I have to admit, I was a little bummed this morning when I woke to find the only response to the 'E-Mail to the American Worker' that I wrote yesterday was a dismissive:
"Another good example of why the term Loonie Lefties gets so much traction. What a crock."
by a Kossack called (NAME REDACTED) (thankfully, his comment didn't get any likes either).
I thought the meat of the piece was good. I asked the following questions of the American Worker:
Do you think it’s fair that you work as hard as you do, as long as you do, and for as little as you do, to create commodities via means of production that you do not own, all for the profit of your employer, who reaps the lion’s share of your yield without lifting a finger?
Do you think it’s just that you have been made to hate the concept of work, that thing which should give mankind her greatest sense of purpose? Do you think it is healthy that you invest so much time at such a hated activity which is so ill-suited to your natural talents that you seek to escape not only work in your ‘down time’, but--in a way--life itself?
Do you think it is right that the richest one percent--the owners of our society--are able to afford the best healthcare, best education, and best leisure (in the truest sense of the word), while allowing you only just enough freedom to create more workers for the work force (like some kind of factory farm animal), enough healthcare to keep you well enough to not die, and enough education to keep you intelligent enough to believe the lie of our capitalist system, and just comfortable enough to keep you from engaging in open revolt?
Does Mr. REDACTED think these are 'looney' concerns?
I understand the trepidation many liberals feel when it comes to accepting Marxism and Marxist principles. There have been generations of propaganda foisted upon us about how evil Marxism is and how horrible a man Lenin was. People are much more viciously attacked when they challenge capitalism than when they challenge Christianity, because capitalism is essentially the American religion. People don't like to have their religion challenged.
But I think we have to be brave as liberals and leftists and look at the overall structure. It's the capitalist, neocolonialist system at work in the U.S. that causes all of the various injustices we all so openly rail against. Why not begin discussion about upheaving the whole thing--root and branch--rather than constantly chopping at the thing's various limbs and chopping off its leaves?
That's all I'm saying. I work at a homeless shelter, and see the collateral damage of capitalism every day. Maybe this makes me more frustrated and impatient than most, but I can tell you, I am motivated to start digging up roots and planting new seeds.
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My book 'Everything In the Medicine Cabinet' Will be available May 3rd.