A Question for Christmas
Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” depicts a society in which the wealthy, well off , and well connected are able to exercise options re the manner in which they celebrate, or ignore, Christmas.
The old story is as apt today as it ever was, possibly even more so.
In a recent speech in support of the Sanders candidacy, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez posited that despite the hurrahs and harangues, the United States of America, arguably the wealthiest nation in the history of the planet, is not at all an advanced society, but a political and social entity that is, or has, evolved into fascism:
“The richest country—who cares about how much gold is being amassed if we can’t realize an advanced society with those resources? We’re here to say that what we’re living in right now is not an advanced society. A society that allows people—it is fascism,” …
https://www.newsweek.com/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-america-not-advanced-society-us-fascism-wealth-inequality-1479027
So, here’s the question:
Is her assessment correct?
12/25/2019 @ 12:57 am
AOC is half right. This is not an advanced society but it is not fascist. Trump is not actually a nationalist, he’s more of a quasi-monarchist who thinks more like Louis XIV’s “Je suis la France (I am France).” Or maybe Chiang Kai-Chek’s pre Mao China. Trump is not remotely interested in anyone sacrificing anything for this country. Real fascists do not view those who sacrifice for their country as suckers. I’m afraid she doesn’t get actual fascism.
We certainly are not an advanced society politically or economically and at the moment we’re drastically moving backward. We can see this in three ways:
1. We now know that the will of average Americans doesn’t turn into national policy but the will of wealthy Americans does, regardless of the vote counts.
2. The distribution of wealth is awful. The last figures I know about, from 2012 or 2013, put the poorest 40% of the population as collectively owning less than a third of one percent of America’s wealth, and if anything it’s now likely to be worse because of Trump’s tax policies.
3. The Republican Party is completely dismantling Federal institutions that protect both democracy and the overall welfare of the republic.
We may find that the most important event in the last couple of years of American history was John McCain’s death. I don’t think the Republican Party would have had the nerve to treat impeachment this way if he were still alive.
12/25/2019 @ 6:48 pm
‘l’état, c’est moi’ French quotation attributed to Louis XIV
Louis XIV’s “Je suis la France (I am France).” Not Louis XIV, but attributed to Charles De Gaulle…
Other than this error, I would tend to agree with your evaluation of AOC’s assertion…