One more last kick at liberal dogs—a riposte to Joe Bageant

[dweller]

By Jerry Mazza
Online Journal Contributing Writer

June 3, 2005—Dear Joe, I hear you on the needed education of rednecks to
help them think about their own best political interests and what's really
happening in America.

But let me tell you, rednecks don't have a corner on ignorance. My wife
works in the ad business, and was at an agency yesterday, you know,
monitors all over the walls showing CNN (and the agency's commercials).
There was a news item. My wife said to the 30-year-old sitting next to her,
probably making 10 times more than he was worth (dead or alive), and she
said, "Wow, this guy Mark Felt admitted he was 'Deep Throat.'" Without
blinking an eye or a brain wave, 30-something said, "Who's 'Deep Throat.'"
Uh huh, uh huh.

And who's Richard Nixon. And what's Watergate. And what're the Savings
and Loan Scandals, and BCCI, ICIC, FAB. And who's your daddy. You
would be soooo surprised how many latte-sucking, Lauren-licking lapdogs,
don't know their bungers from Brazil's fascist government. What's a fascist?
Is that like a Ferrari? We're dealing with stupid white (and all color) men and
women who get their BAs, etc., at the mall, it seems. Majors in outfit
coordination, two-bedroom apartments, split-level houses, tits and ass
sculpture. It turns out, Joe, ignorance in America is an equal opportunity
affliction.

I know these folks are more comfortable than working class people. I grew
up with working class Italian Americans in Brooklyn. Their skin was olive but
their necks were red from doing construction in the sun, or driving trucks, or
working in factories. But for so many (of the yup pups) consciousness is so
rooted in bullshit, in owning and attaining, that you want to throw up on their
Martha pink sweaters, and then rub it in. In fact, as you climb the money
ladder, like your old doctor, the dumb-down into indifference rises
exponentially. And it takes real dedication to resist it. So, when we talk of
education, there needs to be major head opening, bottom to top and top to
bottom in our society, in all classes and strata.

http://www.onlinejournal.com/Commentary/060305Mazza/060305mazza.html

excellant addendum to Bageant's One last kick at liberal dogs—just to hear them bark

dp

[dweller]

1. someone explain it to me

is this editorial just not interesting?
somehow against your philosophy of what Dems stand for, or represent?
just boring?

did the original Bageant article (linked in post) which also quickly fell to a similar non-responsive fate just not pique your interest?

is it written in invisible ink?


even without the Bageant post, this response from Mazza makes credible points: the Party of FDR understood the importance of education, America now is dumbdowned, the ostacizing of those that want to find out the facts, ignored by those that seek to maintain the status quo.

sigh. . . maybe i answered my own question.

dp

[geckosfeet]

2. dumbing it down is the only way the pukes can keep control.

For Gods sake,, teaching ID as science!? No wonder jobs are going offshore. Our kids, and a lot of the a-dolts are idiots.

Having ranted that, I would cut the kid some slack. His parents were probably traumatized that Nixon had to leave office with his tail between his legs and he was probably too young to ask them what was wrong.

[dweller]

3. did you read the Bageant piece?

lotta truth there.

dp

[geckosfeet]

5. Yes I read it, yes there is truth, there. It is thoughtful piece.

But there are many lies and deceptions coming from the neocons. So many it seems, that for anyone 30 or younger, unless they have an interest in history and politics, that all the lies run together in one big non-sensical mass. They start to not care. Its too hard to think and reason and research to find out what is going on and they start to lose interest in education and learning about the world around them.

They become complacent and malleable to the will of the neocons through their lack of the art of critical thinking. The press,,, well it seems that they are simply distributing neocon press releases, the press has failed us. No critical thought process going on there.

I often think that people feign ignorance because they have their minds made up and need to avoid discussion and critical thought. Anything that conflicts their world is obliterated from their consciousness (or the face of the earth).

The neocon government is run in secret. And the less we know about anything, anything at all, the easier it will be for them to foist their agenda on the world. Pretty soon, we will be thanking them for our daily air rations and water rations, never remembering or thinking that they were once part of nature, not part of the neocon agenda.

[Mythsaje]

4. I see it

as a lack of imagination. They read what's on the best-seller list, they go see the top-rated movies, and they drown their minds in "reality" television. They never look beyond the obvious, and forget about anything unpleasant as soon as it's convenient.

But I could be wrong.