Berlin · Kulturpolitisches Online-Magazin
The image of summer in Europe is that of a time when we can escape stress and hard work – a break from politics, if you will. Yet, summer has always been political. Nowadays, this ambivalence seems anachronistic in light of the intense heat forcing many people into survival mode and turning this supposed break into a state of emergency.
As of January 2026, the stocks of seven of the world's most well-known technology companies had reached market capitalizations of about $1 trillion or more. Dubbed the ‘Magnificent Seven,’ their public image hardly lives up to the name. In fact, quite the opposite is true. Companies like Tesla and Meta are known for causing harm to the public good in many ways.
Today’s fascist political forces derive a significant portion of their power from accumulated wealth, which is the product of labor. So why not recognize the working class’s ability to refuse this labor and pursue an alternative political vision?