The secret to never being wrong again? Perhaps it is situational ethics. If you subscribe to either conservative or liberal political beliefs you will eventually be wrong. Either government will grow so big and cumbersome and interfere too much with the society it serves OR government will fail to protect us from the consolidation of wealth and power with the richest and most powerful and we will suffer because of the evils and scarcity this will bring.
There is a analogy of three guys going for beers in a bar. One person, pays nothing . one person pays $5 per beer and the richest pays $10 per beer. They all think this is fine until the price for the richest person gets so high they give up and leave, presumably to a third world country where they can drink in peace without the bar (government) constantly raising the price of their beer (taxes) in such an unfair (Whaaaaaa) manner. What that stupid metaphor fails to show in it's simplicity is that the bar is in fact supported by the poor guy. Without labor to grow the barley and turn it into beer there is no bar. Without labor to pour the beer and clean the bar it is a gross failure. Yet we are given this cautionary tale as if it is absolute truth. But it is partially true, The wealthy will choose paradigms where they can keep their wealth to the greatest extent possible.
Conservatives sell us the idea that what is wrong with our nation, The USA, is that we have all these departments like the EPA that hinder business. And they do! This is a problem if you are an industrialist who wants to dump carcinogens in the water supply. If you live downstream from said factory you may be glad that law enforcement, which is what the EPA is, keeps criminals from poisoning you. The free market has not solved this problem, they have moved it to China. So without the factory to regulate the EPA has to regulate smaller things, like the product made in the factory. Does it have lead? How much? Don;t chew on it! The water pollution and cost to humans is paid by the people in China who make the product and eventually people (every single one) who depend on the ecology of earth to live.
We get moments of sanity in all of this in which truths emerge, like THERE ARE NO JOBS ON A DEAD PLANET. The problem is that people do not want the truth in the short term, we want to live, have fun maybe get a jet ski while we can. Some people want just to live, get a job, have healthcare. If you do not have these things they become very important, more important than a jet ski. Nothing is as important as water to a person perishing of thirst. They get a drink, food and the necessities. they might want to try the jet ski.
So, back to never being wrong again. If you do not have a paradigm you hold as the best and constantly have to argue is the best, you can TRY things. You can look back at historical trends, look forward with new technologies and ideas and think of ways to solve problems. Speaking of problems if you do not have to defend every decision your :Party" makes you can be objective and be honest and face facts like the fact that despite a drone and the bomb it drops being somebody's job, use of the bomb will have a negative cost for somebody, eventually even the society that made the bomb. Since the majority of our budget in the USA goes to "defense" we need to ask ourselves if that is the best thing for us and our country while we still have the metaphorical bar to talk these things over.
If you want to never be wrong again. never assume you are right just because you say you are. Be right because you tried something and it worked. And if it does not work, admitting you are wrong is the right thing to do.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Sunday, November 27, 2016
Richard Spencer, No thanks, you have it all wrong.
As a tall pale male who is more smart, kind and fun than neo nazi Richard Spencer, I reject his ridiculous Eurocentric, ethnocentric, simple minded ideology. It is a bunch of convenient lies wrapped in a big rosy self serving lie that Europeans have one distinct culture that is ideal and good. Tell that to the Irish, Do you identify with the Irish who have suffered slavery, imperialism, and invasions from their neighbors, in particularly the English, who blended with the Saxons after they invaded, learned imperialism from the Romans and ruled the world? Or do you see yourself as a commander in the Royal Navy, commanding a ship to new lands? Dude, you need a time machine, not a ship.The British indeed ruled the world ! Until they did not because the truth is that empires are not permanent things.
Identities are not permanent things. They change and adapt and grow and contract. Our identities, both national and personal are influenced by class, climate, music , art, and too many variables to say there is one European identity. To wish that descendants of Europeans in the United States have a common identity and are misunderstood heroes is silly. And dangerous. A group of white people doing the fascist salute and shouting "Hail Trump" are prone to the kind of madness that makes nations drop bombs, build walls, demand religious registration and demand homogenization. Spencer, that is not what descent people want.
What do people want? The people in Black Lives Matter want the police to treat them like they treat me. The Water Protectors want their treaties to be respected and the water to not be poisoned. My retired friends want to get their Social Security checks so they can keep the heat on and eat. Trumps friend Paul Ryan wants to take that away and give it to his white collar criminal friends while Donald has everyone rabid over his great big wall. Inversely proportional to his integrity.
You know what I want? I want to listen to some fine European music! Nothing says apex of European culture like symphonic music. Maybe some Antonin Dvorak. Ahh yes, the New World Symphony. But wait! This music features elements from African music! Hmm, maybe Mozart's March of the Janissaries? OH, the multiculturalism ! Maybe just some Zepplin then. They were English! Oh, they loved blues music. Even Page's cover of Black Mountain Side is a tribute to the fact that music and cultures blend and influence each other.
I love living in the multi cultural, multi religious, multi dimensional land that is the United States of America. I love that people of all backgrounds give me the benefit of the doubt and do not think that I identify with you and your beliefs. I am not the victim here and reject the idea that I and my identity are being repressed. May we live in Peace. Art Biggs
Identities are not permanent things. They change and adapt and grow and contract. Our identities, both national and personal are influenced by class, climate, music , art, and too many variables to say there is one European identity. To wish that descendants of Europeans in the United States have a common identity and are misunderstood heroes is silly. And dangerous. A group of white people doing the fascist salute and shouting "Hail Trump" are prone to the kind of madness that makes nations drop bombs, build walls, demand religious registration and demand homogenization. Spencer, that is not what descent people want.
What do people want? The people in Black Lives Matter want the police to treat them like they treat me. The Water Protectors want their treaties to be respected and the water to not be poisoned. My retired friends want to get their Social Security checks so they can keep the heat on and eat. Trumps friend Paul Ryan wants to take that away and give it to his white collar criminal friends while Donald has everyone rabid over his great big wall. Inversely proportional to his integrity.
You know what I want? I want to listen to some fine European music! Nothing says apex of European culture like symphonic music. Maybe some Antonin Dvorak. Ahh yes, the New World Symphony. But wait! This music features elements from African music! Hmm, maybe Mozart's March of the Janissaries? OH, the multiculturalism ! Maybe just some Zepplin then. They were English! Oh, they loved blues music. Even Page's cover of Black Mountain Side is a tribute to the fact that music and cultures blend and influence each other.
I love living in the multi cultural, multi religious, multi dimensional land that is the United States of America. I love that people of all backgrounds give me the benefit of the doubt and do not think that I identify with you and your beliefs. I am not the victim here and reject the idea that I and my identity are being repressed. May we live in Peace. Art Biggs
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Open letter to Deepika Bahri and all people who think all birds that walk like ducks are ducks
Greeting! I was just reading the Article in The Atlantic about the colonialism of the Facebook platform in India. While I agree that it is self evident colonialism, I am asking everyone I can to quit using the duck analogy. I ask because this go to analogy for self evident truth is deceptive. While a duck does indeed quack and walk like a duck, this world has many great water fowl species, such as the Grebe, the Coot, the Goldeneye, and the Merganser, which are similar to ducks yet have significant differences which should be noted.
Indeed, the "Daffy Duck" of the waterfowl world, the Cormorant may look like a duck while driving by, but upon close inspection is able to dive and swim underwater for astounding depths and distances. The Cormorant does not have the oily feathers most ducks have and has to dry off before being able to take flight. Quite different from the Mallard duck.
Perhaps we can find a better analogy in math? If two plus two equals four the numbers add up.
If I sound like a naturalist frustrated by my fellow humans I am,
Clinton A Biggs
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
It is election time! Time to think about power!
With the election of 2016 a mere ten months away you are probably anxiously awaiting the chance to pick from 1 of 2 choices for the executive branch, or if you are in a third party like the Green Party or the Libertarians, the chance to make your more mainstream friends angry by throwing your vote away when they desperately want you to vote the way they do. Thanks to the consolidation of power, you will effectively be left with two choices. So why worry? If you have a leaning, go with it. Select Democratic candidates if you like social programs like Social Security, infrastructure like highways, Safety nets like food stamps (which also stimulate agricultural economies) and government in general, OR if like Ronald Reagan is quoted as saying you think the government should only deliver mail and declare war, vote Republican. Of course it is more complicated than that, but we do have a simple choice, D or R. And sure, it is possible that a third party candidate can win or supporting one will change policy.
But voting is only one thing we do, one small, albeit important aspect of power. According to John Kenneth Galbraith and his book The Anatomy of Power, there are three kinds of power. Rock Paper scissors! No, actually, Compensatory, Condign (appropriate) and Persuasive. Condign is used as a euphemism for force, as in pointing guns at people, incarcerating them, beating them up etc. As these three forms of power are used and abused, balanced, taken, expanded and enhanced, the world and the people on it are subject to the use and abuse of power.
In 1984 the idealistic new wave rock scene, minus the ska artists and various other artists made the hit single Feed the World (let them know it's Christmas time) Under the name Band Aid They made a powerful piece of persuasive power. It raised about 25 million dollars and brought the starvation occurring in Ethiopia to the attention of everyone connected to media. The US response, We Are the World raised $63 million, notably more than the Band Aid release which featured the artist Sting. As a mean aside I would argue that Sting cost starving Ethiopians close to $40 million in aid. Obviously, this is an abuse of the Persuasive form of power. Used just as an example and jab at Sting.
Anyway, they went on to have some epic landmark concerts and raise lots of money. The problem with money is that it is power in storage, not real power until it is turned into something like grain, movies, guns, medicine...something real, not symbolic. As the money from Band Aid began to be transferred into food the powerful in Ethiopia intercepted it and war lords were able to cement their power by being the ones to hold and withhold the food. Such is the dynamics of power,those in power will do all it can to keep power and keep themselves as the conduit of power.
The world's largest source of force is the United States military,With sixty percent of our budget dedicated to military spending (veterans benefits included) we are the biggest military power on the globe. While we are not in total control of the globe, the military industrial complex has enabled a military empire that is established all over the world.
Not only does the United States have the biggest military, it also has the largest entertainment industry, and movies from the US are seen all over the world. In fact Hollywood has the power to tell stories, play music, promote ideas, inform or distract not only it's own populace but the people all over the world. Combine that with the huge agribusiness in the US and we are in the middle of the most powerful place on earth. So do you feel powerful?
Well, power in the large organism or system comes from the power of the small. Just as one small part in a car, a few cells or hormones in a person or animal, the citizens of a country all play a part in the larger unit. You can't run a car without a drive belt, you can't run a city without garbage haulers, you can't breath without a windpipe.
We all contribute our power to the larger power weather we like it or not. It is hard to think of ourselves as powerful, but we are. Collectively and individually we have power. Power to feed, care for, influence, entertain, inform or misinform, we are powerful. The choices we make about which corporations, products and ideas we support are powerful. The most powerful people in your community may be the hair stylists, they have the ability to talk with and influence many people.
Those who are greedy will abuse power and abuse other people. From the schoolyard bully to the terrorist, they will take the power of force and use it to their will. They will kill and maim, make others suffer to control and threaten others.
So as we enter this election season, think not just in terms of party or ideology. Think about power. Think about how power is used, how you would like it to be used and who best will use power. Who can you trust with power?
But voting is only one thing we do, one small, albeit important aspect of power. According to John Kenneth Galbraith and his book The Anatomy of Power, there are three kinds of power. Rock Paper scissors! No, actually, Compensatory, Condign (appropriate) and Persuasive. Condign is used as a euphemism for force, as in pointing guns at people, incarcerating them, beating them up etc. As these three forms of power are used and abused, balanced, taken, expanded and enhanced, the world and the people on it are subject to the use and abuse of power.
In 1984 the idealistic new wave rock scene, minus the ska artists and various other artists made the hit single Feed the World (let them know it's Christmas time) Under the name Band Aid They made a powerful piece of persuasive power. It raised about 25 million dollars and brought the starvation occurring in Ethiopia to the attention of everyone connected to media. The US response, We Are the World raised $63 million, notably more than the Band Aid release which featured the artist Sting. As a mean aside I would argue that Sting cost starving Ethiopians close to $40 million in aid. Obviously, this is an abuse of the Persuasive form of power. Used just as an example and jab at Sting.
Anyway, they went on to have some epic landmark concerts and raise lots of money. The problem with money is that it is power in storage, not real power until it is turned into something like grain, movies, guns, medicine...something real, not symbolic. As the money from Band Aid began to be transferred into food the powerful in Ethiopia intercepted it and war lords were able to cement their power by being the ones to hold and withhold the food. Such is the dynamics of power,those in power will do all it can to keep power and keep themselves as the conduit of power.
The world's largest source of force is the United States military,With sixty percent of our budget dedicated to military spending (veterans benefits included) we are the biggest military power on the globe. While we are not in total control of the globe, the military industrial complex has enabled a military empire that is established all over the world.
Not only does the United States have the biggest military, it also has the largest entertainment industry, and movies from the US are seen all over the world. In fact Hollywood has the power to tell stories, play music, promote ideas, inform or distract not only it's own populace but the people all over the world. Combine that with the huge agribusiness in the US and we are in the middle of the most powerful place on earth. So do you feel powerful?
Well, power in the large organism or system comes from the power of the small. Just as one small part in a car, a few cells or hormones in a person or animal, the citizens of a country all play a part in the larger unit. You can't run a car without a drive belt, you can't run a city without garbage haulers, you can't breath without a windpipe.
We all contribute our power to the larger power weather we like it or not. It is hard to think of ourselves as powerful, but we are. Collectively and individually we have power. Power to feed, care for, influence, entertain, inform or misinform, we are powerful. The choices we make about which corporations, products and ideas we support are powerful. The most powerful people in your community may be the hair stylists, they have the ability to talk with and influence many people.
Those who are greedy will abuse power and abuse other people. From the schoolyard bully to the terrorist, they will take the power of force and use it to their will. They will kill and maim, make others suffer to control and threaten others.
So as we enter this election season, think not just in terms of party or ideology. Think about power. Think about how power is used, how you would like it to be used and who best will use power. Who can you trust with power?
Friday, January 29, 2016
The problem with gun control
I am pro choice. I mean that in terms of reproductive health, religion, musical tastes, free speech, immigration, emigration, diet, marriage and even guns. Guns are the toughest to be pro choice about, because while you can not force me to marry anyone, get a vasectomy, move, listen to NWA or Christian rock in my home, you might shoot me. You make the decision what to spend your money on, but if it is a gun I can only hope you do not kill me when I accidentally cut you off in traffic.
Gun ownership is a right. Like free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, the right to be secure in your home, it is a right. Gun ownership is a right that statistically will be more likely to lead to suicide than protecting your home, but it is a right.
The argument for gun control which states that our founding fathers used black powder rifles and muskets and never imagined that we would have automatic, semi automatic, incredibly advanced remote control hole punches is simply a bad argument. The founding fathers also never imagined that we would have access to computers, photocopy machines, radio stations, podcasts and telephone poles to post on. Maybe Ben Franklin had some clairvoyance, he was pretty imaginative. Does that mean we should only be able to use the technology available in 1776 or 1792 when we got the bill of rights? Should we be able to only select from faiths and non faiths available at that time? Should abortions be restricted to the technology available in 1973?
Can we respect other people's decisions? The choices we make affect others, whether we like it or not. From the size of our car, the size of our house, if and how much we recycle who we vote for, our choices effect others. If you choose to buy a gun I hope it never effects me. I hope I never get shot by you, that you shoot yourself and we loose a neighbor, that your gun is stolen or found by a toddler. Or that you do that vague threatening thing where you have a gun sticker on your car that lets everyone know you have the power to kill.
The first amendment is dangerous. It covers everything from Anne Geddes adorable kid pictures to the ultra violent snuff films that are Hollywood's bread and butter. It covers all the misleading awful things on right wing radio. It covers everything!I do not want limits on first amendment rights.
So if a right is something that can not be denied, how do we reconcile or rights with the decisions of others?
Gun ownership is a right. Like free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of association, the right to be secure in your home, it is a right. Gun ownership is a right that statistically will be more likely to lead to suicide than protecting your home, but it is a right.
The argument for gun control which states that our founding fathers used black powder rifles and muskets and never imagined that we would have automatic, semi automatic, incredibly advanced remote control hole punches is simply a bad argument. The founding fathers also never imagined that we would have access to computers, photocopy machines, radio stations, podcasts and telephone poles to post on. Maybe Ben Franklin had some clairvoyance, he was pretty imaginative. Does that mean we should only be able to use the technology available in 1776 or 1792 when we got the bill of rights? Should we be able to only select from faiths and non faiths available at that time? Should abortions be restricted to the technology available in 1973?
Can we respect other people's decisions? The choices we make affect others, whether we like it or not. From the size of our car, the size of our house, if and how much we recycle who we vote for, our choices effect others. If you choose to buy a gun I hope it never effects me. I hope I never get shot by you, that you shoot yourself and we loose a neighbor, that your gun is stolen or found by a toddler. Or that you do that vague threatening thing where you have a gun sticker on your car that lets everyone know you have the power to kill.
The first amendment is dangerous. It covers everything from Anne Geddes adorable kid pictures to the ultra violent snuff films that are Hollywood's bread and butter. It covers all the misleading awful things on right wing radio. It covers everything!I do not want limits on first amendment rights.
So if a right is something that can not be denied, how do we reconcile or rights with the decisions of others?
Starbucks Superstition, the pay it forward ritual
Wow 378 people bought each others drinks in a pay it forward chain where a stranger in front of you pays for you and nobody did what I would have done, which is to say "THANKS" accept the gift and go about my day grateful for the drink. According to a friends daughter this is because I am know as what these millennials call a "jerk". These wacky kids with their slang.
I don't care. If somebody buys you a drink, say thanks and smile, but if you owe somebody something it is not a gift it is a weird cult ritual. I suppose the meaning of this ritual is to pat one and others backs and congratulate yourself for being a good person. Like buying absolution in medieval times, you can by goodness for the person behind you. Never mind that they can probably afford it or they would not be there and that your $5 might be better spent here or here or even here .We all want to be good people, and if buying a coffee for somebody remarkably like you is not good what is?
At one point in my life I could measure my goodness by the drinks given me at Starbucks and the other (real/independent) Cafes I frequented. As a window cleaner it was easy for a barista to say thanks and give me a free Frappachino or mocha. When I was young I would tip from my supply of indie movie house passes, which was second only to guest list spots for a concert. I had a shirt from radio 1190, the college station which had just boosted its signal to reach Denver. I passed for hip! Later, as hipsters renounced hipness because they were way to authentic for that, I had become a utilitarian family man who never went to shows. The free mochas stopped.
I don't care. If somebody buys you a drink, say thanks and smile, but if you owe somebody something it is not a gift it is a weird cult ritual. I suppose the meaning of this ritual is to pat one and others backs and congratulate yourself for being a good person. Like buying absolution in medieval times, you can by goodness for the person behind you. Never mind that they can probably afford it or they would not be there and that your $5 might be better spent here or here or even here .We all want to be good people, and if buying a coffee for somebody remarkably like you is not good what is?
At one point in my life I could measure my goodness by the drinks given me at Starbucks and the other (real/independent) Cafes I frequented. As a window cleaner it was easy for a barista to say thanks and give me a free Frappachino or mocha. When I was young I would tip from my supply of indie movie house passes, which was second only to guest list spots for a concert. I had a shirt from radio 1190, the college station which had just boosted its signal to reach Denver. I passed for hip! Later, as hipsters renounced hipness because they were way to authentic for that, I had become a utilitarian family man who never went to shows. The free mochas stopped.
Why Imagine is NOT John Lennons best song
Please compare and contrast Azerbaijan's human rights record with John Lennon's Imagine lyrics. So how did Lady Gaga get the sweet gig of singing Imagine in a huge stadium?It is a nice rendition indeed. As idealist songs go Imagine is very popular, and it should be. Imagine has a soothing chord progression with lyrics which brilliantly illustrate an ideal world without war, poverty, greed or hunger. I can't type about it without it playing in my head. I love it.
The problem with Imagine is that it has become another song that can be used by the media elite to distract and pacify people. While we sing along to lady Gaga performing Imagine, the corrupt government of Azerbaijan gains legitimacy and status, hosting an impressive sporting event. Is there anything oil money can not do?
Less likely to be sang in a stadium is Lennon's Freeda People . That could lead to decreased flag waving and increased dissent. It could point out that a government is killing people, like when Lennon wrote this and the US was bombing Vietnam and Cambodia.
Taken away from the song writers, music has a power that can be shifted. When Bob Theile wrote what a wonderful world and it was recorded by Louis Armstrong it was a straightforward love song to humanity. One of the most elegantly simple, sweet songs, becomes profoundly moving, Juxtaposed by Micheal Moore against the early years of the George W presidency and the war in Iraq it becomes a sickening shock when played by the Ramones. However, the medley of What a Wonderful and Over the Rainbow as played and sung by IZ is an invincible love song. Used in numerous movies, it will always go straight to your heart. But did you know IZ also wanted freedom for his people? Iz was a propud supporter of the Hawaiian Sovereignty movement.
So what is my favorite Lennon song? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Kh-IMKDqM And perhaps if we have new eyes from love we will be clearer about what we see around us.
The problem with Imagine is that it has become another song that can be used by the media elite to distract and pacify people. While we sing along to lady Gaga performing Imagine, the corrupt government of Azerbaijan gains legitimacy and status, hosting an impressive sporting event. Is there anything oil money can not do?
Less likely to be sang in a stadium is Lennon's Freeda People . That could lead to decreased flag waving and increased dissent. It could point out that a government is killing people, like when Lennon wrote this and the US was bombing Vietnam and Cambodia.
So what is my favorite Lennon song? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Kh-IMKDqM And perhaps if we have new eyes from love we will be clearer about what we see around us.
TV and race
A friends facebook post shared a meme which featured a picture of General Lee, the car from the famous late 70's show The Dukes Of Hazzard. Taken from a movie about a small family which relied on moonshine sales to make ends meet, the TV show was a silly fantasy land of two brothers who live in the South and are in constant conflict with Boss Hog, the corrupt mayor. Notably absent are black people.
The meme asserted that the General Lee was just a car. It should be noted that this car had the Stars and Bars, the Confederate Flag painted on its roof. The General Lee was just a car by no means if you consider the magic way it was able to jump over numerous objects and save the brothers. So was this show benign, just a harmless fun distraction, or did it reinforce apartheid American Culture? I think the later, that it was fun, sure, but like the pledge of allegiance it had a deeper impact.
So then, what about all the other shitty TV shows I watched instead of reading or playing chess or whittling on the porch? lets see
BJ and the bear: A trucker has adventures with a chimp. Message: Accept evolution, working man, the chimp is your friend!
The White Shadow: A white man coaches an inner city high school basketball team. Message :Hurrah for white men, we can fix it!
Grizzly Adams: Man escapes society to live in harmony with nature in the mountains.
Message: grow a beard and live in a cabin, you will love it! (was this all meme placement by REI?)
James at 15: White adolescent comes of age in New York. Message: If you are young and white you matter! His best friend was black, so at least no Apartheid message
Diffrent Strokes: Rich white industrialist adopts two young black boys. Message: Hurrah for white man, especially the rich ones!
The Cosby Show; A doctor and his perfect black family grow together. Message: Black Lives Matter! Especially if you are rich well spoken beautiful charming high status blacks.
My childhood was also shaped by Norman Lear shows like All in the Family and The Jeffersons. Also, I was in the first generation to be shaped by Sesame street so I wanted to live in an urban area with lots of Muppets and diversity and songs about letters and numbers. That did not happen, but I did enjoy the year I had a shop in Denver's Capital Hill neighborhood, the closest I ever got to the sunny days of Sesame Street.
We have all heard from Gill Scott Heron that the revolution will not be televised, but does a media exist that will be revolutionary, and if it does, does anybody want one?
Also, what about class? How many TV shows have been about class struggle? In the absence of African American people, the poor, struggling moon shine family become the defacto black people of Hazzard County, sticking it to the oppressive police state and flipping them the rebellious rebel flag as they jump their car to safety! YEEHAWW!
The meme asserted that the General Lee was just a car. It should be noted that this car had the Stars and Bars, the Confederate Flag painted on its roof. The General Lee was just a car by no means if you consider the magic way it was able to jump over numerous objects and save the brothers. So was this show benign, just a harmless fun distraction, or did it reinforce apartheid American Culture? I think the later, that it was fun, sure, but like the pledge of allegiance it had a deeper impact.
So then, what about all the other shitty TV shows I watched instead of reading or playing chess or whittling on the porch? lets see
BJ and the bear: A trucker has adventures with a chimp. Message: Accept evolution, working man, the chimp is your friend!
The White Shadow: A white man coaches an inner city high school basketball team. Message :Hurrah for white men, we can fix it!
Grizzly Adams: Man escapes society to live in harmony with nature in the mountains.
Message: grow a beard and live in a cabin, you will love it! (was this all meme placement by REI?)
James at 15: White adolescent comes of age in New York. Message: If you are young and white you matter! His best friend was black, so at least no Apartheid message
Diffrent Strokes: Rich white industrialist adopts two young black boys. Message: Hurrah for white man, especially the rich ones!
The Cosby Show; A doctor and his perfect black family grow together. Message: Black Lives Matter! Especially if you are rich well spoken beautiful charming high status blacks.
My childhood was also shaped by Norman Lear shows like All in the Family and The Jeffersons. Also, I was in the first generation to be shaped by Sesame street so I wanted to live in an urban area with lots of Muppets and diversity and songs about letters and numbers. That did not happen, but I did enjoy the year I had a shop in Denver's Capital Hill neighborhood, the closest I ever got to the sunny days of Sesame Street.
We have all heard from Gill Scott Heron that the revolution will not be televised, but does a media exist that will be revolutionary, and if it does, does anybody want one?
Also, what about class? How many TV shows have been about class struggle? In the absence of African American people, the poor, struggling moon shine family become the defacto black people of Hazzard County, sticking it to the oppressive police state and flipping them the rebellious rebel flag as they jump their car to safety! YEEHAWW!
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