[Marxism-Thaxis] Working Class Hero
I was trying to think of songs that actually expressed working class consciousness outside of accepting the fantasy that 'pop music' is one means to escape it (either through commercial success from making it or being transported somewhere while listening to it). Or songs that actually acknowledge the existence of working class. My memory takes me back to the 70s and 80s, or to artists who continued producing after that but come from that time. Some of it seems to be working class rejection and parody of bourgeois values (something the Beatles stood out for but most didn't understand that back in the 1960s). The first song on my list is trying to be an anthem for the working class but ends on a less than hopeful note. The Skids' song 'Charles' strikes me now as one I actually hadn't understood back in 1978 when I first heard it. I thought the factory job had resulted in some sort of physical injury, but what the song is really saying is that when you participate in a machinic assembly line you become a machine that loses human thinking ability and feeling, while your life is worth as much as a machine written off the books as obsolete. The Skids were a punk/post-punk band of the late 70s. Stuart Adamson would go on to form Big Country, whose name seemed to confuse Americans (they were more hard rock and Celtic folk rock but did do some country later). The Mekons 'Millionaire' is simply brilliant. They got started as one of the acts that always got compared to Gang of Four (there is some similarity of sound). David Sylvian's song, it seems to me, is about how working class status helps define the foreign other--we want 'poetry' from them in their existence, but once we see them closer to how they are (desperate, disposable, but 'damn near unbreakable'), we are changed. I know it sounds like a cliche' but the 'third world poverty' I have seen near tourist resorts always struck me as people with more dignity than the poor of a 'developed democracy' like the US. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF5t4FH5B4Yfeature=related Belief In The Small Man Stuart Adamson/Big Country --- Just as one life turns from birth Just as the ring finds its worth Just as the leaf turns to gold So you and I will be sold Chorus Sold for the work done While we could feel young Sold for the new son Gold for the pure one Where does our home lie When is our own Lonely the cold cry Only unknown Dark comes the night on the aged Hard comes the day still unpaid yet All in a bed still unmade it Chokes like the tomb and it says its Chorus (three times) Unknown, unknown Chorus Where does our home lie When is our own Lonely the cold cry Only unknown Unknown, unknown http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50LwbnBlk6Afeature=related Millionaire Mekons everybody's so in love but they don't touch or meet eyes all stinging eyes all red a bunch of flowers in the street i love a millionaire the champagne was never cheap but i could pay someone to drink it for me never rise up from these sheets watching time just roll away stretching out my bones a million miles from home lust corrodes my body i've lost count of my lovers but i can count my money for ever and forever dreaming of a creature who is too pale and large to stand and only feels the terror of his vain flight from earth http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySHOOnhpCy8feature=related America Killing Joke I can survive the rat race honey Time is money and money is honey, honey My megabucks your symmetrical beauty Together we can serve the nation - yeah! The quality of life filled us all with pride America And as I watched I just cried and cried How I love America I will buy you rich perfumes And we will eat the finest foods A mansion in New England A silver dollar for every child Where everybody has got their price They'll sustain our way of life You and I will fly to Rio I'll make you feel like a millionaire I can survive the rat race honey Time is money and money is honey, honey My megabucks your symmetrical beauty Together we can serve the nation - yeah! The quality of life filled us all with pride America And as I watched I just cried and cried How I love America West is best and might is right And with our allies - fight the good fight A first class, five star enterprise Now everybody's got to compromise My moral code's on overload Liberty still takes it's toll Take a look at the losers wasting in the bars Where they cut their losses! I can survive the rat race honey Time is money, and money is honey, honey My megabucks your symmetrical beauty Together we can serve the nation - yeah! The quality of life filled us all with pride America And as I watched I just cried and cried How I love America There were fireworks in the Gulf There was champagne at home - How I love America But showbiz and Hollywood still shouted out - America http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pEGM47bkvQ Charles The Skids Charles got a job in a factory Drilling sheet metal from six till three Worked
[Marxism-Thaxis] JFP 12/14: Holbrooke: You've Got to Stop This War in Afghanistan
*Just Foreign Policy News December 14, 2010 * *Just Foreign Policy News on the Web:* http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/node/784http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=xHnMp7c41j7ABKiviFtp4APqnIsD8trg [To receive just the Summary and a link to the web version, you can use this webform: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/switchdailynewshttp://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=6Zm%2FGRJ%2BB3ZiD%2Bis%2BWZyPmW%2Ben2WjWkk ] *Richard Holbrooke: You've Got to Stop This War in Afghanistan* To honor Holbrroke's memory, we should obey his last command. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-naiman/the-richard-holbrooke-mem_b_796502.htmlhttp://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=LhPl64%2BxE%2FOwk6j5li95Z2W%2Ben2WjWkk * Afghanistan experts call for peace deal and exit strategy* Afghanistan experts with decades of experience in the country call on President Obama to change course and push for a peace settlement and exit strategy. Signers include: Scott Atran, Michael Cohen, Gilles Dorronsoro, Bernard Finel, Joshua Foust, Anatol Lieven, Ahmed Rashid, and Alex Strick van Linschoten. http://www.afghanistancalltoreason.com/http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=58wbxtG6DoPsvJbQLWfCZwPqnIsD8trg *Deficit Reduction Proposals: Defense Discretionary Spending* Laicie Olson of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation has put together a chart that shows where various deficit reduction proposals come down on specific cuts to the military budget. For example, one can see from the chart that five of the nine proposals essentially call for returning troop levels to their prewar levels; and seven of the nine proposals call for at least a 1/3 cut in the US military presence in Asia and Europe. http://armscontrolcenter.org/Deficit_Proposals_PDF.pdfhttp://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=bWpKnu2Kw62Q07en2%2FhLW2W%2Ben2WjWkk *Public Citizen Condemns Attacks on WikiLeaks, Which Threaten Online Speech and Freedom of Press* Statement of Robert Weissman, President of Public Citizen: the attacks are an assault not only on WikiLeaks, but on freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of the Internet. http://www.citizen.org/pressroom/pressroomredirect.cfm?ID=3236http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=TKJnT%2BMud4YBW4q7zkKH72W%2Ben2WjWkk *Center for Constitutional Rights: Rights Groups Denounce U.S. Decision to Resume Deportations to Haiti * ICE's sudden decision to resume deportations to Haiti is unconscionable...the situation in Haiti has not improved and may be even worse now than when the deportations were halted in the weeks after the devastating earthquake of January 2010. http://www.ccrjustice.org/newsroom/press-releases/rights-groups-denounce-u.s.-government%E2%80%99s-decision-resume-some-deportations-hhttp://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=a3Lk0eHQuFxTULJwPnwrIGW%2Ben2WjWkk **Action: Petition: Timetable for the Withdrawal of UN Troops from Haiti* The election fiasco in Haiti, following UN attempts to cover up the likely role of UN troops in the outbreak of cholera in Haiti, add urgency to the call for the UN to tell Haitians what the plan is for the full restoration of Haitian sovereignty. http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/act/haitihttp://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=9dZHyCUuw%2BAcB0viHH3P%2BWW%2Ben2WjWkk *Help Support Our Work* Your donation helps us educate Americans and create opportunities to advocate for a just foreign policy. http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/donatehttp://salsa.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2c=8BcyQ7v2ZTWjetAyuM%2BVgGW%2Ben2WjWkk *Summary:* *U.S./Top News #12ce7b5bfb4a67e9_December1410t1* 1) A review of U.S. strategy in Afghanistan on Thursday will report some progress despite the bloodiest year in nine years of war and signal no major change in President Obama's plans, Reuters reports. But even reports of modest progress might surprise many in Afghanistan, where a recent U.S. military report found an expanding, tenacious insurgency, entrenched corruption and dysfunctional governance despite some pockets of security. Almost 700 foreign troops have been killed in 2010, at least 477 of them Americans. What's going to happen next year is quite clear: less Europeans, more Taliban, and Karzai not being able to do the work, said Gilles Dorronsoro of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 2) Human Rights Watch said diplomatic cables released by Wikileaks stated that Yemen in 2009 repeatedly diverted U.S.-supported Yemeni counterterrorism forces and possibly U.S.-supplied military vehicles to assist the government's fight against northern Huthi rebels, Inter Press Service reports. HRW called on the U.S. government to investigate Yemen's apparent diversion of U.S. counterterrorism assistance and suspend such aid unless the misuse has stopped. The administration and Congress also should investigate reported Saudi use of U.S.-supplied ammunition in Yemen and U.S. missile
[Marxism-Thaxis] Bessie Smith : Cakewalking Babies from Home
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmY1wBKeGeAfeature=artist ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Bessie Smith : At The Christmas Ball
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k7cfzTwNOM http://www.we7.com/#/song/Bessie-Smith/At-The-Christmas-Ball+1 http://www.mp3rocket.com/mp3/-1_00/Bessie-Smith-At-the-Christmas-Ball.htm ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] I For Insanity
http://dennisperrin.blogspot.com/2010/12/i-for-insanity.html ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] Baby It's Cold Outside
This is a really nice version. CB http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vy70vAgmHcU ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] A Christmas Carol: Christmas and Class
Some class issues in a Christmas classic. CB http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol A Christmas Carol[note 1] is a novella by English author Charles Dickens first published by Chapman Hall on 19 December 1843. The story tells of sour and stingy Ebenezer Scrooge's ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visitations of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The novella met with instant success and critical acclaim. The book was written and published in early Victorian era Britain when it was experiencing a nostalgic interest in its forgotten Christmas traditions, and at the time when new customs such as the Christmas tree and greeting cards were being introduced. Dickens's sources for the tale appear to be many and varied but are principally the humiliating experiences of his childhood, his sympathy for the poor, and the Christmas stories of Washington Irving.[1] The tale has been viewed as an indictment of nineteenth century industrial capitalism and was adapted several times to the stage, and has been credited with restoring the holiday to one of merriment and festivity in Britain and America after a period of sobriety and sombreness. A Christmas Carol remains popular, has never been out of print,[2] and has been adapted to film, opera, and other media. ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
[Marxism-Thaxis] What Does The Collapse Of The Soviet Union Really Mean?
http://theivanovosti.typepad.com/the_ivanov_report/2010/12/geopolitics-for-dummies-what-does-the-collapse-of-the-soviet-union-really-mean-.html December 12, 2010 Geopolitics For Dummies: What Does The Collapse Of The Soviet Union Really Mean? Regardless of how one would characterize the collapse of the Soviet Union -- as the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the century or just its major geopolitical disaster -- everyone appears to agree that it was one of the 20th century's most fateful geopolitical events. Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin once called it a genuine drama for the Russian nation. In contrast, many in the West celebrated the disappearance of the Soviet Union as a Cold War trophy and a sign of the end of history. While the fact that the Soviet Union has collapsed is not in dispute, little attention is being paid to what the Soviet Union, the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), actually was. The only thing everyone seems to remember is that the USSR was composed of 15 so-called Soviet Socialist Republics (SSR). So when the USSR was collapsing, the collapse was supposed to proceed precisely along the borders separating the SSRs, resulting in the creation of 15 newly independent states. Can it get any simpler than that? Not so fast. In 1991, the Soviet Union was a true administrative monster that held together as many as 173 different territorial entities: 15 above-mentioned SSRs, 20 Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republics (ASSRs, parts of SSRs), 8 autonomous regions, 114 regions, 6 territories (край), and 10 autonomous districts. Countless changes to this administrative puzzle have occurred in almost 70 years (1922-1991) that the Soviet Union was in existence: new districts, regions and republics emerged and then disappeared with the speed of images on a slide show; borders between entities were drawn and redrawn, and then redrawn again, by a restless hand of a mysterious artist; shuffling smaller republics between bigger ones was taking place almost as often as shuffling cards in professional poker. Just a few examples. In 1936, the Kazakh and Kyrgyz ASSRs ceased being parts of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic (RSFSR), the largest SSR in the USSR, and were upgraded to the Kazakh and Kyrgyz SSRs, while the Karakalpak ASSR was transferred from the RSFSR to the Uzbek SSR. In the 1950's, a swath of RSFSR territories bordering the Kazakh SSR went under the Kazakh SSR's jurisdiction. In 1954, the Ukraine SSR got a gift from the RSFSR: Crimea (the Crimea region of the RSFSR). Think about that for a moment. Crimea has been an intrinsic part of Russia for almost 200 years, with the Russian Empire spending blood and treasure, during the Crimean War of 1853-1856, to keep the peninsula within its borders. And then, a Communist apparatchik, Nikita Khrushchev, following the best traditions of the Soviet Union's arbitrariness, just transferred Crimea from Russia proper to Ukraine. (The reason for Khrushchev's decision -- to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the reunification of Ukraine with Russia -- sounds especially absurd today.) Is it not incumbent upon anyone who wants to put away the legacy of the Soviet Union to condemn this act of supreme state stupidity (the term state treason would perhaps be more appropriate) and to demand that Crimea be returned to where it truly belongs: in Russia? Granted, the borders of some Soviet Socialist Republics -- the three Baltic SSRs (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania) come to mind first -- did reflect historically established demarcations between stable and mature nations. But others did not. Instead, they were created by the malicious mind of the world's most creative nation builder, Josef Stalin. Take the Georgian SSR. This product of Stalin's imaginative cartography included the Abkhaz ASSR and South Ossetia autonomous region, both placed under Georgian rule in contradiction to historic and common sense and despite protestations by both the Abkhazi and Ossetian people. So when in 1991, Georgia declared its independence from the Soviet Union, both Abkhazia and South Ossetia rightfully demanded their independence from Georgia. They won it, after an armed rebellion, in 1992-1993. But the Western governments have refused to accept their de facto independence. Western strategists apparently believed that in this part of the Soviet Union, its collapse should be partial, so that Georgia's independence from the USSR was legitimate, despite the fact that Georgia joined the USSR voluntarily, but the independence of Abkhasia and South Ossetia from Georgia was not, despite the fact that both entities were made part of Georgia by Stalin's order. Our Secretary of State ought to consider this the next time she articulates U.S. policy in the region. The Madam Secretary should remember that by vowing to uphold Georgia's territorial integrity, she is attempting to preserve the legacy of the Soviet Union (and
Re: [Marxism-Thaxis] Working Class Hero
Looks like at the archive a couple songs got clipped out--perhaps too long a post? Here is what didn't make it to the archive: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOTHdjymnW0 Atom and Cell David Sylvian Her skin was darker than ashes And she had something to say Bout being naked to the elements At the end of yet another day And the rain on her back that continued to fall From the bruise of her lips Swollen, fragile, and small And the bills that you paid with were worth nothing at all A lost foreign currency Multi-coloured, barely reputable Like the grasses that blew in the warm summer breeze Well she offered you this to do as you pleased And where is the poetry? Didn't she promise us poetry? The redwoods, the deserts, the tropical ease The swamps and the prairie dogs, the Joshua trees The long straight highways from dirt road to tar Hitching your wheels to truck, bus, or car And the lives that you hold in the palm of your hand You toss them aside small and damn near unbreakable You drank all the water and you pissed yourself dry Then you fell to your knees and proceeded to cry And who could feel sorry for a drunkard like this In a democracy of dunces with a parasites kiss? And where are the stars? Didn't she promise us stars? Nothing will ever be as it was The price has been paid with a thousand loose shoes Pictures are pasted on shop windows and walls Like a poor mans Boltanski Lost one and all. Sell, sell Bid your farewell Come, come Save yourself Give yourself over Pushing your consciousness Deep into every atom and cell, Sell, Bid your farewell Come, come Save yourself Give yourself over Pushing your consciousness Deep into every atom and cell, Sell, Bid your farewell Come, come Save yourself Give yourself over Pushing your consciousness http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_Uz8ud1qnsfeature=related What are you working for? Stuart Adamson and Big Country There was a crooked man and he wore a crooked smile He built a crooked highway and it ran for miles and miles With money from the revenue and sponsorship from Ford But it barely holds together with the goodwill of the Lord In the penthouse of the baron, the little children sleep Daddy talks to smugglers while armed guerillas creep Poison for the great unwashed, business for the mob Another teenage murder, it's just trouble on the job Now I see what I must see The poor do time the rich go free You keep the faith and they keep score Is this what you are working for A newsleak in the city, another scandal breaks Sex and drugs in city hall, someone on the make Legal bounty hunters aim their lawsuits well The victim talks to Playboy says I guess I'll go to hell ___ Marxism-Thaxis mailing list Marxism-Thaxis@lists.econ.utah.edu To change your options or unsubscribe go to: http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/marxism-thaxis
