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It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism
A progressive takedown of the uber-capitalist status quo that has enriched millionaires and billionaires at the expense of the working class, and a blueprint for what transformational change would actually look like
It’s OK to be angry about capitalism. Reflecting on our turbulent times, Senator Bernie Sanders takes on the billionaire class and speaks blunt truths about our country’s failure to address the destructive nature of a system that is fueled by uncontrolled greed and rigidly committed to prioritizing corporate profits over the needs of ordinary Americans.
Sanders argues that unfettered capitalism is to blame for an unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality, is undermining our democracy, and is destroying our planet. How can we accept an economic order that allows three billionaires to control more wealth than the bottom half of our society? How can we accept a political system that allows the super rich to buy elections and politicians? How can we accept an energy system that rewards the fossil fuel corporations causing the climate crisis? Sanders believes that, in the face of these overwhelming challenges, the American people must ask tough questions about the systems that have failed us and demand fundamental economic and political change. This is where the path forward begins.
It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism presents a vision that extends beyond the promises of past campaigns to reveal what would be possible if the political revolution took place, if we would finally recognize that economic rights are human rights, and if we would work to create a society that provides a decent standard of living for all. This isn’t some utopian fantasy; this is democracy as we should know it.
It’s OK to be angry about capitalism. Reflecting on our turbulent times, Senator Bernie Sanders takes on the billionaire class and speaks blunt truths about our country’s failure to address the destructive nature of a system that is fueled by uncontrolled greed and rigidly committed to prioritizing corporate profits over the needs of ordinary Americans.
Sanders argues that unfettered capitalism is to blame for an unprecedented level of income and wealth inequality, is undermining our democracy, and is destroying our planet. How can we accept an economic order that allows three billionaires to control more wealth than the bottom half of our society? How can we accept a political system that allows the super rich to buy elections and politicians? How can we accept an energy system that rewards the fossil fuel corporations causing the climate crisis? Sanders believes that, in the face of these overwhelming challenges, the American people must ask tough questions about the systems that have failed us and demand fundamental economic and political change. This is where the path forward begins.
It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism presents a vision that extends beyond the promises of past campaigns to reveal what would be possible if the political revolution took place, if we would finally recognize that economic rights are human rights, and if we would work to create a society that provides a decent standard of living for all. This isn’t some utopian fantasy; this is democracy as we should know it.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published February 21, 2023
About the author
Bernie Sanders
45 books1,296 followersBernard "Bernie" Sanders is the senior United States Senator from Vermont, elected on November 7, 2006. Before becoming Senator, Sanders represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives for 16 years. Sanders also served as mayor of Burlington, Vermont from 1981 through 1989.
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January 29, 2023anything for my dad
July 28, 2023
Bernie 2023 and Beyond: Uses and Limits…
Preamble:
--On the uses and limits of Bernie, we should consider the context (time/place) of the audience, Bernie's content, and the political situation:
--Audience (considering the process of critical education):
i) Beginner: the ideas may indeed be revelatory; after all, we all start from the default status quo.
ii) Experienced: if the idea does not keep up with the experiences of the audience, it may become a limitation at a certain point.
--Bernie's content vs. political situation:
i) My expectations for the content of Bernie's 1st campaign (2016 Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In) is comparatively much more lenient, given the context of his debut as a censored senator from Vermont.
ii) For his 2nd campaign in 2020, expectations had to rise and keep rising as his small-donors fundraising started shattering records. We all watched how the campaign crashed the party before the party crashed it.
iii) In the aftermath, my critical expectations are raised even higher: we have to learn from such a missed opportunity, sabotaged by the Democratic Party, where the prospect of a third party had been debated by those around Bernie.
...To those who see themselves as "pragmatic" and cannot fathom the third party option, this same "pragmatism" not so long ago scorned Bernie entering the 2016 elections. The context (audience/Bernie/political situation) changes; if you do not keep up, you end up a "pragmatic" loser.
...Bernie's platform was never going to be allowed to waltz into the White House by itself. The critical question was always how much popular power could Bernie unite to force his platform into office.
...What are the uses and limits of Bernie now, with close supporter Cornell West running for a third party in 2024?
The Good (for beginners):
--Rhetorically (important given Bernie’s crucial role as a lead communicator of social needs in the home of the Red Scare), a couple techniques stood out:
1) US context:
--To frame political action for social needs as common sense (even “American”) rather than “radical” (foreign/scary), Bernie recites popular US historical figures. This centers around FDR’s 1944 speech recognizing the need for economic rights (and thus the limits of FDR’s 1933-39 New Deal reforms):
--Of course, MLK, particularly the radical direction (The Radical King) MLK took when he combined antiracism with anti-capitalism (1968 Poor People’s Campaign) and anti-imperialism (protesting the US war on Vietnam).
--Several other popular US presidents are invoked, including Eisenhower (continuing FDR’s wartime restrictions on profiteering into postwar boom), LBJ’s “Great Society” programs, and Theodore Roosevelt taxing robber barons:
--Bernie flips conservative elites’ rhetoric of “moral values” to target capitalism’s system goals of endless accumulation/money-power (moralized as “greed”) and how this fails the Golden Rule (“do unto others as you would have them do unto you”) found in all major religions.
--Have you noticed the glaring contradiction where conservative elites avoid the most significant driver disrupting social relations (be it “traditional” or any sense of community): capitalism?
3) System goals and Social costs?:
--Bernie considers what happens when social services are commodified (buy/sell on market), with healthcare taking a chapter. How do the system goals change (Thinking in Systems: A Primer)? What are the social costs of private profit-maximization? How does (supposed) market efficiency/optimization serve profit-maximization and how does this conflict with social needs? Other social costs of profit-maximization include financial crashes/bailouts, climate change/ecological crisis, endless wars, legal bribery (lobbying), Big Pharma’s drug prices, etc.
--Nothing excites me more than seeing political economic structures described in an accessible, engaging manner that captures both the human needs as well as the big picture abstraction, which is why I always recommend Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works—and How It Fails.
--It’s not just conservatives that avoid the big picture structures of capitalism; liberals also avoid this, leaving a vacuum for right-wing “populism” to parody public concerns during crises by acknowledging something is wrong (Trump’s “American carnage”) but immediately scapegoating visible minorities to avoid structural causes: The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump. This is why Bernie’s structural critiques are crucial to defusing Trumpism.
4) Alternatives?:
--Bernie’s platform is built on:
i) Social Commons (social services/public utilities): revive (take out of profit-maximizing one-dollar-one-vote markets and into public as human right) and expand, esp. healthcare, education, publicly-funded elections (we should note Bernie’s huge success using only public small contributions in his 2020 campaign)/money out of politics, technology, media (Bernie notes manufacturing consent is more prevalent than “fake news”: see Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies) etc.
ii) Redistribution (taxing wealth/white-collar crime rather than labour)
iii) Predistribution by changing capitalist property rights: Bernie only hints at this in the context of the workplace (i.e. worker co-operatives, worker representation on corporate boards). I’ll cite Richard D. Wolff (Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism) on how redistribution is inherently conflictual compared to predistribution: for 2 children, give one child 2 popsicles and then demand this child to hand over 1 to the other child (this is maldistribution from capitalist property rights requiring redistribution), vs. give both children 1 popsicle each (predistribution).
…See comments below for the rest of the review ("The Bad/Missing")…
Preamble:
--On the uses and limits of Bernie, we should consider the context (time/place) of the audience, Bernie's content, and the political situation:
--Audience (considering the process of critical education):
i) Beginner: the ideas may indeed be revelatory; after all, we all start from the default status quo.
ii) Experienced: if the idea does not keep up with the experiences of the audience, it may become a limitation at a certain point.
--Bernie's content vs. political situation:
i) My expectations for the content of Bernie's 1st campaign (2016 Our Revolution: A Future to Believe In) is comparatively much more lenient, given the context of his debut as a censored senator from Vermont.
ii) For his 2nd campaign in 2020, expectations had to rise and keep rising as his small-donors fundraising started shattering records. We all watched how the campaign crashed the party before the party crashed it.
iii) In the aftermath, my critical expectations are raised even higher: we have to learn from such a missed opportunity, sabotaged by the Democratic Party, where the prospect of a third party had been debated by those around Bernie.
...To those who see themselves as "pragmatic" and cannot fathom the third party option, this same "pragmatism" not so long ago scorned Bernie entering the 2016 elections. The context (audience/Bernie/political situation) changes; if you do not keep up, you end up a "pragmatic" loser.
...Bernie's platform was never going to be allowed to waltz into the White House by itself. The critical question was always how much popular power could Bernie unite to force his platform into office.
...What are the uses and limits of Bernie now, with close supporter Cornell West running for a third party in 2024?
The Good (for beginners):
--Rhetorically (important given Bernie’s crucial role as a lead communicator of social needs in the home of the Red Scare), a couple techniques stood out:
1) US context:
--To frame political action for social needs as common sense (even “American”) rather than “radical” (foreign/scary), Bernie recites popular US historical figures. This centers around FDR’s 1944 speech recognizing the need for economic rights (and thus the limits of FDR’s 1933-39 New Deal reforms):
As our Nation has grown in size and stature, however—as our industrial economy expanded—these political rights proved inadequate to assure us equality in the pursuit of happiness. We have come to a clear realization of the fact that true individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence.--This is followed by the most successful Socialist presidential candidate in US history (I do wonder if Bernie's direct acknowledgements of "socialism" has actually decreased), Eugene V. Debs:
I am opposing a social order in which it is possible for one man who does absolutely nothing that is useful to amass a fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars, while millions of men and women who work all the days of their lives secure barely enough for a wretched existence [ex. debt/compound interest/speculation raising cost of living]....Bernie compares greed-addicted Wall Street speculators vs. essential workers with precarious low-wage jobs. As a public communicator focusing on inequality/class, this really should be Bernie's bread-and-butter. There is so much more he can elaborate on regarding Wall Street's debt-fueled passive income (capital gains/debt-leveraging speculation/compound interest) resulting in sky-rocketing cost-of-living (esp. housing prices, medical/education debts): The Bubble and Beyond
--Of course, MLK, particularly the radical direction (The Radical King) MLK took when he combined antiracism with anti-capitalism (1968 Poor People’s Campaign) and anti-imperialism (protesting the US war on Vietnam).
--Several other popular US presidents are invoked, including Eisenhower (continuing FDR’s wartime restrictions on profiteering into postwar boom), LBJ’s “Great Society” programs, and Theodore Roosevelt taxing robber barons:
[…] a Republican who possessed considerable wealth of his own, recognized that taxing extreme wealth was necessary not merely to collect revenues but to preserve and extend democracy. “The absence of effective state, and, especially, national, restraint upon unfair money-getting has tended to create a small class of enormously wealthy and economically powerful men, whose chief object is to hold and increase their power,” he warned in the 1910 “New Nationalism” speech, where he outlined a plan to “change the conditions which enable these men to accumulate power which it is not for the general welfare.” At the heart of Teddy Roosevelt’s plan was an ambitious wealth tax that targeted both the income and the estates of the robber barons of his time.2) Moral values?:
--Bernie flips conservative elites’ rhetoric of “moral values” to target capitalism’s system goals of endless accumulation/money-power (moralized as “greed”) and how this fails the Golden Rule (“do unto others as you would have them do unto you”) found in all major religions.
--Have you noticed the glaring contradiction where conservative elites avoid the most significant driver disrupting social relations (be it “traditional” or any sense of community): capitalism?
Constant revolutionising of production, uninterrupted disturbance of all social conditions, everlasting uncertainty and agitation distinguish the bourgeois [capitalist] epoch from all earlier ones. All fixed, fast-frozen relations, with their train of ancient and venerable prejudices and opinions, are swept away, all new-formed ones become antiquated before they can ossify. All that is solid melts into air, all that is holy is profaned […]--Substance: beneath the rhetorical tactics, the substance is grounded in structural critiques rather than individuals (“a couple of bad eggs”):
-The scary pamphlet
3) System goals and Social costs?:
--Bernie considers what happens when social services are commodified (buy/sell on market), with healthcare taking a chapter. How do the system goals change (Thinking in Systems: A Primer)? What are the social costs of private profit-maximization? How does (supposed) market efficiency/optimization serve profit-maximization and how does this conflict with social needs? Other social costs of profit-maximization include financial crashes/bailouts, climate change/ecological crisis, endless wars, legal bribery (lobbying), Big Pharma’s drug prices, etc.
--Nothing excites me more than seeing political economic structures described in an accessible, engaging manner that captures both the human needs as well as the big picture abstraction, which is why I always recommend Talking to My Daughter About the Economy: or, How Capitalism Works—and How It Fails.
--It’s not just conservatives that avoid the big picture structures of capitalism; liberals also avoid this, leaving a vacuum for right-wing “populism” to parody public concerns during crises by acknowledging something is wrong (Trump’s “American carnage”) but immediately scapegoating visible minorities to avoid structural causes: The Reactionary Mind: Conservatism from Edmund Burke to Donald Trump. This is why Bernie’s structural critiques are crucial to defusing Trumpism.
4) Alternatives?:
--Bernie’s platform is built on:
i) Social Commons (social services/public utilities): revive (take out of profit-maximizing one-dollar-one-vote markets and into public as human right) and expand, esp. healthcare, education, publicly-funded elections (we should note Bernie’s huge success using only public small contributions in his 2020 campaign)/money out of politics, technology, media (Bernie notes manufacturing consent is more prevalent than “fake news”: see Necessary Illusions: Thought Control in Democratic Societies) etc.
ii) Redistribution (taxing wealth/white-collar crime rather than labour)
iii) Predistribution by changing capitalist property rights: Bernie only hints at this in the context of the workplace (i.e. worker co-operatives, worker representation on corporate boards). I’ll cite Richard D. Wolff (Democracy at Work: A Cure for Capitalism) on how redistribution is inherently conflictual compared to predistribution: for 2 children, give one child 2 popsicles and then demand this child to hand over 1 to the other child (this is maldistribution from capitalist property rights requiring redistribution), vs. give both children 1 popsicle each (predistribution).
…See comments below for the rest of the review ("The Bad/Missing")…
February 10, 2023
There often are not books that will both educate you and validate your feelings about the current state of affairs, but Senator Bernie Sanders’ new book does just that. In “It’s Okay to be Angry About Capitalism”, Bernie breaks down piece by piece how our current form of capitalism has brought us into the country we live in today where less than 1% of our population owns more than the bottom 92% and CEO’s make 350 times more than their workers, where we live everyday that our economy is based on innovation and competition, but only a handful of corporations actually control the marketplace and stomp out competitors with ease. From antiquated taxation and education systems to the monopolized media conglomerates controlling narratives to the long practiced distraction politics, Bernie weaves together every piece to explain how this tangled web has developed over the past century.
I have always respected Bernie Sanders for a few key reasons. He understands the need to invest in our young adults and the youth vote in politics and understands the power that they hold. He is able to not only point out the issues that he sees but also present well thought out solutions to those problems. He knows that there is no silver bullet to societal issues and that it won’t happen overnight, but the hard work that societal change demands must be done.
Thank you Crown Publishing for the free advanced copy of this book. Even if you agree or disagree with Sanders, I could not recommend it enough. I finished it in one day because it was that compelling.
Get @berniesanders’ new book from @randomhouse and @crownpublishing on February 21, 2023. #angryaboutcapitalism
I have always respected Bernie Sanders for a few key reasons. He understands the need to invest in our young adults and the youth vote in politics and understands the power that they hold. He is able to not only point out the issues that he sees but also present well thought out solutions to those problems. He knows that there is no silver bullet to societal issues and that it won’t happen overnight, but the hard work that societal change demands must be done.
Thank you Crown Publishing for the free advanced copy of this book. Even if you agree or disagree with Sanders, I could not recommend it enough. I finished it in one day because it was that compelling.
Get @berniesanders’ new book from @randomhouse and @crownpublishing on February 21, 2023. #angryaboutcapitalism
March 4, 2023
It’s somewhat difficult to rate this book because it seems to be advertised as a modern critique of American capitalism but it acts more as a memoir with relatively surface level analysis of the current political climate.
I just wish he had either committed to a full memoir of his political career or a deeper analysis of America’s economic situation and his progressive solutions.
The book does give you plenty of reasons to be “mad at capitalism” but doesn’t give much history or reasoning beyond corporate greed. I’m not saying it’s wrong, it’s just only a somewhat obvious step one. He lists many reasons; childhood poverty rates, bankruptcy from medical bills, and paycheck to paycheck living but it sort of feels like a grocery list of bad things in America that he puts under the umbrella of capitalism.
And I hate to say it, he’s just not that great a writer.
If you want to read about Bernie this is the book for you but if you’re looking for an in depth view on capitalism, I’d look elsewhere.
I just wish he had either committed to a full memoir of his political career or a deeper analysis of America’s economic situation and his progressive solutions.
The book does give you plenty of reasons to be “mad at capitalism” but doesn’t give much history or reasoning beyond corporate greed. I’m not saying it’s wrong, it’s just only a somewhat obvious step one. He lists many reasons; childhood poverty rates, bankruptcy from medical bills, and paycheck to paycheck living but it sort of feels like a grocery list of bad things in America that he puts under the umbrella of capitalism.
And I hate to say it, he’s just not that great a writer.
If you want to read about Bernie this is the book for you but if you’re looking for an in depth view on capitalism, I’d look elsewhere.
March 1, 2023
When they turned to Bernie's potential second presidential run, Obama dispensed some advice. "Bernie, you are an Old Testament prophet -- a moral voice for our party giving us guidance. Here is the thing, though. Prophets don't get to be king. Kings have to make choices prophets don't. Are you willing to make those choices? -- Ari Rabin-Havt, The Fighting Soul
If you've seen Bernie speak or if you've read either of his prior two books, a lot of what's in It's OK To Be Angry About Capitalism will sound familiar. But as I was reading the book, I couldn't help but think about the above quote from Ari Rabin-Havt's accounting of Bernie's 2020 presidential run, which came out last year.
As these problems continue to crop up (and, in some instances, further calcify), Bernie remains a guiding light, unafraid to point out the issues within both parties (he is harsh on Republicans here, to be sure, but does not shy away from criticizing the Democratic Party) and -- perhaps stubbornly so -- refuses to back down from his principles and his beliefs. For many, that is what endeared us to Bernie in the first place.
He may never be president, but his ideas continue to resonate. And as long as they do, there is hope that some are listening.
If you've seen Bernie speak or if you've read either of his prior two books, a lot of what's in It's OK To Be Angry About Capitalism will sound familiar. But as I was reading the book, I couldn't help but think about the above quote from Ari Rabin-Havt's accounting of Bernie's 2020 presidential run, which came out last year.
As these problems continue to crop up (and, in some instances, further calcify), Bernie remains a guiding light, unafraid to point out the issues within both parties (he is harsh on Republicans here, to be sure, but does not shy away from criticizing the Democratic Party) and -- perhaps stubbornly so -- refuses to back down from his principles and his beliefs. For many, that is what endeared us to Bernie in the first place.
He may never be president, but his ideas continue to resonate. And as long as they do, there is hope that some are listening.
February 27, 2023
When people ask me about my politics or I just want to sum it up, I just say, “I’m a Bernie-loving progressive.” I was introduced to Bernie Sanders by a friend prior to the 2016 elections. He was saying things that I didn’t even know were possible, and his passion really got me interested in politics, and now I’m an extremely political person after spending a life being extremely indifferent about politics and voting.
I never read Bernie’s other book(s), so when I saw this, I snatched it up and binged it within a couple of days. It’s a great book that covers Bernie’s 2020 run as well as what happened after. Then, he really dives into our screwed-up capitalist system and how there’s a ton of needless suffering in the United States because money rules politics.
My only gripe with this book is Bernie goes extremely soft on Biden and makes a ton of excuses for him. Bernie criticizes Biden, but it’s minimal. And I get it, but I’m not a fan of that because I’m sure Bernie was holding back because he has to work with Biden and others. But he does have plenty of criticisms about the Democratic party alongside his breakdown of how messed up capitalism in the United States is.
The final question is, “Who is this book for?”. If you like Bernie, you’ll love the book. If you think you know about Bernie via what the media and other politicians say, you should definitely read the book to get the worst straight from his mouth. He’s not saying anything insane and truly cares about this country and making it a better place for everyone.
I never read Bernie’s other book(s), so when I saw this, I snatched it up and binged it within a couple of days. It’s a great book that covers Bernie’s 2020 run as well as what happened after. Then, he really dives into our screwed-up capitalist system and how there’s a ton of needless suffering in the United States because money rules politics.
My only gripe with this book is Bernie goes extremely soft on Biden and makes a ton of excuses for him. Bernie criticizes Biden, but it’s minimal. And I get it, but I’m not a fan of that because I’m sure Bernie was holding back because he has to work with Biden and others. But he does have plenty of criticisms about the Democratic party alongside his breakdown of how messed up capitalism in the United States is.
The final question is, “Who is this book for?”. If you like Bernie, you’ll love the book. If you think you know about Bernie via what the media and other politicians say, you should definitely read the book to get the worst straight from his mouth. He’s not saying anything insane and truly cares about this country and making it a better place for everyone.
March 12, 2023
Thanks Bernie, I need to grab something to smoke, drink, maybe some lavender essential oil, cozy socks and a pillow to scream into after this one.
The first 100 pages give an insider look at his past campaigns, but he kept it neutral. Bernie could have ripped dnc a new one. But I guess it takes away from his true message. So I glazed over the beginning, but after he broke down the true underbelly of who runs this country I was sighing, reading passages out loud to whoever was in the room with me, highlighting… its nice to hear some affirmation that yes this is messed up! And it’s not like it’s new information! Every time Bernie is on tv he’s asking people to understand that we are being controlled by a handful of people here in America. But at times it’s only in five minute sound bites, so I enjoyed how he broke it down by how the American people are affected systematically with our healthcare, jobs, education. Great book for someone that needs introduction into how political and business conglomerates work in America.
The first 100 pages give an insider look at his past campaigns, but he kept it neutral. Bernie could have ripped dnc a new one. But I guess it takes away from his true message. So I glazed over the beginning, but after he broke down the true underbelly of who runs this country I was sighing, reading passages out loud to whoever was in the room with me, highlighting… its nice to hear some affirmation that yes this is messed up! And it’s not like it’s new information! Every time Bernie is on tv he’s asking people to understand that we are being controlled by a handful of people here in America. But at times it’s only in five minute sound bites, so I enjoyed how he broke it down by how the American people are affected systematically with our healthcare, jobs, education. Great book for someone that needs introduction into how political and business conglomerates work in America.
March 9, 2023
Bernie Sanders speaks the obvious truth. Most of what is in the book leaves one saying: "Of course!" The book reveals The Emperor Wears No Clothes.
I hope all politicians read this book and either:
Cower in shame they have been revealed, or
Decide there is a need to take the actions suggested.
While Bernie speaks about his campaigns and his treatment in the media, it is born from a desire to tell the full story, not any ego or pride. He is truly a humble person who has the best of intentions for everyone and for the country most of us love (or want to love).
None of his ideas and analysis are unshared by others, and other authors. His suggested ideas may not be the only ones which would solve the obvious problems; however, he is learned, experienced and extremely intelligent. I hope this book's bestselling status will spread his message. It is a masterpiece of political science for today's world.
I hope all politicians read this book and either:
Cower in shame they have been revealed, or
Decide there is a need to take the actions suggested.
While Bernie speaks about his campaigns and his treatment in the media, it is born from a desire to tell the full story, not any ego or pride. He is truly a humble person who has the best of intentions for everyone and for the country most of us love (or want to love).
None of his ideas and analysis are unshared by others, and other authors. His suggested ideas may not be the only ones which would solve the obvious problems; however, he is learned, experienced and extremely intelligent. I hope this book's bestselling status will spread his message. It is a masterpiece of political science for today's world.
March 11, 2023
Maybe 4.5 stars
Yep - this is gonna be a political rant, but as the title suggests, I'm angry.
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be validating. Capitalism tends to do this cute little thing where it blames you for your inability to achieve the American dream because you're just not working hard enough, and you're not saving your money enough, and if you would just do those things better then you too could afford the nice house and the nice car and the fat pension like all the one percenters. But Bernie Sanders explains how the corporate elite have rigged a system to make the uber-rich richer and the middle and working class poorer. This book acts as a good introduction to explain how millionaires and billionaires use their financial power to sway politicians to push their own interests forward, so if you are already well aware of how super-PACS and CEO campaign funds are controlling what kind of legislation gets passed, this may be redundant to you.
Bernie discusses many of the legislation points he has fought for through the years to relieve some of the burden on the American people, such as his Medicare for All plan, guaranteed paid parental leave, and a progressive income tax. But when nearly all of his plans have been voted down, this book had me regularly thinking, "This all sounds great, but how do we get any of it to actually happen?" It can be tough to keep the faith that any prominent change will happen in our current political climate.
I did appreciate his no-holds-barred approach to criticizing the Democratic Party and outlining exactly what they need to do to earn back the trust of the working class. He stresses the important need for the Democratic Party to make it clear that immigrants, women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community are not to blame for current quality of life degradation - and that they need to explicitly state that it is the rich and powerful people whom politicians take their money from who are the problem. (And then maybe they could start utilizing grassroots campaign funding and reject Big Money support too.) Bernie said it best on the very last page: "The danger for the Democratic Party is not being too bold. It's being too cautious."
Yep - this is gonna be a political rant, but as the title suggests, I'm angry.
If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be validating. Capitalism tends to do this cute little thing where it blames you for your inability to achieve the American dream because you're just not working hard enough, and you're not saving your money enough, and if you would just do those things better then you too could afford the nice house and the nice car and the fat pension like all the one percenters. But Bernie Sanders explains how the corporate elite have rigged a system to make the uber-rich richer and the middle and working class poorer. This book acts as a good introduction to explain how millionaires and billionaires use their financial power to sway politicians to push their own interests forward, so if you are already well aware of how super-PACS and CEO campaign funds are controlling what kind of legislation gets passed, this may be redundant to you.
Bernie discusses many of the legislation points he has fought for through the years to relieve some of the burden on the American people, such as his Medicare for All plan, guaranteed paid parental leave, and a progressive income tax. But when nearly all of his plans have been voted down, this book had me regularly thinking, "This all sounds great, but how do we get any of it to actually happen?" It can be tough to keep the faith that any prominent change will happen in our current political climate.
I did appreciate his no-holds-barred approach to criticizing the Democratic Party and outlining exactly what they need to do to earn back the trust of the working class. He stresses the important need for the Democratic Party to make it clear that immigrants, women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community are not to blame for current quality of life degradation - and that they need to explicitly state that it is the rich and powerful people whom politicians take their money from who are the problem. (And then maybe they could start utilizing grassroots campaign funding and reject Big Money support too.) Bernie said it best on the very last page: "The danger for the Democratic Party is not being too bold. It's being too cautious."
March 6, 2023
We should all be angry.
April 21, 2023
What a progressive book and gives a different critique of the political system and why things need to change. gives interesting insights to a broken system.
December 9, 2023
I’ve always really appreciated how forward and consistent Bernie is. Though I often don’t agree with him, I think that most of the negative adjectives I’d use to describe most politicians don’t apply to him. I had high(ish) hopes for this book because Sanders probably isn’t running another close election in his life, so I thought it might be less of a stump speech and contain some real candor. Unfortunately, it did read like a stump speech, primarily recounting all of his wonderful deeds and infallible ideas.
So whoop-dee-doo, another stump speech book by a politician. I’ve read way too many of these now. I did have one novel realization while reading this book:
I have always noticed that, though I consider myself a centrist to the core, I get more frazzled while reading liberal politicians than conservative politicians. This book was just the mirror image of DeSantis’s book, which I read a few months back. I disagree with both men, but somehow, this book ruffled my feathers way more. So, as I read, I pondered why that is the case.
An über-wise quote about policy making is “there are no solutions, only trade-offs”. I think this is 100% true. To grossly oversimplify things, Sanders wants the government to give us stuff and DeSantis does not. Consequently, DeSantis is forced to provide nuance and context - to confront trade-offs. When he votes against universal healthcare, he must explain why his position is right despite the fact that it would obviously be nice to have “free healthcare”.
Sanders, on the other hand, is not forced to acknowledge trade-offs because the opportunity costs of his positions, while no less real, are far less patent. This leads to a narrative that I find infuriatingly over-simplistic: “I wanted you to have healthcare, but my opponents said no. I wanted your college to be free, but my opponents said no. I believe you have the right to economic security, but my opponents do not.”
If the above narrative is really so simple, then the book’s title (and message) make perfect sense. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it is nearly so simple. I think Sanders is better than a 2-star politician. I even think his policies are better than 2-star policies. But this was not better than a 2-star book.
So whoop-dee-doo, another stump speech book by a politician. I’ve read way too many of these now. I did have one novel realization while reading this book:
I have always noticed that, though I consider myself a centrist to the core, I get more frazzled while reading liberal politicians than conservative politicians. This book was just the mirror image of DeSantis’s book, which I read a few months back. I disagree with both men, but somehow, this book ruffled my feathers way more. So, as I read, I pondered why that is the case.
An über-wise quote about policy making is “there are no solutions, only trade-offs”. I think this is 100% true. To grossly oversimplify things, Sanders wants the government to give us stuff and DeSantis does not. Consequently, DeSantis is forced to provide nuance and context - to confront trade-offs. When he votes against universal healthcare, he must explain why his position is right despite the fact that it would obviously be nice to have “free healthcare”.
Sanders, on the other hand, is not forced to acknowledge trade-offs because the opportunity costs of his positions, while no less real, are far less patent. This leads to a narrative that I find infuriatingly over-simplistic: “I wanted you to have healthcare, but my opponents said no. I wanted your college to be free, but my opponents said no. I believe you have the right to economic security, but my opponents do not.”
If the above narrative is really so simple, then the book’s title (and message) make perfect sense. Unfortunately, I don’t believe it is nearly so simple. I think Sanders is better than a 2-star politician. I even think his policies are better than 2-star policies. But this was not better than a 2-star book.
March 21, 2023
"It's OK to be Angry About Capitalism" is Senator Bernie Sanders' latest book. As a fan of Senator Sanders and his common sense, I was eager to get my hands on this one. I love the picture on the front cover, of the Senator grim-faced and rolling up his sleeve, apparently ready to get down to work.
And get to work he does. He rails against Donald Trump and his Republican enablers (too easy!); against billionaires ("They should not exist." Agreed.); corporate media (surprisingly); our broken health care system (boo-yah!); union-busting (boo); the Democratic political party and how it is failing the working class (important); and the on-going class struggle of the oligarchs versus everyone else. I enjoyed his (short) history of his presidential campaigns, remembering fondly getting to meet him after his 2016 campaign. He admits to being cranky and curmudgeonly ... as I found him in the approximately three minutes in which I got to speak to him.
In reference toAmerican oligarchs: yes, they exist. I will quote the book: "What about the oligarchs of America? What about the perverse and destructive role that they play in shaping our society? Why is there no acknowledgement, by our political and media elites, that there is an American oligarchy every bit as dangerous as the oligarchies we decry in other countries?" p. 100. We tut-tut over the oligarchs ruling Russia or trying to destroy Ukraine, but we don't admit that we have our own? Or as the senator says on the next page, he who owns the gold, rules? (paraphase p. 101). Why should the 0.001% of the top 1% of this country have an outsized influence on our politicians? Because they can buy them, and most of the rest of us can't. That is oligarchy.
Why am I only giving the book three stars if I agree w/ everything in it? 1) Because I didn't learn anything new. Again, I've been a "Bernie bro" for years, and he has been striking the same notes for decades. 2) The book is a serious downer. There is so MUCH to fix in this country, but as long as we have oligarchs (and Citizens United for them to spend unlimited funds on buying politicians), we simply aren't going to be able to follow his guidelines for fixing what is broken about America, and improve the lives of ALL citizens. A few pages of difficult-to-achieve solutions simply couldn't overcome the gloom and doom of the rest of the book.
Deep sigh.
And get to work he does. He rails against Donald Trump and his Republican enablers (too easy!); against billionaires ("They should not exist." Agreed.); corporate media (surprisingly); our broken health care system (boo-yah!); union-busting (boo); the Democratic political party and how it is failing the working class (important); and the on-going class struggle of the oligarchs versus everyone else. I enjoyed his (short) history of his presidential campaigns, remembering fondly getting to meet him after his 2016 campaign. He admits to being cranky and curmudgeonly ... as I found him in the approximately three minutes in which I got to speak to him.
In reference toAmerican oligarchs: yes, they exist. I will quote the book: "What about the oligarchs of America? What about the perverse and destructive role that they play in shaping our society? Why is there no acknowledgement, by our political and media elites, that there is an American oligarchy every bit as dangerous as the oligarchies we decry in other countries?" p. 100. We tut-tut over the oligarchs ruling Russia or trying to destroy Ukraine, but we don't admit that we have our own? Or as the senator says on the next page, he who owns the gold, rules? (paraphase p. 101). Why should the 0.001% of the top 1% of this country have an outsized influence on our politicians? Because they can buy them, and most of the rest of us can't. That is oligarchy.
Why am I only giving the book three stars if I agree w/ everything in it? 1) Because I didn't learn anything new. Again, I've been a "Bernie bro" for years, and he has been striking the same notes for decades. 2) The book is a serious downer. There is so MUCH to fix in this country, but as long as we have oligarchs (and Citizens United for them to spend unlimited funds on buying politicians), we simply aren't going to be able to follow his guidelines for fixing what is broken about America, and improve the lives of ALL citizens. A few pages of difficult-to-achieve solutions simply couldn't overcome the gloom and doom of the rest of the book.
Deep sigh.
March 3, 2023
Go get 'em, Bernie. Yes, I'm very angry about {unfettered} capitalism, and while I might not agree with all of his policies, I recognize that our system has entirely broken down and a lot of what he proposes to do to fix it makes sense. At this point, what do we have to lose??
March 4, 2023
This is the kind of book one writes as part of a presidential campaign, and likely is part of Bernie keeping his option to run open. This book is basically an extended stump speech. If you've been to a Bernie rally, imagine it was three to four times longer, and you'll have a good sense of the flavor.
I'm not the audience for this book: this is a book for moderates and centrists. I find the distinction between capitalism and uber-capitalism meaningless. It is within the character of capital to increase concentration of wealth and resources, and it is fundamentally antidemocratic. But it's smart to make this inaccurate distinction to bring on board people who are capitalists but who have a problem with the way things are going.
Two-thirds to four-fifths of this book is a tedious retread of things you've heard Bernie say a million times. The last segment has some interesting new stuff and offers a comprehensive suite of potential solutions for our current crises.
I'm not the audience for this book: this is a book for moderates and centrists. I find the distinction between capitalism and uber-capitalism meaningless. It is within the character of capital to increase concentration of wealth and resources, and it is fundamentally antidemocratic. But it's smart to make this inaccurate distinction to bring on board people who are capitalists but who have a problem with the way things are going.
Two-thirds to four-fifths of this book is a tedious retread of things you've heard Bernie say a million times. The last segment has some interesting new stuff and offers a comprehensive suite of potential solutions for our current crises.
Shelved as 'dnf'
March 22, 2023OKAY I dropped this but not because it was bad. It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism is a wonderful starter education for anyone even slightly left learning who feels like something is wrong with this country but maybe doesn't know a whole lot about social injustice yet. Its a wonderful book, but the information is all stuff that someone whose very savvy with politics and social issues would already know. If you are normally shy about politics and want to learn more about Bernie Sanders or Democratic Socialist beliefs, I highly recommend it.
March 17, 2024
“It’s ok to be angry about capitalism” gaat vooral veel over Bernie zelf. Ik bewonder zijn passie en kennis, maar hoopte op een bredere analyse van het kapitalisme. Nu weet ik vooral hoe slecht de VS ervoor staat en wat de oplossingen van Bernie zijn - waarbij ik vaak dacht “ja duh”… Maar ter verdediging van Bernie: ik denk dat het boek vooral bedoeld is voor de Amerikanen zelf.
Read
May 17, 2023Excellent audio! Loved hearing Bernie’s perspectives in his voice. Still crazy that he’s seen as one of the most radical politicians in the U.S., despite many of his policies actually not being that radical. Highly recommend the audio!
March 28, 2023
It struck the perfect balance between explaining the intricacies of our political system and proposing solutions to problems we face. Please read this.
February 25, 2024
Senator Bernie Sanders. The mitten man himself. The unlikely 80-something vanguard of the Democratic progressive movement. The apogee of his political stardom occurred in 2016 and more prominently during the 2020 primaries, just before I began following politics closely. Therefore, with It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism, his stirringly titled 2023 progressive manifesto, I hoped to gain some insight into the ideology of the modern patron saint of the political movement with which I identify, emerging with a clearer distinction between democratic socialism and social democracy, a righteous disgust with corporate America, and a blueprint to inform my own political activism and advocacy for the systemic change to political and economic institutions in America that so many in my generation demand. Having submersed myself in Sanders' worldview for about a month now, I can safely say that this book met all three of my entry goals. Nevertheless, I still feel somewhat that It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism let me down.
The tome has many positives. Sanders successfully balances his indignant tone with an ultimately hopeful mood, offering inspiring recitations on everything from reforming workers' unions to education, health care, corporate media, and the billionaire class. His writing is breezy, conversational, and for the most part well-contextualized. (Perhaps the fact that I had to Google right-to-work laws and the Taft-Hartley Act is a validation of Sanders' point that the establishment's suppression of organized labor movements has been so effective that it has fully stamped the topic out of public discourse.) Sanders' sourcing is varied and scholarly, drawing on both partisan and nonpartisan studies (the Congressional Budget Office and the Economic Policy Institute, yes, but also interviews with diplomats and ministers from oh-so-socialist Scandinavia) to offer numbers, statistics, and anecdotes relating to his proposals for universal health care, free public education, workplace democracy, anti-corporate executive action, and more. He quotes from the forefathers of the progressive movement—namely FDR and Eugene V. Debs—to lend his arguments authority. For anyone not particularly well-versed in progressive politics, this is an excellent introduction.
But that's just the problem—what here would appeal to skeptics or those unfamiliar with socialism and its related political movements? Progressives (like myself) agree with essentially everything Sanders says, so there's no need to write to them. Conservatives wouldn't pick up anything with Sanders' name on it in the first place. And as for everyone else, I think this book would actually turn many moderate Americans away from progressive ideologies. Sanders spends entire chapters bashing both the Democratic and Republican parties for being bought out by "the Big Money interests," "the corporate media," "the super-PACs and wealthy campaign contributors," and "the super delegates" (5). For Americans for whom their political party increasingly functions as a source of identity, hearing such conspiratorial rhetoric (however true) may elicit some distaste. Furthermore, dissecting Sanders' lofty and highly legitimate aspirations for the downfall of uber-capitalism reveals an extremely one-sided argument. All of those statistics and studies that Sanders includes conveniently affirm Sanders' perspectives and Sanders' perspectives alone. If you think he's wrong, it's not your sense of critical thinking alerting you to a potentially problematic policy suggestion—according to the senator, it's the fault of the uber-capitalist media and political establishment for brainwashing you into thinking that systemic change is impossible. One of the most fundamental tenets of effective persuasive dialogue is that accompanying a position with a thorough and engaged exploration of its counterarguments automatically improves your standing in the discussion. Sanders doesn't just ignore this principle; he derides it throughout the book.
The reforms Sanders are proposing are doubtlessly utterly integral to realizing the America that I want my family, my kids, and me to live in. I trust that if Bernie Sanders had been the Democratic nominee in 2020, he would have beaten Trump and begun the process of forging a healthier, cleaner, more equitable, freer America—It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism certainly did convince me of that. As with any political diatribe in bound and published form, though, an author's arguments must be taken with a healthy grain of salt. At the end of the day, Sanders' arguments did not convert me into a die-hard socialist, even if they did reinvigorate my desire to fight for reform at every level to purge our politics and public discourse of bigotry, nationalism, MAGA conservatism, and corporate greed. And if I, a highly left-leaning member of Gen Z could not be swayed, I doubt the book will do a whole lot for anyone else.
The tome has many positives. Sanders successfully balances his indignant tone with an ultimately hopeful mood, offering inspiring recitations on everything from reforming workers' unions to education, health care, corporate media, and the billionaire class. His writing is breezy, conversational, and for the most part well-contextualized. (Perhaps the fact that I had to Google right-to-work laws and the Taft-Hartley Act is a validation of Sanders' point that the establishment's suppression of organized labor movements has been so effective that it has fully stamped the topic out of public discourse.) Sanders' sourcing is varied and scholarly, drawing on both partisan and nonpartisan studies (the Congressional Budget Office and the Economic Policy Institute, yes, but also interviews with diplomats and ministers from oh-so-socialist Scandinavia) to offer numbers, statistics, and anecdotes relating to his proposals for universal health care, free public education, workplace democracy, anti-corporate executive action, and more. He quotes from the forefathers of the progressive movement—namely FDR and Eugene V. Debs—to lend his arguments authority. For anyone not particularly well-versed in progressive politics, this is an excellent introduction.
But that's just the problem—what here would appeal to skeptics or those unfamiliar with socialism and its related political movements? Progressives (like myself) agree with essentially everything Sanders says, so there's no need to write to them. Conservatives wouldn't pick up anything with Sanders' name on it in the first place. And as for everyone else, I think this book would actually turn many moderate Americans away from progressive ideologies. Sanders spends entire chapters bashing both the Democratic and Republican parties for being bought out by "the Big Money interests," "the corporate media," "the super-PACs and wealthy campaign contributors," and "the super delegates" (5). For Americans for whom their political party increasingly functions as a source of identity, hearing such conspiratorial rhetoric (however true) may elicit some distaste. Furthermore, dissecting Sanders' lofty and highly legitimate aspirations for the downfall of uber-capitalism reveals an extremely one-sided argument. All of those statistics and studies that Sanders includes conveniently affirm Sanders' perspectives and Sanders' perspectives alone. If you think he's wrong, it's not your sense of critical thinking alerting you to a potentially problematic policy suggestion—according to the senator, it's the fault of the uber-capitalist media and political establishment for brainwashing you into thinking that systemic change is impossible. One of the most fundamental tenets of effective persuasive dialogue is that accompanying a position with a thorough and engaged exploration of its counterarguments automatically improves your standing in the discussion. Sanders doesn't just ignore this principle; he derides it throughout the book.
The reforms Sanders are proposing are doubtlessly utterly integral to realizing the America that I want my family, my kids, and me to live in. I trust that if Bernie Sanders had been the Democratic nominee in 2020, he would have beaten Trump and begun the process of forging a healthier, cleaner, more equitable, freer America—It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism certainly did convince me of that. As with any political diatribe in bound and published form, though, an author's arguments must be taken with a healthy grain of salt. At the end of the day, Sanders' arguments did not convert me into a die-hard socialist, even if they did reinvigorate my desire to fight for reform at every level to purge our politics and public discourse of bigotry, nationalism, MAGA conservatism, and corporate greed. And if I, a highly left-leaning member of Gen Z could not be swayed, I doubt the book will do a whole lot for anyone else.
June 6, 2023
Audiobooked.
We are so lucky to be alive at the same time as Bernie.
If I wasn’t radicalized enough before, I’m getting there. I had to laugh when I finish this book, because of course the completion came with nonstop commentary from my very moderate mother about how I’m “too radical for anyone in the family to agree with” to which I cackled. My mother, who is in charge of at least four departments at our community hospital, would worship the ground Bernie walks on if she took the time to read even just his healthcare reform chapter.
It was really lovely getting to listen to Bernie’s on reading of his book, along with the perspectives that it exposed me to. It was extremely long, and I would be interested in exploring books that focus primarily on one or two of his points of reformation and really dug in. Otherwise, thanks Bernie! We really shit the bed losing you!
We are so lucky to be alive at the same time as Bernie.
If I wasn’t radicalized enough before, I’m getting there. I had to laugh when I finish this book, because of course the completion came with nonstop commentary from my very moderate mother about how I’m “too radical for anyone in the family to agree with” to which I cackled. My mother, who is in charge of at least four departments at our community hospital, would worship the ground Bernie walks on if she took the time to read even just his healthcare reform chapter.
It was really lovely getting to listen to Bernie’s on reading of his book, along with the perspectives that it exposed me to. It was extremely long, and I would be interested in exploring books that focus primarily on one or two of his points of reformation and really dug in. Otherwise, thanks Bernie! We really shit the bed losing you!
December 21, 2023
3.5 stars. It’s OK to be Angry About Capitalism is not by any means a bad book; I am just not its target audience. (I want to make it clear, though, that I agree with Bernie on the issues. I just don’t think he goes far enough in addressing them.)
Bernie’s distinction between uber-capitalism (or unfettered capitalism) and ‘normal’ capitalism is an arbitrary one. The system is working exactly as intended. But he knows that. This book’s aim is to appeal to the moderates for whom socialism is still a dirty word, and on that front, I think it does well.
Bernie’s distinction between uber-capitalism (or unfettered capitalism) and ‘normal’ capitalism is an arbitrary one. The system is working exactly as intended. But he knows that. This book’s aim is to appeal to the moderates for whom socialism is still a dirty word, and on that front, I think it does well.
May 30, 2023
Bernie rocks it!!! This is a must read especially because Bernie not only explains his positions in-depth but he expands on them by including sections on Finland and why people are happier there and have higher QOL than in the US. Perhaps my favorite chapter is entitled Coporate Media is Undermining Democracy. Did you know that ...”roughly 90% of all US media is controlled by 8 major conglomerates - Comcast, Disney, Warner Bros., Discovery, Netflix, CBS, Facebook, Fox News, and Hearst???” Our “Billionaires own the Media;” THEY determine the “news of the day.” Their advertising “tells us what coffee we should drink to be cool...”. Yes Bernie “Media shape our consciousness.” No wonder they never cover issues about social class; it’s not in their best interest. Bernie clarifies that “There is no middle ground.” Whose side are you on - “the insatiable greed of uber-capitalism” or “the working-class men and women who create[d] the wealth of this country?” He says “The danger for the Democratic Party is not being too bold. It’s being too cautious.” Bernie’s book is one of the most important books I have read this year. I’m with Bernie. I “[choose] the side of the working class in an age of inequality.” Read Bernie’s book and you will see why “IT’S OK TO BE ANGRY ABOUT CAPITALISM.”
February 12, 2024
3,5 ster. Voor opa Bernie rond ik 'm af op 4.
Hoe het mis gaat in de Verenigde Staten door het (bijna onbeperkte) geld van enorme bedrijven. Wat had het mooi kunnen zijn als Bernie meer steun had gekregen uit zijn eigen partij.
Het boek geeft een goed overzicht van wat er de afgelopen jaren, en ver daarvoor, anders gedaan had moeten worden in een land wat alle mogelijkheden heeft om het wél goed te doen. Dit wordt ook ondersteund door zijn persoonlijke verhalen en ervaringen.
Een minpunt is dat het boek niet heel diep op de inhoud ingaat, waardoor het redelijk oppervlakkig blijft. Leest daarentegen wel makkelijk weg.
Hoe het mis gaat in de Verenigde Staten door het (bijna onbeperkte) geld van enorme bedrijven. Wat had het mooi kunnen zijn als Bernie meer steun had gekregen uit zijn eigen partij.
Het boek geeft een goed overzicht van wat er de afgelopen jaren, en ver daarvoor, anders gedaan had moeten worden in een land wat alle mogelijkheden heeft om het wél goed te doen. Dit wordt ook ondersteund door zijn persoonlijke verhalen en ervaringen.
Een minpunt is dat het boek niet heel diep op de inhoud ingaat, waardoor het redelijk oppervlakkig blijft. Leest daarentegen wel makkelijk weg.
April 23, 2023
Still feeling the Bern for sure. Still angry about capitalism. But that's OK because Sanders is a shining example of what prominent politicians could and should be: decent, fair-minded, and ethically consistent public servants.
July 27, 2023
I like the points Bernie brings up in this book and think we’d be better off as a society if we adopted. If you’re into politics I think you’ll enjoy! (I listened to the audiobook and it’s cool that he read it!)
October 26, 2023
3.5
Wordt ik nu activistischer?
Wordt ik nu activistischer?
July 22, 2023
so validating. i love bernie
March 31, 2023
Bernie Sanders’s platform in book form.
August 11, 2023
Way more intriguing than I thought. This book gets you thinking about 1. How can anyone be against healthcare for all and 2. How can the Democratic Party call themselves progressive. We need change and this book left me feeling empowered and hopeful. Though, I think the title needs to be “why everyone should be mad about capitalism” because this ain’t a left issue. This is an issue for us all under capitalism as it snowballs out of control.
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