"What good is a book? Not much in the hands of people who do not think, and to be honest, most Americans do not even know how to think. Just consume."
-- JOE BAGEANT
If you've been following this blog and its earlier incarnations, you know how much I admire Joe Bageant, the author of the amazing book "Deer Hunting With Jesus." Along with Thomas Frank and Barbara Ehrenreich, Bageant writes eloquently about what has happened to the working class in this country over the last 30 years.
Bageant's subtitle alone says a lot -- "Dispatches from America's Class War." He basically points out that the working class would vote Democratic -- in its economic interest -- except that Democrats not only don't understand them, they insult them.
Republicans might be stealing them blind, but they're doing it while they're complimenting them and telling them what fine Americans they are.
When I read Bageant and the others, I become extremely discouraged at the possibility of political solutions. I think our society has slid so far into a crass, soulless materialism that people are desperate for any chance to feel good about themselves.
"Just consume."
Other than committing actual crimes, do you know what the worst thing Americans could do as we approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century?
You guessed it. Stop consuming. Our economy is so dependent on a certain percentage of us eating fast food every night, a certain percentage buying x number of DVDs and a certain number replacing television sets, refrigerators and cell phones every year, among other things.
This is our duty as Americans. If we don't spend money, other people lose their jobs.
Bageant calls our society the "American hologram," writing that the picture of our society that most of us accept is anything but what we really inhabit. In the hologram, folks are smiling, playing ball and enjoying their lives. In reality, 70 percent of American families are either just getting by or not getting by financially.
So what do we do about it?
I'm sorry, but I don't think there are political solutions to this problem. I certainly believe it's better for working people when Democrats hold power, but I think the Democratic Party of 2009 is basically Republican Lite on economic issues.
I think one step is that just one person at a time, we can start behaving ethically toward the people around us. We can refuse to cheat or con them, refuse to take advantage of them and not encourage them to buy things they don't need.
Aside from that, my solution would be as much as possible, do this:
Refuse to participate in the consumer society.
Don't buy a new computer if your old one still works. Don't buy a new car until your old one falls apart. Save your money, in credit unions instead of banks as much as possible.
And look for a way to define yourself other than as an American consumer.
I'll finish with a paraphrase from a Garth Brooks song that I think says it pretty well.
Don't do this so that you can change the world. Do it so the world won't change you.
-- JOE BAGEANT
If you've been following this blog and its earlier incarnations, you know how much I admire Joe Bageant, the author of the amazing book "Deer Hunting With Jesus." Along with Thomas Frank and Barbara Ehrenreich, Bageant writes eloquently about what has happened to the working class in this country over the last 30 years.
Bageant's subtitle alone says a lot -- "Dispatches from America's Class War." He basically points out that the working class would vote Democratic -- in its economic interest -- except that Democrats not only don't understand them, they insult them.
Republicans might be stealing them blind, but they're doing it while they're complimenting them and telling them what fine Americans they are.
When I read Bageant and the others, I become extremely discouraged at the possibility of political solutions. I think our society has slid so far into a crass, soulless materialism that people are desperate for any chance to feel good about themselves.
"Just consume."
Other than committing actual crimes, do you know what the worst thing Americans could do as we approach the end of the first decade of the 21st century?
You guessed it. Stop consuming. Our economy is so dependent on a certain percentage of us eating fast food every night, a certain percentage buying x number of DVDs and a certain number replacing television sets, refrigerators and cell phones every year, among other things.
This is our duty as Americans. If we don't spend money, other people lose their jobs.
Bageant calls our society the "American hologram," writing that the picture of our society that most of us accept is anything but what we really inhabit. In the hologram, folks are smiling, playing ball and enjoying their lives. In reality, 70 percent of American families are either just getting by or not getting by financially.
So what do we do about it?
I'm sorry, but I don't think there are political solutions to this problem. I certainly believe it's better for working people when Democrats hold power, but I think the Democratic Party of 2009 is basically Republican Lite on economic issues.
I think one step is that just one person at a time, we can start behaving ethically toward the people around us. We can refuse to cheat or con them, refuse to take advantage of them and not encourage them to buy things they don't need.
Aside from that, my solution would be as much as possible, do this:
Refuse to participate in the consumer society.
Don't buy a new computer if your old one still works. Don't buy a new car until your old one falls apart. Save your money, in credit unions instead of banks as much as possible.
And look for a way to define yourself other than as an American consumer.
I'll finish with a paraphrase from a Garth Brooks song that I think says it pretty well.
Don't do this so that you can change the world. Do it so the world won't change you.
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1 comment:
Wonderfully written, powerfully expressed, earnestly felt, and overwhelming needed.
I've given up on so many aspects of "our" society -- government, big business, banking, education, insurance -- but I refuse to give up on my fellow citizens.
, for one, will play by the rules and treat my neighbor not just as I wish to be treated (reciprocity), but also in the way he wants to be treated (progressivism).
We can all change the world -- not by big moves but by every day decent gestures.
Thanks, Mike.
George
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