[lbo-talk] Re: Wojtek and America

joanna bujes joanna.bujes at sun.com
Tue May 6 10:32:50 PDT 2003


At 07:26 PM 05/05/2003 -0700, gr wrote:
>i mean, i find myself being absolutely disgusted by most of the people i
>meet on a daily basis-- at what point does one finally snap and stop
>assigning americans' ignorance, historical amnesia, racism, jingoism,
>etc., to an overhelming and intricate system of indoctrination and
>controlled information, and just start to think that americans *want* to
>be that way? doesnt anyone start to lose hope like that? doesnt anyone
>sometimes say to themselves, "theres no hope for these people, im moving
>to france..." and of course, i know, this is ultra elitist and will get
>absolutely nothing accomplished in terms of social change, but sometimes
>it's just the natural thought that pops into your head...

I am very lucky. The people I meet on a daily basis are either outright socialists or sane/conscious people; either way, 99% of the people I meet daily oppose the war and oppose the current regime. This makes daily life very bearable. I also live in a very beautiful and diverse part of the country: the bay area. I lived in Plattsburgh, New York for a couple of years and (pace, Kelly) found that to be very different. The only way I could have continued living there was by becoming an alcoholic or a catholic.

Anyway, I think about emigrating every day. I think about my children growing up in a saner world and in a world in which the "social" has a positive meaning. I'm not sure where that world is, Kerala? Part of my problem is that my family and friends are in the bay area and I would have to give that up. Part of my problem is that I think that if all the good people leave, then America will really be horrible and even more dangerous. Part of my problem is that I already lived through such a "move" when my parents moved from Romania to the U.S., and that was the most traumatic thing I've ever experienced.

I welcome any further discussion on this topic because, as I said, I do think about it every day.

Joanna



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