Evolution of Consciousness

If you haven’t sampled Joe Bageant’s writing yet, his latest essay would be an enjoyable place to start. Joe, from Virginia, has a breezy cornpone delivery, but he can really deliver the goods. In this essay he contemplates the soul of America.

A great new essay from David Michael Green, called “Suicide by Regressivism,” examines the supreme illogic of the Teabag rant.

It strikes me as pompous and presumptuous, how this recently contrived temper tantrum has assumed the mantle of the original Boston Tea Party (1773). Here’s how one “Tea Partier” explained her position to The New Yorker:

“Government is for the post office, and to defend our country, and maybe for the roads. That’s all.”

Really? That’s all? (And I like how she maybe-ed the roads, like she’s thinking: if everyone drove a Hummer, then we wouldn’t have to pave at all.) Maybe this modern-day patriot ought to expend another millisecond of thought on the subject. I think a better name for the new movement might be “The TV Party” (2010), to honor the true source of propaganda that actually drives the thing (Fox News).

Not to slight the influence of Hate Radio, which I recently sampled…

A couple months ago, I caught Glenn Beck doing his radio show and was struck by how unhinged his presentation is. He sounds like he’s on the brink of a mental/emotional breakdown. Having heard so much about this guy, I didn’t expect such a whiny, victimized tone, but now I think I see what he’s doing.

Beck’s job is to sing a siren song to the frustrated American, all those people who have been on the receiving end of trickledown for too long. Now that Reagan’s economic sham has played out, Americans are thoroughly worn down and feel their backs against the wall. They know they’ve been had, but are unsure who did it or how it happened.

So Glenn assumes the sympatico tone of hurt, anger and desperation, in order to establish a bond with his target audience. Once the bond is established, his mission is to pour into those beleaguered ears yet another round of policies to benefit greedy wealth. A tall order, to be sure, but this frontman seems to be earning his lucre.

Then, about a week ago, trolling the AM dial once again, I heard a fellow named Michael Savage going absolutely ballistic on immigration. He was whipping up some white-hot fear and hatred with his listeners, using the argument that Mexican men are culturally inclined to rape “our women,” and we (American men) are wimps if we continue putting up with it. Upon hearing this, I realized I was listening to a modern-day Goebbels. Replace “immigrants” (or “terrorists”) for “Juden” and the echoes are unmistakeable and alarming.

There is too much of this sort of irresponsible, dangerous dis-info-tainment in our media these days. Sinister forces are at work in this country. Americans need to be aware and vigilant, to avoid complete disaster.

Freefall: America, Free Markets, and Sinking of the World Economy is the excellent new book from educator/economist Joseph Stiglitz.

Loosely structured around the story of our recent “Great Recession,” Stiglitz not only does a fine job of explaining what happened from an economic viewpoint, but also includes politics, culture, and history within his scope of vision. The author should also be commended for remaining calm and reasonable as he discusses this monumental calamity of human greed and folly. Some great restraint exhibited there.

One insight I really appreciated was drawing a parallel between the fall of the Berlin Wall, representing the end of Soviet-style Communism, and the fall of Lehman Brothers, representing the end of American-style Capitalism. The interim period (1989-2008) Stiglitz calls “American Triumphalism,” which I thought was a fine name for it. [It is interesting to note how well the hubristic “Project for the New American Century” (1997-2006) fits into this particular narrative, and that those same PNACers have now coalesced into yet another think tank called the “Foreign Policy Initiative.”]

This is a book Americans could really benefit from reading, as Stiglitz provides plenty of solid, sensible recommendations on how to pull out from the nosedive we’re in.

Author/journalist Chris Hedges has written a good book called Empire of Illusion: The End of Literacy and the Triumph of Spectacle (July 2009). The work is divided into five sections, each one examining illusions in different fields: literacy, love, wisdom, happiness, and America.

My reading experience was rather peculiar, in that the interest level ramped up rather slowly. It started out wobbly, picked up steam as it went, and really soared at the end.

In the crisply written closing chapter, “The Illusion of America,” Hedges delivers an excellent overview and critique of the current State of the Nation. If you find yourself bogging down in the earlier sections, skip ahead — but do not miss the final chapter.

Sobering, because it sees without illusion, this sort of clarity of vision represents the best antidote to what ails us. Without a clear understanding of our situation, we can’t fix it. Books like this are, therefore, very important. Read it, and pass the word.

History is important, as are the stories we tell ourselves. Lately, we’ve been failing on both fronts: remiss in understanding our own recent history, while swinish ideologues narrowly frame our stories in false and misleading ways. These are depressing times.

But I believe/hope/pray the darkest days of this cycle have passed, and it is now imperative that we educate ourselves, so that facts might inform our stories, about where we’ve been and where we’re going. Toward that end, I’d like to recommend some reading…

Threshold: The Crisis of Western Culture
by Thom Hartmann, July 2009

I’m listing this book first for a couple reasons: it’s the most recent, and it does a fine job pulling together the many and disparate threads of this subject in a concise and accessible manner. It’s not a perfect work, but if you read only one book on this list, there is a good argument for this being the one.

Moyers on Democracy
by Bill Moyers, May 2008

Soaring and inspired collection of speeches given over the past 30 years, all around the topic of American democracy. Drawing upon his considerable experience in both politics and journalism, Moyers has much to offer.

The Conscience of a Liberal
by Paul Krugman, October 2007

A well-written history on the rise and fall of that great American phenomenon of the twentieth century, the middle class. Roughly spans FDR to GWB, thus providing a good grounding in the recent history of our collective economic fortunes (or lack thereof).

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism
by Naomi Klein, September 2007

A detailed look at how economic hegemony has been practiced by American financiers over the past few decades. At times long and ponderous, this work remains important for illuminating how economic concerns have trumped human concerns.

Politics: Observations and Arguments, 1966-2004
by Hendrik Hertzberg, July 2004

This collection of essays, from a brilliant and accomplished writer, is as much a pleasure to read as it is instructive. Hertzberg is often at his best explaining nuances of wonkery, such as how we could improve the American electoral process.

Wealth and Our Commonwealth: Why America Should Tax Accumulated Fortunes
by Chuck Collins and William H. Gates Sr., January 2003

Excellent treatise from a couple of wealthy guys on why they — and their brethern — should be taxed, fairly and responsibly, for the benefit of all. Written in response to the selfish and greedy attack on the estate tax by those rich kids in the Bush/Cheney Administration.

So, there’s six of my favorite (fairly recent) books on politics. If you have any recommendations, I’d like to hear them.