OPEN BAR: Now endorsed by Foodbabe!

[Reginald Ret]

Apparently I have no heating contract now but I do have an electricity contract with the same company. This house does not have a gasline connection, the heating is electric...
Now I will have to find out why they think we have a problem before their imaginary problem causes real problems.

Also, apparently both the old and new telephone/internet/television contract are now running. But the television doesn't work.
Housemate called them on the phone, asking them why the TV didn't work, and they said not to worry, soon both your TV and phone will start working as well! How am I talking to you then? this question was followed by brain-dead silence...

[LMNO]

Alternative answer: edemocracy of course!

[Roly Poly Oly-Garch]

Its a moral panic. Stage 3 of grief en mass. The idea that if we all just really really commit to being good people all of our problems will go away. Eventually well all reach stage 5, police driving tanks and 12 hour workweeks for under minimum wage will just become the new normal.

[Cain]

Its not just that. Its part of a larger narrative, that the world is run by evil racist old white men, which is the cause of all our problems. So they(mostly trust fund kiddies) by checking all their privs, and purging themselves of racism are preparing to take control from ROWM and usher in the defeat of racism in our time. How thats supposed to solve the groundwater shortage, or peak oil, or Climate Change, or fix the economy is a little hazy, but Im sure theres a TED talk with all the answers somewhere.

Its a moral panic. Stage 3 of grief en mass. The idea that if we all just really really commit to being good people all of our problems will go away. Eventually well all reach stage 5, police driving tanks and 12 hour workweeks for under minimum wage will just become the new normal.

There's definitely that, too.

I just didn't want to go off on one - I'm fairly sure everyone knows my views on tumblr's politics (and how that intersects with neoliberalism) by now 

[Cain]

So true.

I guess my question is, how do we change the system?

Difficult to say.  I mean, I'm a big fan of 1960s/70s managed capitalism - a capitalist, welfare state with strong unions, a robust welfare system and a lot of support for further education and training.  I think a lot of the problems of America's black community are not just racism but classism and lack of prospects which that entails - richer black Americans, in better neighbourhoods, are not generally subject to the same levels of discrimination (though of course there are exceptions).  As such, redistribution efforts are probably the best long-term policy to deal with the problem.

Of course, this is America, where not leaving people to die in the streets because they have the temerity to obtain a tooth infection while being poor, is seen as socialism, so I guess the first step would be to try and shift the terms of the debate with regards to the economy and government's role in it.  This would shift the Democrats to at least acknowledge the left wing of their party and voting constituency, and may force Republicans to the centre to chase votes, especially as their natural voting constituency dies off.

American liberals and leftists are, of course, terrible at communicating, mostly because of their own privileged and/or academic backgrounds. Not to mention the near constant sneering.  So that would probably be the very first port of call - I believe Gramsci referred to such people as "organic revolutionaries", and while we're not All Gramscians Now, he still had some interesting ideas on how to achieve political and cultural hegemony, which should probably be looked at in a more critical and strategic fashion.

[Cain]

Historically, with a really big war to remind everyone at the top that they are mortal and not actually disconnected from society.

Our elites have shown that they are uninterested in listening to protest on this and similar issues (violent and nonviolent alike), so I'm honestly not sure what else will do it. I'm also not advocating a really big war, and I'd like to see some other solution... but I'm drawing a blank on what that might look like.

Some of the more intelligent investors out there are actually warning their social bretheren that, if steps are not taken to reform wealth distribution and the economy that, at best, they are looking at a "Baader-Meinhof" solution to become popular...if not a more French arrangement, if you catch my drift.

My suspicion is that political elites already acknowledge this to some degree, hence the massive security and surveillance measures that have been put in place over the past couple of decades.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

So true.

I guess my question is, how do we change the system?

Difficult to say.  I mean, I'm a big fan of 1960s/70s managed capitalism - a capitalist, welfare state with strong unions, a robust welfare system and a lot of support for further education and training.  I think a lot of the problems of America's black community are not just racism but classism and lack of prospects which that entails - richer black Americans, in better neighbourhoods, are not generally subject to the same levels of discrimination (though of course there are exceptions).  As such, redistribution efforts are probably the best long-term policy to deal with the problem.

Of course, this is America, where not leaving people to die in the streets because they have the temerity to obtain a tooth infection while being poor, is seen as socialism, so I guess the first step would be to try and shift the terms of the debate with regards to the economy and government's role in it.  This would shift the Democrats to at least acknowledge the left wing of their party and voting constituency, and may force Republicans to the centre to chase votes, especially as their natural voting constituency dies off.

American liberals and leftists are, of course, terrible at communicating, mostly because of their own privileged and/or academic backgrounds. Not to mention the near constant sneering.  So that would probably be the very first port of call - I believe Gramsci referred to such people as "organic revolutionaries", and while we're not All Gramscians Now, he still had some interesting ideas on how to achieve political and cultural hegemony, which should probably be looked at in a more critical and strategic fashion.

I feel like the contempt ratio in this country is ramping up. Everyone's trying to solve problems by throwing hate on them, like we can sneer economic, racial, gender, or ethnic inequality away. Actually getting people to have a dialogue? I'm not even sure most Americans know what dialogue IS.

[Q. G. Pennyworth]

GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESSES! IF I DON'T HAVE YOUR ADDRESS IN AN HOUR YOUR COOKIES WILL BE ANOTHER DAY LATE!

Disregard if you sent your address earlier this week or are not getting cookies.

[Cainad (dec.)]

I realized that farting around on Facebook and tumblr was the wrong fucking place to be when I'm full of all this anger.

I really don't like getting into arguments with people, especially not people I like. When it's a serious issue being argued, I get a reaction that feels kinda like my liver is going to implode. It's physically painful for me to get heated with someone I don't already dislike.

All this is to say, I overheard in the office the kind of shit white people say when they figure everyone in the room agrees with them about Ferguson. It made the remaining four hours in the workday very painful. I am trying very hard to be as constructive about this as I can. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for a black person in America trying to remain calm when they talk about this.

There was a point to this post, but I lost it somewhere. Sorry.

[Cainad (dec.)]

I remember now.

What I hated the most was the total flippancy I overheard. I spoke up as best I could but choked. If I had more research and mental preparation I might have done a better job of it. Or maybe I'm just too chickenshit at heart for that kind of thing.

Hearing it treated like a fucking joke made me want to flip some tables and watch this whole disgusting mess burn to the ground.

[Cain]

The last time someone drew me into a political argument at work, he was an unabashed supporter of UKIP, thought we should close the borders entirely, go to war with Iran and felt teachers should have their wages halved.

This is why I dont discuss politics at work.

[Cainad (dec.)]

The last time someone drew me into a political argument at work, he was an unabashed supporter of UKIP, thought we should close the borders entirely, go to war with Iran and felt teachers should have their wages halved.

This is why I dont discuss politics at work.

Normally they're extremely well-behaved at work. I think I've heard a controversial topic like that come up maybe twice in the 13 months or so I've been there.

But someone had to explain why the traffic was backed up in New York City, and it snowballed into such brilliant quips as "I guess some people just don't want to accept reality, the grand jury ruled and that's that" and "they're still mad about Rodney King."

[Doktor Howl]

I remember now.

What I hated the most was the total flippancy I overheard. I spoke up as best I could but choked. If I had more research and mental preparation I might have done a better job of it. Or maybe I'm just too chickenshit at heart for that kind of thing.

Hearing it treated like a fucking joke made me want to flip some tables and watch this whole disgusting mess burn to the ground.

I have decided to handle the issue by ensuring that my colleagues who say such things become to busy to have time to prattle at me.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

I realized that farting around on Facebook and tumblr was the wrong fucking place to be when I'm full of all this anger.

I really don't like getting into arguments with people, especially not people I like. When it's a serious issue being argued, I get a reaction that feels kinda like my liver is going to implode. It's physically painful for me to get heated with someone I don't already dislike.

All this is to say, I overheard in the office the kind of shit white people say when they figure everyone in the room agrees with them about Ferguson. It made the remaining four hours in the workday very painful. I am trying very hard to be as constructive about this as I can. I can't even begin to imagine what it's like for a black person in America trying to remain calm when they talk about this.

There was a point to this post, but I lost it somewhere. Sorry.

Cainad! You're here! Yay!

I'm sorry to hear that's your work environment, that sounds awful.

[Cainad (dec.)]

It's the first time I've been that mad while sitting at my desk in the year I've been there. Mostly there's just the occasional mutter about gun control, and even that's rare.

Strictly speaking, my job has a lower rate of "I'm so mad I wanna puke" than college did, so I guess that's a plus.

I remember now.

What I hated the most was the total flippancy I overheard. I spoke up as best I could but choked. If I had more research and mental preparation I might have done a better job of it. Or maybe I'm just too chickenshit at heart for that kind of thing.

Hearing it treated like a fucking joke made me want to flip some tables and watch this whole disgusting mess burn to the ground.

I have decided to handle the issue by ensuring that my colleagues who say such things become to busy to have time to prattle at me.

This kind of coping strategy makes a LOT more sense to me now than it would have two weeks ago. I will have to meditate on this.