ESSAYS
The Liberal Trap
In "The Liberal Trap," Daniel Woods reveals why American politics feels broken. The term "liberal" has been weaponized to merge two contradictory belief systems: social liberalism (championing human equality and workers' rights) and economic liberalism (prioritizing corporate profits and deregulation). This impossible combination explains why politicians like Obama and Clinton sound progressive but govern conservatively. Woods traces this contradiction back to Enlightenment philosophers like John Locke, who argued against slavery while profiting from it. Modern "liberals" force the same hypocrisy on voters. Woods argues that recognizing this trap is the first step toward genuine political awakening and effective resistance to corporate domination.
Art is What Squeezes Through the Cracks
A poetic manifesto about how true art emerges from resistance against systems that try to contain it, exploring AI's role in either facilitating or suppressing creative rebellion. A call to arms for artists to reclaim AI technology from corporate control, positioning creative resistance as the defining characteristic of authentic art.
Chuck Schumer's Controlled Opposition: Why Democrats Protect Republicans Over Voters
Democratic leadership under Chuck Schumer has become a masterclass in political betrayal. This scathing analysis exposes how Senate Democrats consistently protect Republicans from consequences while abandoning their own voters. From ignoring 74% of New Mexico delegates who demanded Palestine ceasefire to enabling government shutdowns that benefit Trump and Musk, Democratic leadership appears to function as controlled opposition. The piece argues that Schumer and establishment Democrats profit from maintaining the status quo, leaving progressive voters with representatives who actively undermine their interests. A call to action for primary challenges and accountability measures concludes this damning assessment of Democratic complicity.
I Don’t Care If The Democratic Party Never Holds Office Again
In this fierce political critique, Daniel Woods argues the Democratic Party has fundamentally betrayed its working-class base over the past decade. He cites specific failures including inadequate response to Palestinian genocide, the economically devastating TikTok ban affecting 2 million small businesses and $10 billion in revenue, and systematic corruption where party leaders profit from stock manipulation while constituents struggle economically. Woods contends that Democrats have capitulated to Republican ideology, making strategic errors like handing Trump easy political victories. He describes an economy under strain where safety nets have collapsed while party elites grow wealthy. The essay concludes with Woods declaring the Democratic Party no longer exists in any meaningful sense and announcing his withdrawal from electoral participation, arguing the party no longer deserves working-class support.
So You Want a Definition of Fascism
Slavery existed before we named the system; the idea of stolen labor a fundamental principle to the ideology of the capitalist, yet predating the invention of the definition by millennia. In fact, it was chattel slavery, the reduction of human beings to a class of livestock, which truly sowed the seeds for what Capitalism is today. Indeed, the East India Trading Company was established in 1600 and what, if not capitalist, was it if not the seizure of the means of production and distribution from the commoner for the benefit of the lords and financiers of Europe? What was the Slave Triangle if not the express theft of the means of production in its rawest form for the use of landed elites in both the Old World and New?
Identity America: Race and Capital in the United States
"Identity 2024" challenges conventional narratives about American identity by examining the inextricable link between race and economic exploitation. Daniel Woods argues that the United States was founded not on principles of freedom, but on the economic necessity of slavery—with the Revolutionary War itself fought partially to preserve this institution. The essay traces how racial categories were invented as tools of economic control, from colonial slave codes to modern inequality. Woods contends that Black American culture, forged in resistance to systematic oppression, represents the only authentic American identity. This provocative analysis demands a reckoning with uncomfortable truths about our national character and the ongoing legacy of racial capitalism in contemporary America.
Land Back & Free Palestine
"Land Back & Free Palestine" is a powerful personal essay that connects the Palestinian liberation struggle to Indigenous rights movements and American history. Author Daniel Woods, writing from his experience growing up on traditional Apache land, traces his transformation from patriotic idealism to understanding America's colonial contradictions. He argues that Palestine represents a test case for occupied peoples worldwide, examining how the same colonial patterns that shaped America continue globally. Combining policy analysis with personal reflection, and anchored by Frederick Douglass's famous 1852 speech questioning Black Americans' relationship to Independence Day, Woods offers a compelling argument for seeing current liberation movements as part of America's unfinished justice work.
Where Does Empire Turn When Brutality-Theater Fails?
It is no surprise then that the Israeli government committed to fully executing Palestinian erasure that began under British Mandatory Palestine, no doubt feeling emboldened by the weakness of our leadership and the keen awareness of the temporality of the moment in US opinion and the election season.
The Issue With University Today Is Not How Complicated Things Are, But How Incredibly Simple Everything Is.
At the center of every modern social movement, colleges and universities have historically met the times and spurred the nation onward. Often to their own peril.
In "The Liberal Trap," Daniel Woods reveals why American politics feels broken. The term "liberal" has been weaponized to merge two contradictory belief systems: social liberalism (championing human equality and workers' rights) and economic liberalism (prioritizing corporate profits and deregulation). This impossible combination explains why politicians like Obama and Clinton sound progressive but govern conservatively. Woods traces this contradiction back to Enlightenment philosophers like John Locke, who argued against slavery while profiting from it. Modern "liberals" force the same hypocrisy on voters. Woods argues that recognizing this trap is the first step toward genuine political awakening and effective resistance to corporate domination.