The roots of American anti-intellectualism run deep. Remember that Republican woman who famously said “Keep your government hands off my Medicare”? Politics is just a good guy vs bad guy competition to most folks. Trump (the government) can take a large stake in a business and his fans still think he’s a capitalist. It’s because he’s on a white horse, to his acolytes. It’s all id; there’s no thinking involved.
Unfortunately for them, their democracy and freedom depend on their being informed and acting responsibly, and democracy will fall for them even as it does for us all. Even worse, it affects the entire world. We’re interconnected. That’s just fact, not a progressive talking point.
Good post, Bill. I never tire of reading about the monumental Frances Perkins.
Interesting and thought-provoking, Bill! We tend to label movements and leaders with pejorative names, and then propagandize them to try to gain advantage. There are many aspects of various social, economic, political, and religious realms that are not only similar, but are harmonious or synergistic. If only mankind were smart enough to allow for differences and serve the common good.
There’s a rumor afoot that ICE electric taser shock gloves are now for sale on Amazon. They’re pricy, but worth it when shaking hands with lying, neoliberal MAGA Republican politicians during the upcoming election season. After I get their undivided attention with a charge from my new gloves, I’ll deliver a double shock with a jolt of truth from Matthew Cooke: “So when you’re told the middle class was a gift of capitalism, or that free markets produced it, understand that this is completely backwards. Markets did not produce rising standards of living. Labor did that.”
The roots of American anti-intellectualism run deep. Remember that Republican woman who famously said “Keep your government hands off my Medicare”? Politics is just a good guy vs bad guy competition to most folks. Trump (the government) can take a large stake in a business and his fans still think he’s a capitalist. It’s because he’s on a white horse, to his acolytes. It’s all id; there’s no thinking involved.
Unfortunately for them, their democracy and freedom depend on their being informed and acting responsibly, and democracy will fall for them even as it does for us all. Even worse, it affects the entire world. We’re interconnected. That’s just fact, not a progressive talking point.
Good post, Bill. I never tire of reading about the monumental Frances Perkins.
Interesting and thought-provoking, Bill! We tend to label movements and leaders with pejorative names, and then propagandize them to try to gain advantage. There are many aspects of various social, economic, political, and religious realms that are not only similar, but are harmonious or synergistic. If only mankind were smart enough to allow for differences and serve the common good.
Great points, Bill!
There’s a rumor afoot that ICE electric taser shock gloves are now for sale on Amazon. They’re pricy, but worth it when shaking hands with lying, neoliberal MAGA Republican politicians during the upcoming election season. After I get their undivided attention with a charge from my new gloves, I’ll deliver a double shock with a jolt of truth from Matthew Cooke: “So when you’re told the middle class was a gift of capitalism, or that free markets produced it, understand that this is completely backwards. Markets did not produce rising standards of living. Labor did that.”