1) this person feels that the government is the only person with “true coercive power” (forgetting massive hired militias working in iraq… apparently). ignoring the incredible power of financial coercion. How many times have I heard “we would farm full time, but my wife has to keep her off farm job for the health insurance and as a sort of safety net.”
2) “I’m happy to enjoy a standard of living that is many times greater than most of the world will ever experience.” American privilege/exceptionalism up front and center. This statement ignores or simply accepts that this privileged standard of living is enjoyed at the direct expense of other Americans (not to mention the millions of human beings who are sick, impoverished, and imprisoned all across the globe… they clearly don’t count in this cartoonists view of the world. they just need to ‘work hard, save money, and stop wining, right?).
Didn’t we get rid of this notion of a ‘bargain struck between a girl and her employers’ when the brilliant leaders of our state governments systematically attacked and distroyed collective bargaining rights? Isn’t ‘bargaining’ and afront to capitalism as well?
I don’t mind talking through and learning together about issues of finance and governance. I do mind having others insinuate that those who care about issues of corporate colonization of american government and corrupt fiscal and labor policies as “lazy” and “ignorant.”
We all have a “My father worked hard…” story. It’s just that not all of us have a happy ending to that story. For every “My father worked hard so that we could have a better life and now things are great” story, there are many more “My father worked hard and then was suddenly laid off after 17 years, too old to find a comparable job in his field and now we’re very scared for the future.”
The myth of the American dream leads people who have been victims of corporate greed to believe that it is their fault. I’m reminded daily of the farm crisis of the 80’s, and the tragic spate of farmer suicides that followed.
Of course I support people expressing their opinions, whatever they be. It scares me that this sort of sentiment could gain traction.
Actually saw a comment on one of the mock-the-53 articles that accused Americans of being docile and controlled by comfort and convenience, and that being a horrible travesty that should not stand. Seriously, read it: John Cooper’s comment, 5:05 PM on October 11th.
totally agree with the commentary, not the picture. not to mention how America has become a super-power of the world hogging up enormous amounts of environmental and man made resources and not even flinching. We are the only country in the world that HAS clean water, yet bottled water is imported to us.
We are the modern day Pompeii.
