Winston Churchill once said something like: 'the vice of Capitalism was that very few shared in the riches and the vice of Socialism was that everyone shared the same misery.'
Much to my continued dismay, I'm still reading the book 'A People's History of the United States' by H.Zinn. Reader beware. He's not only overtly a Socialist, but he's such a feminist I'm suprised he's still a man. However much I dislike his point of view (humanist to the core), he records quite a bit of facts. I should note in the preface he spends quite a bit of time showing that history is only a person selecting facts that support their case.
I've also been listening to Rushdoony's history of the Americas (1492-1865) on MP3. Needless to say, Zinn and Rushdoony don't have much in common.
Unbeknowst to government school educated me, there was not a little unrest in America in the 1800s. Primarly revolving around worker's rights, wages, sufferage, etc. We all know that but only the tip of the iceberg. So I got thinking about it and where America is now (in my estimation, principally, not much different than 1800s or earlier) is scary.
I think Zinn is one of those purist who want to return to the old primative ways. I get a lot of that working in Ithaca. Well, news is, that ain't happenin'. But the desire behind returning to old times is provacative. The reason all has to do with...you guessed it money. We view primative cultures as free from the burden of earning money. Free from taxes. Free from auto insurance. Free from denistry, or whatever. Let's just barter and work with our hands, and make due with what we have today. Nothing wrong with that.
However the Bible speaks of laying up an inheritance for our childrens' children. I haven't quite figured out how to barter inheritances. Like the strikers of the 1800s, we're between a rock and hard place. We are married to the dollar whether we like it or not. Politicians have a strangle hold on all of us. They've got us cornered from every angle, womb to tomb.
Gotta wrap it up, time for suppah.
Let us work with our hands that we may have something to give to those in need.
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3 comments:
Must be my empty stomach got to me. I can see where one would assume that I equated inheritance with money. While the latter does indeed buttress the former, they are not intrinsically linked.
For example, most of my relatives have inheritances of land, cattle, or machinery. Unhappily, none have inherited a suitably sized brewery.
I know that this is a silly comment to a serious post, but the first thing that came to mind was Boneville, where the people use eggs as currency. Now there's an idea.
"He's not only overtly a Socialist, but he's such a feminist I'm suprised he's still a man."
This clever phrase made me smile and think of one of my English professors at college. Same deal--so much a "feminist" as defined by post-1960's Western culture--that he emasculated himself. I hope no one from college other than John stumbles across this, because they'll know exactly who I'm speaking of...
Hey Matt, you need to go to a bookstore or to the library and find this book:
Created in Darkness by Troubled Americans : The Best of McSweeney's, Humor Category
Once you've found it, you need to read this:
"Unused Audio Commentary by Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky, Recorded Summer 2002, for the Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring DVD (Platinum Series Extended Version), Part One"
Just stand in the store and take your time reading this. Don't buy the book. A lot of it is funny, but there are also some offensive pieces in it.
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