dagblog - Comments for "The New Malcontents."

I've been talking with J.S.

Oxy Mora — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 04:22:48 +0000

I've been talking with J.S. about the title of the new book and we are in agreement that there are so many "malcontents" in the literature that the American connotation might not catch on. After all there are Marston, C.P. Snow, and others. Per Snow, he said,

"Dreadful book, third person dribble." and added, "I think calling himself "C.P" is more pretentious than just saying, "Charles Percy"

About Marston he said,

"No gravitas. It's been bastardized, even produced in a Banana
Republic venue."

So we are considering "The New American Malcontents", then he goes,

"We really need to get that pamphlet by Mr. Honcho Malcontent in Georgia, draw the comparison. What was his name, Tailfer, wasn't it? So I said, yeah, get it on Print on Demand, about $25, it's on the internet." True and Historical Narrative of the Colony of Georgia in America" c. 1741.

"We've got to get into Tailfer's head", he said.

I said, "I know, I'll......"

"Let me see that thing, kid", he said, and grabbed my computer.

Thanks, Artsy. When you

Oxy Mora — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 01:41:51 +0000

In reply to I don't see any progression

Thanks, Artsy. When you compare Cruz to Nixon or McCarthy, it seems as if nothing has changed in 50 years in the efforts to stall progressive causes by posturing demagogues arousing those who feel they have been left out. But I do think that the New Malcontents have a very powerful new weapon under the Citizens United decision.

That's an interesting article you reference and I've come to the conclusion that the bulk of racial prejudice is not going to go away until the vessels lift off to another planet. I do think that corporations and businesses have largely come to terms with having a diversified mix of employees. Maybe in the very small businesses that would not be the case.

I'm glad you brought up libertarianism because I fear that Democrats are vulnerable to changes in strategy by the Tea Party to attract the young and disaffected. ~~Now is the Spring of the Disaffected~~.

Thanks, Trk. I too have a

Oxy Mora — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 01:18:16 +0000

In reply to When I was a kid my mother's

Thanks, Trk. I too have a thing for old magazines and good books of any kind. I found a vintage hardback of Winter in mint condition---it was as if I had been drawn to the book and I am researching the edition, and in the meantime bought a $2 paperback to read. The mags in those days carried some important works, like a Life magazine which had the first printing of The Old Man and the Sea. I'm glad that you're early reading helped mold your liberal views. Thanks for commenting.

I don't see any progression

artappraiser — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 20:28:36 +0000

In reply to The New Malcontents.

I don't see any progression in the amount of Malcontentedness, just change in characters as the older ones retire from the scene. Neither does Dick Cheney, who likes them. They always seem to manage to get like 25% to 30% of the population to follow them. I honestly don't see much difference between the hatred of "slick Willy" and of Obama by this crowd, nor of the elaborate plotting against them funded by deep pockets. (Though I might judge the stymie-ing of Obama to be a bit more successful so far, I wonder if that has more to do with the political talent of the targets than with the talent of the plotters.) The only real difference this time is that some GOP seem to have had enough of some of the plotting and are speaking publicly against it and you see talk of rifts in the party, where before they were either went along with the ride somewhat reluctantly or tried to stay quiet and unnoticed about anything they found disturbing.

Perhaps it just seems like it because we have the internet reporting their daily antics? Well I was addicted during the Gingrich/Scaife games and I created my own internet daily updates by a combination of heavy newstand expenses and the daily reports and antics on cable news TV like Geraldo's show and C-SPAN call-ins. And it really does not seem much different to me.

What the future might bring is that as more mixed race/heritage Americans reach voting age, the peanut gallery of followers might get smaller but they will get louder, angrier and more desperate. On the other hand, as more mixed race/heritage Americans also rise into upper income brackets, maybe the race reasons for the phenomenon will fade while the other reasons for hating/fearing big government might not. Then throw into the hopper that the meaning of "I hate big government" might also change, see Edward Snowden and fans on that. To me, libertarianism in general has more potential for progression, attracting folks from both ends of the current political spectrum.

When I was a kid my mother's

trkingmomoe — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 19:47:39 +0000

In reply to Note: Because it might not be

When I was a kid my mother's sisters would come and visit and bring boxes of magazines that they would save for her. Coronet was always one of them. It was a lot like Reader's Digest and I would read them from cover to cover. It would take years for my mom to clean them out of the basement so I read probably 10 years of back issues also. I just liked to read as a kid. I am sure I read "Our Rigged Morality." Maybe that is why I am such a liberal activist today because of magazines like Coronet. I am like you, I still like the feel of a book. I like to soak in the bath tub and read. You can't do that with a electronic device.

Note: Because it might not be

Oxy Mora — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 18:38:28 +0000

In reply to The New Malcontents.

Note: Because it might not be found anywhere else, the inscription reads:

For Adlai

with the usual.

This is not to be read

perhaps---but you were

deeply involved in its

inception."

Correspondence between Stevenson and Steinbeck is contained in a March 1960 issue of "Coronet" magazine under the title, "Our Rigged Morality".