Last night, I finally got to see the movie The Take. If you're not familiar with it, it's a documentary by Naomi Klein (the author of No Logo) and Avi Lewis on the recovered businesses of Argentina. As Naomi explains at the beginning, many people are sympathetic to critiques of neoliberalism, but want to hear what we would put in its place. The documentary is a big step towards answering that question.

There's no sugarcoating here. Workers achieve victories, but not without extended struggle and a number of setbacks. Their only tools in the struggle are their determination, which is tinged with desperation, and the support of their communities, including each other. One by one, they take back businesses from absent/bankrupt owners and unsympathetic beaurocrats.

In the end, their business model works, despite the somewhat haphazard way it was constructed. They weren't just climbing the learning curve, they were inventing it. And yet, not one of the recovered businesses has closed.

I wish I'd seen this movie before I went to Buenos Aires myself, but at the same time, I'm glad that I saw different businesses than were in the movie. This way, I see as much as possible. If you see this movie and also read the edition I put out on the recovered businesses, then you'll know as much as I do. If you're inspired to follow up and support the recovered businesses yourself, there's contact info in the edition and the movie site linked at the top.