It's hard to say that someone had a bad year because they made fewer millions than usual. And it's even harder to pity 50 Cent under any circumstances. But still, 2009 was rough on the hip-hop superstar otherwise known as Curtis Jackson. It ended with his latest album, Before I Self-Destruct, deservedly yielding the kind of sales numbers that inspire bad title-related puns. And it began with rap's most meaningless, inane and stage-managed beef yet, a feud between 50 and purported coke kingpin Rick Ross. Ross flailed around accusing numerous people of being gay. His rival MC mocked Ross's past career as a correctional officer, apparently reasoning that a rapper who never shoots a music video without a huge yacht... >>
In Sport and Culture
Football fans can be divided, somewhat crudely, into two categories: those attracted to the game for aesthetic gratification; and those whose fandom is rather driven by feelings of group solidarity. These categories are not mutually exclusive. A beautiful move acquires even greater beauty when performed by a player or team with whom one identifies; feelings of solidarity are emboldened when joined to rare artistry. >>
When Siphiwe Tshabalala scored for Bafana Bafana against Mexico on June 11, he provided the World Cup the sublime opening note longed for by his country, and by followers of football across the planet. Mexico's late equalizer dampened the local mood only slightly. Bafana Bafana had looked fresh, playing with the urgency the moment demanded but also with evident self-belief, and even flair. The optimism would not last. In their second match on 16 June, Bafana Bafana succumbed to a technically and tactically superior Uruguay side, 3-0. The obituaries followed, announcing the death not only of Bafana Bafana's campaign, but of the tournament itself - it is a commonly held truism that for a World Cup to be successful, the... >>
In November of 2007 the workers building Durban's Moses Mabhida Stadium staged a wildcat strike, demanding monthly project bonuses and better Health and Safety standards. Their action helped inspire a wave of such work stoppages at stadium sites throughout the country, and contributed to one of the abiding narrative themes of the World Cup's lead-up: would the infrastructure be ready in time? >>
Fifteen years after the new South Africa's first democratic elections, the dream of a true, non-racial, economically just "Rainbow Nation" endures. But so too do the inequalities of race and class that are the legacy of apartheid and its colonialist antecedents. In April of 2009 Jacob Zuma, anointed restorer of the liberationist mantle, rode a wave of populist energy to the national presidency. His ascension, however, has not quelled a resurgence of social unrest. For the majority of South Africans who retain faith in the nation's potential, but mourn the violent inequities that continue to shape daily life in apartheid's aftermath, the World Cup is cause for a difficult if needed national reckoning. [Part 3 of a 3 Part series.] >>
Periscope
Work and Idleness in the Age of the Great Recession
This special issue of Periscope on “Work and Idleness in the Age of the Great Recession,” reconsiders our sense of what qualifies as work or idleness when there is little or no work to be had. The role idleness might play in our lives, and in our collective imaginaries, may strike some as unthinkable or even irresponsible when so much suffering and uncertainty has been triggered by high unemployment rates. Yet perhaps now more than ever we have arrived at a moment that necessitates a critical rethinking of the normative institutions of work—in the form of employment or occupation, amongst others—under capitalism, especially during this time when “Right to Work” legislation, notions of a “jobless recovery,” and austerity measures have been proposed and implemented as the means of resolving various crises, both social and economic, in the U.S. and other parts of the globe. >>
