Posts tagged ignorance

what will become of us?

Apr 13th

“because of you the days to come will be better than the days before this one.”

So.

I have been participating in another TED discussion with regard to the youth and education and a distressingly pessimistic view of who they will be and what they will become <a post/rant/observation is forthcoming on that soon>. That discussion has certainly made me sit back and think. And much of it has also clearly brought to the forefront why the project global generation web based education initiative has not gained traction.

Anyway. All the pessimism reminded me of something I had read.

Because sometimes you read something that is almost so perfect that you want to store it away and use yourself at some later date.

Thankfully I have a blog where I can write them down and post them so when I want to use it I can just send someone a link.

This is about telling a child what they can expect from life.

What will become of us? (asked the children to her mother) …

—-

“What I imagine is that you will live magnificent lives.

And that you will live lives of quiet disappointment.

You won’t be able to explain why. But there will always be some failure. You will strive for greatness and justice and you will help to make our nation wondrous.

You will be great but you will also fail at many of the things dearest to you.

And people – even ones you love – will disappoint you.

You will know great loves and you will have dear friends and you will be part of something bigger than you.

You will never be alone. And yet some of those you hold dearest will betray you, envy you over things they perceive you have that they do not. At times – even within a crowd and noise – you will feel strangely lost.

You will find gifts that are special to you but you will never understand why such things were thrust upon you.

You may curse the world for always spinning never pausing and yet this motion will be the music to which you dance.

In the end, I hope, you will come to feel that none of the life you lead could have been any different, any better or worse. You will find meaning in accepting many things you cannot understand or change. And if you live a long life you will grow tired and that will be alright because you will have done the best you can do during your lives.

You will take into the future all that has ever been for us. Because of you the days to come will be better than the days before this one.” – Mena Akaran

Can you ever imagine telling a child anything better?

“because of you the days to come will be better than the days before this one.”

Every child should hear this.

And, frankly, I wish more people would feel this way about our youth rather than bitching about what they are not or what they cannot do.

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unicorns & rainbows

Apr 5th

Posted by Bruce in Favorite Quotes

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“The unicorn is a lonely, solitary creature that symbolizes hope.” – Ally McBeal

So. This is about unicorns.

And I guess about people who see unicorns.

Crazy? Sure. Sounds it.

But hopefully it also makes you think about the people who seem to keep a vision of hope … and use it, however they elect to keep that hope at hand, to help them through the days and weeks.

So. This thought all began after watching this Ally McBeal episode the other day. I felt compelled to write about hope and, well, unicorns and how sometimes people go to some extreme, if not bizarre, ways to hold on to some light in seemingly dark days.

And while the episode was about the holidays I thought it was pretty relevant for any day (these days).

What do I mean?

Well.

I was going to try and right some whizbang words but instead I found something that someone wrote on their blog (sorry .. forgot who) that seemed to create the perfect reason for why seeing unicorns is perfectly acceptable …

What has made it challenging for me to write this is the darkness that I experience through the world’s anguish at this time. I am not living in days of light—I am living in days in need of light. I need to remember in this time of darkness that there are many who are seeking light.

I listen to the rantings of politicians who seem far more caught up in ideology and party positioning than they do in honestly meeting the deep challenges of our economy, the needs of our people, and caring for our planet. I witness the kindest of people being too busy to adequately separate their own food waste and recycling from their trash to reduce the build-up of what is becoming our planetary garbage dump. I witness fires and weather destroying lives and property and then reflect on the consequence of our priorities when we are unable to respond adequately. In this season of cold, I see the homeless in our own community seeking shelter from the wet and the winter.

And even, perhaps, more sharply, I returned from Israel more aware than ever of the incredibly wide divide between the humanity we perceive and the inhumanity shown by the actions of the leaders in that troubled region.

Right here at home, I am troubled by the inaction of so many of us who speak words of reconciliation, words of peace, words of promise, yet continue to find enemies who need to be stopped rather than people who need to be invited into the dialogue.

Yes, all that is true, yet I need to remember in this time of darkness that there are many who are seeking light.

Look. That sounds … well … dark. But I elect to focus on the ‘light’ or the refusal to give up on hope portion.

I don’t know if it’s the economy or the news or a general feeling of unrest but I do believe a lot of people just seem to be more empty these days. Well. Certainly less full of hope if they aren’t completely empty.

And in this Ally McBeal episode someone was fired for saying he saw a unicorn.

Well. I would imagine all of us would take this with a grain of salt (if not believe the person had completely lost their mind).

Yet the judge in the episode suggests “there are a lot of lonely people out there, looking for hope in strange places.”

In the end the judge decides that those people can keep their unicorns.

You know? It sounds a little crazy … and Whipper (the judge on Ally McBeal) was a quasi-nutcase on a show full of nutcases … but … you know what? I agree.

Some people need to believe that they have seen a unicorn. It doesn’t mean they are nuts … people need to find hope however they can … some people just see the unicorn as hope.

And, frankly, (and one of the characters says this also) … why should anyone have any say in where a person may look for that hope?

For god’s sake … all people want to be happy … and different people just get there in different ways. And if someone elects to use a unicorn? Well, geez, it could be worse, couldn’t it?

One of the characters in the episode says … “who’s to say the ones who dream of unicorns aren’t the lucky ones these days.”

I know … I know … this sounds nuts … but think about it.

Supposedly people who see them share some of the unicorn’s traits … they may be lonely but with virtuous hearts.

Mythology also suggests that only pure spirits can approach the unicorn.

In the Ally McBeal episode Ally recalls one time when she touched a unicorn and the character who saw it said he didn’t get close to the unicorn … but (here is the part that maybe makes you think a little) … “but he won’t have another chance if he stops believing in the unicorn.”

Ok. That is a bigger thought than just a wacky tv show.

If we ask all people to stop “believing in unicorns” do people lose any chance of reaching what they hope for?

Whew.

C’mon.

The unicorn is a symbol of innocence and purity.

I know all of this sounds crazy (and it even looks crazy as I type it) … but … don’t we really want more of these people in today’s world?

In fact … chinese mythology says the fact that a unicorn has not been seen in many centuries suggests that we are living in “bad” times. It will appear once again when the time is right and when goodness reigns.

So maybe the people who see unicorns are actually the hope for the rest of us. Maybe they are the ones “where goodness reigns.”

Regardless.

If it isn’t that “big” … maybe someone who sees a unicorn somehow just feels safer. And I have no right to not allow someone that right in today’s world.

Also (and … boy … coming from a realist like me … this is gonna sound really odd) … I don’t know if I can explain it, but knowing that maybe someone out there can actually see a unicorn … well … maybe in a weird way they give me hope.

Now that I have typed that … it reminds me of something else another character said …

And, I’m afraid say it out loud because maybe if life finds out it’ll try to beat it out of them and that will be a shame.

Because, we all can use a little hope sometimes, you know. That feeling that everything’s going to be okay and that there’s going to be someone there to help make sure of that.

There are people who can make you believe in things you can’t see. and I think we miss that these days.

Look.

It’s a hard time for everyone these days but it is a particularly hard time for dreamers these days.

We all tend to think of dreams as a big, fluffy cloud that is surrounded by rainbows and unicorns.

So instead of ‘unicorns & rainbows’ we tend to focus on a mission … that everything in our lives would instantly be perfect if only we could have ABC, or do XYZ.

Well.

Maybe that the mission is really the fantasy … or, at minimum, part of the problem.

Maybe all those ‘missions’ are cramming up all our space that would have held dreams. And, really, this isn’t about going after your dreams but rather dreaming … and having hope … for something good and big and … well … maybe something that isn’t always tangible but intangible that lifts the heart and spirit.

I say all of this knowing that some readers will think this is wacky … but I also hope that people realize there is no right or wrong answer.

Being in the hope business is tricky these days and, as I said earlier, it’s tough being a dreamer these days.

But.

In fact I almost wish I was in the used rainbow business. I think people would be willing to buy discount dreams and discounted rainbows. What I mean by that is people would be willing to set aside the ‘big’ dreams and maybe pick up someone else’s that have been discarded … and they still look pretty good to reality.

In the meantime … maybe I should look for some people who make wishes on rainbows and see unicorns.

Cause I know it’s not really in my personal DNA to see unicorns.

And maybe that means I am not one of the lucky ones.

Maybe we need more rainbows (used or not).

Maybe we need more people who can see unicorns.

Here is what I am absolutely sure we need.

I do know is that hope is a must.

If you don’t have it, you’ve got to find it … lapses in hope happen and are okay … but you have to find it however you must … and maybe that is why I agree with the judge in Ally McBeal … let those people have their unicorns … who am I to judge on how someone holds on to hope.

Regardless.

Ally McBeal was an odd tv show.

But several episodes are must see for everyone.

This is one.

It may just remind you that seeing unicorns isn’t as wacky as you thought it was.

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manifesto book end thinking (a series of two)

Apr 4th

Posted by Bruce in Rants and Observations

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Ok.

This is going to be a 2 part series discussing 2 incredibly well written and often misunderstood documents. These two documents are a reflection of two of the most important and influential political theories ever created. Both documents continue to influence and provoke discussion on ideology, capitalism and government. And mostly I wanted to write about the documents because if you have ever doubted the power of the written word … and how words can impact how people think & act … read these documents and your doubt will cease to exist.

I, being me, will highlight 2 seemingly opposite manifestos in the series (hence the reason I call this idea ‘bookends’).

The 2 documents? The American Constitution and the Communist Manifesto.

Yup. They are bookends to me.

And two bookends everyone should have on their shelf. I don’t care where you live or what ideology floats your boat or what, culturally, your manifesto may be … well … manifested in. If you believe in enlightened conflict and having an enlightened point of view both documents should be at your fingertips.

And bookends because the creators thought about similar things and evolved into extremely well articulated documents. In 1843 (the communist manifesto was actually completed in 1848) Marx was a young student and more committed to a more democratic form of republicanism. Eventually evolving into what he formed as a communist for of ideology. In the 1780′s America’s founding fathers sought an environment of a combination of pluralism, socialism and democracy ultimately ending up with what America is today – a republic. They didnt trust an unfettered democracy and therefore set up a relatively unique (components had been utilized in Rome, Scotland and Latvia in years past) system of democratic checks & balances within a Republic concept.

Regardless of what your current ideology both documents are beautifully crafted, most portions remain timeless in their thinking may be two of the shortest most impactful documents of all time. Ok. The two documents I will discuss.

This first will be the constitution.

As I have stated before it is one of the most well written forward thinking “white papers” of all time. It is the standard for democratic (or people government driven) rules of the road of all time.

The second will be the Communist Manifesto.

Now. This document is maybe one of the most concise, and well written, ‘power of the everyday people’ social documents of all time. It resonates today and parts of it are … well … relevant to many topics being discussing everywhere today.

Now.

I am not going to tear apart each document but rather try and take the parts that are being discussed today and … well … be enlightening.

Plus.

I get to discuss two documents I believe everyone should read.

And I get to discuss two documents I never tire of picking up and reviewing.

Some caveats.

I am fairly sure I got all the technical aspects correct. I am absolutely sure I got my opinions correct. And more than sure there are some grammatical and typing errors.

Enjoy.

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bookend 1: american constitution

Apr 4th

Posted by Bruce in Rants and Observations

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“We may be tossed upon an ocean where we can see no land – nor, perhaps, the sun and stars. But there is a chart and a compass for us to study, to consult, and to obey. The chart is the Constitution.” – Daniel Webster

Ok.

I begin the two part series with the American Constitution. With all the dizzying rhetoric wrapped around the constitution these days let’s begin with a fact.

No interpretation.

The American constitution is probably the best written, best though out, best forward thinking practical “ideological white paper” of all time.

Take a look. Read it. Maybe even reread it. The stuff <thoughts, ideas, words> that they had the foresight to build into the document is boggling to the mind if you think about it.

(this link is to the transcript but it also has images of the original document: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html )

Anyway.

I began writing about the constitution because it is being so misused and abused by politicians it is making Madison, Jefferson, Washington, Hancock and any forefather you want to name , who actually participated in the tea party, turn over in their grave.

And how it is being discussed (tearing it apart word by word) is frightening … because … well … while the writers were extremely thoughtful with regard to individual words <incredibly so> the document was written with the intent to be taken in its entirety.

As the sum of its parts.

Plus.

I let the people on the Supreme Court figure out any nuances … they get paid the big bucks and, frankly, they have bigger brains. They were given a job and similar to the guy who was given the job to supervise the jack hammer construction workers, who I assume knows jack hammers better than I ever could, they have better skills at their job than I would.

Ok.

With that rant being aired out let me take a minute and share some information about the Constitution.

We the People.

What an opening.

We the People of the United States, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, inure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And with that opening I interpret some personal responsibility. “Personal” being you & I. And a responsibility to know the Constitution.

Research continues to show that the vast majority of Americans cherish the U.S. Constitution … but do not know much about it. if this isn’t an example of “choiceful ignorance” I don’t know what it. Why do I say that?
The same research indicates that most of us believe that the health of our Constitutional democracy depends on active and informed citizenry.
some facts from a survey done by the National Constitution center:

- 91% of Americans believe that the U.S. Constitution is important to them

- 84% believe that to work as intended, our system of government depends on active and informed citizens

But.

- More than half of Americans don’t know the number of Senators <100 senators … 2 from each of the 50 states regardless of population … and as a bonus … The House of Representatives has 435 members … I think>

- About 1 out of 3 don’t know the number of branches of the Federal Government <ok. I admit. I am embarrassed to say that I didn’t know this off the top of my head … there are three branches of government: The Executive Branch, The Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch. The Legislative Branch is Congress, Senate & House of Representatives, making laws. The Executive branch executes the laws made by the Legislative. Think the president as the Executive Branch. The Judicial branch big kahuna is the Supreme Court which is made up of nine justices. Each branch functions as a checks & balance for the system. Basically, the Legislative branch creates laws, the Judicial Branch interprets laws, and the Executive branch executes laws>

- 1 out of 6 believe that the Constitution establishes America as a Christian nation <not even close … freedom of religion, including islam, was encouraged and a number of documents from the founding fathers – Washington, Jefferson, Adams – support this belief>

- 20% believe that only lawyers can understand the Constitution <interpret portions maybe … but it is one of the most straightforward documents you will ever read>

- Almost one-quarter cannot name a single right guaranteed to us by the First Amendment <freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly & petition of grievances … I usually miss press, assembly and grievances>

- 84% believe that the U.S. Constitution is the document that states that “all men are created equal” <that is the Declaration of Independence>.

Next.

When asked to describe in their own words what the U.S. Constitution means to them, Americans refer to the Constitution as the bedrock upon which our society and laws are based.

Q.: What Does The U.S. Constitution Mean To You?

Freedom (34%)
Basis of our rights (20%)
Our system of laws (11%)
Established this country (7%)
Established our government
Determines our quality of life (3%)
Everything (3%)

Yet, more than three quarters (83%) admit that they know only “some” or “very little” about the specifics of the document.

Ok.

So more people need to pay attention to the Constitution.

Reading & interpreting it.

People can generally agree on what the words of the Constitution says. Typically we struggle with interpretation.

Generally speaking, there are two main ways in which court justices, judges, and legal analysts interpret laws and constitutions:

- As living documents that evolve as the culture changes

- As fixed documents whose meaning never changes from the time that they were written until now.

Simplistically most who lean toward a more liberal perspective tend to think of it as a living document and a more conservative perspective thinks of it as a fixed document <note: that is a generalization>.

But I say that to help highlight why so much heated discussion takes place over a variety of issues important to America … and how the constitution is being used, and abused, to further people’s initiatives.

Anyway. If you are interested … there is an excellent paper written by Yale Law Review called “How To Interpret the Constitution (and How Not To) by Michael Stokes Paulsen which provides an excellent perspective with sources, of course, to aim you toward more reading if you would like. (http://www.yalelawjournal.org/pdf/115-8/Paulsen.pdf)

It is interesting to note that he suggests the best book of all time explaining the constitution is actually The Federalist written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison. I say interesting because it was written so long ago and yet a contemporary Yale Law Journal contributor believes it to be so.

Ok, moving on.

States, federal & balance

It seems one of the wackiest discussions happening today centers on federal government (or how big and what role it should play).

And the popular rhetoric surrounds states and state’s rights.

Ok. Let’s be clear. I am not a big government guy.

Nor am I a state’s guy.

I am a balance guy. And a guy who believes the balance today will be different from the balance tomorrow.

And actually our forefathers were also <I am not suggesting I am as smart as any of our forefathers>.

Let me discuss “states’ rights” first (then how politicians abuse this issue … how we permit them to abuse it … and then the whole ‘rights of individuals themselves’).

Ok. What about states’ rights. It is the hot topic du jour.

Many people suggest that The Tenth Amendment limits Congress to those areas in which the Constitution explicitly empowers it to act. And all other responsibility resides with the states.

But … well … no. <sorry … couldn’t figure out how else to say it>

The Constitution was actually written to provide balance (10^th amendment included).

And the flexibility to provide different balance depending on different situations.

And it also has a variety of checks & balances with it (think of the Supreme Court decision making as the ultimate decision maker on balance).

All that said let’s take a minute to look at how balance between the Federal government and states is organized in the Constitution. The issue of states’ rights was very important to a key author of the Constitution, Thomas Jefferson. He was the main arguer for the amendments we know as ‘The Bill of Rights’ where the ‘Tenth Amendment’ strikes a crucial balance between State and Federal power.

- Amendment 10 – Powers of the States and People – Ratified 12/15/1791.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

In addition, the powers of the Federal government were limited by design see ‘Section 8 Powers of Congress.’ The Federal government was intended to be the glue to hold the states into a nation.

The Federal government responsibilities?

According to the Constitution the Federal government should only handle things that must go into and between the state and national borders. Settle disputes between states, provide a unified defense, foreign and trade policy. War, immigration, postal system, currency and banking.

Oh. And the “biggie” … “promote the general Welfare.”

All other powers are reserved to the States or to the people.

Ok.

And before we start saying things like “the constitution suggests the government shouldn’t be in the business business (like car manufacturers).

Wrong.

In fact early forefather type governments recognized the government HAD to helps support some businesses until they got on their feet. Thankfully it was that attitude, and actions, that made America the global economic power that it is today.

Anyway.

States and people.

We the people.

Clearly stated. Clearly defined.

States are always stated as “United States” in some document we like to call the Constitution. Oh. And the constitution replaced the articles of confederation (which was basically a states driven government constitution) to strengthen a federal government to balance the states’ rights.

So.

Here’s the deal (number 1): States.

States. States have rights as long as the individual parts strengthen the whole (the United States).

Federal. The federal government has rights as long as it strengthens the whole (the United States).

And they have the ability to step in when they see individual parts harming, or weakening, the whole. Individual parts may not like that and they may shout and stamp their feet and have a temper tantrum but someone (the federal government) has to look at the bigger picture.

Sorry. That’s the <American> gig.

If you don’t like that … well …

Here’s the deal (part 2): politicians (elected officials)

Politicians need to step up to the plate. Because here is where our selected politicians are failing us. They are elected to balance our individual needs (their direct constituents) and the wholes needs (the USA). That means sometimes they need to tell the truth to their local constituents (the ones who voted them in).

Yeah. Something like “wow. It would be good for us but in the scheme of things what would be good for us may not represent the best for the whole (the USA). “

Whew. That doesn’t get you reelected (because it is not selfish enough).

But it is telling the truth.

Ok. Where am I going with this?

Here’s the deal (part 3): Us

We the people. Us. You and I. Because in the end it comes down to us. Seeking the truth and accepting the truth. We the people are not “I the people.”

“The people make the Constitution, and the people can unmake it. It is the creature of their own will, and lives only by their will.”
John Marshall, Chief Justice of The Supreme Court

Do we care what happens to us as individuals? Surely. As we live eat and breathe.

Do we need to weigh government <national> decisions as we versus I? Surely <as much as it may pain us to do so sometimes>.

We need to remember that ‘We the people’ is the United States. And despite any despicable behavior of elected constituents we need to take responsibility for their behavior.

And seek to encourage the behavior that reflect honesty so we can truly judge what is best not just for I but for we (no matter how painful that may be).

And today more than ever this is truth because we are making important budget decisions that are inevitably going to hurt somewhere at a local level (it would be naïve to suggest budget cuts are cutting ‘big government’ and that isn’t really ‘local jobs/business’).

But truth be told … the decisions will hurt at a minority of the local level.

And these budget decisions help the whole.

Let me go back to the ‘does this hurt a minority’? Yup.

It is really easy to look at things that hurt your own wallet. And your own house. And your own family. And are you wrong? Well. No. And yes.

No in that your first consideration should be your own family and your own immediate needs.

Yes in that there is a bigger picture.

And what may hurt you today (and your family) may actually be okay in the end (several years from now).

And I imagine the reason I wrote about the constitution is that I believe not only has the everyday person (you & i) lost sight of what it meant when it was written but I also believe the politicians have lost sight of why we elect them.

We elect them to not only represent our personal needs but also to explain to us the greater needs. And this is maybe where we fail them.

Because all we seem to focus on is “me” (or I depending on your grammatical preference).

Because, frankly, what is an elected official to do? Tell us the truth or rather fight to do something to benefit us (even if it is not in the nest interest of “us” – we the people.).

And that is where they sometimes elect to bastardize the constitution.

They play us (and shame on us for permitting that to happen).

They play the ‘rights of the state’ card versus the federal government point of view card.

Look.

There is no “pick one side or the other.” It’s balance.

And the politicians who stand up and thump their chests and create some diatribe on one or the other is screwing with you.

It’s balance.

Sometimes the state carries the day and benefits what you need (and is right for the bigger picture). Sometime the federal government sees the bigger picture and it hurts people locally but is really good for the bigger picture.

So we , the people, need to get our heads out of our asses and see the bigger picture and quit shoving something up our local representations ass trying to get something done (so he/she gets re-elected) and let them do what they were elected to do.

And that is what our forefathers desired … fair state representation, all the time, keeping the USA in mind (the bigger picture) … all the time.

Ok.

Another thing (as we read the constitution).

Democracy, Republic, Socalism & Pluralism

We seem to forget some things.

We are a republic … not a democracy.

In a republic, the citizens do not rule directly but, instead, elect officeholders to represent them and conduct the business of government in the periods between elections. Thus, the United States is a republic, not a democracy.

Yup. Our form of government is called a Republic, not a Democracy where a majority rules. Here is a factoid for you.

The Founding fathers kind of disliked the idea of a pure democracy.

Thus they set up a system of limited government that was a federation of states.

In addition.

We need to remember that the Constitution was not written to protect the principles of the majority. James Madison, key writer of the Constitution, understood that in a democratic republic the rights of the majority need no such protection. In fact Madison and his fellow founding fathers believed that the greatest threat to American liberty would be the tyranny of a majority – a tyranny in which “the stronger faction can readily unite and oppress the weaker.”

Think about this.

Because it is tricky.

Make sure the majority has the ability to live life to its fullest and yet insure the majority doesn’t ‘oppress the weak’ … oh … and not be a socialist or communist system.

It becomes easy to see how those who opine actually have something to opine about.

All that said.

The constitution is a brilliant document.

And it is brilliantly crafted to enable balance.

And it implies a governing with a lack of selfishness in mind.

Governing with a greater good in mind.

Because the constitution, whether states’ rights believers or federal government believers, clearly has America’s greater good in mind.

Read it.

Interpret it. Discuss it. And hold elected officials accountable to truth.

Ok.

That said.

On to the next post and the next document (and the last in this series).

The next document doesn’t have a country in mind as the ‘greater good.’ It goes completely to the other end of the spectrum and focuses almost solely on a completely different interpretation of ‘we the people.’ It focuses solely on the greater good of people almost in a ‘global community’ frame of reference as nation boundaries

The Communist Manifesto.

Yup.

Speaking of people driven rules of the road you would have to be silly to ignore the communist manifesto. Ignore all the trappings of “communist” and focus on the words.

It represents words of the people.

And it resonates as well today as did it then.

bookend 2: manifesto of the communist party

Apr 4th

Posted by Bruce in Rants and Observations

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This is the last of my “manifesto” series.

But it was maybe the first that I thought about. Because as I watch the news and see the pictures in Egypt and Sudan and the middle east <and everything else associated with a populace driven revolution> I thought about the manifesto of the communist party (more commonly known as The Communist Manifesto).

Now. I am not a communist. But all the things happening in the streets of … well … pretty much every city these days started thinking about the power of the common everyday people.

Or ‘every day people unite’ (which is actually the close to the manifesto).

So I plucked my copy of the manifesto off my shelf and reread it.

If you have never read it this comment may seem daunting. But The Communist Manifesto is only 53 pages long.

Less if you skip the Communist Literature section (which was outdated almost at first publishing).

It is an astonishing little read.

And it is also astonishing to think it was written by a 30 and 28 year old (Marx and Engel respectively). It is an amazingly concentrated brief document written with an intellectual stylishly personal perspective.

From its opening “a spectre is haunting Europe – the spectre of communism” to the closing of “the proletariat have nothing to lose but their chains. They have a world to win.” the pamphlet is full of simplicity which still rings true today.

There are a couple of “truths” to think about before I get to the Manifesto.

- Truth 1. Communism is better as a theoretical model then as a day to day reality.

- Truth 2. Today’s world actually has nothing to do with the working class/common people … it is actually an uprising of the middle class who is losing what they had.

- Truth 3. Some of the building block thoughts and components of the Communist Manifesto are insightful and truthful and when looked at with vision explain much of what we see around us in today’s world.

Interestingly … in a truly academic point of view … if you look at today’s world … socialism is more a middle class movement and communism a working class movement.

And socialism <or at least aspects of it to those who truly understand what it is> has always been quasi-respectable and communism not.

Marx suggested that the emancipation of the working class must be the act of the working class itself. Communism therefore is the same as that of all proletariat (working class) parties – formation of the workers into a class and ultimately the overthrow of the bourgeois (wealthy elite) supremacy. Therefore … communism is not based on ideas or principles but rather the rights of a “working class” of people.

Gosh.

When I type something like that … and think about today … well … it sure does make you think.

Anyway.

The Manifesto.

- Note: where appropriate I substituted worker/worker class for proletariat and wealthy elite for bourgeoisie.

Capitalism leads to exploitation. The wealthy elite has stripped of its halo every occupation hitherto honored and looked up to with reverent awe. It has converted the physician, the lawyer, the priest, the poet, the man of science into its paid wage laborers. It has reduced the family relation to a mere money relation. – Manifesto

- Capitalism does lead to exploitation. However … capitalism also leads to innovation, improvement, increased standard of living as well as a variety of other positives. If I could have sat good ole Karl down I believe I would have suggested an additional word – “unfettered.” Unfettered (or un-managed) capitalism leads to exploitation. But. I am not as smart as Karl so I think I will leave it as is and suggest this is one of the few flaws in the Communist Manifesto. A big flaw but one of the few.

“The lower middle class, the small manufacturer, the shopkeeper, the artisan, the peasant, all these fight against the bourgeoisie, to save from extinction their existence as fractions of the middle class. They are therefore not revolutionary, but conservative. Nay more, they are reactionary, for they try to roll back the wheel of history. If by chance, they are revolutionary, they are only so in view of their impending transfer into the working class; they thus defend not their present, but their future interests” – Manifesto

- “They defend their future interests.” Oh my. I believe something we tend to forget is that democracy and communism are both class based ideologies. And both are based on protecting the majority classes. I am not suggesting they are the same just have some basic ideological similarities. If you accept that, you can read the Communist Manifesto not as a communist but rather as someone interested in everyone getting a fair shake.

“soon as they overcome these fetters, they bring disorder into the whole of wealthy elite society, endanger the existence of bourgeois property. The conditions of bourgeois society are too narrow to comprise the wealth created by them. And how does the bourgeoisie get over these crises? On the one hand by enforced destruction of a mass of productive forces; on the other, by the conquest of new markets, and by the more thorough exploitation of the old ones. That is to say, by paving the way for more extensive and more destructive crises, and by diminishing the means whereby crises are prevented. – Manifesto

- This is Schumpeter’s Creative Destruction. Schumpeter was not a Marxist, communist nor a Capitalist. He was simply an economist who believed that <simplistically> the new will destroy the old as it evolved into a better place. That destructive crises naturally occurred as a way to replace that which is with what will be.

“In place of the old wants, satisfied by the production of the country, we find new wants, requiring for their satisfaction the products of distant lands and climes. In place of the old local and national seclusion and self-sufficiency, we have intercourse in every direction, universal inter-dependence of nations. And as in material, so also in intellectual production. The intellectual creations of individual nations become common property. National one-sidedness and narrow-mindedness become more and more impossible, and from the numerous national and local literatures, there arises a world literature.” – Manifesto

- Basically Marx outlines a global economy, nation’s interdependent upon each other, as well as intellectual collaboration, before there was ever the world wide web. Go figure.

“The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles.

Freeman and slave, patrician and plebeian, lord and serf, guild-master and journeyman, in a word, oppressor and oppressed, stood in constant opposition to one another, carried on an uninterrupted, now hidden, now open fight, a fight that each time ended, either in a revolutionary reconstitution of society at large, or in the common ruin of the contending classes.

In the earlier epochs of history, we find almost everywhere a complicated arrangement of society into various orders, a manifold gradation of social rank. In ancient Rome we have patricians, knights, plebeians, slaves; in the Middle Ages, feudal lords, vassals, guild-masters, journeymen, apprentices, serfs; in almost all of these classes, again, subordinate gradations.

The modern bourgeois society that has sprouted from the ruins of feudal society has not done away with class antagonisms. It has but established new classes, new conditions of oppression, new forms of struggle in place of the old ones. – Manifesto

- Marx did a nice job of providing historical reference for classes and, ultimately, class conflict. Civilization is almost always defined by the struggle between have and have-nots. And the belief by the have nots, realistic or not, that someday they can become a ‘have.’ That being said one of the major flaws in the Communist theory is that it overlooks this basic human attitude (leading to behavior). Have-nots or Have-somes are just fine with the Haves as long as they believe (a) opportunity exists, if they work hard enough, to enter into the Have group and (b) the Haves don’t have disproportionate wealth versus the Have-nots. People inherently like working toward something … even if it is just a dream. Marx designed a utopian ideology where all are equal. In theory it is an interesting concept. In practicality the majority of people don’t desire that.

Hitherto, every form of society has been based, as we have already seen, on the antagonism of oppressing and oppressed classes. But in order to oppress a class, certain conditions must be assured to it under which it can, at least, continue its slavish existence. The serf, in the period of serfdom, raised himself to membership in the commune, just as the petty bourgeois, under the yoke of the feudal absolutism, managed to develop into a bourgeois. The modern labourer, on the contrary, instead of rising with the process of industry, sinks deeper and deeper below the conditions of existence of his own class. He becomes a pauper, and pauperism develops more rapidly than population and wealth. Of all the classes that stand face to face with the bourgeoisie today, the proletariat alone is a really revolutionary class. The other classes decay and finally disappear in the face of Modern Industry; the proletariat is its special and essential product. – Manifesto

- This is interesting to me because ultimately the concept of Communism is dependent upon a society bereft of a real & viable middle class. Just when communism could have taken hold worldwide capitalism permitted the working class to evolve into a viable thriving middle class. Today? The middle class feels threatened … as it is getting dragged down closer & closer to “proletariat” level. Therefore it is revolting (Occupy movement, Red Square protesters, Middle East upheaval, etc.)

But with the development of industry, the proletariat not only increases in number; it becomes concentrated in greater masses, its strength grows, and it feels that strength more. The various interests and conditions of life within the ranks of the proletariat are more and more equalised, in proportion as machinery obliterates all distinctions of labour, and nearly everywhere reduces wages to the same low level. The growing competition among the bourgeois, and the resulting commercial crises, make the wages of the workers ever more fluctuating. The increasing improvement of machinery, ever more rapidly developing, makes their livelihood more and more precarious; the collisions between individual workmen and individual bourgeois take more and more the character of collisions between two classes.” – Manifesto

- While components of this are dead on … where Marx/Engel got it wrong was that the development of industry actually increased the strength of the middle class. That doesn’t make this thinking any less thoughtful, or brilliant. That last sentence … makes their livelihood more and more precarious; the collisions between individual workmen and individual bourgeois take more and more the character of collisions between two classes … summarizes exactly what is happening today.

“In countries where modern civilisation has become fully developed, a new class of petty bourgeois has been formed, fluctuating between proletariat and bourgeoisie, and ever renewing itself as a supplementary part of bourgeois society. The individual members of this class, however, are being constantly hurled down into the proletariat by the action of competition, and, as modern industry develops, they even see the moment approaching when they will completely disappear as an independent section of modern society, to be replaced …” – Manifesto

- Marx recognized the emerging middle class it is just that he never envisioned it gaining such a stronghold in developed societies. But, once again, I would like to point out that those who “had” <once part of the ‘haves’> start the slippery slope of having to ‘not have’ <note: just by ‘not having’ does not mean you become a “have not”> they begin to feel supplementary rather than essential. I imagine my real point here is that the economic situation is almost as much about attitudes as it is about real economic issues.

“Political power, properly so called, is merely the organised power of one class for oppressing another. If the proletariat during its contest with the bourgeoisie is compelled, by the force of circumstances, to organise itself as a class, if, by means of a revolution, it makes itself the ruling class, and, as such, sweeps away by force the old conditions of production, then it will, along with these conditions, have swept away the conditions for the existence of class antagonisms and of classes generally, and will thereby have abolished its own supremacy as a class.”- Manifesto

- Well. if there was ever a better written indictment against elitist driven governments I am not sure I have ever read one. The problem with any government in any country is the ability to do what is best for each constituent as well as the whole of the constituents. Unless there is a dictatorship the happiness <derived from some aspect of ‘what is best for me’> of the population dictates the overall success of not only the government but of the nation as a whole. Governments have to be careful they do not become a class in itself.

Ok.

I included this next portion not to really make any point other than many of us have a sense of the underpinnings of communism but they are typically tainted by our view of Communist Soviet Union. Marx/Engel had a vision. A complete vision. And while we may shiver at some aspects (those of us in a social democracy like America) there are other aspects which reflect the fact that Communism was viable on a number of levels:

These measures will, of course, be different in different countries.

Nevertheless, in most advanced countries, the following will be pretty generally applicable.

1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.

3. Abolition of all rights of inheritance.

4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.

5. Centralisation of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.

6. Centralisation of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.

8. Equal liability of all to work. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of all the distinction between town and country by a more equable distribution of the populace over the country.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children’s factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production.

- Once again I say that aspects are too theoretical … and frightening to suggest that such power resides solely within “centralization” … and it is probably within that main flaw that communism was so wrongly implemented … but .. education, public transportation, equal opportunity employment, etc. All are aspects of which create a worthy society and economy. And, once again, I state that this little pamphlet, only 50+ pages, outline an entire ideology and economic and societal state. Pretty amazing stuff.

On what foundation is the present family, the bourgeois family, based? On capital, on private gain. In its completely developed form, this family exists only among the bourgeoisie. But this state of things finds its complement in the practical absence of the family among the proletarians, and in public prostitution.

You are horrified at our intending to do away with private property. But in your existing society, private property is already done away with for nine-tenths of the population; its existence for the few is solely due to its non-existence in the hands of those nine-tenths. You reproach us, therefore, with intending to do away with a form of property, the necessary condition for whose existence is the non-existence of any property for the immense majority of society.

In one word, you reproach us with intending to do away with your property. Precisely so; that is just what we intend.

From the moment when labour can no longer be converted into capital, money, or rent, into a social power capable of being monopolised, i.e., from the moment when individual property can no longer be transformed into bourgeois property, into capital, from that moment, you say, individuality vanishes.

You must, therefore, confess that by “individual” you mean no other person than the bourgeois, than the middle-class owner of property.

- Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm … the popular American 1%/99% nomenclature of today … only stated at “the 10% at the expense of the 90%.”

So.

I just selected some passages from this incredibly well written pamphlet. Do I agree with everything in it? Absolutely not. But as far as ideological writing it is on par with the Constitution. Well articulated thoughts conducted in absolute brevity.

And.

One last thought.

“In proportion as the exploitation of one individual by another will also be put an end to, the exploitation of one nation by another will also be put an end to. In proportion as the antagonism between classes within the nation vanishes, the hostility of one nation to another will come to an end.” – Marx

In fairness to Marx, and in deference to the fact I call my site enlightened conflict always seeking to lessen hostility <or conflict> … Marx’s ultimate objective was ‘hostility of one nation to another will come to an end.”

So ends my reflection on two of the best written ideological documents of all time. Heck. Two of the best written documents, of any type, of all time.

In this post the Communist Manifesto and the one before the American Constitution.

Depending on where you live you will … well … live by some of these words.

But. Wherever you live you should read these two documents and think.

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water water everywhere … but nary a drop

Apr 3rd

Posted by Bruce in Rants and Observations

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Day after day, day after day,

We stuck, nor breath nor motion;

As idle as a painted ship

Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, every where,

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink. – Coleridge (the Rime of the Ancient Mariner)

Nope. This isn’t going to be a literary post. This is about water. And access to it. And how a boatload of people doesn’t have access to water (and more will have that issue in years to come).

Think 10% of world (people) don’t have direct access sanitary water (I actually believe that number is low).

Seems kind of crazy doesn’t it?

Water?

Depending on where you live drinking water is … well … is just “there.” You have it. Not bottled water (which is a travesty of an industry). I mean running water. The stuff that comes out of some spigot. Maybe not the grandest of tasting water, but drinkable.

There is actually a World Water Forum where people gather to debate issues of global water policy.

And recently the UN announced that the millennium development goal target on water has been met, ahead of schedule.

Two billion more people now have access to drinking water than in 1990.

Yeah. I typed 2 billion. And we have maybe 7 billion people globally.

Think about that. The base changes (1990 to now) but simplistically that means almost 30% of the world didn’t have access to drinking water at some point.

(yikes)

For us folk with our fancy schmancy Kohler (or Wenzhou Lixin or GoldenPro or whatever your region has) faucets that just doesn’t seem possible.

Oh.

And we are talking about “access” to drinking water … sanitation is a completely different Millennium goal.

Writing on the Poverty matters blog, Sanjay Wijesekera, chief of water, sanitation and hygiene for UNICEF, offered a reality check on progress:

783 million people still do not have access to drinking water, this most basic human right. That is more than one in 10 people in the world. It is perhaps particularly depressing when one considers who these people are, where they live, and the impact this has on their lives. In addition, the other part of the same millennium development goal target – relating to access to adequate sanitation – is still off track.

Yeah.

I just typed 783 million.

Think about that my friends. USA has about 311 million people. Over twice the US population does not have access to drinking water.

Ok.

And I think the situation is going to get even trickier.

The World Bank reports that 80 countries, yes, 80 countries now have water shortages that threaten health and economies making up that 780+ million have no access to clean water or sanitation. I share that so we do not believe this is an isolated issue.

I say that because water conflicts are not that far off.

Consider this.

More than a dozen nations receive most of their water from rivers that cross borders of neighboring countries viewed as hostile.

The countries include Botswana, Bulgaria, Cambodia, the Congo, Gambia, the Sudan, and Syria, all of whom receive 75 percent or more of their fresh water from the river flow of their sometimes hostile neighboring countries.

Oh. And ss if there isn’t enough to worry about in the Middle East … but then there is water and obtaining adequate water supplies for the people. It is becoming a significantly higher political priority.

For example, water has been a contentious issue in recent negotiations between Israel and Syria. In recent years, Iraq, Syria and Turkey have exchanged verbal threats over their use of shared rivers.

An interesting side note. I found a website that said “river” and “rival” share the same Latin root; a rival is “someone who shares the same stream.”

Anyway.

Water.

Even The Economist wrote a monster piece on the growing issue of water. Because even while there are steps being taken to increase access to the current situation it isn’t that simple … because the situation is changing.

Urbanization of the world.

A prime cause of the global water concern is the ever-increasing world population and its urbanization. As populations become more industrialized they inevitably become more urban. Africa’s population is quickly shifting to a more urban society. And, of course, as populations grow, industrial, agricultural and individual water demands escalate.

According to the World Bank, world-wide demand for water is doubling every 21 years, more in some regions. Current water supplies, let alone water distribution systems, cannot remotely keep pace with demand, as populations soar and cities explode.

To put this in perspective for some readers … google California and water. With the current population there is water rationing. I say that so we don’t solely think this is Botswana’s problem and not affecting us.

Anyway.

Urbanization also leads to a higher level of living standards. And living standards typically linked to water usage (you may not have thought of that but it becomes obvious as soon as it is stated).

So population growth alone does not account for increased water demand. Since 1900, there has been a six-fold increase in water use for only a two-fold increase in population size. This reflects greater water usage associated with rising standards of living (e.g., cleanliness associated with health and diets containing less grain and more meat).

Sanitation and Growth

Population increases lead to several things including “needs” and “waste.”

Needs. You have to feed people. And many places need to feed themselves. Water quality is deteriorating in many areas of the developing world as population increases and the productivity of the land, caused by industrial farming and over-extraction, decreases (for a variety of ground technical issues which I will not bore you with).

Oh. And waste. Think about this factoid … about 95 percent of the world’s cities still dump raw sewage into their waters. So not only are we short on water we are also decreasing the usability of the stuff we have.

Climate change

Ok. I am not going to get into a global warming discussion. Suffice it to say the climate changes over time … and it is changing (regardless of the cause/affect). This means many countries, and geographies, are suffering massive changes – parts of China face accelerating desertification and parts of Indonesia are facing accelerating monsoons.

This makes climate change the wild card. Climate change is occurring — and most experts now concur that it is — what effect will it have on water resources?

It will have a lot of effect. Some rivers will dry up … and some will significantly increase their flow (affecting any population within flood plains). And by saying that someone could quite easily suggest “doesn’t that net out as a zero sum change?” Well. Maybe.

But maybe the bigger discussion on this isn’t necessarily the effect on the actual water resources … but rather the shifting locations of water resources <this is where politics of water truly become an issue>.

Water resources is going to very quickly take on extreme politicalness.

People will have to move or gain access to water through new resources. Unfortunately water, or climate change, doesn’t follow country boundaries. Who “owns” the water will drive politics as it currently does in the Middle East … but in many many more places.

Water conflict

We often think of religion, and government styles, as creating cultural & country tension. But how often do we think of water that way?

We need to. Because this isn’t an ideological issue or discussion. This is a base “needs” discussion. To survive people will do things and take action.

Regardless.

Water.

To most of us we don’t even think about it.

But for 783 million people they think about it a lot.

For 80 countries they think about it a lot.

Think about that (a lot).

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message to those who will repair

Mar 30th

Posted by Bruce in Favorite Quotes

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“We are many, many people and yet we are one. What we do today with our thinking, what we do tomorrow with our thoughts, what we do with our actions and our interactions with people determines the course of the universe itself. You are not powerless. You are not without power.” – Little Crow

This is a follow up to my rant on America and its ability to repair its faults. And, hopefully, a message to we happy few who will actually repair america.

I am hoping what I wrote kind of got some people thinking … and thinking about what we can do to repair. And maybe help repair what was the American dream <which is realistic in a semi utopian way>.

And repair in a mature perspective.

And repair with an America’s Kitchen table perspective.

And with that last thought … I figured I would use a couple of Americans’ words to the “repair-people” of America.

Oh.

Actually I imagine these words could pertain to anyone in any country.

I began with Little Crow to remind people that leaders of relatively small groups need to understand their role in the future.

There is a responsibility even among the “small voices” not just to be radicals … but to make their voice heard with a sense of the bigger picture.

Of course … someone could very rightly point out that Little Crow and his people got the shit kicked out of them but I would like to point out that they were actually in the right. Not in using violence or conflict to resolve their rights but rather that they stood up for what was right.

Anyway.

And I end with a good ole Teddy R quote. Teddy, who was a flawed leader, but a charismatic leader nonetheless who fully understood that divisiveness was not effective in terms of reaching the desired goal.

In his quote he uses the word ‘squabbling’.

And “squabbling” is an excellent word.

And a word that seems to embody a lot of what is going on in America today.

And a word I wish some of our existing leaders would think about.

It sounds petty.

It sounds small.

And it sounds like it has nothing to do with possibilities but rather sounds like wasted energy.

“There is no room for hyphenated Americanism … the one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities.” – Theodore Roosevelt

Ok.

That’s it for my ‘repairing’ thoughts. I need to go figure out what I can do to help the repairing begin.

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repairing your faults

Mar 29th

Posted by Bruce in Rants and Observations

No comments

“The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.” – Alexis de Tocqueville

Similar to Alexis lately I am keenly aware of America’s faults … but just as much of its virtues.

I also find that many of my friends are also keenly aware of America’s flaws (and, lately, not so much on the virtues).

We are not alone.

In recent polling, more than two-thirds of Americans said they were pessimistic about the future of their country.

In another survey, however, 86 percent said they were proud patriots who’d live no place else.

America is Flawed

It reminded me of something Sinclair Lewis said:

“Intellectually I know that America is no better than any other country; emotionally, I know she is better than every other country.”

Many of us have troubled hearts and many of us wonder if America can repair her faults.

I love a good philosophical discussion but, in the end, I am a solutions guy.

To my own fault, when asked, inevitably I have an opinion … a solution … an answer … for what I believe should be, and can be, done.

And that beings said I am troubled.

I am not sure I have an answer.

I have a lover’s quarrel with the country today. And I don’t believe I am alone in this.

All americans are part of the American story, with all its greatness … and its flaws, and I feel responsible in some way … just as I sometimes feel helpless.

I do wonder what Tocqueville would think of America today.

Democracy in America was written when he was 29. Tocqueville’s work is amazing. His observations on the American legal and political system are astonishing in their perceptiveness and sophistication. His love of our Republic and the sense of the fact that the democratic system we were setting in place would insure a sense of equality among its citizens make for an enlightening read … even today.

But I wonder what he would think with all the recent studies reporting that the United States is now one of the most unequal of societies within Western nations.

And that troubles me.

I do know this.

It is useless for our elected political leaders to say they are doing their best.

They have to do what is necessary.

And it troubles me that they haven’t.

I love this country … flaws and all. And, once again, I don’t believe I am alone in this.

I believe the average person, while hating what is happening absolutely does not hate America … and while worrying … wants it to be right.

We may obsess about certain things & issues and certainly judge them as bad or flawed.

But the reality is they simply are what they are … aspects of what makes America … well … America.

And it has always been that way.

Yeah … America’s flaws are subjective and based on interpretations, perspectives and focus but mostly by frame of reference.

Maturity & Sense of Entitlement

Here is where I am probably going to get in trouble.

Because of two things I am going to say. Maturity. I am not sure America is dealing with the issues with the same sense of maturity a country who has maybe dealt with 100′s of years of turmoil. Next. Sense of Entitlement. I mean too often the discussions come down to “what we had” mentality versus a “what we need” mentality. There is an aspect of ‘entitlement’ which skews a rational perspective on what to do and where to go from here.

Because regardless of how philosophical you get about this situation … most people know something should be done … and CAN be done.

But (big but).

Every time I get into this discussion it gets mired down in a “me” versus “we” discussion.

I call it “kitchen table economics.” And the kitchen table, one could argue, is skewed by the reality of the individual economics but I would argue it is skewed by ‘entitlement economics.’

By that I mean people solely focused on what is best for their kitchen table … and not what would be best for America’s kitchen table.

Tocqueville said in the introduction to Democracy in America that “equality of conditions” was what set the United States apart from Europe. His vision of the United States was an open society where democratic principles of equality could flourish peacefully in harmony with mores.

Once again … I wonder what Alexis would think of America today.

A recent report from the Pew Charitable Trust’s Project on Economic Mobility confirms what previous studies showed: if you’re born into the underclass, you’re likely to die there … stuck in your situation. Similarly, if you’re born to highly-educated parents with a higher than average income and a nice house you are more likely to be that way and your grandchildren probably won’t have to sweat the details.

American income inequality is becoming positively mind numbing with some of the richest US states having the largest populations of poor people.

In California, 22% live in poverty.

In Florida, it’s 20%.

The Pew study also shows that two thirds of all Americans think social inequality is more damaging to the nation than racism.

According to the Pew Research Centre, two thirds of Americans feel there is a strong conflict between the rich and the poor.

At least five recent studies prove that Americans now have less economic and social mobility than those in other English-speaking and western European countries.

But this where we get bogged down in the kitchen table discussion.

America middle class is focused on ‘what we had’ as the measurement. As well as they discuss things without thinking And we won’t get out of the situation if we remain stuck in that mentality.

And this is a tough one to get unstuck from <I admit that>.

The Era of Indulgence

Mainly because it is a struggle of transitioning between two eras. The Futures Company (Yankelovich) suggested in their Darwinian Gale report that we are shifting from an Era of Indulgence to an Era of Consequences.

I would suggest people are not transitioning. They are stuck in Indulgence (figuratively not literally). At every kitchen table people are assessing based on the Era of Indulgence and seeking to make ends meet based on that criteria. Basically it is a “I worked hard for what I had <the indulgences> and I deserve it.”

Well.

No.

It was an Era of Indulgence. Middle class America was permitted to indulge as it had never been able to indulge ever before. And middle class America was bigger size wise than ever before.

More people tasted indulgence … and it tasted good.

Uh oh.

An era of consequences. America got fat. We need to go on a diet. Yeah. Talk about that at the kitchen table.

It sucks.

Diets have consequences. And, yeah, it sucks … but America’s kitchen table will benefit. Your own table will lose ‘indulgences’ <translation: some things you ‘had’ and maybe thought you earned>.

Look.

There are too many “reasons why” we are where we are … but that’s not the point … America’s strength has always been “repairing our own faults.”

And our elected officials won’t, and probably cannot, get us out of this.

(despite the fact I wish they would all remember this)

“This representative assembly should be in miniature an exact portrait of the people at large. It should think, feel, reason, and act like them.” — John Adams

If John were here today he would be admonishing the elected representative assembly … they are not a miniature exact portrait of the people at large.

But lets not bitch & moan over that fact … its wasted energy <for now>.

So.

The truth is <it is kind of the obvious solution>, average people are the only ones who can lead our country out of the quagmire of special interests and party partisanship that is paralyzing it.

That’s because the average person brings a special quality that too many politicians do not have … a pragmatic desire to solve the problems, regardless of ideology, partisanship or career self-interest.

Most average people are far more interested in finding workable solutions than in adhering to a particular political ideology.

The average person almost always demonstrates a willingness to mix and match elements from differing political approaches – market-based, government-based, “conservative” or “liberal” – as long as the result is a solution that will work .

The average person does not ask “does this meet my political beliefs?’

The average person says “will this work?

But to make THIS work … to have America repair its faults … “the average person” needs to move away from kitchen table economics to America kitchen table economics mentality.

First step in getting America back on track?

Here is a thought from a very very smart man …

On july 4^th 1992 former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, at the age of 83, said this in a speech:

We must dissent from the indifference. We must dissent from the apathy. We must dissent from the fear, the hatred and the mistrust. We must dissent from the poverty of vision and the absence of moral leadership. We must dissent because America can do better, because America has no choice but to do better.

Dissent from the indifference.

The average person is sure bitching a lot. And pointing fingers at elected officials. And it’s not getting us anywhere.

And, frankly, if we think it will get us somewhere than shame on us.

Repairing our faults begins at your own kitchen table.

We are no longer in an Era of Indulgence.

We are in an Era of Consequences.

Maybe if we all thought a little ‘smaller.’

Our retirement plans became smaller.

Our houses became smaller.

Our desires for “more” became smaller.

Maybe it would make it easier for America to reach some smaller goals.

And we could fix some big faults.

And do big things.

And we need to exhibit some bigger picture maturity. Let me explain using someone else’s words. I read this written by author Olen Steinhauer in one of his books:

“Americans are distinctive in the developed world. Your people still believe in Utopia. Maybe it’s because of your founding myth – the search for the perfect home. In the 21st century Americans still think it is possible to have a society in which a level of civility is constant where a perfect balance of control and freedom can be maintained. It’s quaint. Try a few hundred years of war and civil strife on your own land and see how much of your faith remains. Recent failures have shown us the flaws in our utopian dreams and it is a terrible thing to face. Traumatic when it happens. America typically lashes out when it happens. It snaps. There is an irrational side to it. Something wild. No one likes to be shown that their core beliefs are wrong particularly when those illusions fuel their happy dreams. So when America’s dreams have been bruised the nation comes out like an express train. God help anyone standing in it’s path.”

We are in a traumatic time. And, in a way, our american dreams have been bruised. And I am interested in including this thought because while we may all be staring at our bank statements and thinking that this is about our wallets … it is more about what resides in our hearts & souls. It has become personal.

And that makes ‘repairing our flaws’ even more difficult. It will take some maturity and less “lashing out.” And maybe remember that it IS possible to have a society in which a level of civility can resolve the issues AND maintain what Olen called ‘our Utopian belief.”

You know something? I don’t mind that he suggests America has a utopian belief. In fact … I kind of like it. It makes us distinctive in the developed world

And, frankly, we have to be what we are … and what got us to where we are today as a successful country.

Regardless. It is time to repair our faults.

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marketing is evil?

Mar 27th

Posted by Bruce in Business Thoughts

No comments

“What is the difference between unethical and ethical advertising? Unethical advertising uses falsehoods to deceive the public; ethical advertising uses truth to deceive the public.” – vilhjalmur Stefansson

Now.

Vilhjamur was a kick ass anthropologist (known for his description of the “Blond Eskimo” which is a Copper Inuit), his discovery of new lands in the Arctic, his approach to travel and exploration, and his theories of health and diet. And I am not sure what the hell he knew about advertising … but he did say this.

And because I opened with the quote let me address the whole marketing is evil (or ethical versus unethical) with this little “my point of view” overview.

I believe marketing people generally fall into three buckets.

1. Those who fabricate unimportant truths and tell you that they are important <these people are hacks and should be fired and told to pick up trash on the sides of highways>
2. Those who use existing unimportant truths and convince you that they are important <this is the largest group and will vary on a spectrum between those who do this knowingly – which puts them close to the highway garbage category – and those who are blissfully ignorant of what they are doing>
3. Those who take important truths and tell you that they are important <scarily this group may have the toughest job because we people are consistently uninterested in many important truths>

And it would be nice to suggest this is a simple 1 to 3 scale or, at minimum, a one to 5 scale. But I believe someone could quite successfully argue this three group scoring would be a 1 to 10 scale with lots of broadness in terms of interpretation and lots of caveats and excuses. And before any marketing person starts blathering about with caveats & excuses please make sure you read Bill Bernbach’s “Do this or Die” advertisement he wrote to advertising & marketing people (see marketing is evil part 2).

All that said … I empathize with people who suggest marketing is evil (evil being a broader term for “convincing people to buy shit they don’t really need or want to buy <before they saw the marketing>.”

I empathize because if I were to do some scoring I believe I would tend to see a lot of 4’s and 5’s.

I empathize because I just don’t see a lot of marketing that seems to approach selling stuff from a “what is in the best interest of the people” perspective.

Look.

I am all for capitalism and selling stuff … but a lot of marketing seems to lack a deeper moral/ethical substance. Not all … but some <a lot>.

And what makes it even more difficult to defend and discuss is that it is really difficult to put your finger on the core issue that seems to creep into the internal moral compass one would hope marketers would have.

Why? Because of what I called ‘unimportant truths versus important truths.’ Both of which are truths just with some interpretation issues thrown in to make it all fuzzy.

About marketing truths

A beginning thought:

“Record companies are in the marketing business. Fashion probably wasn’t evil before marketing people got involved and tried to invent themselves and sell it to America’s youth by convincing them that the rest of America’s youth was already partaking. Fashion probably began as a groundswell of beauty: the tribe enjoying the way the buildings look and music sounds, right now, in this moment. That’s valuable because it allows for substance to shift styles. But marketing will do anything to avoid substance and engage only in style. No longer beauty that falls from trees like apples, fashion becomes shiny, scary chemical candy, unnatural and unhealthy.” – Kristen Hersh

Ok.

How awesome and insightful is this thought?

There are so many great thoughts within it … well … it is scary.

‘fashion probably began as a groundswell of beauty.”

Think about this one. This is a big thought … much bigger than just about the fashion industry. Relevant to all of marketing. This whole thought revolves around substance versus style as the issue.

And suggests marketing has no substance … hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm … or, maybe better said, it thrives less on substance than style.

Here is the bigger thought hidden in there … “valuable because it allows for substance to shift styles.”

So.

Substance creates beauty all on its own … and marketing creates style to showcase that which may, or may not, have substance. Or, as earlier noted, maybe marketing becomes dependent upon unimportant truths.

O, even worse, “created truths” (a creative way of saying ‘lies’).

Ok.

Does this alone make marketing evil? No. Ok, well, not all the time.

Because the key is substance.

And marketing truths.

Marketing has a habit of “creating truths.” Yeah … yeah .. yeah … someone is gonna come back and suggest “no, we aren’t creating truths … we are simply uncovering truths.”

Semantics.

Marketing is in the business of tearing apart the fabric of thought and identifying specific threads within the fabric that may be worth pointing out to people.

In the end? It is a thread. And not the fabric.

An example?

Let me try this on for an example:

“Stores Create More Holidays; Tissues Made for Summer, Pink Irons for Fall” (Wall Street Journal in august 2011)

People see 4 seasons (unless you live in California or the North Pole) but retailers see anywhere from 13 to 20 seasons. All designed to get shoppers into their stores and buy stuff.

The fabric? The season.

The threads? The 13 to 20 “seasons” retailers see.

Once again … is this evil, or lying, or even “unimportant truths”?

This is a really really gray area.

Creating more holidays. They are creating more sales … inevitably they are just trying to create more interest.

And they do all of this because retailers want impulse purchases (oh, by the way, which naturally happen to any of us … and marketing doesn’t create this … you <your own head> creates this).

Anyway. Suffice it to say what they do is try to get you in the store more often. Because the more often you visit the more likely you are to buy stuff.

And they do all of this quite thoughtfully.

So. Research says the average retail shopper visits a store once every two to three weeks. And shoppers go to the grocery store every seven to 10 days.

That means traditional retailers added grocery items hoping to make people make more frequent shopping trips.

Do I begrudge retailers this? Nope. They have a business to run.

And by being so “thoughtful” are they evil <in their quasi-manipulation of us shopping folk>? Nope.

And are they lying? Nope.

Let’s tear apart the fabric a little more.

Let’s try and and help you understand why there are a boatload of people out there who say marketing is evil.

Because this next example really starts talking about “unimportant truths” and, in the end, we are talking about some sense of mental manipulation.

Let’s look how they do it to see if its lying or evil … let’s look at a retailer’s 4, oops, 13 season year:

- Superbowl

- New Year’s Resolutions (January)

- Lawn and Garden (April)

- Back to School/College(July through August)

- Gifts for children; early entertaining décor (October, November)

- Last-minute gifts, stocking stuffers, food/entertaining (December)

- Health and Wellness January features exercise equipment, supplements and vitamins, items tied to shoppers’ New Year’s resolutions

- Spring (March to May) includes Easter, Graduation Day, Mother’s Day

- Pink/Women’s Health October includes displays of pink products and stores offer women’s health screenings.

- Fall Gatherings (Late September through November)

- ‘the day after Thanksgiving event,’ aka Black Friday. Includes gifts and splurge items. (November)

- Holiday Entertaining and Gifting (November, begins the day after black Friday)

- Organization and Storage(January)

(and I am sure I missed a couple in there … as well as I probably got some of the dates wrong … but … you get the point)

Why do they do this?

Research shows that people are usually willing to spend more during “special seasons.”

And even more dollars if they are spending on their children.

Look.

I don’t believe marketing is evil … but it is surely “wily smart” in that it is always seeking to find conscious or subconscious triggers to motivate behavior.

No.

Here is a truth.

Impulse or not … marketing cannot really make someone do something they don’t want to do.

And, in today’s world with return guarantees and such … it is almost next to impossible to maintain what could be construed as impulsive behavior decision (because it can so easily be “undone”).

Marketing is a business.

And you can certainly expect a retailer, and marketers, to make shopping as much of a science as possible.

And by “science” I mean by often “managing unimportant truths.”

In addition … they will build model stores, displays and end-caps (things at the end of the aisles) to see what makes people buy the most.

Once again, is that evil? Nope. It’s just being smart about your business.

In general I don’t think marketing is the embodiment of the Evil Empire.

I think most people just try to do the best they can.

Now. “The best” can be pretty bad at times.

Simplistically. Bad marketing is bad. And ignorance, or doing what you believe is the right thing to do, is no excuse for bad marketing or making the unimportant important.

Good marketing sells substance or (still good) expresses the existing emotional relationships people have with products.

On marketing’s good days it ultimately helps the best companies and products win over the bad stuff.

On marketing’s BEST days they actually get people to believe the important truths.

Next.

Evil: confusing evil messaging and evil actions

I brought up the unimportant versus important truths upfront because I believe marketing‘s evilness really should be defined by that. But. issues gets compounded not just by what they say but how and when they say it.

So beyond the message we shouldn’t get confused by marketer’s actions (which are not evil … just absurdly annoying … which I imagine could be construed as some level of evilness).

I do wish more marketers would pay attention to information available to them.

According to Pitney Bowes research, consumers surveyed in France, Germany, the UK and the U.S. have indicated which marketing activities draw them closer … and which act as a repellant.

If marketers would pay attention, people are quite clear about what they want from marketing interactions.

And if marketers would pay attention they would clearly see many of their actions are simply not having the intended effect.

Worse, inappropriate communications often diminish a brand’s attractiveness, thereby losing people’s interest and ultimately even existing customers opt out.

So. The good things? Customer satisfaction surveys. 75% were fine with them. Great opportunity for marketers to “not sell” but rather learn and create customized messaging/experiences based on each consumer’s preferences.

“This survey confirms that brands should listen to consumers before they send out their communications. Every interaction must honor the interests of the customer first, only then is a relevant offer or call to action acceptable to consumers. Each conversation between a brand and a customer is an opportunity to delight or disappoint. We’re all learning how to do more of the former and less of the latter.” – PitneyBowes Reasearch

On websites, 59% say they appreciate personalization such as “Welcome <name>.”

For transactional sites, especially where purchases are being made, it can be reassuring to know that the site recognizes your personal account details and has a record of interactions to draw upon.

Okay.

Now the annoying stuff. And where marketing, I believe, just doesn’t help itself.

Efforts which are meant to be inviting but are just plain irritating to most consumers.

- Asking customers to support a brand’s charity or ethical concerns (84%)

- Sending offers from third-parties (83%)

- Encouraging interaction with other consumers via an online community (81%).

Is this stuff evil? Of course not. But if you add these actions on top of the fact a marketer is most likely communicating an “unimportant truth” it is not only annoying but it is irrelevant. You have been intrusive and unimportant.

The double kiss of death.

Anyway.

Evil is always associated with people.

Truth or lie.

Annoying actions or relevant actions.

It all comes down to who is pulling the trigger.

And here is where marketing runs into its most trouble … marketing people.

Ok. Maybe it’s not the people … it’s just their common sense decision-making that seems to run into trouble.

All too often it seems the marketing people manage to run into troubling ethical dilemmas … and inevitably make some really bad, or certainly questionable, choices (with a consumer’s perspective in mind).

Most of the time these bad choices consist of less than the entire truth … or full disclosure of information the customer would want to know to make a reasonable decision. Let’s call this “selective truth telling.”

Or, as earlier pointed out, selecting one thread in the fabric to point out.

Or even “trying to convince you an unimportant truth is … well … impoartnt.” And, at its worst? Trying to convince you an unimportant truth is REALLY impoartnt.”

This is probably the best example of “the lie of silence.” (which I have written about before)

It’s all very tricky because most products & services tend to be good, useful products. And the ethical dilemma is how much information is it okay to hide <not tell> from the buyer to make a sale.

Oh.

Of which many marketers will hide behind the excuse “but we only have so much time to capture someone’s attention.”

Shame on those marketers.

You always have time to tell the important truth.

And, in your heart of hearts, a good marketer knows that honesty and important truths win in the long run.

In the end … I do believe the thought of marketing as evil (in a true sense) is absurd.

In an abstract sense (like Kristen mentions in her quote I used)?

Well. Possibly.

Evil is a strong word. It could be truly that marketing, when gone awry, can warp the true essence of the intent.

And that may seem evil but it is just wrong.

However.

Evil or not.

As a marketer myself … I would like to remind all marketers we have a responsibility. What we say and what we do DOES impact what people think … and ultimately can affect what they do.

With that ‘power’ comes a responsibility.

And it would be evil, yes, evil for us to forget that.

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marketing is evil part 2

Mar 27th

Posted by Bruce in Business Thoughts

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This is a short followup. In part one I reference something Bill Bernbach wrote. An advertisement for advertising to advertising people.

It is something everyone in marketing & advertising should read. And ignore at your own peril.

Enjoy. It is called “Do this or Die.”

DO THIS OR DIE

Is this ad some kind of trick?

No. But it could have been.
And at exactly that point rests a do or die decision for American business.
We in advertising, together with our clients, have all the power and skill to trick people.

Or so we think. But we’re wrong.
We can’t fool any of the people any of the time.
There is indeed a twelve-year-old mentality in this country; every six-year-old has one.
We are a nation of smart people.
And most smart people ignore most advertising because most advertising ignores smart people.

Instead we talk to each other.
We debate endlessly about the medium and the message.
Nonsense. In advertising, the message itself is the message.
A blank page and a blank television screen are one and the same.
And above all, the messages we put on those pages and on those television screens must be the truth.
For if we play tricks with the truth, we die.

Now. The other side of the coin.
Telling the truth about a product demands a product that’s worth telling the truth about.

Sadly, so many products aren’t.
So many products don’t do anything better.
Or anything different.
So many don’t work quite right.
Or don’t last. Or simply don’t matter.

If we also play this trick, we also die.
Because advertising only helps a bad product fail faster.
No donkey chases the carrot forever.
He catches on. And quits.

That’s the lesson to remember.
Unless we do, we die.
Unless we change, the tidal wave of consumer indifference will wallop into the mountain of advertising and manufacturing drivel.
That day we die.

We’ll die in our marketplace.
On our shelves. In our gleaming packages of empty promises.
Not with a bang. Not with a whimper.
But by our own skilled hands.

Doyle Dane Bernbach Incorporated

about marketing truths, actions today make who i am tomorrow, affecting people’s conflict behavior, aligning generational attitude and technology and consumer trends, attitudes and behavior, broadcast, building character, business, Business Thoughts, change begins in the head, change forces prioritizing, change takes remarkable effort, character, communication, conflict and people, content dissemination trends, conversations, convincing people to buy shit they don’t need, created truths, creating interest, creating the next generation of thinkers, creating the next generation of thinkers using the web, crowd clout, crowds providing unsolicited feedback, curiosity is the enemy of ignorance, decision making, developing cross cultural skills, developing minds of next generation of thinkers, developing social and emotional competencies, discovery, do this or die, do this or die Bernbach, education to enlighten, encouraging curiosity, encouraging understanding of choices, enlightened conflict, ethical advertising, evil in marketing, exploration not ROI, fabricate unimportant truths, facebook, failure of imagination, finding what is possible from impossible, finding your way is tough, freedom of choice, generation of measurement, generational ideation, global collaboration, global respect, having moral and ethical substance, ignorance, ignorance is the enemy, imagination, influencers are still influencers, influencing purchases, insights, insights are about truth, insights don’t exploit, intrusive and annoying, is marketing evil, it has become uncool to do simple things in business, leadership, learning, lessons, life, life is a winding road, life lessons, making the simple complicated, making unimportant important, marketing, marketing has an image issue, marketing people are responsible, marketing’s ethical compass, maslow and marketing, maslow needs, measuring generational attitudes, measuring generational behavior, measuring global education, meeting the challenges of concentration, more honest online, most people cannot recognize simple solutions, most things in life are not black or white, no one believes in simplicity anymore, online friends, only few find the way, organizations, predictions, project global generation, pursuing the way, quality versus quantity online, quotes, rare to make complicated simple, research, respect, respect for individual choice, responsibility, ROI versus imagination, self actualization, selling truth, simplicity has gone the way of the dodo, simplicity takes remarkable effort, six impossible things before breakfast, social media, strategy, strength of character to make change, strip away the undoable and identify the doable, Stuff I Like, substance versus style, success of ROI, telling the truth, telling the truth in marketing is hard, telling the truth is not impossible, that i will be tomorrow, the absence of truth, the best interest of the people, the responsibility in marketing, there are a lot of insights, thinking, thinking impossible things, thinking is good, this i am today, truth, truth in marketing, truth should be simple, twitter triumph of humanity, unethical advertising, unimportant truths, use your imagination, using truth to deceive

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