Comment on fascism is the american dream by roofy
"masterfilth" implies that the artist's anti-americanism must be because the artist if from Spain (ein auslander) -- from where he can't possibly hold valid and informed opinions about american malculture, etc.
illogical invalidation to avoid debate is, at best, disingenuous; at worst, it arises from blind, provincial ignorance of the rest of the world (in the western world, this is predominantly and amerikan disease).
then comes the trite and timeworn -- and wholly shallow disclaimer -- a preface to avoid any talk of imperfection, not to mention outright flaws and even criminal activity in our dominant institutions. it's most espoused by barking talk-radio hosts and the likes of bill o'reilly, et al.
"...although america is not perfect by far..."
true enough -- "not perfect BY FAR." but this catchphrase often implies or is followed by a sentiment that says "Hey, this is Amerika v. 6.0, and this is the best we can do." same thing you get when the topic turns to the tens of thousands of americans who'll die this year for lack of proper medical care -- " hey, it's the best we can do." a lame excuse preferred by our masters to ignore rampant oppression.
"it is prosperous..."
True enough, for only for those who can pay. Don Rumsfeld and his Bechtel buddies are certainly prospering along with Dick Cheney and his Halliburton fat-cats as they suck up the latest pile of blood money. most of us see little prosperity, and the wage-slave class has precious little time to enjoy the scaps thrown our way.
"and everyone always hates and envys what they want."
this is the old libertarian, now " neo-conservative" pap that all protest against our masters arises from envy of their riches. we don't want riches. we certainly don't want their ridiculous suits and pretentious automobiles. we would like some job security, however. we would love adequate health care without regard to our class or station. and we'd really like to have time with our families BEFORE 8pm rolls around. and we'd like our vacations to stop getting shorter or not be guilt-tripped for taking that rare time off.
the "everybody envies our prosperity argument" almost exclusively offers comparisons of the US to bedraggled third-world countries. "Yeah, Amerika has its problems, but look at those poor people in Ghana -- now stop complaining.
more faulty logic that falters on false premises -- the analogy can't stand. here's an elementary lesson, guys: compare 3W countries to like countries; compare western industrialized states to their counterparts. and that's when the "we have our problems, but..." assertion crumbles. damn few europeans are gripped by envy for the anachronistic "American Dream" or much of anything about America. especially if they drop by for a lengthy visit and see how all too many of us try to live. or not live.
"What they want - good economy, jobs, diversity, etc..."
Either this writer is at the top of the food chain, where's there's precious little room (found near the moral high ground where the air is thin and addles even sound consvervative minds) -- or, simply put, the writer is deluded, lying, watching too much Faux News, or perhaps is employed by the "Justice" Department. or, maybe he aspires to the ruling class.
"Ever been here?"
as if by coming here, and by sticking close to the tourist destinations, our traveling spaniard won't see the wretched refuse of our teeming shores, or see how the old Horatio Alger myth was long ago replaced by a corporate ruling class who imprison workers in cubicles, granting only the slightest of vacations, while providing the world's most threadbare insurance coverage -- if any. today's american worker is on the job more than at anytime in our history and it only gets worse. if you do drop in for visit to the latest version of the Amerikan empire, ask a wage-earning citizen about mental-health coverage -- oughtta be be good for a laugh. You'll hear that it's "too expensive" or "it's the best we can do." You'll hear the latter phrase a lot. besides, we like our mentally to grow up untreated so we can invest in massive, privately owned prison systems.
i DO live here and have so for all but five of these past 47 years. the five years in Deutschland showed me that our European neighbors have the civilization gig down and that governments CAN provide health care for all without resorting to despotism. Thanks to George W. Bush and the gaggle of oil-company exec who usurped the White House, we've got the highest unemployment rate in decades -- since the last coven of cheap-labor conservatives gave us hearty screwing. Indeed, the "good economy" in terms of jobs available and potential for recovery, is the worst since the Great Depression. Some 18,000 of us were killed by insurance companies last year when the less endowed among us had to either abandon or compromise treatment for life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. I've a dear relative who will soon succumb to a heart condition because she's exhausted here "benefits" and can no longer afford most of her medications. Not only have our jobs been sent across borders, but getting wholesale-price drugs from Canada will no longer be an option. I know ... I've heard all too often: "It's the best we can do."
Just read the definition of "fascism" in almost any dictionary. Our current regime solidly fits the bill: An unholy alliance 'twixt government and corporate interests is obscured by beating the drums of nationalism, as our former prosperity is stolen to extend the reach of empire.
I know -- we were taught to think like good little Americans, and pretend the foreign adventures were about liberating oppressed peoples ... the same political dope fed to the poor bastards in the USSR. Our current fascist regime has its lessons: no more single charismatic dictators (replace them with cartels and appropriate the lingo of democracy) and equate nationalism with "patriotism." They also traded in the jackboots and paramilitary attire (gave 'em to our cops) for three-piece tailored suits and briefcases. They also shed the swastika, the "Christian" cross and the stars n' stripes can well suffice. Keep the masses at work so they don't have time to READ the news (they'll have time for the simplified pap on cable-TV) and distract them with plenty of ridiculous arguments about abortion, school prayers, gawdy Ten Commandments monuments, gay marriages, bonehead movies stars seeking political office -- all the weapons of mass deception.
It's working pretty well. As for a visit, kind artist, do so at your own risk, remembering that nearly any amerikan without regard to their untreated mental illnesses (mad cowboy disease is prevalent) can pick up a gun posthaste at the nearest Wal-Mart (one per city section, two per suburb) -- and they love to play with them. And don't forget to bring a duffle-bag loaded with cash. We call this "health insurance."
"the best we can do."
fact is, it's not. we need only the courage of others who share that ideal. the same people who brought us the five-day work week, the eight-hour work day (now a relic), minimum wage, (despised by the corporate class) mandatory health coverage -- all despised by cheap-labor conservatives who only care about the unborn (Carlin: " If you're pre-born, you're okay; if you're pre-school, you're f***ked"
will never give up. they've got workers over a barrel, just where they want them.
Think about adding some flames to your pic. Otherwise, you've nailed it, by capturing the sorry essence of the American Empire.
May it fall.
illogical invalidation to avoid debate is, at best, disingenuous; at worst, it arises from blind, provincial ignorance of the rest of the world (in the western world, this is predominantly and amerikan disease).
then comes the trite and timeworn -- and wholly shallow disclaimer -- a preface to avoid any talk of imperfection, not to mention outright flaws and even criminal activity in our dominant institutions. it's most espoused by barking talk-radio hosts and the likes of bill o'reilly, et al.
"...although america is not perfect by far..."
true enough -- "not perfect BY FAR." but this catchphrase often implies or is followed by a sentiment that says "Hey, this is Amerika v. 6.0, and this is the best we can do." same thing you get when the topic turns to the tens of thousands of americans who'll die this year for lack of proper medical care -- " hey, it's the best we can do." a lame excuse preferred by our masters to ignore rampant oppression.
"it is prosperous..."
True enough, for only for those who can pay. Don Rumsfeld and his Bechtel buddies are certainly prospering along with Dick Cheney and his Halliburton fat-cats as they suck up the latest pile of blood money. most of us see little prosperity, and the wage-slave class has precious little time to enjoy the scaps thrown our way.
"and everyone always hates and envys what they want."
this is the old libertarian, now " neo-conservative" pap that all protest against our masters arises from envy of their riches. we don't want riches. we certainly don't want their ridiculous suits and pretentious automobiles. we would like some job security, however. we would love adequate health care without regard to our class or station. and we'd really like to have time with our families BEFORE 8pm rolls around. and we'd like our vacations to stop getting shorter or not be guilt-tripped for taking that rare time off.
the "everybody envies our prosperity argument" almost exclusively offers comparisons of the US to bedraggled third-world countries. "Yeah, Amerika has its problems, but look at those poor people in Ghana -- now stop complaining.
more faulty logic that falters on false premises -- the analogy can't stand. here's an elementary lesson, guys: compare 3W countries to like countries; compare western industrialized states to their counterparts. and that's when the "we have our problems, but..." assertion crumbles. damn few europeans are gripped by envy for the anachronistic "American Dream" or much of anything about America. especially if they drop by for a lengthy visit and see how all too many of us try to live. or not live.
"What they want - good economy, jobs, diversity, etc..."
Either this writer is at the top of the food chain, where's there's precious little room (found near the moral high ground where the air is thin and addles even sound consvervative minds) -- or, simply put, the writer is deluded, lying, watching too much Faux News, or perhaps is employed by the "Justice" Department. or, maybe he aspires to the ruling class.
"Ever been here?"
as if by coming here, and by sticking close to the tourist destinations, our traveling spaniard won't see the wretched refuse of our teeming shores, or see how the old Horatio Alger myth was long ago replaced by a corporate ruling class who imprison workers in cubicles, granting only the slightest of vacations, while providing the world's most threadbare insurance coverage -- if any. today's american worker is on the job more than at anytime in our history and it only gets worse. if you do drop in for visit to the latest version of the Amerikan empire, ask a wage-earning citizen about mental-health coverage -- oughtta be be good for a laugh. You'll hear that it's "too expensive" or "it's the best we can do." You'll hear the latter phrase a lot. besides, we like our mentally to grow up untreated so we can invest in massive, privately owned prison systems.
i DO live here and have so for all but five of these past 47 years. the five years in Deutschland showed me that our European neighbors have the civilization gig down and that governments CAN provide health care for all without resorting to despotism. Thanks to George W. Bush and the gaggle of oil-company exec who usurped the White House, we've got the highest unemployment rate in decades -- since the last coven of cheap-labor conservatives gave us hearty screwing. Indeed, the "good economy" in terms of jobs available and potential for recovery, is the worst since the Great Depression. Some 18,000 of us were killed by insurance companies last year when the less endowed among us had to either abandon or compromise treatment for life-threatening illnesses such as cancer. I've a dear relative who will soon succumb to a heart condition because she's exhausted here "benefits" and can no longer afford most of her medications. Not only have our jobs been sent across borders, but getting wholesale-price drugs from Canada will no longer be an option. I know ... I've heard all too often: "It's the best we can do."
Just read the definition of "fascism" in almost any dictionary. Our current regime solidly fits the bill: An unholy alliance 'twixt government and corporate interests is obscured by beating the drums of nationalism, as our former prosperity is stolen to extend the reach of empire.
I know -- we were taught to think like good little Americans, and pretend the foreign adventures were about liberating oppressed peoples ... the same political dope fed to the poor bastards in the USSR. Our current fascist regime has its lessons: no more single charismatic dictators (replace them with cartels and appropriate the lingo of democracy) and equate nationalism with "patriotism." They also traded in the jackboots and paramilitary attire (gave 'em to our cops) for three-piece tailored suits and briefcases. They also shed the swastika, the "Christian" cross and the stars n' stripes can well suffice. Keep the masses at work so they don't have time to READ the news (they'll have time for the simplified pap on cable-TV) and distract them with plenty of ridiculous arguments about abortion, school prayers, gawdy Ten Commandments monuments, gay marriages, bonehead movies stars seeking political office -- all the weapons of mass deception.
It's working pretty well. As for a visit, kind artist, do so at your own risk, remembering that nearly any amerikan without regard to their untreated mental illnesses (mad cowboy disease is prevalent) can pick up a gun posthaste at the nearest Wal-Mart (one per city section, two per suburb) -- and they love to play with them. And don't forget to bring a duffle-bag loaded with cash. We call this "health insurance."
"the best we can do."
fact is, it's not. we need only the courage of others who share that ideal. the same people who brought us the five-day work week, the eight-hour work day (now a relic), minimum wage, (despised by the corporate class) mandatory health coverage -- all despised by cheap-labor conservatives who only care about the unborn (Carlin: " If you're pre-born, you're okay; if you're pre-school, you're f***ked"
will never give up. they've got workers over a barrel, just where they want them.Think about adding some flames to your pic. Otherwise, you've nailed it, by capturing the sorry essence of the American Empire.
May it fall.