papers” leak that exposed the US Government’s lies about the war in Vietnam. I was curious now that people consider Daniel Ellsberg a hero, what do they think...
7 min
As Europe is going through a crisis that is not solely economical but also a crisis of moral values, millions of European citizens demand a response to a crucial question: is water for the European Union a commercial product or a human right? Until today, the European...
59 min
Racism has never been more socially unacceptable in Britain - three quarters of Britons claim they have no racial prejudice whatsoever.
56 min
Has the time come to move beyond our obsession with measurement? Charles Eisenstein, author of several books on human culture and identity, compares science to religion, and makes the case for moving beyond the belief that only the measurable is real.
28 min
A significant question facing progressives today is whether the use of the term "white privilege" helps or hurts building the kind of solidarity needed to promote racial justice and reverse runaway inequality.
Les Leopold
An inspiring declaration for our times.
5 min
First they ignore you. Then they laugh at you. Then they fight you. Then you win.
CELDF
Living the Change explores solutions to the global crises we face today – solutions any one of us can be part of – through the inspiring stories of people pioneering change in their own lives and in their communities in order to live in a sustainable and regenerative...
85 min
Matt Bruenig presents a devastating challenge to those who call themselves libertarians, and explains why they have no choice but to deny climate change and other environmental problems.
George Monbiot
Donald's life is turned upside-down by the current economic crisis and he finds himself unemployed and falling behind on his house payments. As his frustration turns into despair Donald discovers a seemingly sympathetic voice coming from his radio named Glenn Beck. Will...
8 min
It might not have been as black, brown or working class as many might have liked. But criticizing it from the sidelines doesn’t help anyone
Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor
Hey everyone! We're excited to announce that Films For Action has launched a
Important official legal disclaimer: This is a short work of fiction. Any resemblances to real people, people you may know, people you think you may know, etc., is entirely deliberate.
John Savage
Charles Derber, Author and Sociologist, discusses the failings of the American left through intersectionality. Charles is the author of Welcome to the Revolution: Universalizing Resistance for Social Justice and Democracy in Perilous Times (links to a preview of the book).
24 min
“What many failed to understand is that it doesn’t have to be rape to ruin your life, and it doesn’t have to ruin your life to be worth speaking out about,” Samantha notes early on. She closes with a simple request: “Men, if you say you’re a feminist, then fuck like a...
8 min
Starting with the most relevant at the top, these are the best documentaries that capture the spirit and motivation of the #OWS movement.
In September 2011, The Occupy Wall Street movement propelled issues of economic inequality into the spotlight. 99% - The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film goes behind the scenes of the movement, definitively revealing what happened, and why.
98 min
Trump uses social media as a weapon to control the news cycle. It works like a charm. His tweets are tactical rather than substantive. They mostly fall into one of these four categories.
The tweets either get his framing established first, knowing that whoever frames first...
George Lakoff
Turns out, Greenland isn't just melting from above—it's also melting from below. Eventually, it could raise sea levels by 24 feet. How long until we're all underwater? NASA's OMG mission is trying to find out.
4 min
The night before his assassination, MLK delivered his most suspenseful, surprising, and inspiring speech — and it’s not “I Have a Dream”. In “If I Had Sneezed” MLK tells the mostly forgotten story of his near death experience — an attempt on his life, several years earlier...
5 min
[Warning: There are some big words here. Not the best words like yours, but big words nonetheless]
Bayo Akomolafe
Dear President Trump,
I am Nigerian, from Nigeria, a shithole non-Norwegian type country in West Africa – widely considered the largest black nation on...
Is it time to give more power to the cities? VPRO backlight explores the growing and innovative power of the city in Eindhoven, Seattle and Hamburg. Where governments are stuck in their own ambition and party politics, the cities are bubbling with energy, optimism and vigor...
49 min
Are we wholly responsible for our actions? We don’t choose our brains, our genetic inheritance, our circumstances, our milieu – so how much control do we really have over our lives? Philosopher Raoul Martinez argues that no one is truly blameworthy. Our most visionary...
5 min
Chasing economic growth gains us nothing but global warming. We should follow the lead of tiny Costa Rica, where life expectancy is soaring
Jason Hickel
More than 100 U.S. House and Senate candidates pledge to move off fossil fuels.
Wenonah Hauter
This is an argument against identity politics, but it is not an argument against feminism, or queer liberation, or anti-racism work. It is instead an argument that the oppressions usually combated through identity politics — a strategy based on the affirmation of Identity —...
Imminent Rebellion
Introducing the powerful stories of London’s new generation of black and brown activists, Generation Revolution explores the successes and unexpected challenges these inspiring young people face. Motivated by the desire for a more equal future, they embark on the rewarding...
72 min
The sacred naturalist’s guide to well-being
Alice Andrews
When it comes to the internet, our connections are generally controlled by telecom companies. But a group of people in Detroit is trying to change that. Motherboard met with the members of the Equitable Internet Initiative (EII), a group that is building their own wireless...
13 min
People yearn for alternatives to industrial agriculture, but they are worried. They see large-scale operations relying on corporate-supplied chemical inputs as the only high-productivity farming model. Another approach might be kinder to the environment and less risky for...
Frances Moore Lappé
The pro-and anti-GMO positions will remain polarized until larger questions about the future of food production are addressed.
Charles Eisenstein
Recently, the struggle for Palestinian human rights gained international attention surrounding a new icon of resistance--16 year old Ahed Tamimi.
20 min
Is this an answer to climate change that we're missing? This is a taster for a one-hour documentary coming soon that explores the work of Nick Dunlop and the Climate Parliament.
5 min
In 2017, murders of social leaders, union organizers and indigenous activists in Colombia hit a new high since the historic peace agreement. In the past three years, more than 3,000 unionists have been murdered in a disturbing new trend which threatens all social progress.
19 min
"If our goal is to never get angry, that is probably unrealistic, and not even desirable. But if we can get angry less? Surely that's a worthy aim, because anger - if held on to - usually only poisons the self.
4 min
“Trailer trash” remains one of the last unquestioned relics of political incorrectness in our nation. This slur rests on fundamental cultural assumptions about people who live in trailer parks: that they are simple-minded, lawless, reckless with fertility, and indifferent to...
Sonya Salamon and Katherine MacTavish
Three steps to help you see the truth and get back on track.
Gilbert Ross
The Northern California Fibershed aims to skirt the rampant waste of resources in the apparel industry.
Araz Hachadourian
Despite being different concepts, patriotism and nationalism have increasingly been used synonymously. But blurring the lines between good and bad loyalty for one's country can lead to radicalisation.
4 min
It has been slammed by top names in banking as a giant ponzi scheme. Yet, interest in cryptocurrencies has never been stronger. In fact the biggest of them, Bitcoin, hit an all-time high above $19,000 earlier December 2017. But the warnings are growing louder, over the risks...
6 min
Films For Action is a learning library for people who want to change the world.
Look, I know you think the fact you feel upset or angry or anxious is important. That it matters. Hell, you probably think that because you feel like your face just got shat on makes you important. But it doesn’t. Feelings are just these
Mark Manson
Fifteen thousand scientists have issued a dire warning to humanity about impending collapse but virtually no-one takes notice. Ultimately, our global systems, which are designed for perpetual growth, need to be fundamentally restructured to avoid the worst-case outcome.
Jeremy Lent
At their core, George Lucas's six Star Wars films are coming of age stories about boys becoming men. Both Luke and Anakin Skywalker are guided and shaped by the principles of the Jedi Order, but buried within Jedi teachings we find some troubling and deeply unhealthy ideas...
26 min
She had been an outspoken advocate for police accountability since her father’s chokehold death in 2014.
Dominique Mosbergen
It's hard to believe Films For Action has been around since 2006. From our early years focusing on local film screenings in Lawrence, Kansas to our more recent years, focusing on raising awareness globally via our website and social media, our mission has been to provide a...
Pixar’s Wall-E is a masterpiece of animated filmmaking about two adorable robots falling in love. It also serves as an excellent example of sociological storytelling.
16 min