'People first. Then money. Then things'

Opinion, comment and editorials of the day

A photo of U.S. paper currency in a wallet.
Many 'people are living in financial denial'
(Image credit: Artur Widak / NurPhoto via Getty Images)

'America needs to have a heart-to-heart about money'

Suze Orman at Newsweek

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'The Roman Empire loved by Elon Musk and Steve Bannon never existed'

Honor Cargill-Martin at The New York Times

The "ascendant right wing loves ancient Rome," says Honor Cargill-Martin. Apart "from the problem of comparing modern America with a Mediterranean empire that flourished before the advent of Christianity, capitalism and mass media," archaeology has "undermined the idea that there was a consistent pattern of population decline in the late republic or the late empire." What the "right has captured is a tradition established by the Romans themselves, creating an uncanny hall of populist mirrors that reflects millenniums-old contortions."

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'African workers are taking on Meta and the world should pay attention'

Mercy Mutemi at Al Jazeera

Meta has "taken a defiant new tone on the question of whether and to what extent it accepts responsibility for the real-world harm that its platforms enable," says Mercy Mutemi. In African countries, the "post-independence constitution differs from those in the U.S. and Western Europe with its explicit prioritization of fundamental human rights and freedoms." We are "now beginning to see how these constitutions can be brought to bear in the global technology industry."

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'We get it, you're rich'

Alison Green at Slate

At a "time when many Americans are struggling with rising costs of living and worries about their households' financial stability, many corporate executives are making it clear that they have no idea what life is like for their employees," says Alison Green. This "betrays a fundamental divide between higher-level management and the people who work for them." It's "tough for employees to respect managers who look this out-of-touch and oblivious or to feel that they share a common agenda."

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Justin Klawans, The Week US

Justin Klawans has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022. He began his career covering local news before joining Newsweek as a breaking news reporter, where he wrote about politics, national and global affairs, business, crime, sports, film, television and other news. Justin has also freelanced for outlets including Collider and United Press International.