Liza Featherstone argues that capitalism is systematically destroying summer — through climate crisis fueled by fossil fuel capital, the privatization of beaches and public spaces, and a work culture that denies most Americans paid vacation (the US is the only rich country that doesn’t mandate it).
New York City stands as a counterexample, thanks to New Deal-era WPA infrastructure and a socialist administration:
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11 public pools built in one summer under Mayor LaGuardia (1936), all still open today; 50,000 people attended the Sunset Park pool opening
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani reopened the Orchard Beach Pavilion, expanded lifeguard programs by 150 positions, and hosted free public viewing parties
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But most of the US is worse off — 70% of shoreline is privately owned, less than half of Americans live within 3 miles of a forest
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Socialists literally invented summer vacation: Léon Blum’s 1936 Popular Front government in France mandated paid vacation and negotiated affordable railway holiday packages for workers
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Communist governments invested in worker resorts, campgrounds, and spas
The piece closes on a sobering note: the vibes this summer are strong, but it will take a fundamental rearrangement of the economy — addressing climate change, redistributing wealth for public space, and rewriting labor relations — to give us the time off we actually deserve.