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roachboy · 11-15-2004, 05:03 PM

let me explain something before i check out of this thread.

most of the people i know who were really effected by this election were and are well to the left of kerry--myself included. such support for kerry as there was was of an "anybody but bush" character.

most of the people i know who are in a position like i am in understood clinton for what he was--a dlc-style democrat, a centrist whose entire political agenda was shaped by "triangulation"--that is by co-opting moderate republican issues. the right's contentions that clinton was otherwise are obvious nonsense: they they have any credence is a good index of why the right is, so far as i am concenred, dangerous. for themselves as much as for others.

clinton was an unabashed cheerleader for globalizing capitalism, as are the neocons. the difference between them is that the neocons felt clinton insufficiently nationalist. they have no objection to globalizing capitalism either--they just want to see the american military appratus sitting atop it. whence the opposition to multi-lateral accords. whence gamble of the war in iraq--and i have to say that if it had gone as wolfowotz dreamed it would, maybe the gamble would have worked. but it didnt.

the contry has been veering right since before reagan. the veering to the right has accelerated, picking up by now an extra level of refusal to engage with complexity at any register as a function of assimilating fundamentalist protestant styles of rheotirc into its dicourse.

the america i see coming is one of intolerance and closed-mindedness, a space of relentless sanctimonousness, a space of total opinion management that veils itself as democracy.

the america i see coming will have no way to deal with the social problems the economic system that it has no choice but to treat as an unqualified good unfold within it.

the america i see coming will respond to those social problem with violence.

the america i see coming will be good for elements of the prison-industrial complex (a term i am not fond of, but which groups things) and few others.

the america i see coming will not be able to think critically about itself and the various phases of its decline because it is already choosing to live in fantasy.

the america i see coming is a place not terribly unlike this one insofar as the folk who hold significant economic power will be able to do exactly as they want, without political consequences, because the populace will be occupied with trivial matters.

but most of all the america i see coming will be about violence. mindless, self-inflilcted, self-perpetuating violence. wrapped in the flag, wrapped in patriotism, defining "undesirable" elements out of "america" until maybe there will only be a few "real americans" left, hunkered down in basement bunkers with their arsenals and canned food waiting for helter skelter.

this does not make me happy. i lived overseas for 5 years and found that i was never more american than when i wasnt here. not in ways that i necessarily could control either. but i never left intending not to come back. this would be different. and that is why it is really difficult.

all that said, i still find it difficult simply to leave. mostly because it would be capitulation to an ideology i find to be beneath contempt, giving over in a small way the place that despite all my ambivalences, is still my home. in which, at some probably irrational level, i had some kind of hope.

but as the hope dwindles away so does any real reason to stay here.

an appended side note: i wonder if this board is still around in a few years i might run across this post and wonder why i was such a drama queen about this. from here or somewhere else, i'll have figured all this out by then.

i also am figuring out that it is not good to post anything too directly emotional, or about anything that is too directly emotional, in places like this, no matter what the folk who participate in them like to think of them.
that too is sad.

11-15-2004, 05:03 PM	#24 (permalink)
roachboy Super Moderator Location: essex ma	let me explain something before i check out of this thread. most of the people i know who were really effected by this election were and are well to the left of kerry--myself included. such support for kerry as there was was of an "anybody but bush" character. most of the people i know who are in a position like i am in understood clinton for what he was--a dlc-style democrat, a centrist whose entire political agenda was shaped by "triangulation"--that is by co-opting moderate republican issues. the right's contentions that clinton was otherwise are obvious nonsense: they they have any credence is a good index of why the right is, so far as i am concenred, dangerous. for themselves as much as for others. clinton was an unabashed cheerleader for globalizing capitalism, as are the neocons. the difference between them is that the neocons felt clinton insufficiently nationalist. they have no objection to globalizing capitalism either--they just want to see the american military appratus sitting atop it. whence the opposition to multi-lateral accords. whence gamble of the war in iraq--and i have to say that if it had gone as wolfowotz dreamed it would, maybe the gamble would have worked. but it didnt. the contry has been veering right since before reagan. the veering to the right has accelerated, picking up by now an extra level of refusal to engage with complexity at any register as a function of assimilating fundamentalist protestant styles of rheotirc into its dicourse. the america i see coming is one of intolerance and closed-mindedness, a space of relentless sanctimonousness, a space of total opinion management that veils itself as democracy. the america i see coming will have no way to deal with the social problems the economic system that it has no choice but to treat as an unqualified good unfold within it. the america i see coming will respond to those social problem with violence. the america i see coming will be good for elements of the prison-industrial complex (a term i am not fond of, but which groups things) and few others. the america i see coming will not be able to think critically about itself and the various phases of its decline because it is already choosing to live in fantasy. the america i see coming is a place not terribly unlike this one insofar as the folk who hold significant economic power will be able to do exactly as they want, without political consequences, because the populace will be occupied with trivial matters. but most of all the america i see coming will be about violence. mindless, self-inflilcted, self-perpetuating violence. wrapped in the flag, wrapped in patriotism, defining "undesirable" elements out of "america" until maybe there will only be a few "real americans" left, hunkered down in basement bunkers with their arsenals and canned food waiting for helter skelter. this does not make me happy. i lived overseas for 5 years and found that i was never more american than when i wasnt here. not in ways that i necessarily could control either. but i never left intending not to come back. this would be different. and that is why it is really difficult. all that said, i still find it difficult simply to leave. mostly because it would be capitulation to an ideology i find to be beneath contempt, giving over in a small way the place that despite all my ambivalences, is still my home. in which, at some probably irrational level, i had some kind of hope. but as the hope dwindles away so does any real reason to stay here. an appended side note: i wonder if this board is still around in a few years i might run across this post and wonder why i was such a drama queen about this. from here or somewhere else, i'll have figured all this out by then. i also am figuring out that it is not good to post anything too directly emotional, or about anything that is too directly emotional, in places like this, no matter what the folk who participate in them like to think of them. that too is sad. __________________ a gramophone its corrugated trumpet silver handle spinning dog. such faithfulness it hear it make you sick. -kamau brathwaite Last edited by roachboy; 11-15-2004 at 05:08 PM..