November 03, 2008
Monday Poem
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Dear Joe The Plumber,
In E.L. Doctorow's Ragtime, Emma Goldman explains to character Evelyn Nesbit why Evelyn (having become recently newsworthy) has become such a celebrity:
"I am often asked the question," says Emma, "how can the masses permit themselves to be exploited by the few. The answer is By being persuaded to identify with them. Carrying his newspaper with your picture the laborer goes home to his wife, an exhausted workhorse with the veins standing out in her legs, and he dreams not of justice but of being rich."
American Games
Jim Culleny
I could be a millionaire!
All I need is some money.
They say having money's
the best way to be a millionaire.
So maybe I'll watch a game show
to see how it's done.
Then I could become a supermillionaire and
get more money so I could become
really fuckin rich
--it's what life's all about,
isn't it?
January 2005
Posted by Jim Culleny at 08:33 PM | Permalink
Comments
Good one, Jim.
I am always amazed that so few Americans have any understanding of basic economics. They have no clue that such things as capital and labor even exist, let alone that there is a natural conflict between them. Europeans do have this awareness; that's why they have one month vacations and health care.
Posted by: jared | Nov 3, 2008 8:54:55 PM
sigh...
Perhaps in Europe they do not have entities called "independent contractors" who are often simultaneously "blue collar labor" and employers/bosses.
When such people start to make income in the six figures, they become "small businessmen" or "rich" depending on your p.o.v.
Unlike Europe, laborers in the United States *can* potentially become "really fuckin rich." This is called "economic mobility."
It is also considered a matter of "basic economics."
Posted by: Andrew | Nov 3, 2008 9:58:56 PM
ad infinitum
Posted by: Jim | Nov 4, 2008 12:40:58 AM
Brilliant!
Thanks, Jim.
Posted by: Abbas Raza | Nov 4, 2008 3:42:41 AM
Isn't that this the kind of society we want---one where individuals who are born into the lower class find credible the promise that they too can become wealthy if they so desire? But I suppose your argument would be that those individuals are too credulous, that they have been duped, which would mean that they're stupid, or at least, less intelligent than those who have deceived them. That's quite a dim view to take of one's fellow human beings and one which not bourne out by reality.
Also, no one watches shows like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? with the belief that they will offer instructions on how to become a millionaire. This poem is ridiculous and insulting.
Posted by: Amy | Nov 4, 2008 5:10:53 AM
Amy,
Susceptibility to being duped really isn't a matter of intelligence, it's a matter of attention. Think, shell game.
That's Emma Goldman's point above, don't you think?
Regarding the poem, why do you think the Millionaire game and others like it are so popular?
They say that Jesus said the poor will always be with us. I suspect Emma is hinting at that too.
Posted by: Jim | Nov 4, 2008 7:04:11 AM
The only real protection working people have is unionization. The low rate of unionization in the US relative to Canada and Europe is the reason most of the productivity gains in recent years have gone to capital. Real wages have actually fallen. It is also the reason why American workers still do not have universal health insurance. I can only hope that if there is a Democratic victory, the climate for union organization will become more favorable.
Posted by: Jared | Nov 4, 2008 2:17:47 PM
Unfortunately, Andrew, much of Europe enjoys greater economic mobility than the U.S.
Posted by: Scott Wood | Nov 4, 2008 4:53:19 PM
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