Thank you for your article. The fight isn't over. Instead of a Bleeding Heart Liberal I'm seeing myself as a Democratic Socialist after 76 years. Cutting off social programs to build monuments to the monster in charge and his flying monkeys, is unconscionable. Attacking hard working immigrants, alienating our allies with words and tariffs, starting new forever wars, and listening to the malignancy that is Stephen Miller is destroying the country I love. So I send my money and protest in the streets and pray that this period of hatred and violence will pass.
Protesting since the Sixities and still on the streets. God Bless America and All who call her home
"Nobody’s describing a better version of America. Describing it would mean admitting we’re not standing in it yet."
This is likely the biggest problem to overcome. We all know people IRL who can never, ever be wrong. About anything. They've never admitted a single mistake or given an apology - at least not without DARVO-ing the $#!+ out of it. The president is perhaps the most glaring example, but this pathology - and yes, I am very deliberately calling it A PATHOLOGY because of the harm it invariably causes - affects enormous swaths of our population. Worse, it appears to be damned near a prerequisite for those who succeed in seeking power and wealth.
I have thought about this for a very long time. I think it's directly traceable, at least in large part, to the unbridled, immoral capitalism you describe so well, Corbin. The hierarchical worldview it necessarily engenders (requires to function?) is dog-eat-dog/every man for himself. Once you're seeing the world through this lens, and especially if it's working for you personally, you're so invested in it that it's very easy to lose sight of the fact that humans are a social species, utterly and inextricably interdependent, with everything that implies. We ARE all in this together.
Interestingly, it seems that universal/single-payer healthcare has a unique power to recalibrate that warped lens. At the very least, it's as good a place as any to start building.
Corporations have taken over. Citizens United helped open the flood gates to the purchasing of our Congress. AIPAC is bad, but Wall Street Health Care, Big Pharma, and particularly the Military Industrial Merchants of Death steal taxpayer dollars - LEGALLY. You want to run for office ? Better have some deep pockets.
Corbin Trent - brains, balls and belief in something greater than self. Who also can put the blade to the grinder and sharpen it so it cuts through the crud of consumption, greed, avarice, sloth and waste. "It" has always been "us." To paraphrase, 'whether to be or not to be, that is the question.' But being and doing are identical twins - doing nothing is doing something. Doing something will always produce an effect and each effect has multiple consequences. This is the insight Corbin sharply defines. Context is everything, but it cannot exist within capitalist greed and hegemony. Disaster capitalism has killed this nation, and it is in such tight control right now, centralized and defended by mercenary armies, that to shake this nation free is going to require a Huge Amount of Doing in order to stay Being. I live in the oldest city/capitol in the country. And you can see it. Preventive maintenance is absent, at almost every level. New 'things' get built for 'commerce,' while streets, water, sewer, trash, city trees and parks, rec centers, lighting, signage, intelligent city design, traffic control, etc., etc. etc. are so far in the background you cannot find them. But daily many private business jets fly in and out. I know, I live beneath the glide path and I can almost see the pilot's face(s). Corbin, your metaphor of floors built on floors built on floors is brilliant. The weight breaks the bottom, and all comes crashing down. And yet, in my city, a tremendous city with friendly people with good values and hard work, we continue to love each other and care for each other, just with less and less to do it with. Catch 22.
As the kid of farmers, you’ve just proven them right. They would say growing things is hard, it’s never done, and people don’t appreciate the work. They were right and you are right. We need to put in the work.
Thank you for your article. The fight isn't over. Instead of a Bleeding Heart Liberal I'm seeing myself as a Democratic Socialist after 76 years. Cutting off social programs to build monuments to the monster in charge and his flying monkeys, is unconscionable. Attacking hard working immigrants, alienating our allies with words and tariffs, starting new forever wars, and listening to the malignancy that is Stephen Miller is destroying the country I love. So I send my money and protest in the streets and pray that this period of hatred and violence will pass.
Protesting since the Sixities and still on the streets. God Bless America and All who call her home
Always Spot On.
Too kind.
Oh, that was good! Now: how do we get enough people to see the truth? Closed minds will have to be pried open.
"Nobody’s describing a better version of America. Describing it would mean admitting we’re not standing in it yet."
This is likely the biggest problem to overcome. We all know people IRL who can never, ever be wrong. About anything. They've never admitted a single mistake or given an apology - at least not without DARVO-ing the $#!+ out of it. The president is perhaps the most glaring example, but this pathology - and yes, I am very deliberately calling it A PATHOLOGY because of the harm it invariably causes - affects enormous swaths of our population. Worse, it appears to be damned near a prerequisite for those who succeed in seeking power and wealth.
I have thought about this for a very long time. I think it's directly traceable, at least in large part, to the unbridled, immoral capitalism you describe so well, Corbin. The hierarchical worldview it necessarily engenders (requires to function?) is dog-eat-dog/every man for himself. Once you're seeing the world through this lens, and especially if it's working for you personally, you're so invested in it that it's very easy to lose sight of the fact that humans are a social species, utterly and inextricably interdependent, with everything that implies. We ARE all in this together.
Interestingly, it seems that universal/single-payer healthcare has a unique power to recalibrate that warped lens. At the very least, it's as good a place as any to start building.
Corbin, I think you have a great talent as a speech writer!
Corporations have taken over. Citizens United helped open the flood gates to the purchasing of our Congress. AIPAC is bad, but Wall Street Health Care, Big Pharma, and particularly the Military Industrial Merchants of Death steal taxpayer dollars - LEGALLY. You want to run for office ? Better have some deep pockets.
https://davcer.substack.com/p/wha-hoppen-purchasing-power
https://davcer.substack.com/p/so-you-want-to-run-for-office
https://davcer.substack.com/p/wall-street-healthcare-will-never
Corbin Trent - brains, balls and belief in something greater than self. Who also can put the blade to the grinder and sharpen it so it cuts through the crud of consumption, greed, avarice, sloth and waste. "It" has always been "us." To paraphrase, 'whether to be or not to be, that is the question.' But being and doing are identical twins - doing nothing is doing something. Doing something will always produce an effect and each effect has multiple consequences. This is the insight Corbin sharply defines. Context is everything, but it cannot exist within capitalist greed and hegemony. Disaster capitalism has killed this nation, and it is in such tight control right now, centralized and defended by mercenary armies, that to shake this nation free is going to require a Huge Amount of Doing in order to stay Being. I live in the oldest city/capitol in the country. And you can see it. Preventive maintenance is absent, at almost every level. New 'things' get built for 'commerce,' while streets, water, sewer, trash, city trees and parks, rec centers, lighting, signage, intelligent city design, traffic control, etc., etc. etc. are so far in the background you cannot find them. But daily many private business jets fly in and out. I know, I live beneath the glide path and I can almost see the pilot's face(s). Corbin, your metaphor of floors built on floors built on floors is brilliant. The weight breaks the bottom, and all comes crashing down. And yet, in my city, a tremendous city with friendly people with good values and hard work, we continue to love each other and care for each other, just with less and less to do it with. Catch 22.
This is so spot on. We’ve always had our warts - that is not the point - but we are now ossified by greed, hatred, and self absorption.
As the kid of farmers, you’ve just proven them right. They would say growing things is hard, it’s never done, and people don’t appreciate the work. They were right and you are right. We need to put in the work.
🫰🏻🫰🏻🫰🏻
I wish more people understood this. It is a shame you don't want to run.