Apathy 2

Apathy is a cultural norm. The lack of a long term, evolving, sustainable, cultural life style of reform and revolution in America is a direct result of this. I’m too busy, I’m too tired, there has never been a successful revolution in history are all disingenuous excuses. As I said before we all do what we can when we can and that is all we can do.  Awareness requires a sense of “Other” and this requires imagination and being able to feel a stranger’s pain. It is not a lack of time or energy, but a lack of compassion that is the issue. While almost all working class Americans truly are over worked, under paid, under appreciated and are not really respected and that is the problem. But, with awareness, long term strategies, short term goals and a way of connecting the two we can build a movement that can bear fruit. Case in point the post Stonewall gay and lesbian movements are now beginning to have noticeable success. If we are able to” keep on keeping on” that would be good. The Socialist and IWW movements in the first two decades of the 20^th century was beginning to produce a long-term movement until crushed by the brutal post WWI red scare. The New Deal, Communist, radical rank and file Union movements of the 1930’s also produced positive results until crushed by the post WWII red scare. The late 1960’s came and went with little more than a spectacular meteor shower because is was little more than a “happening” and not a real social movement lacking any serious long term strategies. The Jackson Rainbow Coalition of the 1980’s never went anywhere it was all about Jesse and not a real movement with any long term strategies. My point is it takes but a minute to sign an on line petition, or talk to friends in the break room.