LUMPENPROLETARIAT—In the summer of 2016, America just wasn’t looking in such hot shape. “From poisoned water and police violence in our cities, to gun massacres and hate-mongering on the presidential campaign trail, evidence that America [was] at war with itself [was] everywhere around us. The question [was] not whether or not [it was] happening, but how to understand the forces at work in order to prevent conditions from getting worse. Henry A. Giroux [offered us] a powerful, far-reaching critique of the economic interests, cultural dimensions, and political dynamics involved in the nation’s shift toward increasingly abusive forms of power. His analysis [helped some] of us […] frame critical questions about what can and should be done to turn things around while we can.” That is, before the fascists finally succeed in a violent coup and permanently close our open society, as Naomi Wolff warned us back in 2007 with The End of America: A Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot. Unfortunately, not enough Americans are reading these days. Our political, historical, and intellectual tools must always be sharpened. And the best way is to read, or listen to, books. Watch informative videos. Be true to reality. Find like-minded people. Self-educate for correct political action.
“Reflecting on a wide range of social issues, Giroux contrasts Donald Trump’s America with Sandra Bland’s to understand who really benefits from politically fueled intolerance for immigrants, communities of color, Muslims, low-income families, and those who challenge state and corporate power. A passionate advocate for civil rights and the importance of the imagination, Giroux argues that only through widespread social investment in democracy and education can the common good hope to prevail over the increasingly concentrated influence of extreme right-wing politicians and self-serving economic interests.”
That was 2016. Everyone underestimated just how dangerous Trump can be. Now, it’s 2021. America has reached over 24 million COVID-19 infections and almost 400,000 covid-related deaths. National Geographic reported last April that the American death toll has surpassed the so-called Vietnam War. Many Americans understand Trump failed his nation with his narcissistic abuse and gaslighting, acting like there was no problem until many of us were infected. It bears repeating, but liberals, who were surprised by the fascist events of January 6th, need to read up on their American History X. Dr. Peter Dale Scott is a good place to start for adults. Dr. James Loewen or Dr. Howard Zinn are good places to start for kids. The problem is, we, Americans see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear when it suits us. Too many of us have veered off into our own little narcissistic bubbles, where we attempt to deny the pain and suffering of everyone around us, so that we can feed on narcissistic supply.
I suspect the latest literature on narcissistic personality disorder spectra, particularly around “reactive narcissism”, as explained by Dr. James McIntosh on Pacifica Radio this week, will give us many tools to help us explain the psychological dimensions of this mental illness known as “racism”. We may find these social pathologies may constitute a cluster of disorders, similar to how we have “Cluster-B” personality disordered type people. We may find common features to mindsets, like “racism”, fascism, and narcissism.
“Reflecting on a wide range of social issues, Giroux [contrasted] Donald Trump’s America with Sandra Bland’s to understand who really benefits from politically-fueled intolerance for immigrants, communities of color, Muslims, low-income families, and those who challenge state and corporate power. A passionate advocate for civil rights and the importance of the imagination, Giroux argues that only through widespread social investment in democracy and education can the common good hope to prevail over the increasingly concentrated influence of extreme right-wing politicians and self-serving economic interests.”
Alas, I’m afraid not enough of us were up to that task, which Dr. Giroux and others laid out for us back in 2016, and even earlier. It’s clear the solution involves action. We begin to self-educate for correct political action. Then, we take action. Let’s get involved in any way, which feels right to us. As we grow, mature, and evolve, so can our politics and our civic engagement.
As I’m taking my spare time to study and understand the fascist events of January 6th, I’m returning to the warning signs many of us missed. It’s never too late to learn to identify red flags, whether in interpersonal relationships or in politics. Dr. Henry Giroux has been clueing us in to many of those red flags. Bourgeois politics has simply failed to provide a meaningful response to the neoliberal assaults on human beings around the world. In retrospect, Dr. Giroux’s book, America At War With Itself, seems prophetic at this particular historical moment.
@LumpenProles
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Consider downloading the Pacifica Radio app for easy access to some cool free speech radio stations across the nation. You can also listen live online, or access audio archives at KPFA, WBAI, WPFW, and KPFK.
Friday, January 15, 2021
04:35 PST, WPFW > music (blues)
04:38 PST, WBAI > talk. linguistics, “out-of-Africa theory”, etc.
04:00 – 05:00 PST, KPFA > 04:42 PST, talk/babble (satirical jibberish)
KPFK > Something’s Happening A > […] > The Thom Hartmann Show (rerun) > […] 04:40 PST, [TP] On the fascist events of January 6th. 04:45 PST, “I’m more convinced that this is more sinister than we imagine.” TH: ‘I believe within the party that there is some bifurcation. Some were in on it. Some weren’t. At least ten weren’t willing to LIHOP.’ I dunno, Tom. Those ten could be shills for the GOP, just to give liberals like you that flimsy talking point your upholding about a bifurcation. A 50/50 split, even 60/40 might seem like a “bifurcation”. But just ten Republicans. No. 04:48 PST, Greg Palast [TP] corroborated report about women’s group plan for rally, keystone cops ‘were told there would be no rally’. But black folks, in the east coast, especially on WPFW, have been saying the DC mayor was asking for police staffing and back up before Wednesday. But her requests were put on hold, on review for approval, and were ultimately ignored. Palast seems unaware of this notion that the cops were caught off guard. The first person I heard push this narrative was an FBI man interviewed on Pacifica Radio this week.
05:00 PST – 06:00 PST, KPFK > Something’s Happening B > Democracy Now! News Headlines. […] 05:17 PST, First Look/The Intercept fired Laura Poitras. WTF?! Okay, Jeremy Scahill, what now? The Intercept is looking quite vile now. 05:18 PST, The Tom Hartmann Show (rerun)
05:00 PST, KPFA > […] Prof on the deplatforming of Donald Trump. > 05:33 PST, On MLK history […, 05:43]
05:00 PST, WPFW [DC] & WBAI [NYC] (simulcast) > Democracy Now![…] 05:44 PST, polio vaccine documentary, Around the World, excerpt.
05:00 PST, KPFK > […] Economic Update > 05:44 PST, On the fascist events of January 6th. Tp who is working class?
06:00 PST, The Stephanie Miller Show > […] 06:31 PST, “Corey Bush is my new spirit animal.” Clip. “I could feel their sphincter snap shut!” […] “Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!” “You know what made my blood boil? [They side-stepped metal detectors to walk in armed.] It was Blue Lives Only Matter.” […] Capitol Police officer killed himself after this. […] [TP]
06:24 PST, Meanwhile, I’m getting a report from my ‘cousin’ commuting on 580 West out of Tracy (CA) toward the SF Bay Area of one of those giant trucks with a giant flag waving in the fast lane on a giant flag pole. When I see those trucks going by, usually aggressively speeding past everyone in some vulgar display of white privilege and male patriarchy, I feel that sinking feeling, which Meredith Miller describes at Inner Integration when one feels the approach of a narcissistic abuser.
06:00 PST, WPFW > […] 06:35 PST, music (hip hop; ’90s jazzy style) 06:37 PST, interview about climate activism, “scarcity to abundance”, “mobilize to organize”, “What is Afro-Futurism?” Destiny Hodges(sp?).
06:00 PST, WBAI > Brent Michael Phillips, again, “you will clear hundreds of subconscious blocks” “I’m also including my trauma clearing process”, which uses a special encoding based on aural beats, which puts your brain into a theta state. “It’s amazingly powerful.” Yo, that’s some far out shit. I’m gonna call it snake oil, though, if this dude is price-gouging Pacifica Radio listeners. I never really heard of this guy before I turned on Pacifica Radio to tune in for coverage of the fascist events of January 6th. We ain’t got time for this bloke right now. If he’s legit, or not, leave your comments below.
[These are my raw notes. I will expand and edit, as time constraints allow. TP = transcript pending volunteer labor. Please help transcribe breaking news and information. It’s urgent that we document the people’s narrative of the events of January 6th. Please, also monitor corporate media and right-wing media, too. Solidarity. ]
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[14 JAN 2021]
[Last modified on 15 JAN 2021 at 05:16 PST]
