Month: March 2011

Things Not Fought For Anymore

~ Tom

Homage To Catalonia by George Orwell

Swiped this book from the shelf of a friend. You know the situation. You go somewhere and you look through the book shelves of others. Every once-a-once you see a book and you say: she’s reading this? Why? And then you know, being the reader you are, that it can’t be right that she reads a book that you haven’t read yet, at least a book of this literary stature. All her pop-entertaining books can stay where they are. But this book… would mean that she’s one-up on you. That won’t fly.

Although Homage To Catalonia is politically one-sided, it’s a fascinating exposé of the ideological aftermath of WW1. Things fought for, things believed in, haves and havenots. Today war is just about having and having more. Idears are no longer fought for, the fight is now only about oil and hegemony.

Oh, in case you’re interested. It didn’t work between us. I returned the book after she saw it on my coffee table. And then I learned that there was no vindication. For she never actually read it.

Rant on.

-tgs-

Bash This

~ Tom

Dear Hunting With Jesus by Joe Bageant

My reading list is long. Bageant’s books have been on my list for years and with his passing I feel compelled to move him up a few notches. He’s a redneck to steel my heart! Probably no other writer has yet captured the essence of how/why stupid white people, middle class apathy and ignorance has ruined Amerika.

Even though I’m a born & reared redneck, I’ve had the privilege of getting around this planet. I can’t tell you how much I miss home, though, on account all my travels turned out to be an expat nightmare. But now, after all this time, home is only an idear. It’s most certainly not about geography (to paraphrase Bernard Shaw). There will be nothing cheaper, ever, than the shit I write here which derives out of all this travel. So there. See you or see you not at my next critical rant. Util then, learn something and at least imagine changing the world.

Facebook exchange after I posted vid (below) after reading “Deer Hunting With Jesus”.

FB Friend 2: Tommi, are you American anymore?

Me: Sure. Polly wanna cracker?

FB Friend 2: Talk is cheap. Some of the things you say. Not good.

FB Friend 1: “Talk is cheap” – considering the way you react to a perfectly innocent view on America: No, it ain’t. It can cost dearly. Talk can be the walk you gotta walk.

FB Friend 2: There is nothing innocent about Tommis’ views when you bash your own “home” as he called it. Also he keeps calling himself a redneck,could not be a redneck back in those days unless you wore orange and white rolled down socks and chains hanging off of your belt.I do not believe I ever saw him wear that.More like prepy,football jock,that loved the attention the girls gave him.He was also alot nicer.

FB Friend 1: Q.E.D. (And here I thought you were just one little “e” short from being a German yourself.)

Rant on.

-tgs-

Rediscover BNW

~ Tom

Brave New World by A. Huxley

Even though I’m only scratching the redneck surface of my (in)ability to comprehend the idiocracy that is repub-ism and American’t conservatism, it’s nice to know that someone already covered it all way back when. Rediscovering Huxley is way cool.

“Education for freedom must begin by stating facts and enunciating values, and must go on to develop appropriate techniques for realizing the values and for combating those who, for whatever reason, choose to ignore the facts or deny the values.” 

-A.Huxley, BNW Rediscovered

Rant on.

-tgs-