On Thu, 25 Nov 2004, snit snat wrote:
> At 10:15 PM 11/24/2004, Miles Jackson wrote:
>
> >how about this: in the good old days, we helped each other out--barn
> >raisings, volunteer fire brigades, building the local schoolhouse.
> >We didn't say fuck you, I got mine; we took care of each other. Sure,
> >it's bullshit nostalgia, but it resonates with people (look how many
> >people donated time, money, and even blood to NYC after 9/11). What
> >we need to drive home is that this noble spirit, this (dare I say?)
> >truly christian spirit of helping each other out is what socialism is
> >all about.
>
> yeah, but is it bullshit? or do you mean something like this?
>
> I was born in late September. My mother worked three jobs and hid her
> pregnancy 'til Labor Day b/c she was petrified her father would beat the
> living hell out of her and the married man my mother'd been seeing.
> [snip narrative]
Well, as a valid, definitive historical narrative, my claim is bullshit. However, like your narrative demonstrates, we all have stories that obviously and blatantly contradict the hypercapitalist "fuck you I've got mine" worldview. For instance, for the past two days I've been working my ass off preparing food for my family. A dogmatic utilitarian could come up with some bullshit ad hoc explanation for that, but I prefer a simple story: we take care of each other as well as we can, given our abilites and opportunities.
If I were the Minister of Propaganda, that's the narrative I'd link to socialism: public resources like roads, libraries, and health care are analogous to many family and volunteer activities. We pool our resources and work together for our mutual benefit. Given that virtually no one in our society wants to replace the existing family and religious institutions with capitalist relations (e.g., all breastfeeding as a commodified service), linking up the ethos of socialism to that of the family is effective propaganda. It's a simple idea, and it's congruent with core American values.
Miles