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*** SPECIAL NOTICE!! ***
Courage to Resist podcast featuring little ol' me! Courage to Resist, in collaboration with the Vietnam Full Disclosure Project of Veterans For Peace, has compiled a collection of oral histories of GI resistance to the American War in Vietnam. My contribution to this was edited down to 28 minutes and, for whatever reason, the stories of my most militant acts were excised. The full story will appear in my written memoir when I'm able to publish it. For now, here is the link to the audio and a transcript via Courage to Resist:
https://couragetoresist.org/podcast-greg-laxer/
________________________________________________
*** SPECIAL NOTICE!! ***
Courage to Resist podcast featuring little ol' me! Courage to Resist, in collaboration with the Vietnam Full Disclosure Project of Veterans For Peace, has compiled a collection of oral histories of GI resistance to the American War in Vietnam. My contribution to this was edited down to 28 minutes and, for whatever reason, the stories of my most militant acts were excised. The full story will appear in my written memoir when I'm able to publish it. For now, here is the link to the audio and a transcript via Courage to Resist:
https://couragetoresist.org/podcast-greg-laxer/
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Battleship Potemkin blog
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Commentary on current events, never lacking in fury and possibly even signifying something.
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Ronald Wilson Reagan, possibly the most successful peddler of snake oil in modern US history.
(Credit, left: Library of Congress; credit, right: istockphoto)
(Credit, left: Library of Congress; credit, right: istockphoto)
Published January 28, 2021
Why is this article headed by a movie poster for 1956‘s Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Ah, a little patience please! Explanation to follow. For now, let us address the question of how some 74 million of our fellow citizens could bring themselves to cast their votes for the Fascist demagogue Trump back in November. Was this despite that candidate having demonstrated repeatedly that he was and is a rabid racist? It should be obvious that, rather, it was precisely because of this that they voted to continue the reign of our worst president in history.
Some defining of terms is necessary before we proceed further. Karl Marx and his collaborator, Friedrich Engels, did not invent, but inherited, the language of Classic Economics as understood in Europe in their century, the 19th. In modern class society as it evolved since the Industrial Revolution, there are basically only three classes: at the top of the heap, the elite if you will, is the grand (French for “large”) bourgeoisie, the owners of capital, the big banks and the corporations. [I know, it’s complicated, but bearing with me will pay off. Bourgeois is the French version of the German burgher, which means city or village dweller. Those no longer tied to the land and its food production.] In the middle layer, the real middle class, is the petit (French for “little”) bourgeoisie: artisans, craftsmen, plumbers (believe it or not), shop owners, lawyers, doctors and dentists. These were people who owned their own tools and/or the premises where they did business, or in the case of professionals, possessed certain required advanced skills. (The baker who made the fresh bread daily for the citizens of Paris was a worker, unless the operation was so small that the owner did the baking him- or herself.) At the bottom of the economic ladder was and remains the proletariat, the working class. The worker has nothing to sell except his or her sweat and blood, or “labor power” to stick with the classic terminology. No personally owned tools; those are provided by the boss. Limited work skills in most cases, though in our present technology-dependent society computer skills are essential. So, am I saying that if your job is to write software code to improve Amazon’s order-filling operations you are a “mere” worker, a proletarian? Basically, yes, although a sufficiently talented computer geek could offer her- or himself as a self-employed artisan, selling their skills in the open market.
So, here is the basis of The Great American Scam, The Immaculate Deception: In the United States, people are trained to believe that if they cross a certain income threshold they magically become a member of the middle class. Back in the relatively golden age of union jobs, with sufficient overtime an assembly line worker at an automobile factory in Detroit could gross $80,000 annually, maybe more. They would look for a nice, cozy house in the suburbs, drive a fairly expensive car themselves, maybe have an in-ground swimming pool and/or a boat. But did they own their own tools? If the boss handed them a pink slip because a recession had reduced demand for cars, what could they do to make a living? Only a minority would possess special skills, or the necessary tools, to go into business as an independent contractor of some sort. So what to do? Look for a similar job at another plant, a new boss to whom to sell your labor. This is the plight of the proletarian, to be at constant jeopardy of losing one’s means of income, and thus prone to economic insecurity--to be blunter: fear. Americans have been bombarded for so long with the notion that “We’re all middle class”--who are politicians seeking election always promising to try to “save” if not the so-called middle class?—it has become commonly accepted, unquestioningly accepted. I would wager that 5% or fewer of Americans would self-identify as members of the working class. Even those in the lowest income brackets aspire to become “middle class.” Am I sneering at their aspirations? No, I’m merely trying to shed a little real-world light on their/our plight. For the record: I am, and always have been, a member of the working class. I went from job to job, selling my labor power over my working career.
CONTINUED ON Past Articles page (Click on "DETAILS" to make content appear)
Why is this article headed by a movie poster for 1956‘s Invasion of the Body Snatchers? Ah, a little patience please! Explanation to follow. For now, let us address the question of how some 74 million of our fellow citizens could bring themselves to cast their votes for the Fascist demagogue Trump back in November. Was this despite that candidate having demonstrated repeatedly that he was and is a rabid racist? It should be obvious that, rather, it was precisely because of this that they voted to continue the reign of our worst president in history.
Some defining of terms is necessary before we proceed further. Karl Marx and his collaborator, Friedrich Engels, did not invent, but inherited, the language of Classic Economics as understood in Europe in their century, the 19th. In modern class society as it evolved since the Industrial Revolution, there are basically only three classes: at the top of the heap, the elite if you will, is the grand (French for “large”) bourgeoisie, the owners of capital, the big banks and the corporations. [I know, it’s complicated, but bearing with me will pay off. Bourgeois is the French version of the German burgher, which means city or village dweller. Those no longer tied to the land and its food production.] In the middle layer, the real middle class, is the petit (French for “little”) bourgeoisie: artisans, craftsmen, plumbers (believe it or not), shop owners, lawyers, doctors and dentists. These were people who owned their own tools and/or the premises where they did business, or in the case of professionals, possessed certain required advanced skills. (The baker who made the fresh bread daily for the citizens of Paris was a worker, unless the operation was so small that the owner did the baking him- or herself.) At the bottom of the economic ladder was and remains the proletariat, the working class. The worker has nothing to sell except his or her sweat and blood, or “labor power” to stick with the classic terminology. No personally owned tools; those are provided by the boss. Limited work skills in most cases, though in our present technology-dependent society computer skills are essential. So, am I saying that if your job is to write software code to improve Amazon’s order-filling operations you are a “mere” worker, a proletarian? Basically, yes, although a sufficiently talented computer geek could offer her- or himself as a self-employed artisan, selling their skills in the open market.
So, here is the basis of The Great American Scam, The Immaculate Deception: In the United States, people are trained to believe that if they cross a certain income threshold they magically become a member of the middle class. Back in the relatively golden age of union jobs, with sufficient overtime an assembly line worker at an automobile factory in Detroit could gross $80,000 annually, maybe more. They would look for a nice, cozy house in the suburbs, drive a fairly expensive car themselves, maybe have an in-ground swimming pool and/or a boat. But did they own their own tools? If the boss handed them a pink slip because a recession had reduced demand for cars, what could they do to make a living? Only a minority would possess special skills, or the necessary tools, to go into business as an independent contractor of some sort. So what to do? Look for a similar job at another plant, a new boss to whom to sell your labor. This is the plight of the proletarian, to be at constant jeopardy of losing one’s means of income, and thus prone to economic insecurity--to be blunter: fear. Americans have been bombarded for so long with the notion that “We’re all middle class”--who are politicians seeking election always promising to try to “save” if not the so-called middle class?—it has become commonly accepted, unquestioningly accepted. I would wager that 5% or fewer of Americans would self-identify as members of the working class. Even those in the lowest income brackets aspire to become “middle class.” Am I sneering at their aspirations? No, I’m merely trying to shed a little real-world light on their/our plight. For the record: I am, and always have been, a member of the working class. I went from job to job, selling my labor power over my working career.
CONTINUED ON Past Articles page (Click on "DETAILS" to make content appear)
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Why "Battleship Potemkin"? Sergei Eisenstein's 1925 movie about the mutiny in the Tsar's Black Sea fleet during the failed 1905 Russian revolution is acknowledged as a masterpiece of cinema. The author of this website endorses the film's message: To rise against cruel oppression is not only justified, it is essential for the preservation of human dignity.
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Previous two blog articles, available on Past articles page:
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Previous two blog articles, available on Past articles page:
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My current writing projects
I am seeking Literary Agent representation for the memoir of my resistance to the American War in Vietnam from within the ranks of the active-duty US military. TAKE THIS WAR AND SHOVE IT! A Most Unwilling Soldier 1967-1971 consists of approximately 82,000 words of text, plus several appendixes, copies of official government documents and photos.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, GO TO "MEMOIR" PAGE (click HERE) [coming soon, I swear!]
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While I endeavor to find a publisher for the memoir, I am having fun writing my first novel. It is a savage satire of the Music Business, of which I have some personal experience. Its title is classified (Top Secret!) for the time being.
I am seeking Literary Agent representation for the memoir of my resistance to the American War in Vietnam from within the ranks of the active-duty US military. TAKE THIS WAR AND SHOVE IT! A Most Unwilling Soldier 1967-1971 consists of approximately 82,000 words of text, plus several appendixes, copies of official government documents and photos.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION, GO TO "MEMOIR" PAGE (click HERE) [coming soon, I swear!]
_________________________________________________________________
While I endeavor to find a publisher for the memoir, I am having fun writing my first novel. It is a savage satire of the Music Business, of which I have some personal experience. Its title is classified (Top Secret!) for the time being.
This blog site addresses and comments on these topics (among others!): peace, war, US politics, American politics, political analysis, climate crisis, climate change, climate change deniers, Donald J. Trump, social commentary, social criticism, social satire, current events, racism, anti-war movement, anti-racism, religion, religious extremism, religious fundamentalism, atheism, Buddhism, fascism, anti-fascism, socialism, communism, American war in Vietnam, the Vietnam War, Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, "The Vietnam War" PBS TV series, GIs, GI resistance to war, US Army, US military, militarism, anti-militarism, 'Bowe' Bergdahl, national debt, Pentagon budget, literature, books, authors, writers, cinema, music, movies, environment, ecology, anthropology, evolution, human race, humankind, misogyny, homophobia, philosophy, resistance, "Star Trek," "Star Trek: The Next Generation," United States Constitution, The Federalist Papers, James Madison, "The Simpsons," Bob Dylan, "Tombstone Blues," Commander-in-Chief, al-Baghdadi, Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Iran, endless wars, Major Danny Sjursen, Fritz Lang, Peter Bogdanovich, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, Dr. Mabuse the Gambler, M, The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, Josef Goebbels, Hollywood, The Picture of Dorian Gray, Herman Melville, Moby Dick
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS NOTICE: Unless otherwise indicated, owner of this site is the sole author and owner of all material posted (with exception of public domain graphics). Permission is granted to share contents of this site elsewhere on the Internet or by other means of reproduction provided original author (Gregory Laxer) is credited. Please include a link to this website as a courtesy. If only excerpts are shared, original context must be accurately conveyed and, again, credited to original author. Please include a link to this website. EXCEPTION: Selections from my as yet unpublished memoir (see Memoir Page of this site) may not be reproduced elsewhere without express permission of the author.
DISCLAIMER: The author/owner of this website is not responsible for or necessarily in agreement with ideas expressed on other websites to which links are provided, nor does he endorse products that may be advertised on this site by the website service provider.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS NOTICE: Unless otherwise indicated, owner of this site is the sole author and owner of all material posted (with exception of public domain graphics). Permission is granted to share contents of this site elsewhere on the Internet or by other means of reproduction provided original author (Gregory Laxer) is credited. Please include a link to this website as a courtesy. If only excerpts are shared, original context must be accurately conveyed and, again, credited to original author. Please include a link to this website. EXCEPTION: Selections from my as yet unpublished memoir (see Memoir Page of this site) may not be reproduced elsewhere without express permission of the author.
DISCLAIMER: The author/owner of this website is not responsible for or necessarily in agreement with ideas expressed on other websites to which links are provided, nor does he endorse products that may be advertised on this site by the website service provider.
