The biggest news story right now is the 700 billion dollar bailout plan and its rejection in the House. I have read the different opinions, heard plenty of reaction and had my fair share of conversations about it. What is frustrating (at least to me) is that in all of these commentaries there seems to be something missing.... something that to me seems to be critical to the conversation. I read something yesterday that helped me to pinpoint where this frustrations is coming from; Representative Paul Ryan from Wisconsin said something that went like this (the quote was edited out of the story in the updated version) ' it is a slippery slope towards socialism once you lose the ability to fail you lose the ability to succeed'. See as I was reading the story I couldn't help but notice the strange mix I was feeling. I am not naive I know that where I come from people have been living in a recession, or whatever you want to call it, for a long time now. They have seen their real wage consistently fall, they don't go to the doctor because they can't afford to, and college is only an option for those families and individuals that are willing to take on back breaking debt, or you are one of the very lucky few that has won a scholarship; so the idea of giving 700 billion dollars to the same people that keep the strangle hold on those I admire and identify with makes me sick. However the idea that what very few scraps do trickle down might stop makes me nervous, but at the same time excites me because this might be what leads to substantial change and real economic justice. This is where Mr. Ryans quote comes in to play, I believe, being the unrealistic person I am, we can avoid the despair of a depression and the violence that would come from literal class warfare. If we can move past the fear and deception, if we can move past labels and the divisiveness they promote we might just have a chance. An honest effort to this end is what was missing from the conversations I was hearing
During the Cold War era the House of Representatives had a committee titled the House Committee on Un-American Activities, it was so distorted with the fear of communism that it labeled the YMCA and YWCA communist organizations, and warned people to be wary of them. The amerikan ideology of anti-communism lead to the illegal imprisonment and even killing of thousands of human beings living within the borders of the United States ( I avoid the term American intentionally). We won't even get into the policies set in motion by Joseph McCarthy except to say if he believed even half of what he accused, he must have been a tortured soul. This irrational fear lead to the greatest threat the world has seen (I would put it in a tie with global warming now) the nuclear arms race. All of this without even the attempt at an honest definition, or explanation of communism, from the mainstream media. This atmosphere of fear and manipulation persisted until the sudden fall of the Soviet Union.; now the fear had to be repackaged and the enemy given a different name.
Even before September 11th one could find the evidence that the Islamic world was going to be the new face of fear. What happened on 9-11 provided the springboard and opportunity to launch the fear campaign, better known as 'the war on terror'. it is not surprising then that Bush can get on national television and say they attacked us 'because we are free', and nobody even blinks. Due to the complete incompetence of the media the general public is left in the dark when it comes to the legitimate complaints of the Islamic world, mainly the imperial ambitions of the U.S and its satellite Israel. Instead we are bombarded with ultra-patriotic messages and indoctrinated to not ask tough questions. This ridiculous world view has lead to discrimination (and worse) of Muslims here in the supposed 'land of the free'. There is no sign that this is being challenged, it is to the point that a legit attack on Senator Obama was that he might, maybe be a Muslim. The response was a passionate denial and attempt to 'prove' he was a Christian. No where to be found was the 'so what' response. There is a very basic cause for such a complicated and complex system of lies, manipulation and distrust... profit. Yes the old cliché is constantly proven by those in power "the love of money is the root of all evil'. And there it was this ugly ideology, right in the middle of solving the biggest financial crisis since 1929, 'it is a slippery slope to socialism....' as if a label was worse than starving, homeless people. This should come as no surprise, it has been this way since the beginning; it was the 'liberal' James Madison who in the Federalist Papers called the abolition of debt and equal distribution of property ' wicked project(s)'.Whole heartedly supporting the system of class and oppression.
What I am recommending is a departure from the old labels and ideologies. A break from divisiveness and the realization of a true global community with all peoples, traditions and worth respected. I have had the pleasure to have a couple of conversations through email with Noam Chomsky and I want to share a portion of one with you now:....
Q) With the proposed 700 billion dollar bailout there have been a number of criticisms not the least of which are the cries of socialism. It seems that now would be a good time for the general public to realize the corporate world has always followed, to one degree or another, socialist ideas, and to start demanding the basic needs of everyone be met. Do you see this being a possibility?
Chomsky) You're right about the 'cries of socialism,' but that is because of severe ideological distortion of what socialism traditionally was. It would resemble authentic socialism if the failing institutions were taken over by the public and democratically run by working people and communities. There isn't even a hint of that. What is happening is, as you say, quite normal, though the scale is unusual. In 'really existing state capitalism,' risk and cost are regularly socialized while profit is privatized, and in numerous other ways the government -- meaning the taxpayer -- is expected to provide crucial benefits for private concentrations of power. One example that should be familiar is what we are using right now: computers and the internet. But particular examples are misleading, because these are fundamental elements of the entire socioeconomic and political systems.
Q) So do you believe that authentic socialism (or at least the return of a socialist party) would have a better chance now given the current economic situation, or has it been demonized to the point it could never returning. Which brings me to another point; would it be different if the label socialism wasn't attached and we called it for example, doing the right thing?
Chomsky) The term 'socialism' as been so debased, in particular by association with the radically anti-socialist Leninist regime and its successors and imitators, that it might be well to abandon, along with 'liberalism' and 'conservatism' and other terms that have lost their meaning, part of the process of making political discourse impossible About the prospects, you might be right. Certainly worth making use of whatever opportunities there are
The time as come for the general public to come together, to demand the Human Rights of all peoples be met. The time as come to do the right thing for all concerned and let the idiots call it what they want.