Most American workers are miserable on the job

Anybody who will actually LISTEN to American workers - skilled, unskilled, blue collar, middle class- in ANY industry -will quickly learn that the work place is a hell of humiliation and slavery, of exploitation and oppression, for the vast majority of them.

              We need an updated version of Studs Terkel's classic " Working ".

" Logotherapy " psychiatrist Viktor Frankl had good advice for drug addicts too

Beautiful Boy: Part of the truth about drug addiction

 

Right away the film title strikes me as false : " Beautiful Boy ". The last documentary I watched on the " Crack " epidemic  shows how quickly and dramatically these drug addicts lost their good looks. You would think normal vanity would keep kids away from these poison street drugs.

     " The immensity of the dilemma cannot be the product of “lifestyle choices” or individual human failings—unless one believes in the Fall of Man and Original Sin. Everything points to a socially produced crisis. "

            Without approving of the permanent and ever failing WAR ON DRUGS I agree that mass addiction is a social disease. Holocaust survivor Viktor Frankl , got this right : knowing your life has some higher MEANING is a big factor in personal survival and everyday mental health.

            The famous psychiatrist ( founder of " logotherapy " school ) and author of " Man's Search for Meaning " even applied his insights to the plight of jobless people in times of recession or depression.

 He tells them that their life is not meaningless because they are unemployed. There is always something to live for.

               Curiously Dr. Frankl believed that nobody was beyond " redemption " ( not even old Nazis ? ) Certainly not drug addicts and alcoholics.

[YOLO, Unemployment and Concentration Camps

Since leaving university, I myself and several of my close friends have experienced bouts of depression whilst being unemployed, but can a lack of nine to five really be what’s getting us down or is there something else that’s actually missing?
It’s wasn’t until I recently picked up the book ‘Man’s Search For Meaning’ by Viktor Frankl that I realised that there is an actual term for this condition known as Unemployment Neurosis in which being jobless is equated with being useless, and being useless is equated with having a meaningless life. ]

              

American worker : what did Russia do to YOU lately ?

Stone indictment presents no evidence of links between WikiLeaks and Trump campaign

 

Has there been anything in American political history more OBTUSE than the Kafkaesque Mueller Russia investigation ?

           Is it now authorized to declare war on Russia in defense of " OUR democracy " ?

            Don't WE THE PEOPLE have a measure of influence in American foreign policy ?

                  Working class America burns with rage against Putin : he who deprived us of " Hawk Hillary ", " Corrupt Hillary " , " Wall St. Hillary " ?

                  End this long insult to " OUR democracy " !

                 [ What did Russia do to YOU lately ? ]

Radical Ron supports a UNION for WBUR employees

WBUR Employees Take First Step In Forming A Union

 

I completely support ALL WBUR employees with the good sense to see the need for a union - whatever their politics .

" FREE SPEECH " inside the classroom for public school teachers

" The bills are designed to intimidate teachers who are once again considering strike action to win significant improvements in pay and school funding. "

                  " FREE SPEECH " for stressed out and often maligned American public school teachers should also cover freedom to exercise their professional competence inside the classroom - without be instantly reprimanded or humiliated or even fired for expressing views not flattering to the American political system, " OUR democracy " or the American Way of Life; for giving students informed views not gushing over US militarism, slobbering over the FBI, CIA, and the capitalist " free press ".

            When public school teachers do dare to strike the collective American working class - not warped by loyalty to " friends of labor " in the Democratic Party - should loudly support them.
Sadly , the public school system tends to reinforce the myth of an American " meritocracy " . A not so subtle tracking system puts kids " in their place " by the age of 12. But what kid ever dreams about growing up to be one of the " losers", the millions of working poor ?

               For those many left out " Dreamers " there is always the more seductive " opium of the people " - suicidal street drugs. Briefly you can feel on top of the world while actually rotting on its bottom.

A strong cultural tie : most Mexican and Latin American immigrants identify as Catholic

Discussion on World Socialist Web Site  5 comments

NBC’s Tom Brokaw provokes backlash over “assimilation” comment

Brokaw could've quietly retired

December 6, 2004

AS A MEDIA personality, NBC's Tom Brokaw never offended me in any way. Nor did I ever question his competence or integrity. But I am fed up with his long goodbye.

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All mortals fade away before they pass away naturally. Given the fact that Brokaw was not himself a great man of the "Greatest Generation," wouldn't it have been better if he had made a modest exit from his anchorman's job?

The cult of celebrity is rotting our minds!

RON RUGGIERI
Cranston, R.I.

I see the Mexican and Latino immigrants as very similar to the Italian immigrants coming here at the turn of 20th century - my grandfather's generation. The same is true of European Jewish immigrants.

Read socialist writer Irving Howe's " World of Our Fathers ".

These immigrants both ASSIMILATED and remained faithful to their cultural roots.
Oddly enough the language of these desperate souls at the Mexican border is overwhelming Spanish- a cultured European language. Mexico and Latin America were CONQUERED by the rising Spanish empire. It was CRAZY FOR GOLD !

Still there is no reason why the United States cannot be a multi-lingual, multi-cultural nation.

Years ago I took a course in Conversational Spanish at the Community College of Rhode Island. I became curious about the etymology of Spanish words. Oddly enough the everyday words in the vocabulary are cognates of the more sophisticated ( SAT tested ) words in English.

Also, with respect to cultural ties, most Mexican and Latin American immigrants identify themselves as Roman Catholics. Nothing alien about the Sermon on the Mount. Or an exuberant love for more bambinos !

[ 

Immigration Gives Catholicism a Boost in the United States ...

https://www.prb.org/uscatholicsandimmigration/

Apr 15, 2008 - The drop in religious affiliation has affected some groups more than others. ... Newimmigrants arriving in the United States—many Catholics from Latin ... Pew report, 45 percent of Catholics ages 18 to 29 are Hispanic/Latino, ...]

Would Apartheid Israel offer USA troop support in any future war ?

As we observed before imperialist America has an Orwellian new " old " enemy every month. We were always at war with : China, Russia, Iran, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria ,North Korea, Venezuela.

The United States and paranoid Israel are the sociopaths of nations.

In fact ,moribund US imperialism - which has not won a real war since 1945- can not command the MANPOWER ( excuse the sexism ) for the next planned war.

Would Israel offer troop support in any future US invasion or occupation ? 

A new jingoist campaign in the USA : " UNCLE SAM WANTS YOU ! " . To make the world safe for plutocracy ?

In broadside against China, White House levels criminal charges against Huawei

But WE were always at war with China ! ( see notebook, Winston Smith ) .
Also you must ( confess ! ) be aware that these Chinese sponsored " Confucius Centers " ( one at the University of Rhode Island ) are sinister spy hangouts ?

Unattributed Malcolm X quote in URI library inscription

Education As A Way To Find Freedom In Prison

 

“I just remember thinking this can’t be it,” said Bou. “I felt like, you’re not going to do this to me. I’m not going to let you turn me into an animal. I’m going to be normal when I get out.”

When he returned to general population, Bou began reading everything he could get his hands on. He even started learning French. But Bou's ultimate goal was to earn his bachelor's degree "

Bou would enjoy reading a whole chapter in the " Autobiography of Malcolm X " in which Malcolm explains his very fruitful prison education. It might have been at this very MCI-Norfolk.

There is an inscription of Malcolm X very words ( on how reading books in prison was his university) on the front of the University of Rhode Island ( URI ) library in Kingston .Definitely Malcolm X, the assassinated ( 1965 ) Black Muslim . But strangely Malcolm's name is not there. Blotted out ?

His prison " education " only made Malcolm X more radical. He made a connection between racism and capitalism, between racism and American imperialism .

My favorite Malcolm X quote : " Show me a capitalist and I'll show you a blood sucker ".

Try establishing socialism in a cultural wasteland

 

As a socialist I resent the way vacuous " liberals " have denigrated the cultural achievements of frequently excoriated Western Civilization. The flowers of great culture and the Enlightenment are nothing but odious fruit of dead white males ?

               Whatever their flaws as we perceive them today, these artists, scientists, writers, musicians ,explorers ,theologians, philosophers, even emperors advanced CIVILIZATION . Try establishing socialism in a cultural wasteland.

      Contempt for THE PAST is no way to advance social progress.

" Identity politics " feeds racism while victims of political correctness smolder

Why does the New York Times keep pushing pernicious racialism?

 

This liberal perfumed " racialism " and message sending is cloying even in TV and radio advertising. My morning TV news is bad enough. After a few minutes of narcissistic news " personalities " - who always seem hyper-giddy- - I find the commercials unbearable. Turn off TV.

                  " Liberal " messaging poisons entertainment. It poisons the movies.

              I have heard other quite " progressive " individuals wonder why TV commercials always make white males look silly or ridiculous or even stupid next to a clearly sharper black male or female or a " superior " wife ?

              This endless-almost daily- ruining of quite decent individuals for some hardly malevolent sin against " identity politics " or political correctness in no way creates a better climate for inter-racial understanding and friendliness. All police states are humorless.

        

Hurt people smolder. " Identity politics " is a Hidden Persuader strategy for making elite ruling class individuals and their mainstream news media- the faceless arbiters of " right thinking "- which never leads to any serious criticism of capitalism and the American Way of Life .

               One cutting or smearing comment and the ambitious All-American social climber can fall back to THE PIT.
How many middle class Americans spend the day saying the opposite of what they really think and feel ?

                   " Be kind ! " Definitely be kind to celebrity Hollywood bullies. Be kind or be sorry.

Footnote on Elliot Abrams - Henry Kissinger Redux in Venezuela

Footnote on Elliot Abrams ( Jan.26,2019 , Press TV ) :

“Elliott Abrams has a notorious reputation not only in Central America, but also in regard to his support for Israel; Elliott Abrams is a fanatical Zionist who was engaged [ in ] supporting Israel’s attempts to conquer and occupy Palestine,” Petras told Press TV on Saturday. ]

Just WHO is determining US foreign policy ? Clearly Elliot Abrams is a worthy colleague of war criminal Henry Kissinger - famous for organizing the assassination of Chile president Salvador Allende ( circa 1973 ) .

Notorious Zionist Elliot Abrams sent to Venezuela - worthy of fellow Zionist Henry Kissinger

US coup bid pushes Venezuela closer to invasion or civil war

Footnote on Elliot Abrams ( Jan.26,2019 , Press TV ) :
“Elliott Abrams has a notorious reputation not only in Central America, but also in regard to his support for Israel; Elliott Abrams is a fanatical Zionist who was engaged [ in ] supporting Israel’s attempts to conquer and occupy Palestine,” Petras told Press TV on Saturday. ]

Israel supports fascist overthrow in Venezuela

No surprise here :

[ " Israel recognizes Guaido as leader of Venezuela " Reuters
https://www.reuters.com/.........

5 hours ago - " Israel on Sunday threw its support behind Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country's leader. " ]

" OUR democracy " , FREE WORLD alliance. I will check to see if oh-so-democratic Saudi Arabia also weighs in on rotten " socialist " Venezuela.

Sales of Hitler's 'Mein Kampf' Skyrocketing in Germany — But It's Not ...

https://foreignpolicy.com/.../sales-of-hitlers-mein-kampf-skyrocketing-in-germany-bu...

1. Cached

Jan 3, 2017 - Nazi-era editions of Mein Kampf (“My Struggle”) were plastered with pictures ... (Prominent Nazi symbols are still banned in Germany, even 72 ...

Give us a profile of typical news and social media censors ... How many devout Christians ?

I think people here who hide their true names and " identity " have something to hide . Get me a PROFILE of the typical CENSOR at NPR or in the mainstream capitalist newspaper . Mostly devout Christians ? Moderate socialists ? Secular HUMANISTS ( hostile to free speech ? ) 

Just WHO sets the criteria for PATRIOTISM and even civic morals for the REST OF US in the USA ?

Browse my blog if you think I have anything to hide .

Why the FREE WORLD should not ban Hitler's " Mein Kampf "

US coup bid pushes Venezuela closer to invasion or civil w

True, but if you want to effectively combat your capitalist class enemies, it is wise to read their reports, their news, their editorials, LISTEN to them on radio and TV. I am not aware of any SOCIALIST movement having a Dark Age comparable INDEX OF FORBIDDEN NEWSPAPERS . 

Even Hitler's " Mein Kampf " ( which should be banned in no FREE WORLD country ) has interesting insights on the psychology of mass movements . Hitler rather cogently argued that the German communists and socialists were mere amateurs in propaganda compared to his own devoted FORCE of gathering darkness.

It seems that the insanity of Nazism was in essence the logic of desperate German nationalism. Who can buy into " Blood & Soil " drivel today ? ( Apartheid Israel ? ).

Israel is arming neo-Nazis in Ukraine | The Electronic Intifada

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" Blood and Soil " of Nazism