GUEST ROOM | Air Bud as Embodiment of Corporate Capitalist Dogma

What is more emblematic of the United States’ corporate capitalist narrative than Air Bud? A well-groomed, intelligent Golden Retriever frees himself from an abusive owner to provide both athletic success and companionship to a fatherless boy. Yet, as Air Bud nears its 20th anniversary in a year and change, it is imperative to reconsider this touchstone family film. Is Air Bud a story of basketball glory and family cohesion, of friendship between human and other animal, or is it truly a parable of an oppressive corporate system cloaking the workers’ alientation in false empathy? Buddy, the film’s protagonist, represents the indoctrinated masses.

Socialist Author Links LGBTQ Oppression With Effects of Capitalism

In light of the recent legalizations of gay-marriage in Iowa and Vermont, author Sherry Wolf yesterday seek to bring attention to the continuous fight against the oppression of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning communities throughout history, from the 1969 Stonewall riots to the current controversy over Proposition 8, California’s 2008 ban on gay marriage.
The lecture, which was sponsored by the International Socialist Organization and Haymarket Books, attracted about 20 people.