Latest news with #Capitalism
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Sen. Rick Scott to fly banner urging New Yorkers who ‘hate socialism' to move to Florida
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) is taking aim at socialist Big Apple mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani – with aerial ads urging fed-up New Yorkers to flee to Florida. 'Hate Socialism? Us too! Move 2 FL,' read the banners the Sunshine State senator will fly over New York beaches this weekend. In a Florida flex, the ad continues: 'WE HAVE BETTER BEACHES.' 3 The aerial ads will be flown over New York beaches this weekend. miami2you – In a statement, Scott described the ad campaign as a 'friendly reminder' to New Yorkers that 'in addition to our world class beaches, Florida is the state where you can escape socialism.' The senator also slammed the cost of living in the Big Apple, antisemitism on college campuses and the rise of Mamdani. 'New York City once represented the American Dream – a city where anything was possible. Today, it has now become the city where only billionaires can prosper, Jewish students are attacked on campus, capitalism is shunned and radical socialists like Zohran Mamdani are celebrated,' Scott said. 'New York City has benefitted from the best system in the world – Capitalism – yet it is now being villainized by the Democrats all across this country.' 'Democrats are working around the clock to discredit President Trump and tear down our country and rebuild it in their woke, radical image through socialist policies.' Scott decried socialism as 'an old, barbaric, discredited idea that's failed every time it's been tried' and noted that Florida has become a place of refuge for families that have fled 'brutal regimes' in Cuba and Venezuela. 3 The ads target New Yorkers disillusioned with the rise of Mamdani. Andrew Schwartz / 3 Scott noted that many families from Cuba and Venezuela have sought refuge from socialism in Florida. Getty Images 'As Governor and now US Senator, I have constantly worked to make sure every family can get a great job, their kids can get a world class education and they can live in safe communities,' he added. 'That is the American Dream and it is deeply unfortunate that it is completely slipping away in New York.' 'New York families deserve better.'
Mint
22-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Mint
Internet loses it after spotting viral Labubu doll at Karl Marx's grave
Karl Marx, the man who spent his life criticising capitalism's grip on every aspect of life, from work to thought to human identity, probably never imagined that he would one day become part of the very system he opposed. But that is exactly what seems to have happened recently at London's Highgate Cemetery. A picture of Karl Marx's grave with the Labubu doll is going viral. Visitors were surprised to find a Labubu doll placed at Marx's grave. For those unfamiliar, Labubu is a trendy plush character from the Pop Mart collection, which is all about surprise, scarcity, and hype-driven collecting. It is everything that screams late-stage capitalism. So when people saw this wide-eyed toy sitting at the tomb of communism's most famous voice, the internet kind of exploded. 'Is that a f***ing Labubu?' a user asked in disbelief on X. Another said, 'Labubu could be one of the most anti-Marx things I have ever seen.' Labubu, sold in blind boxes where buyers do not know what they will get, is the perfect symbol of modern consumer obsession. These toys can resell for hundreds of dollars, all thanks to manufactured rarity. The irony of placing one on Marx's grave wasn't lost on anyone. But that was not all that was left there. Amid the kitschy toy tribute were more traditional offerings, flowers, notes, and heartfelt letters. A handwritten letter, penned by a Chinese university student named Liu Yuhae, stood out. She wrote with admiration and honesty, reflecting on how Marx's writings shaped her worldview. She shared her struggles with truly understanding his texts, but also her desire to live by them. In a touching and somewhat quirky close, she joked that she looked like a potato and hoped to cook them for Marx in the afterlife. 'If I can meet you in my dreams, I will talk to you in more detail,' she wrote. While the internet is making the situation lighthearted and fun, the very fact that a product of Capitalism was placed at Karl Marx's grave stands as a big irony. The man who had spent his life preaching against Capitalism now lies with the product of one. Labubu dolls are pricey mostly because they are released in limited quantities and sold through blind boxes, so you do not know which one you will get until you open it. Spotting a real Labubu is mostly about the packaging and quality. Genuine ones usually come in official Pop Mart blind boxes with branding and product info printed clearly. Some folks are burning Labubu dolls as a way to criticise overconsumption or reject consumer culture. Others just find the dolls creepy or are reacting to how expensive and overhyped they have become. Labubu is actually a character created by Hong Kong artist Kasing Lung, but it's produced and sold by Pop Mart, a big collectibles company based in China.
Indian Express
14-07-2025
- General
- Indian Express
8 literary classic you can read in under 2 hours
Good things often come in small packages, and literature is no exception. Not every great work of literature is a 1,000-paged doorstopper weighed down by dense prose, labyrinthine themes, or academic obscurity. Some of the most enduring literary classics are concise enough to be devoured in a single sitting, yet linger in the mind for years. The German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche once said: 'It is my ambition to say in ten sentences what others say in a whole book.' In that spirit, we have curated eight short literary masterpieces that prove brevity is no barrier to brilliance. Whether you are chasing a reading goal or simply looking for something to lose yourself in for a couple of hours, these compact classics pack a punch with minimal page count. When Gregor Samsa, a travelling salesperson, wakes up one morning to find himself transformed into a monstrous vermin – most Kafka scholars identify the insect as a cockroach – his first concern (disturbingly, one which would plague most working-class people) is not his grotesque form, but missing work. As Gregor's condition worsens, his once-dependent family turns on him. The denigration and alienation take a psychological toll and he begins to identify himself as vermin. Kafka's 1915 novella is a psychological dive into the dehumanising effect of modern Capitalist society where people are reduced to commodities, to be junked once they cease to be of use. It is testament to the profundity of this slim book that it has been interpreted in a variety of ways: a Freudian deep dive into horrors within the unconscious landscape, a Marxist indictment of the alienating effects of Capitalism, or simply a metaphor for illness. Unsettling and unforgettable, The Metamorphosis is a must read. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~60 pages 'All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.' Orwell's timeless masterpiece, a meditation on power and corruption, allegorically breaks down how ideology is used to justify oppression. In the novella, an optimistic uprising by overworked farm animals soon transforms into dictatorship. Orwell charts the rise and fall of Animalism, a stand-in for Communism, as pigs seize power from their human oppressors, only to become even more tyrannical. Written in accessible prose, Animal Farm is a political parable that distills political history by explaining how revolutions take place, the mechanics of propaganda, and the allure of power. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~90 pages George and Lennie are itinerant ranch workers in 1930s California who dream of owning land one day. Lennie, mentally disabled but physically strong, depends on George's protection and storytelling to survive. When they find work at a new ranch, their dream seems almost tangible, until the tide turns against them. The novel is a meditation on the elusive American Dream. Originally conceived as a 'play-novelette,' the book's tight structure and emotionally loaded scenes make it a gripping read. Reading time: ~1.75 hours Length: ~100 pages Meursault, an Algerian office worker, murders a man on a beach for no apparent reason. What follows is a courtroom drama where Meursault's indifference, not the crime itself, becomes his greatest offense. It is a commentary on the absurdity of existence and the alienation of modern life. A cornerstone of existentialist literature, The Stranger challenges readers to confront the meaning (or meaninglessness) of morality, emotion, and social convention. Stripped of sentimentality, it is a brutally honest portrait of a man who refuses to lie about who he is. Reading time: ~1.75 hours Length: ~100 pages Set in 19th-century New Orleans, The Awakening follows Edna Pontellier, a wife and mother who begins to question her limited role in society. Through a summer of sensual discovery and existential reflection, Edna seeks emotional, artistic, and sexual liberation. Her pursuit for freedom brings isolation. Considered scandalous when it was released in 1899, it is now celebrated as a feminist classic. The novella confronts the cost of selfhood in a world that punishes women for wanting more. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~90 pages An aging Cuban fisherman, Santiago, has not caught fish in 84 days. On the 85th, he hooks a giant marlin and wages a solitary, days-long battle far from shore. Hemingway's fable-like novella is a meditation on perseverance, pride, and what it means to be a 'man.' The Old Man and the Sea was Hemingway's last major work published during his lifetime, and won him the Pulitzer Prize. Reading time: ~1.75 hours Length: ~95 pages Ivan Ilyich, a respected judge in imperial Russia, lives follows a daily routine, until a terminal illness forces him to confront the void beneath it all. As he lies dying, his reflection peels back the illusion of a 'good life' built on social conformity, career ambition, and hollow relationships. Tolstoy's novella confronts the themes of life and death. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~80 pages From the writer of Moby Dick comes an enigmatic tale of a Wall Street lawyer who hires a mild-mannered copyist, Bartleby, who begins refusing all tasks with a polite but firm: 'I would prefer not to.' Is Bartleby mentally ill? A rebel? A ghost? Melville never answers. It is a meditation on passivity, alienation, and the toll of modern existence. Reading time: ~1.5 hours Length: ~70 pages
BBC News
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Squid Game season three divides viewers as bleak themes hit home
Warning: This article contains spoilers. Millions of fans are bidding farewell to Squid Game, the Emmy award-winning TV series that has topped Netflix's charts and become a symbol of South Korea's ascendance in fictional show follows cash-strapped players as they battle it out in a series of traditional Korean children's games - with a gory twist, as losers are killed in every Game has sucked in viewers since 2021 with its candy-coloured sets and bleak messages about capitalism and humanity. And with its third and final season released last Friday, fans across the world are returning to South Koreans, however, have found themselves reflecting on the society that inspired the dystopian series. "I feel like Squid Game 3 revealed the true feelings and raw inner thoughts of Korean people," reads one YouTube comment under a clip from season three."It reflected reality so well like how in real life, at work, it's just full of ruthless people ready to crush you. This show nailed it." Relatable struggles Squid Game was born against the backdrop of cut-throat competition and widening inequality in South Korean society - where people are too stressed to have children and a university placement exam is seen as the defining moment of a person's diverse characters of the show - which include a salaryman, a migrant factory worker and a cryptocurrency scammer - are drawn from figures many South Koreans would find backstory of protagonist Seong Gi-hun, a car factory worker who was laid off and later went on strike, was also inspired by a real-life event: a 2009 strike at the SsangYong Motor factory, where workers clashed with riot police over widespread layoffs. It's remembered today as one of the country's largest labour confrontations."The drama may be fictional, but it feels more realistic than reality itself," Jeong Cheol Sang, a film enthusiast, wrote in his review of Squid Game's final season."Precarious labour, youth unemployment, broken families - these aren't just plot devices, but the very struggles we face every day." Those darker messages seemed to be brushed to the side on Saturday night, as a massive parade celebrated the release of the blockbuster's final season. A giant killer doll and dozens of faceless guards in tracksuits - among other motifs of the deadly games - marched down central Seoul to much South Korea's leaders, Squid Game has become a symbol of K-drama's success on the global stage. It is also part of a string of successes - along with K-pop act BTS and Oscar-winning film Parasite - on which newly elected president Lee Jae Myung wants to capitalise as he sets his sights on exporting K-culture far and are signs the Squid Game hype may even go further: the show's final scene, where Cate Blanchett plays a Korean game with a man in a Los Angeles alley, has fuelled rumours of an American series ended on an "open-ended" note, Lee Jung-jae, the star of the series, told the BBC. "So it poses a lot of questions to the audience. I hope people will talk about those questions, ponder upon themselves about the questions and try to find an answer." Mixed reactions In the show's later seasons, viewers follow Gi-hun's quest to bring down the eponymous games, which are packaged as entertainment for a group of wealthy his rebellion fails, and by the end Gi-hun is forced to sacrifice himself to save another player's baby - an ending that has polarised argued that Gi-hun's actions did not square with the dark portrait of reality that showrunners had developed - one that had so well captured the ruthless elements of human nature."The characters' excessive altruism was disturbing - almost to the point of seeming unhinged," reads a comment on popular South Korean discussion site Nate Pann. "It felt like a fake, performative kind of kindness, prioritising strangers over their own families for no real reason."But others said Gi-hun's death was in line with the show's commitment to uncomfortable truths."This perfectly describes humanity and the message of the show," another commented on YouTube."As much as we wanted to see Gi-Hun win, kill the frontman and the VIPs, and stop the games once and for all before riding off into the sunset, that's just not the world we live in and it's certainly not the one that Gi-Hun lived in."Hwang Dong-hyuk, the show's creator, told reporters on Monday that he understood the "mixed reaction" to the final season."In season one there were no expectations, so the shock and freshness worked. But by seasons two and three, expectations were sky high, and that makes all the difference," Hwang said on Monday."Game fans wanted more games, others wanted deeper messages, and some were more invested in the characters. Everyone expected something different."For some, at least, Gi-hun's final choice offered a hopeful reflection of reality: that even in times of adversity, kindness can prevail."That paradox - of cruelty and warmth coexisting - is what made the finale so moving," said Mr Jeong, the film blogger. "Watching the Squid Game made me reflect on myself. As someone who has worked in education and counselling, I've questioned whether kindness can really change anything.""That's why I stayed with this story. That's why I call this ending beautiful."
Telegraph
28-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
Bezos wedding celebrations met with protests in Venice
Hundreds of protesters marched through the narrow streets of Venice on Saturday to protest against the three-day wedding of billionaire Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez. Letting off smoke flares, blaring loud music and chanting 'Bezos out of the lagoon', they marched from Venice's railway station to the Rialto Bridge, which spans the Grand Canal. They carried placards which read 'Money Can't Buy Style', 'F--- Capitalism' and 'No Space for Bezos' – a play on the Amazon founder's Blue Origin space venture and his new wife's recent space flight. The estimated 500 marchers were shadowed by a small phalanx of riot police equipped with batons, helmets and shields. The noisy demonstration came as Mr Bezos, his new wife and their celebrity guests prepared to take water taxis from their luxury hotels to the Venetian Arsenal, the city's historic shipbuilding complex, for a final wedding celebration – a culmination of the three-day nuptials that have divided the city. 'Bezos is acting like he's king of the world' Some have hailed the economic impact of the event and the attention it has brought. But activists accused Mr Bezos, the third wealthiest person in the world, of treating Venice as a rich man's playground, a picturesque backdrop to a wedding believed to have cost between 40 and 50 million euros. The demonstrators are furious about the security arrangements and the fact that some parts of the city have been closed off to the public to allow access for Mr Bezos and his 250 guests, who include Ivanka Trump, Queen Rania of Jordan, Leonardo DiCaprio and the Kardashians. 'Our message is that everyone is welcome in Venice but not people who create disruption like he has done,' said Oliveiro Cassala, a 43-year-old protester who works in a hotel in Venice. 'He came to Venice acting as if he was king of the world. He thinks he can pay money and do whatever he likes. But we are proud people in Venice, and we don't like it.' He carried a placard which said that Mr Bezos' donation of three million euros to Venetian causes, from education to the environment, was paltry. 'With an estimated net worth of $230 billion, this donation represents 0.0013 per cent of his wealth,' he said. 'It's as if he had left a tip of three euros. Money does not buy respect, and Venice deserves much more.' Other placards with messages that read 'Free Palestine' and 'Stop Bombing Iran' were paraded down the streets past groups of tourists enjoying the evening sunshine and sipping Aperol Spritz cocktails. Elena Dal Toso, 80, said police had blocked her from walking from her home to a hospital clinic on Thursday evening, when Mr Bezos hosted a gala dinner in the cloister of a historic church called La Madonna dell'Orto 'They told me I couldn't pass – in my own city. It's fine to come here and get married, plenty of people do it, but not to cause this kind of inconvenience,' she said. 'We already have enough problems, like lack of housing and too much dependence on tourism. I feel like the city has been taken over these past few days.' Alice Bazzoli, another activist, said Venice had been 'exploited' by Mr Bezos and his wealthy friends, with mega-yachts moored in the lagoon, private jets landing at Marco Polo airport, and some parts of the city cordoned off. 'Protestors don't represent the majority' Police officers and Italian soldiers guarded narrow alleyways to Venice's centuries-old Jewish Ghetto to block any pro-Palestinian protesters from veering off the main route of the march. There were more police on standby in blue and white motor launches and on jet skis, deployed to surrounding canals. But many Venetians have welcomed the Bezos wedding, saying it would bring huge economic benefits to Venice. 'These protesters don't represent the majority,' said Matteo, who runs a trattoria near the Venetian Arsenal, the venue for Saturday night's celebrations. 'I think it's good that he came here. He's so rich, he could have chosen anywhere in the world. He could have gone to New York or St Tropez or Fiji. But he chose Venice. That says something about what a special place it is.' As wedding guests, including Bill Gates, Orlando Bloom and Oprah Winfrey, headed to the Venetian Arsenal, amid unconfirmed rumours that they would be serenaded by Sir Elton John and Lady Gaga, it remained a mystery as to who would actually provide the evening's entertainment. The menu was to consist of specialities from the Veneto region, including baccalà, or salt cod, and tiramisù. Paparazzi faced a stiff challenge in trying to access the venue – the Venetian Arsenal is surrounded by high crenellated walls and there are just a few entrances, all of them by boat. It evolved over the centuries as a place to construct merchant vessels and warships, built to fend off pirates, commercial rivals and marauding Turkish fleets. 'This won't change anything' Among those who welcomed the presence of Mr Bezos and his high-profile guests was the owner of the legendary Harry's Bar, famous for hosting generations of celebrities, on the banks of the Grand Canal. Mr Bezos and his new bride dropped into the bar on Saturday afternoon, the day after they had exchanged vows on the tiny island of San Giorgio. The Amazon founder is 'a private individual who has come here to get married. I can't see any problem with that. Venice is Venice and this event won't change anything,' Arrigo Cipriani, the owner of Harry's told the newspaper Corriere della Sera. He said only a tiny minority of the city's 48,000 inhabitants were upset, adding: 'And I'd like to know if there is a single person among them who has not bought something on Amazon.' Luigi Brugnaro, the pro-business, centre-Right mayor of Venice, lobbied for the wedding celebrations to be held in the city. 'I understand the protests that have been organised by students – we were all young once. They are idealists and they want to organise these striking actions, especially when there is a chance of attracting lots of media attention. I don't agree with them but I understand their motivations. I was also a rabble rouser when I was young.' But he said it was unfair to criticise the security measures that were put in place, given the international situation and the profile of the wedding guests. He accused Left-wing opposition councillors of trying to exploit the wedding for political ends. 'It is not normal that they criticise the number of police on the ground when, until a few days ago, we risked a world war breaking out and we have here in the city the daughter of the president of the United States.' He rejected criticism that the soul of Venice was being eroded by mass tourism, the proliferation of Airbnb properties and population decline, saying: 'The problem is that around 300 to 400 Venetians die each year and not enough babies are being born. This is affecting the whole of Italy, not just Venice.'
