Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival pg. 6
The battle for in-state tuition, explained pg. 2
Before Pennsylvania lawmakers adjourned for their summer break this year, they failed to pass a bill that would provide select universities, including Pitt, with hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. At Pitt, most of this government funding gives in-state students a significant tuition discount.
A joint statement from the Student Government Board, Pitt College Democrats and Pitt College Republicans said eliminating this funding will have “an extremely negative impact” on students.
“To fail to directly fund these students without warning would show a disdain for higher education in the Commonwealth and a complete disregard for the welfare of students who trusted their government to maintain their support for staying in Pennsylvania for their education,” the statement said.
A University spokesperson said they’re “optimistic” the legislature will pass Pitt’s funding bill, but noted the importance of the Pitt community in securing the money.
“When the legislature is back in session, we will likely need students, alumni and the Pitt community to raise their voices by contacting their legislators and fighting for Pitt,” the spokesperson said.
At the end of July, Pitt announced tuition increases for all undergraduate students and said the proposed increased funding was “incorporated into our budget.”
“The University’s trustees recognized that our students and families needed clarity when they approved the budget for the current academic year,” the spokesperson said. “Pitt is developing contingency plans aimed at minimizing impacts to students if the commonwealth appropriates a lesser amount than anticipated.”
If the bill does not pass, it is unclear when the University will enact these “contingency plans,” how much tuition will be raised for in-state students and when students can expect to pay an increased tuition.
This article offers a look into the history, process and people behind this bill.
The history
Every summer, Pennsylvania’s General
Assembly, which is made up of the Senate and the House of Representatives, meets in Harrisburg to pass a general appropriations bill. An appropriations bill is the legislature that allocates money from the Pennsylvania government to programs such as infrastructure, agriculture and public education.
Among the bills they pass is an appropriation bill for Pennsylvania’s four state-related universities — Pitt, Penn State, Temple and Lincoln. Since 1966, when Pitt became a state-related institution, the University has received appropriations from the Pennsylvania government. This year’s bill, House Bill 612, proposes that Pitt receive $162 million to reduce tuition for in-state students, a 7.1% increase from last year’s appropriation and the first appropriation increase for Pitt since 2019. According to the University, state appropriations save in-state students about $16,000 per year.
HB 612 was supposed to pass before July 1, the start of the new fiscal year. However, after multiple failed attempts for approval in the House, the bill still has yet to pass.
This isn’t the first time political processes have caused late appropriations for Pitt.
In 2017, Pitt’s funding was delayed until late October due to issues passing a revenue package. 2019 saw House Republicans attempt to prevent Pitt from obtain-
ing funding because of concerns over the University’s fetal tissue research, although the appropriations bill ultimately passed on time. Last year, House Republicans successfully delayed Pitt’s funding due to concerns about the fetal tissue research program persisting, even after an independent review in 2021 found the University in compliance with state and federal regulations.
A Pitt spokesperson said appropriation funding “has never been guaranteed.”
“We are concerned about the [predictability] of Pitt’s funding and therefore the university is in constant contact with our appropriators in Harrisburg advocating for our students,” the spokesperson said.
The process
HB 612 was created in March when Gov. Josh Shapiro proposed it at the annual budget address.
After Shapiro’s proposal, the bill was sent to the House Appropriations Committee where hearings and debates were held to amend the bill before sending it to the House for voting.
In order for HB 612 to pass two requirements need to be met. First, a simple majority of lawmakers must vote in favor of the bill at least three times on three separate days.
Second, for the bill to pass from the
House to the Senate, two-thirds of the votes must be in favor of passing the bill. This rule dates back to Pennsylvania’s Constitution of 1874, according to Bruce Ledewitz, a professor of law at Duquesne Kline School of Law, which notes that educational institutions “not under the absolute control of the Commonwealth” would only be granted appropriations if a two-thirds majority was reached in both the House and the Senate.
Currently, the House is divided evenly down the aisle with 101 Democrats, 101 Republicans and 1 empty seat due to the resignation of Allegheny County Executive candidate Sara Innamorato in July. Unless Republicans win in the special election to replace Innamorato, Democrats will hold the majority in the House until the 2024 midterms.
HB 612 has been considered at least three times on three separate days, fulfilling requirement number one, but due to the divided nature of the House, getting a twothirds majority has proven difficult.
Although all House Democrats have consistently voted in favor of passing HB 612, House Republicans have generally opposed the bill. On the latest vote to pass HB 612, the bill fell six votes short of passing due to a lack of Republican support.
Even if the House passes HB 612, the bill will still have to face votes in the Senate, where Republicans hold the majority 2822. As of now, there is no clear timeline for when HB 612 will pass.
The 253 legislators that make up the General Assembly all get to vote on whether or not Pitt and other state-related universities get appropriations funding each year. Some members, however, have had more of a role than others in creating, supporting and opposing HB 612.
Jordan Harris, a Democrat representing part of Philadelphia County, is the Majority Appropriations Committee Chair and HB 612’s prime sponsor. Harris has consistently voted in favor of passing HB 612, telling Pitt students to “pay attention right now to see who is supporting you” during a speech on the House floor. Findthefullstoryonlineat
Between tuition, fees, and all other kinds of expenses, affording college can be a difficult task.
Joel Philistin, director of financial wellness at Pitt’s Center for Financial Education and Wellness, said, for many, a “lifetime” of making financial decisions begins in college when students lease their first apartments, establish credit cards, borrow student loans and more.
“Making financial decisions without foundational knowledge can be stressful and impact students well after graduation,” Philistin said. “By caring about their financial well-being now, students will position themselves to meet their day-to-day expenses and use their finances to accomplish their goals.”
Since 2021, tuition and fees for undergraduate students at Pitt have increased annually. This year’s increases raised tuition by approximately $400 per year for in-state students and $2,500 per year for out-of-state students.
Philistin said the Center for Financial Education and Wellness helps prepare students for their financial journey through weekly presentations, one-onone appointments and online learning.
“Along this journey, key concepts like budgeting, saving, managing credit and debt, and investing are a part of the journey,” Philistin said.
To ensure a bright financial future, Philistin recommends opening a bank account, creating a budget, spending thoughtfully, being wary of identity theft and establishing a good credit score. He said having a bank account provides a safe place to store your money, but tells students to keep an eye out for potential fees.
“Be careful with overdraft fees and minimum balance requirements,” Philistin said. “These are fees that can cost you if you are not monitoring how much you have to spend.”
Once you have a bank account, Philistin recommends creating a budget, calling it “the most important financial foundation.” He said identifying your wants and needs and budgeting for entertainment will help avoid impulse purchases
and lead to more thoughtful spending.
“Budgeting will allow you to see what funds you have and where your money is going. It is your roadmap to managing your finances now and in the future,” Philistin says.
Beyond budgeting, Philistin advises students to take precautions to avoid identity theft. This involves only using secure Wi-Fi networks, keeping passwords private, shredding documents with sensitive personal information, screening phone calls and checking ATMs for “skimmers” — devices that can send financial information to unintended parties.
“Scam artists are particularly good at what they do,” Philistin said. “Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry.”
Other resources he recommends are GradReady and LinkedIn Learning for financial wellness information, the Department of Education’s Loan Simulator for calculating and choosing loan repayment plans, Pitt’s Community Assistance Resources for meeting any student’s basic needs and PITT ARTS for affordable entertainment options.
Looking toward the future, Philistin emphasized the importance of building a good credit score.
“Establishing a good credit score has benefits such as lower interest rates and better terms. A good credit score shows trust, so you may have a better chance to secure a loan later on in life for those big items such as a house or a car,” he says.
Braeden Marburger, vice president of the Undergraduate Finance Club, said establishing credit early is “extremely important.” Marburger said the club brings in guest speakers from a variety of finance fields to talk about their day-to-day lives and help students get an understanding of what life in finance is like.
“Definitely get a credit card,” Marburger, a senior finance major, said. “Putting a small purchase on it every month, paying it off in full, and not getting too close to your credit limit cause that’ll negatively affect your credit score.”
Marburger also said creating an emergency fund and saving money now will pay off in the future.
“If you can put some money away now and just let it work, you don’t have to worry about it,” Marburger said. “Just put it
away in a separate account, and over time, like you might not have much now, but it just keeps building and building and in like 10 years, it’s gonna turn into a lot more than you think it’ll be.”
Charlie Waggoner, president of the Undergraduate Finance Club, said creating and following a budget has helped him spend smarter. His budget tracks expenses for food and groceries, gas, rent, housing costs and going out.
“I think a big trend among students is to kind of like, during the week you’re trying to save up your money and you’re making better decisions, then the weekend rolls around and you spend a lot more,” Waggoner said. “I know that’s at least for me and my friends, and I think the best way to kind of combat that is making these budgets. That way you’re really looking back on it and realizing what areas you improve on.”
Waggoner tells students to have fun,
but be thoughtful when spending money.
“I think it’s important to enjoy college while you’re here, but don’t put yourself in a poor situation,” Waggoner said. “I am a little bit frugal, but like I said, I’m still trying to enjoy my time in school.”
Pitt football’s energy was palpable during its warm-ups at the Backyard Brawl in Morgantown on Saturday night. The Panthers’ players — eager to down the Mountaineers for the second straight year — projected their confidence by trading verbal blows with West Virginia’s student section prior to kickoff. All in all, the Panthers looked ready to put the “Brawl” in the Backyard Brawl.
But after four quarters of play, the Mountaineers made the Panthers swallow their pre-game taunts as West Virginia cruised to a 17-6 victory over Pitt in a sloppy slugfest at Mountaineer Field.
What happened on Saturday was a complete disaster for Pitt football. From bad quarterback play to weak rush defense, the Panthers’ meltdown on both sides of the ball ultimately cost them the game.
Following the game, fans were quick to blame one culprit for the loss — redshirt senior quarterback Phil Jurkovec. The Pitt signal-caller threw three interceptions in the game, while only completing eight passes for 81 yards.
To say fans were upset over Jurkovec’s performance is an understatement. Over
the course of Saturday night, Barstool Pitt — one of the biggest Panther fan accounts on social media — made seven posts on X poking fun at the redshirt senior.
Jurkovec did not make an appearance at the post-game press conference on Saturday night, which further infuriated fans. Redshirt senior offensive lineman Jake Kradel — who helps protect Jurkovec on the field — took to defending his quarterback off the field as well.
“Phil [Jurkovec] is a great dude,” Kradel said. “There is no question about him. He doesn’t waiver at all. He keeps us up, we keep him up. I have so much confidence in that guy. If we continue to block for him, give him time to throw, he’ll make plays.”
Head coach Pat Narduzzi — the man ultimately responsible for keeping Jurkovec in the game — also vehemently defended his quarterback in the press conference on Saturday.
“No,” Narduzzi said when asked if he considered benching Jurkovec at any point during the loss. “I got a lot of faith in Phil [Jurkovec].”
Narduzzi was even agitated at members of the media for suggesting that he should have taken Jurkovec out of the game.
“You guys [the media] are fast to want to pull the plug on somebody,” Narduzzi said. “But that’s not how we do it. I’m a positive guy, I try to stay positive. [When] you start dumping people, whether it’s a corner or a tackle or a quarterback, it’s not good for you.”
And Narduzzi did not back down from his postgame comments this week in practice, either. In fact, the Panthers head coach doubled down on his faith in Jurkovec and said he will most likely start next
week against No. 17 North Carolina.
“[Jurkovec] is a leader in that huddle,” Narduzzi said in a press conference on Monday. “He's a guy you trust. You've seen it every day. When you look back and you look at all the stats and all the numbers of what you put in a practice and what you put through camp and you put on paper and what you've showed to do as far as not throwing interceptions in practice.”
Narduzzi also seemingly called out fans for their booing of Jurkovec in the first three games.
“We're in Boo City. Boo City, PA,” Narduzzi said. “But hey, it is what it is. If that's what they want to do, that's great. Should not affect us or our psyche.”
But Narduzzi’s confidence in Jurkovec is starting to backfire. Fans also questioned Narduzzi’s role in the loss, especially his decision not to bench Jurkovec. In one of its tweets on Saturday night, Barstool Pitt posted a picture of Jurkovec and Narduzzi next to a grave with Pitt’s
logo. The caption read, “Launching an investigation into this treason & collusion.”
And Narduzzi’s decision not to bench Jurkovec wasn’t the only gripe Panther fans had against the head coach. From calling out Narduzzi’s over-reliance on running the ball to questioning his stubbornness with changing the game plan, the loss to West Virginia put a serious dent in the reputation of a once beloved head coach.
With the Panthers now sitting at 1-2, Pitt fans have every right to air their grievances with the program. Students especially have reason for anger, considering student section attendance this season is at an all-time high.
The Panthers will not listen to all of the fan’s complaints, as Narduzzi is still apparently all in on Jurkovec as the starting quarterback. The Panthers’ hardest tests of the season still lie ahead, leaving many questions as to whether Narduzzi and company will sink or swim down the stretch.
After defeating No. 20 Wake Forest and then drawing Boston College, No. 17 Pitt men's soccer (3-2-2, 1-0-1 ACC) built on their momentum with 5-1 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (3-2-2, 0-0 NEC).
Two Panthers, in particular, had strong showings — senior midfielder Filip Mirkovic and junior forward Luis Sahmkow.
Mirkovic’s elite playmaking elevated the team, as he recorded four assists on the night. Mirkovic’s fourth assist marked the 25th of his career, making him second all-time in Pitt history. The senior midfielder’s four assists in a match also set the single-game Pitt record.
Sahmkow exploded offensively with his first career hat trick. With the threegoal night, Sahmkow took the team lead for points and goals on the season with 10 and five goals, respectively.
“[It] feels good,” Sahmkow said about his performance on Monday night. “I mean, I definitely know I can play at this level. This is going to be a big year for me. But like I said, it's a team effort. I couldn't have done it without the guys putting the ball in the box.”
Mirkovic assisted all three of Sahmkow’s goals on the night. The senior mid
fielder said he enjoys playing alongside Sahmkow, especially when they are both performing well.
“We got the little duo going on,” Mirkovic said. “I find him, he finds me back, we have a little combination going on. We're very dangerous together.”
Overall, Pitt’s offense shined, scoring five goals on a Knight’s defense that shut out their last three opponents.
“The first goal is important because Luis was able to get the PK,” head coach Jay Vidovich said. “But then the other two goals and the entire team’s response I thought was really fantastic.”
The Panthers set the tone early, earning the first scoring chance of the day with a free kick. Sahmkow fired a dangerous shot on goal, which the FDU defense easily thwarted.
After a handball from Fairleigh Dickinson senior forward Jayd Hamdaoua, the Panthers earned a penalty shot. The Panthers capitalized on the crucial opportunity, as Sahmkow buried the shot past graduate student goalkeeper Spencer King.
Sahmkow just missed his second shot of the night only three minutes later, as Knight saved the shot from inches away before he and Sahmkow collided.
In the 19th minute, Pitt’s junior midfielder Luka Kozomara rang a shot off the
post. Junior forward Abdoulaye Toure collected the rebound and fired a rocket wide of the net.
In the 24th minute, Pitt continued to knock on FDU’s door. Kozomara got his head on a perfect cross, but King thwarted yet another Pitt opportunity.
King continued his elite play as Pitt’s offensive onslaught continued. He made a fantastic diving save on a Mirkovic free kick. King followed with an equally impressive stop on another Kozomara header.
While only leading by one goal, the Panthers dominated Fairleigh Dickenson in all aspects of the match, holding FDU without a shot until the 39th minute. Through a constant barrage of steals and high-danger passes, Pitt refused to give Fairleigh Dickenson any breathing room.
Pitt seemed to only struggle with finishing chances. With eleven shots in the first half and only four on goal, the Panthers needed their efforts to show on the score sheet.
This came back to bite the Panthers, as FDU soon leveled the score at one. Pitt sophomore goalkeeper Cabral Carter never stood a chance as the Knights played their first scoring chance perfectly. The play began with sophomore forward Matt Giraldo sending a well-placed pass to senior forward Tony Gomez. The senior forward redirected the ball into the net with a highlight-reel header.
In the closing minutes of the first half, it appeared as if Pitt’s efforts meant nothing. Despite Pitt showing its offensive prowess – generating over three times as many shots — the scoreboard reflected a perfectly even match.
But with just a second left in the half, the Panther regained a 2-1 lead on a textbook corner kick. Star midfielder Mirkovic passed the ball to Sahmkow, who buried it.
Pitt started the second half reinvigorated after reclaiming the lead, playing with overwhelming speed and confidence.
In the 48th Minute, Sahmkow added to the Panthers lead with his second goal of the night. Mirkovic set Sahmkow up, allowing the junior forward to send a missile to the top left corner that King appeared to never see. The Panthers now led 3-1.
Only three minutes later, the Mirkovic to Sahmkow connection struck again. In the 52nd minute, Mirkovic sent a through ball for Sahmkow, which he fired home, as the Panthers took a commanding 4-1 lead.
The goal completed a hat trick for Sahmkow as the few but passionate Panther faithfuls in the crowd erupted in support.
Starting out slow with zero points in the first three games, Sahmkow has regained form with seven assists in the last three contests. Mirkovic’s play remains crucial to the team. As one of two seniors on the roster and the only returning AllACC player, the young Panthers will continue to rely on their star
After some back-and-forth play, Pitt increased the lead to four in the 71st minute as Toure scored his second goal of the season. Mikrovic earned a secondary assist on the goal, setting the single-game record for assists.
Pitt will take the field again on Friday at No. 7 Syracuse. Coverage will air at 7 p.m. on ACCNX.
As people passed Highmark Stadium on a stroll by the Monongahela River, a soothing and enchanting melody hung in the air –– the unmistakable sound of jazz.
The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival brought together 14 jazz artists and groups on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 16 and 17. The 10-hour show supported a large array of artists, from Grammy Award recipients to Pittsburgh local jazz performers.
Christie Dashiell, a singer-songwriter, educator and the second artist to take the stage on Saturday said it is her duty to continue spreading the art form of jazz. Dashiell said jazz is valuable and must continue to be promoted and supported
“As I got older and decided to go to college for music, I got the sense that people felt like jazz was passé and old and really intellectual,” said Dashiell. “It’s my duty to make sure that people know about this music and this art form, it’s ours to spread and to make new, and to keep alive.”
Dashiell said many jazz artists, including herself, dedicate a lot of effort to placing their identity into their music. Dashiell says jazz may be perceived as stagnant or dull because the listener does not fully delve into the music.
“It’s about taking the music that we grew up on like gospel, R&B, soul, funk, and hip-hop and integrating it and incorporating it into our music,” Dashiell said. “I think that people think jazz is old and they think it’s stale, but if you really dig into the music, it has a history of always taking culture and putting it inside of this improvised setting.”
Chelsea Baratz, saxophonist, vocalist, composer and the first artist to play on Sunday, is a Pittsburgh local artist with deep roots in the city’s vibrant music scene. Baratz said her journey as a jazz musician began at a young age, and she hasn’t stopped since then.
“I had teachers in both middle and high school who were the band directors and they were actively involved as professional musicians,” said Baratz. “My high school teacher was the one who told me to go to my first jam session ever at the Crawford Grill in the Hill District, which is a very historic venue in the history of jazz in Pittsburgh.”
Baratz said she found inspiration as a child in the unlikeliest of places — “The Simpsons.”
“As I think about the dynamics of influences and who we would see playing saxophones, I don’t really recall seeing many women saxophone players growing up,” Baratz said. “I was looking for role models to look up to musically, but there was something about Lisa Simpson, she was a soulful saxophone player who was doing justice to jazz and Black American music while being a young girl. I’m as serious as a heart attack when I say that Lisa Simpson is why I started playing the saxophone.”
Andrey Chmut, a saxophonist and a member of the Bob James Quartet, said he had a very distinctive path that led him to jazz.
“My dad was a pastor in a small church in western Ukraine and I saw a saxophone player there when I was nine years old and it blew my
mind,” Chmut said. “When the war started in Ukraine, I moved to the United States and he [Bob James] called me and asked me to play on tour with him, I was very shocked and excited.”
Chmut said he had grown accustomed to playing to a European audience and found challenges playing in the United States, the birthplace of jazz. Chmut said they have helped him develop his career as a jazz musician.
“It’s very different playing music here compared to Ukraine, his music was born here in the US and it has a high level of listeners,” Chmut said. “For me, it’s a big challenge but I really like it because I can grow with my music.”
Michael Palazzolo, an upright bass player and a member of the quartet, brings his music to life on a four-foot-tall instrument. Palazzolo said there are many challenges to playing such a large instrument, and sometimes all he needs is luck.
“I prefer smaller venues because of the instrument I play –– acoustic bass is better introduced into smaller rooms,” Palazzolo said. “One thing an upright bass player [faces] on tour is it’s challenging because you can’t bring your own bass unless you’re willing to risk the safety of it, so we rent the basses sometimes it’s a great bass, sometimes not so much.”
Palazzolo said he finds value in playing as a group with Bob James on the keyboard, Andrey Chmut on the saxophone, James Adkins on the drums and himself on the bass. He emphasized the essence of the music he performs is rooted in teamwork.
“I take the approach of I’m paying attention to the band, Bob is the leader so I’m trying to keep my eyes on him and James and Chmut, that’s the most important thing,” Palazzolo said. “If we’re a unit together, the audience will respond well to us.”
Baratz also considers how the audience is responding to her music. She said her music is meant to positively affect the listeners’ mood and uplift their spirits. Baratz said playing jazz is what fixes her mood and she wants to do the same for other people.
“There is something very powerful about what music can do to lift us up out of negativity,” Baratz said. “I want people to walk away with whatever was heavy on their spirit or whatever was making them feel bad, just gone. I genuinely want my music to be a prescription for people to feel good.”
‘It’s
Every September 11, the United States’ selective memorialization rolls around. There are clear flaws with the commemoration of the 9/11 attacks, the most obvious being the commitment to ignoring the approximately 4.7 million civilians that died due to American “vengeance.”
Much of this country is steadfastly apathetic when it comes to the casualties of their government’s warmongering. It comes as no surprise that the U.S.-backed d’état that put Augusto Pinochet in power in Chile on Sept. 11, 1973, has become something of a 9/11-adjacent “fun fact.”
Under Pinochet, approximately 40,000 Chileans were tortured, more than 3,000 were killed and an estimated thousand more “disappeared.” Some members of the University of Chicago’s School of Economics are responsible for those experiences. The “Chicago Boys” had one goal in mind — to stop the spread of democratically elected socialism and, as such, prevent the socialization of industries at all costs.
They feared that other countries in Latin America would follow Cuba and resist the U.S.’s attempts to keep them entirely reliant on import and export venues sustained on the horrific exploitation of the locals. With the help of the World Bank, and the International Monetary Fund, the U.S. installed a dictator who treated communism, indigeneity and resistance as justification for executions, all in the name of preventing the “evils” of communism through neoliberalism.
The IMF and the World Bank have never been held accountable for the destruction and suffering they have inflicted on the world for nearly 80 years. Those responsible for the tortures, deaths and disappearances in Latin America will never have to admit their guilt. Additionally, the countries ravaged by neoliberalism have suffered wounds so incisive and so structurally devastating that recovery seems near-impossible. And that process of healing, despite being thwarted and interrupted at nearly every step, will be held as “proof” that socialism and communism are unsustainable.
This is what the IMF and the World Bank do, with the help of the U.S., the U.K. and the U.N. They destabilize a country’s economy through coups d’état, through embargos and
through sanctions. They spend decades normalizing and amassing debt that cannot be repaid. Then, they publicize the “unlivable conditions” — at no time mentioning that they are responsible for such conditions — and they show up, with cameras and colorful brochures in hand, ready to help.
What does this “help” look like? Food-forwork programs, where locals perform unpaid labor for hours, in order to “earn” their food. Conditional cash transfer programs, where locals must comply with the specific regulations of the program, often involving bigoted “education” courses. International “aid” where volunteers or employees who are often sadistic and brutal are able to operate with impunity. That sort of aid killed nearly 10,000 from Cholera in Haiti.
This sort of debt and “support” has cemented hugely exploitative informal “tourist” economies in the Caribbean, where sexual tourism exists as the largest market — frequented by these “aid” workers. Or their bosses. Or simply other “first-worlders” who know that because of neoliberalism’s vise grip, there are corners of the world where exploiting the marginalized members of society has no consequence. Because it is invisible. Because it is the “aid” worker, the tourist, the diplomat’s right to reap the benefits of their efforts — is it not?
Many of us have given up on hoping that most Americans we encounter will be able to see beyond the propaganda they cling to. I have similarly low expectations for those working in the fields of “international aid” or “diplomacy.” If someone earnestly feels that there is something inherently evil about workers wanting to own their means of production, to earn fair wages and not have governments from across the world control and receive the majority of the profit yielded, all because the word “communism” shocks them, then there is no reason to try and sway what little cognitive function they are employing.
I can’t quite decide if the muddled, theatrical attempts at “discourse” with the limited scope so typical of the collegiate context are more infuriating or heartbreaking. An understanding of the ideologies and the strategies currently at work is crucial, and sorely lacking. Despite their constant mention in conversation, many young Americans seem to be unable to define liberalism or fascism, often
pitting them as polar opposites, rendering their critiques useless, if not counterproductive.
It is precisely these intellectual conditions that allow for neoliberalism to thrive. The conflation of “liberalism” with “progressivism” has done so much damage to the understanding of the terms. It’s difficult to find people willing to acknowledge, let alone criticize, the damage this country has done to others through these economic tactics. Presenting liberalism as a sort of devastating rival of fascism is almost laughably delusional. Liberalism and fascism both work towards the same goal — huge financial success for a tiny group as a result of the labor of the majority. The only real difference is that fascism wants this success to stem from and remain within those who agree with their specific banal nationalism while liberalism is loyal to the more far-reaching nation of wealth, and little else.
I think part of the misconceptions stem from people hearing fragments they like — “liberal” and the “free” in “free market” — and the barrage of vitriolic ignorance from the farright that often refers to anyone not under the spell of their prejudice as “liberal.” Some assume that whatever ideology the conservatives are publicly against is the one that corresponds to them, and I would urge those in that position to consider that the “freedom” referred to here is that of the extremely wealthy to increase their wealth — and, as result, the rest of us find ourselves under the yoke of capitalism with the “freedom” to remain there — and that a conservative’s definition of anything at all, really, should be treated as functionally useless.
I hesitate to engage with the “never forget” rhetoric this time of year brings because an act of brutality at this level cannot be forgotten by those who witnessed it and those growing up in its shadow. The only ones who have “forgotten” the consequences of neoliberalism are those
who live off its profits, sated by their peaceful ignorance, their willful misuse of political terminology and their abstract desire to one day “go over there and help.”
I’m writing this on the 50-year anniversary of the execution of Chilean communist folk singer Victor Jara. The truth of his music and the sincerity of the movement he fought for cannot be erased — not through military intervention, dictatorial rule or 50 years of lies. The U.S., the World Bank and the IMF used Chile as a test subject for their ruthless strategy to tighten their grip on the economies of Latin America, a crime which will remain baseless, and unjustifiable, but hopefully not unpunished forever.
In the spirit of Jara, the tortured, the dead and the disappeared, we cannot resign ourselves to stay as a generation where ideologies are purely theatrical, where we are “anti-capitalists” until we are asked to give up internships at the World Bank. There is another future, where forgetting the victims and allowing the recreation of these conditions is unthinkable, where the imperial core will not dictate countless lives. Perhaps even one where communism is less of an adolescent rebellion or a haphazardly-understood performance, but a chance to regain and establish the power and the dignity of all workers, everywhere.
about politics and international and domestic social movements. Write to her at sou5@pitt.edu.
7 Yardstick, e.g.
8 Small bay
9 For instance
10 Fill to the brim
11 Laundry room convenience
12 Forum top
13 X-ray __: gadget advertised in classic comic books
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33 Art studio stand
34 Online magazine with a “Dear Prudence” advice column
36 Least original
37 Undefeated boxer Ali
38 Friend
42 Insta upload
48 Island birthplace of shortstop Xander Bogaerts
49 Catchall check box
50 Achievements
51 Happy as a __
54 Possible UFC match ender
55 Designer label initials
56 Java
16 City with the world’s largest naval complex
18 Genre that’s an element of Kawaii metal
21 Monty Python alum Michael
22 Realizes
23 Below
24 Production team member who shapes narratives
25 Slugger’s stat
26 Mama’s Special Garden Sauce maker
47 JPEG alternative
57 California’s Santa __ Mountains
58 Joined