You're Wrong About The Newsboys' Strike of 1899 (Part 1)
Nov 23, 2020
Explore the pro-union message in Disney's Newsies movie, the challenges faced by gig workers, and the nostalgia for the Newsboys strike. Learn about the historical context of the Newsboys' strike of 1899 and the unexpected musical elements in the Disney movie.
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How Employment Structure Undermines Solidarity
- Employers intentionally structure work to reduce solidarity and make organizing harder.
- Outsourcing and contractor models fragment workers into separate ladders and block collective power.
Newsies Were Complex, Not Just Homeless Kids
- Newsies were a diverse workforce: boys, girls, and some adults, often not homeless.
- Reformers both pitied and feared newsies because their economic agency gave them unexpected power.
Moralizing Poverty Distracts From Class Limits
- Public discourse policed poor people's spending to imply they could 'pull themselves up' if they were frugal.
- That moralizing distracted from structural immobility and class barriers.