While the myth persists................ On Feb 2, 3:50 pm, Fritz_da_Cat <[email protected]> wrote: > I agree with your rant, but tell us how you really feel. > > On Feb 1, 8:43 pm, "\"Lone Wolf\"" <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > The Great Circus > > August 26th, 2008 ・ 12 Comments > > > BY JOHN STEPPLING || Print This Post > > > 8/26/08 > > > A few thoughts on the electoral theatre that is upon us. > > > First, the most obvious and glaring reality of US politics is that > > only the very, very rich participate. This single fact really should > > give one pause, should give everyone who actually works for a living > > pause. As one old Wobbly put it, there are two kinds of people in the > > world, those who work and those who don't. > > > Now, John McCain, like Kerry, got most of his money via his second > > wife .... after dumping his first one. Cyndi is a beer heiress, and if > > McCain were to be elected, and I think he will be, he will the first > > US president to have signed a pre-nuptial agreement. Anyway, the > > McCains spend, for household employees, $273,000 (in 2007), according > > to John McCain's tax returns. The butler and maid budget for a single > > year exceeds a decade's income for most Americans. > > > McCain is the son of an admiral, and finished near bottom of his > > graduating class at Annapolis. I'm just stringing together a few > > details here. And now Obama has chosen among the creepiest and most > > vile men in American government as his running mate: Joe Biden. Both > > Biden and Obama are millionaires by the by, albeit minor league--so > > far. Anyway, Biden is a longtime foreign policy hawk. A big supporter > > of the Clintonian bombing of Belgrade, and the guy who tossed off the > > idea of creating three small statelets in Iraq -- partioning the > > country along ethnic and religious lines. He was also guilty of > > plagiarism a while back, and if you want a better look at Joe, watch > > the fine documentary on Waco, and see his craven apology for ATF > > actions that resulted in the burning to death of children and women. > > The man is a ghoul. Also, check out Cockburn's piece on Biden here: > > >http://www.bestcyrano.org/cyrano/?p=1065 > > > What strikes one about this carnival is the degree to which this > > narrative has become entrenched -- the political follies, the circus of > > conventions and empty speeches. Now, let's also note the increasingly > > draconian policing of these conventions (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/ > > news?pid=washingtonstory&sid=aJgx7Uji1acI) So we have a theatre of > > abstract rhetoric and managed perceptions, of jillionaires who pretend > > there is a real difference between what they say. > > > Now, if you asked me do I think Obama would be less harmful than > > McCain, I would answer yes. In the sense that liver biopsy is better > > than root canal. And I do grant that at the least, and this about all > > I will grant, his black face is the first genuine or authentic black > > face in US politics (well, maybe Marian Berry). Yes, I do. But again, > > why do people accept an elite class telling them what to do? Why is > > there a nostalgia for the Romanovs, or for a Kiplingesque colonial > > landscape? Why? One sees countless reflections of this in popular > > culture, certainly. The nostalgia for colonial empire is reflected in > > every Harry Potter spinoff one can find, and certainly in films like > > Sex & the City or even Dark Knight. The rich are deserving of our > > attention, and the rich are what *we* wish we could be. A list of top > > political figures, Rudy Giuliani, Dick Cheney, the Bushes, Kerry, > > Romney, Biden, Clinton, Gore, McCain; what do they share? They share > > extreme wealth. > > > ======================================================================== > > > Cyrano's Journal Online and its semi-autonomous subsections (Thomas > > Paine's Corner, The Greanville Journal, CJO Avenger, and VoxPop) would > > be delighted to periodically email you links to the most recent > > material and timeless classics available on our diverse and > > comprehensive site. If you would like to subscribe, type "CJO > > subscription" in the subject line and send your email to > > [email protected] > > > ======================================================================== > > > In film today Bruce Wayne is exactly one of these men, except he gets > > tricked out in tights and mask at night to practice vigilantism, to > > take the law into his own hands.....well, sort of like Cheney and Bush, > > actually. I return again and again to the simplistic narrative at > > work. For a film like Dark Knight it's almost (as Le Colonel Chabert > > put it on her blog) a high school drama with the rich jock and the > > outcast nerd (the Joker). One might additionally see The Joker as > > something of a collective unconsious projection of self loathing. This > > comic book level narration is carried on regards Russia/Georgia and > > even Iraq and Iran. It's the total failure of class consciousness. > > It's the result, now, of the absolute destruction of public education > > (not that US education, or even western education, was ever much more > > than a control mechanism) and of the satisfying of *needs* by advanced > > capital -- or in part, the illusion thereof. The relations under > > monopoly capital are increasingly relations of the market, and not > > really work. > > > Here is Marcuse, circa 1972: > > > " The Western world has reached a new stage of development: now, the > > defense of the capitalist system requires the organization of > > counterrevolution at home and abroad. In its extreme manifestations, > > it practices the horrors of the Nazi regime. Wholesale massacres in > > Indonesia, the Congo, Nigeria, Pakistan and the Sudan are unleashed > > against everything which is called *communist* or which is in revolt > > against governments subservient to the imperialist countries. Cruel > > persecution prevails in the Latin American countries under fascist and > > military dictatorships. Torture has become a normal instrument of > > interrogation around the world. The agony of religious wars revives at > > the height of Western civilization and a constant flow of arms from > > the rich to the poor countries helps to perpetuate the oppression of > > national and social liberation. " > > > Remember, this was written over thirty years ago. Was also written the > > year Joe Biden began his career in US government. > > > So, in light of Joe Biden's VP appearance, in light of crazy John > > McCain and whatever rich prick he chooses to run with, we have, > > essentially, more of the same. Even if an Obama actually wanted to > > change something, he couldn't. > > > The populace internalizes the accepted comic book narrative; the rich > > are rich because they are virtuous, and the poor are poor because they > > are stupid. Oh, some of the poor might one day *make it*, one out of a > > million, and this narrative will also be held up and included in the > > managed reality of today's western world. The master discourse says we > > all have a chance to become Sam Walton, we could all become President, > > if we only had an Admiral for a father or married an heiress, or were > > telegenic enough and compliant enough to do the bidding of the > > military industrial complex. > > > Monopoly capitalism defuses change via the narrative it continues, > > ever more hysterically, to thrust upon the public. I often ask myself > > why anyone actually fights in Iraq? Do people actually believe they > > are spreading democracy? Whateverthefuckever that is. Or do they think > > they are protecting the United States from an evil Islamic scourge, a > > future caliphate? Is that possible? I suppose it is, since people also > > believe every other narrative at work in this giant spectacle of > > counterrevolution that is modern American culture. Gaither Stewart's > > fine piece here at TGJ on Stalin is a worthy attempt to counter these > > received *truths*. If Ronald Reagan can be enshrined as a great man -- > > a hack actor, a reactionary and prematuraly senile sock puppet, can > > actually find traction as a *great man* then anything is possible. > > Churchill was an elitist colonial racist pig -- but how many people > > have bothered to read some of Winnie's speeches to Parliament from his > > early years. He advocated the gassing of natives, as a perfectly > > reasonable policy. Saddam is a monster because he *gassed* the Kurds > > (assuming he did) but Churchill is considered one of the great leaders > > of the 20th century. The western appeasement of Hitler is totally > > forgotten, and the new re-write of history has Stalin and those horrid > > Soviets as the evil Empire. Mao is a monster who didn't bathe enough, > > and Castro is dictator, much like Chavez. Dropping nuclear bombs on > > civilian cities in Japan actually *saved* lives, so the narrative > > goes. Anything can be marketed, apparently. Saakashvilli as courageous > > democrat, the Mau Mau as crazed barbarians treated with firmness but > > fairness by the British, and Israel as an outpost of tolerance and > > progress and democracy in a sea of Muslim backwardness. Just color in > > the accepted storyline. > > > Today the individual in advanced capital is totally fragmented yet > > integrated (if we look at the broader perspective). He serves the > > system during both work (if he has it) and during leisure. Putting > > aside the growing and severly punished underclass, the modern > > individual is provided with (as Marcuse put it) "steered satisfaction > > of material needs*. The administered reality, the master discourse, > > serves to create a populace that produces and reproduces the values of > > the ruling class, of the system of domination. So, today we have the > > political party conventions, the illusion of real choice, and a > > further continuance of near complete servitude. The problem is that > > growing underclass. Advanced capital is finding it harder and harder > > to know what to do with them. In Kigali, or Lagos, in Jakarta or > > Mexico City, in Calcutta or Sao Paulo, the vast barrios and > > ... > > read more >>- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text - --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Thanks for being part of "PoliticalForum" at Google Groups. For options & help see http://groups.google.com/group/PoliticalForum
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