tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post7279547426660984045..comments2023-10-31T06:25:46.016-04:00Comments on SLANTblog: Yankee Doodle at the Tea PartyF.T. Reahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02042465274190082050noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-53110852872169839172010-10-18T16:00:47.723-04:002010-10-18T16:00:47.723-04:00...which is probably where those who decry the dis......which is probably where those who decry the disconnect between craft and product have more going for them than folks realize. <br /><br />"Shopclass as Soul Craft" is a great book that goes over this concept -- how people no longer know how to make things, and are thereby held hostage to the very problem Marcuse outlines. Rather than buy the $10 part, we'd rather buy the $300 washer. Is that really a choice? Or just a "social control" to get us to spend?Shaun Kenneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13673381023109994807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-14131388246611150722010-10-18T14:11:38.951-04:002010-10-18T14:11:38.951-04:00Yes, I agree, the “revolt” is nothing new, and it’...Yes, I agree, the “revolt” is nothing new, and it’s not really a single revolt. In fact, I don't really see a bona fide revolt. It‘s more like a sense of extreme frustration in the air. For the time being, it’s fueling our inability to build consensuses and craft compromises to solve problems. In spite of the bounty of benefits modern life provides, ordinary people, regardless of their political persuasion, seem way unhappy with how trapped and powerless they feel. <br /><br />Americans are repeatedly told they are free, for now, but somebody is out to take it from them -- usually meaning the evil-doers on the other side of the aisle. Anger stemming from unmet expectations is being expressed with greater volume/reach than ever before, which probably makes the revolt, such as it is, seem new to some people. <br /><br />Note: Because of the Internet, creating a Netroots movement or a Tea Party movement overnight is more possible than in the past. But it’s a pretty good bet both of them will fade away/be assimilated and the cumbersome two-party will bumble its way on into the future. But what about freedom? <br /><br />In “One-Dimensional Man,” German-born philosopher Herbert Marcuse (1898-1979) warned us in the 1960s about illusions of freedom: “Free choice among a wide variety of goods and services does not signify freedom if these goods and services sustain social controls over a life of toil and fear.” <br /><br />Marcuse’s keen eye saw the counterfeit aspect of the processed brand of freedom that wielders of easy credit felt, even then, as they exercised their prerogative to select one set of time-payment obligations over another -- the freedom to choose between buying a Ford or Chevy. <br /><br />Marcuse’s hard-nosed (extreme lefty) take on what he saw as controls over modern society is out of style today. But his understanding of how propaganda and fantasies work to control/direct the angry Joshes, even in our enlightened age, is timeless.F.T. Reahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042465274190082050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-16994345482515410352010-10-18T12:40:14.566-04:002010-10-18T12:40:14.566-04:00...and just to pile on, this isn't the whole &......and just to pile on, this isn't the whole "voters are too stupid to understand liberal policies" argument I'm reading above -- is it?Shaun Kenneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13673381023109994807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-68866636125541036792010-10-18T12:38:56.284-04:002010-10-18T12:38:56.284-04:00Most men would rather protect the possibility of b...Most men would rather protect the possibility of becoming rich, than face the reality of being poor?<br /><br />Something like that? :)<br /><br />Of course, it's not that simple. I'd argue that this whole revolt didn't begin post-2008. Or with the Obama election. Or in 2006, for that matter.<br /><br />Most Americans, of all stripes, are tired of a government that doesn't listen, barely understands how it works, and when it does work seems to work against their interests.<br /><br />That's lefties and righties, liberals or conservatives, progressives or constitutionalists, looking for a job or working hard at the one you have -- we're all fed up.<br /><br />Problem is, the "fed up" crowd is being spoonfed false dichotomies. Worse, a tiny sliver really understands economic realities and the conditions for which a good society can operate. <br /><br />RFK. Accomplish liberal ends with conservative means. That's where most Americans are at, and neither party really achieves.<br /><br />Good ol' Josh? Poor fella doesn't stand a chance until he stands on his own. Best of luck in this environment... and it's a crime we are forced to say that in America of all places.Shaun Kenneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13673381023109994807noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-82404053193994688602010-10-17T17:38:06.339-04:002010-10-17T17:38:06.339-04:00Don't know. Haven't been counting. Thanks ...Don't know. Haven't been counting. Thanks for taking the time to comment, Josh.F.T. Reahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02042465274190082050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5640358.post-63036649665481380422010-10-17T10:46:20.969-04:002010-10-17T10:46:20.969-04:00what is this, your fourth entry about Christine O&...what is this, your fourth entry about Christine O'Donnell? She's not going to return your calls, Terry. Time to move on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com