It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism

Today is the 10-year anniversary of when Bernie Sanders formally announced his decision to run for president in the 2016 election. An easy date for me to remember, as it’s also my birthday. Since 2015, I’ve followed Bernie Sanders for his progressive views and have read three books by and about him. His most recent publication came out in 2023: It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders and John Nichols. Yes, it came out two years ago, but I’ve been feeling more motivated than ever to finally read it now.

The first three chapters of this book detail Bernie Sanders’s 2020 presidential campaign, later campaigning for Joe Biden, and subsequently his work with the Biden administration through 2022. After that, the remaining seven chapters dive into different topics that explain why the capitalistic system in the United States is no longer working for ordinary Americans. From billionaire greed to education to how media shapes our politics, Bernie Sanders makes the case for the biggest economic and political issues that need to be solved and how to do so.

What I Liked:

• A reminder of how the Democratic party functions (2020-present). The first three chapters mainly offer a thorough review of the 2020 presidential campaign and how the Biden administration worked through 2022. Most of this I already knew, but the reminders honestly just reinvigorated my anger about everything that went down in 2020. The title of this book is accurate, I’ll give it that. Importantly, it paints a picture of where Democrats, Republicans, and the political sphere overall are at in the 2020s.
• “Billionaires Should Not Exist” is the among the two most important chapters in this book. Honestly, everyone should, at the very least, read this chapter alone. In a sudden throwback to my university days, I highlighted numerous passages throughout this chapter. Tax the rich. End their meddling in elections and control over politicians in office. Stop letting them write laws that benefit them and harm everyone else.
• “Corporate Media Is Undermining Democracy” is the other most important chapter. Media plays an enormous role not only in politics, but in how people think about a variety of issues… or whether they think about certain issues at all. One of my two majors as an undergrad was Communication, and indeed, what Bernie Sanders explains throughout this chapter is spot on.
• Looking to other countries on how to solve issues like healthcare and education. Though many Americans might think the United States is #1, we’re really not in a lot of ways. There are so many significant issues that we face to an unjustifiable degree. Other countries have solved these issues; why can’t we? We can look to countries like Finland and Germany and try to emulate what they’ve done right. The United States should have universal healthcare, like every other major nation on earth. We should have free higher education and better primary education.
• A focus on the working class. I grew up in a poor family in a small town. I know what it’s like to worry about whether there will be enough money to pay the bills, getting out of debt, and making any steps to a better future. The working class must be at the forefront of politicians’ minds if they want to connect with the majority of this country. Economic hardship is only getting worse, and those in power must understand and stand in solidarity with the working class.
• An honest rebuke of what Democrats today have become. The Democratic party used to stand for workers and made clear steps forward. They progressed this nation in vital ways throughout the 20th century. But in my lifetime, the party has lost sight of what matters, which is why they’ve lost so much support. They must do better in order to stave off the worst effects of right-wing politicians.

Final Thoughts

It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism should be required reading. It’s a well explained, detailed, and easily comprehensible account of where the United States is at politically and economically. This book was published two years ago, so it doesn’t account for anything that’s happened in 2023-now, but it does an excellent job of laying out the issues that continue to plague us. Though this book does not go into explanations of capitalism or other economic systems, it does address the issues within the scope of our extreme capitalistic society. While this book certainly ignited a fair amount of anger in me, it also inspired me with how progressives can keep fighting for real change.

Get the Book

You can buy It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism here – it’s available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism by Bernie Sanders and John Nichols
Audience	Adult
Genre	Nonfiction: Politics and Social Issues
Number of Pages	320
Format I Read	Hardcover
Original Publication Date	February 21, 2023
Publisher	Crown

Official Summary

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • 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

“A clarion call against the American oligarchs . . . powerful.”—The Guardian

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 politicians and swing elections? 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.