Mickey Z
Cool Observer
Monday, January 08, 2007
Writing the American Dream
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Great interview! I have a ton of books on my to-read pile, but I’m going to have to add that one to the mix anyway.
By weird coincidence, I was at the local infoshop last night, and picked up a copy of APR. Thanks for posting about their troubles.
I don’t comment often, but I always love your blog, and often send friends here.
Posted by Deb from NoVa on 01/08 at 08:27 AM -
“...For the war companies, things have worked out perfectly. Whatever the rationale for the invasion of Iraq, business is booming. Not long after Bush took office, Lockheed Martin’s revenues soared by more than 30 percent, as it was awarded $17 billion in contracts from the Department of Defense, a far cry from the lean
years of the Clinton administration. (Under Clinton, it did win $2 billion in contracts with the Department of Energy for nuclear weapons activity; recently Bush called for 125 new nukes a year, opening up new contract horizons in that area, as well.) Its stock went from 16.375 in October of 1999 to 71.52 in June of 2002. As professor of finance at the State University at Buffalo Michael Rozeff observes, “the stock market anticipates many events.”The above is from an article on about Lockheed on Playboy.com. I keep saying that the Bush administration has been brilliant in what it has done. It has mastered the biggest money laundering campaign in the history of mankind. No one ever in history has been able to transfer that amount of money from the poor and middle class to the wealthy !!!!!
Sorry to be off topic. I will be back a little later and behave better.
Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts on 01/08 at 08:50 AM -
Hi Deb, RMJ and all expendables. After reading that interview I might check out that book. Like you Deb it’ll go on my “to read” list.
I take it his tongue was firmly in cheek here with the “ruin my day” comment:
MP: I could pick up a gun. Maybe I’m too lazy. I really don’t think I could live with killing somebody. That would really ruin my day. And writing a novel is such a poor excuse for fighting, in some ways, so abstract, but it is a way, and it is a way that maybe I can handle, can do, and maybe it will do some good, some day.
Posted by Paul M from Scotland on 01/08 at 08:53 AM -
A fine interview. Ok, ‘resistance community’? Is he talking about commune living or is there something I don’t know about? I’m curious, I realise it’s not particularly relevant in the entire context.
I missed interesting conversation later in the day yesterday...seems to be the way lately.
I think the term ‘American Dream’ itself sort of exemplifies the imperial wrongs that the US is so strenuously exerting on the rest of the world right now (although they’re certainly not alone in doing so)....Doesn’t everyone dream of living comfortably with enough to eat and a few relatively (a tricky term to be sure) basic comforts? Americans didn’t invent the aspiration for an easier life for pete’s sake!
A bit of a rant, I know, but it’s always puzzled me...what makes that particular dream so ‘American’?
Posted by Amelopsis from Canada on 01/08 at 09:58 AM -
Morning all…
Amelopsis, to me the American Dream is that old BS propaganda that anyone can get rich in America...that as long as you work hard, anyone can strike it rich. It works great...get people to do crappy jobs for no money with a “promise” of better things to come.
Who cut the cheese:
http://tinyurl.com/yxy7fs
Posted by JOS from Chicago on 01/08 at 10:38 AM -
Quickly, to the Professor’s Smelloscope to find the culprit!
Posted by Amelopsis from Canada on 01/08 at 10:46 AM -
JOS, I see what you mean...brings to mind visions of June Cleaver getting dinner ready before all the men arrive home. I think I always saw that incarnation of the american dream as make believe television miracles in a sense.
Posted by Amelopsis from Canada on 01/08 at 10:48 AM -
Hello, Deb.
Amelopsis...I agree with you 1000%. Not only does the term “American Dream” exemplify imperialistic wrongs but referring to anything specific to the usa as “American” shows a pathological level of national arrogance. People in Canada, Panama, Columbia, Peru, Mexico etc are all Americans. They are North Americans, Central Americans, and South Americans.Great interview, Mickey...Paul, about the picking up of a gun and killing someone...I just finished a live interview on the radio. I said there that one of the really tragic things is that since March 20, 2003, 650,000+ Iraqi civilians have been killed. Those lives could have been saved, not only by a bloody, violent revolution in the usa. All of those lives could have been saved if the people in the usa simply did nothing---a total boycott of everything (except emergency medical, fire, and police services). If everyone had just interrupted their normal activities, stayed home, refused to go to work or school there would be no war and no occupation.
Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts on 01/08 at 10:56 AM -
How now, American cows. Of course they cannot be brown, or they are not American.
My copy of Palecek’s novel is winging its way towards me even as I type. I’m eager to read it.
I’m stealing a few moments online before I race back to tense waiting posture next to my smellophone, awaiting word from the HR droid at my new (fingers crossed) employer.
Enjoy the day! Captcha says “until.” Hmmmmm
Posted by Mudge from Austin, Texas on 01/08 at 11:25 AM -
JOS...sorry, I did not see you standing there. I agree that it is crap, that anyone can work hard and get rich. That is just one of the big lies necessary under an oppressive capitalistic system. Lies like that one keep the masses under control. A few days ago, the richest woman in the usa was interviewed. She was asked if “luck” played any part in her accumulation of wealth. She said, “No”. The idea that no luck was involved feeds into the capitalistic myth. That rich “lady” gets a lot of praise for opening a school, but never mentions the fact the she would not have had the money in the first place if it were not for the exploitative economic system that she supports.
On a personal note...one of the smartest, most hard working people I have ever known was my father. He never got rich.Posted by RMJ from Churchill 4 Prez Hdqts on 01/08 at 11:32 AM -
Hello Expendables...from rainy Astoria. I see we have a full house today. I’m only home for a short spell so I’ll have to re-visit the comments later. For now, I want to wish Mudge luck and offer something of mine, re: the American Dream. It’s excerpted from a talk I gave at Yale (yes, Yale):
Artists and activists can help challenge the American Dream myth: the fable of individualized success. If we work hard enough and fight our way past the competition, this is the land of opportunity…anything is possible. If you succeed, it’s because you worked harder and better and deserved it more. This myth is helpful for praising success…but damaging in explaining failure. If you fail, the blame is on you…not patriarchy, white supremacy, or capitalism. Artists and activists can help cultivate new, more realistic American Dreams (yes, plural): Dreams not for sale to the highest bidder. Dreams not based on material consumption or physical beauty. We need dreams that promote and extol unity and collective success while maintaining our individuality and independence. Dreams that challenge humans to think for themselves and about others.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 01/08 at 11:53 AM -
That’s a fine collective aspiration Mickey. I think it bears repeating.
We need dreams that promote and extol unity and collective success while maintaining our individuality and independence.
Posted by Amelopsis from Canada on 01/08 at 12:07 PM -
RMJ, re post #8. Totally agree with your sentiments. I’m not a big fan of those who insist that the only way to enact change is through bloody conflict or more particularly a revolution.
I love this quote from the Sergio Leone film “A Fistful of Dynamite” (also known as “Duck you sucker!” or “Once upon a time..the revolution” or “Giu la testa").
Juan Miranda: I know what I am talking about when I am talking about the revolutions. The people who read the books go to the people who can’t read the books, the poor people, and say, “We have to have a change.” So, the poor people make the change, ah? And then, the people who read the books, they all sit around the big polished tables, and they talk and talk and talk and eat and eat and eat, eh? But what has happened to the poor people? They’re dead! That’s your revolution. Shhh… So, please, don’t tell me about revolutions! And what happens afterwards? The same fucking thing starts all over again!
The film’s class. I think the Italian title means “keep your head down” meaning don’t be fooled into joining the “glorious revolution”. Same idea with “Duck you sucker”.
-I just liked how the author in Mickey’s interview said “I really don’t think I could live with killing somebody. That would really ruin my day”.
Deliberately playing it down for laughs...well that’s how I read it.
Posted by Paul M from Scotland on 01/08 at 12:57 PM -
by the way, Mick, on the new pic on the front page…
I think if you used some conditioner you could style your hair a lot more easily.
Posted by JOS from Chicago on 01/08 at 02:04 PM -
JOS knows...it’s all about the products.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 01/08 at 02:26 PM -
I’m not so sure...looks like that hairdryer’s making you a little nervous.
Posted by Amelopsis from Canada on 01/08 at 02:33 PM -
Being a good citizen, I have it on “cool” so I don’t add to global warming. Btw, captcha actually sez: “products.”
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 01/08 at 02:51 PM -
Thanks for the blog mention, MZ… and for the donation info for the Alternative Press Review. I’ll link to it en la manana, mi amigo.
Nice to see so many Expendables on duty today....
Posted by Hawk from Boulder, CO on 01/08 at 10:16 PM -
‘I don’t comment often, but I always love your blog, and often send friends here.’
I comment a bit more often than Deb, but I always love your blog, Mickey and quite often email entries to friends. And that is a great excerpt from your Yale talk - I’ll copy and paste it into an email to a writer I know.
Sorry to hear about APR’s troubles - I hope all turns out well.‘Hi to Rosemarie, Paul M, Amelopsis, JOS, MUDGE and Hawk from a Daylesford which is warming up again - 100F on the day after tomorrow. Except more bushfires and tighter water restrictions.
Bye ..
Posted by Helga Fremlin from Daylesford, Australia on 01/09 at 12:23 AM -
A quick shout-out to Hawk, Helga, Deb, Paul, and everyone else I forgot to mention.
Posted by Mickey Z. from Astoria on 01/09 at 05:41 AM
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