The New Deal, Civil Rights, Neoliberalism – Losing Battle Against Poverty in the US

After the Great Depression, Roosevelt created The New Deal that got people back to work and protected the worker. He included the right to organize labour and made companies deal fairly with unions.

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The civil rights movements focused on the poor, the disenfranchised, marginalized, people of colour, LGBTQ+ and women.

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But then along came Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Regan and Neoliberalism ….. and trickle down economics had “no meaningful effect on unemployment or economic growth.”

USA vs Canada’s reaction to the pandemic

What were the differences in social support during the pandemic?
In Canada, citizens were loaned money to stay off work, to keep the roof over their heads, for their families and businesses, a $10 a day child care plan was put forward to get caregivers back to work, more benefits like dental care were added to the social health system….

What did the USA do? Bumped up the stock market, banks and corporations….. Did not ‘encourage’ big pharma to deal fairly with other countries re: TRIPswaiver which prolonged the pandemic. As a result, it has taken longer than needed to get to the 2/3 global vaccination goal WHO had.

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What have we learned from this view? That corporations get away with literally murder. And the govts in some countries that buy into their needs are more willing to employ and increase spending on military and police to secure CEO’s safety than to take care of their citizens who actually vote them in. People who were working full time plus were going to food banks and becoming homeless while considered to be essential workers. And often the biggest difference between that and keeping their jobs was having a union.

…. lesson learned

When you want to be protected, don’t ask your govt or employer. Form a union.

documentary on Covid in USA

for a deeper dive into what the workers of the USA faced during the pandemic.

Q – What about Long Haul Covid?

In yesterday’s post/comments about the status of Covid 19, I was asked about long haul covid. I had written about it before but people have learned some key things since so it’s worth updating that info.

what the pro world knows NOW

• Covid 19 is caught from being exposed to a virus called SARS Covid 2. It is mostly air born and can stay in the room for quite some time. It causes a vascular condition (which can mostly be managed) where your body reacts in different ways depending on your health and how high the viral load was you were exposed to.
• The virus in you is contagious to others for up to 20 days. Dependent on different factors including your viral load.
• Most people feel like they caught a cold or a flu and other than fatigue for a while, they recover and go back to normal for them. It’s really key to take it slower during the initial period. Or it takes longer to recover.
• If someone hasn’t recovered at 4 weeks, they should be assessed for long haul covid. They should be tested and see what impact their body experienced. There are aids that can help now.
• Most people will recover from even long haul covid. It might take weeks, months.
• But there are people who caught it in the first days of 2020 and have yet to get well. That is qualifying more as a disability than an illness though. With disabilities, funding ie insurance is the critical issue. Be sure to get your tests and documents together for this (even in Canada, UK and USA). Chronic issues aren’t usually treated at ER. Or in hospital. Which is good for the community stress level. But hard(er) in some ways for the person to access support and care. And support is hard(er) to keep when people want to return back to normal. People will get frustrated, including you and your health care team.
• The pro world is saying that the vaccines have helped reduce the cases of both the virus contagion and long haul covid. The more often you’re exposed to the virus, the more you are likely to get long covid. So protect yourself.

So that’s the good news.

Less contagious up to 20 days. Mostly symptoms gone by 4 weeks.

The not knowns

Though virologists and epidemiologists do know about viral behaviours and what happens when they stick around in the body from other similar long haul conditions (like the flu, polio, MS, POTS, HIV/AIDS….), they don’t know much about what the long term issues will be for long haul covid sufferers. So if this is something you’ve been told you have, try to get into a study group. They’ll want to follow what happens to you, and hopefully you’ll get the support you need. It may also offset some of your financial concerns.

resources

survivor corp
cdc
who

Q – Covid 19/SARS Cov 2 Update – What is the difference between pandemic and endemic?

The World Health Org has down graded the pandemic to an endemic status. That doesn’t mean that it’s gone, it is solely a ….

Difference in definitions

• the virus is somewhat contained and not spreading out of control and not stressing the health care infrastructure,
• Though an endemic is a constant presence in a community, it differs from a pandemic because the virus is somewhat contained and not spreading out of control and not stressing the health care infrastructure, therefore we can more easily prevent and treat it.
  source

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• The World Health Organization (WHO)(link is external and opens in a new window) declares a pandemic when a disease’s growth is exponential. This means the growth rate skyrockets,
• the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic isn’t in the severity of the disease, but the degree to which it has spread.
  source

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They can do this since about 2/3 of the world pop have now had their first shot. Which has taken about 1 1/2 yrs since the vaccines were first rolled out. There are also tested treatments and most health care facilities are now trained in how to cope with people who have the disease and how to mitigate exposure to the virus.

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We’re still being asked to get the vaccines, wear masks, isolate when ill, wash hands and distance indoors. Esp when cases are high in our area. We need to keep in mind that this doesn’t mean it’s gone. We do have to mitigate our risks.

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Meanwhile, we just picked up a new variant of interest. So yeah keep your ear to the ground. It could be changed back.

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FYI, ebola and malaria are at endemic states. And both are potentially lethal. So please do still take this seriously.

Self Help Gurus Want You to Step into the ‘Wish Machine’

Instead of helping you to work on your own life goals and be present & calm in reality as it is, to grow as a person, a lot of ‘self help’ gurus seem to be asking you to dream of a life that you cannot achieve. And never ever will achieve. So is that really helping you?

Yes it’s hard to be you in a changing world that oppresses you to conform. That threatens you with slavery to a corporation that will let you die in a storm. Or will put you in a jail, a mental health ward or let you starve on the streets if you dare try to start a union.

Yes some people are more privileged than others and there’s no real rhyme or reason why they have all the luck and you don’t. So you could accept that and try to enjoy your friends and family or…..

you could step into the wish machine!!

go back to the 13th C
Where you would live in a small village and work for the lord of the castle who may starve, beat, rape or murder you at their will?

go back to the 17th C
Where towns were basically a store, a bar with whores, a bank and an inn for travellers. Maybe a rooming house for locals who didn’t work on a ranch or in a mine. And that was only the white settler life….

go back to the 1950s
where only white men had access to the world of factories and stores, offices and restaurants…. And only their wives and girlfriends could go in if it wasn’t for men only…..

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Maybe you could go back to that…. But if the world were really like that and you were one of the lucky ones who had a decent life (though certainly NOT the one you have now!!), if such a machine existed, what makes you so sure the rest of humanity would want to return to that? Pretty sure they wouldn’t!!

So what is your guru actually teaching you?

• That escapism is a valid way of getting thru life?
• That wishes are more important than being present in the world we have and teaching you how to survive it?
• Without getting high?
• Without getting so angry that you beat your partner &/or kids?
• Without feeling so lonely and scared that you kill yourself?
• Without feeling so damaged that you harm yourself?
• Without shutting yourself down and living life as an automaton?
• Without being who they ask you to be?

If someone is claiming they want to help you (for realz!), shouldn’t they listen to what your goals, fears and needs actually are first? That sounds more like a therapist or friend rather than a self help guru. Even you in your slump could do better than the earlier time fantasies gurus want you to wish for.

It’s important to watch for politicians who act like self help gurus. The world we have now requires certain concessions. TNCs and nations require global monitors, We’ve learned that they won’t do what’s right on their own. Time and again. So ‘nation proud’ is an archaic fantasy. It just isn’t the world we live in. And it costs to provide either people’s needs OR the warehouses that control them if they refuse to starve to death out of your eyesight. The warehouses actually cost more.

So who is this guru actually serving? Not you. Not society as a place of justice and egality. If you look behind the curtain? It’s the corporatocracy that is pulling the strings.

Interesting, how they have sponsors, speaking tours and book deals with big companies. And they can’t say things that bite the hands that feed them, can they?

What do you do instead?

You look at your life as a journey and set goals you can actually achieve and enjoy. You gather people around you on similar paths. And you try to find ways to break loose and have fun. You won’t get rich, but you just may find a smile on your face.

‘Reactions’ on Youtube – Are they trolling?

Some sure seem to be! They’re all about criticizing or making fun of the OP.

And it’s not many who actually ask permission for the content. But then youtube is a sharing site, so does that matter?

Then again they could just add the link in the description and do their opinion piece on the OP. It’d be harder to follow the point by point ‘analysis’ though.

Sometimes though it seems like they’re specifically picking big accts to draw attn to their smaller page.

It seems more like smearing and gossip than analysis. And some, ‘reactors’ seem to be their sole reason to be a presence on youtube. They’re not really creating their own content.

Do you have an opinion on this topic?

Q – After Nietzsche and Lyotard – Have we lost all of the absolutes?

& Are we sure we need them?

When you grow up in a fundamental church or other conservative culture like I did, at some point you have to sort thru what you learned. See if you actually believe it for yourself. It’s also something that the pandemic and civil/human rights movements have asked from time to time. When things are going pear-shaped &/or they don’t serve everyone, don’t you think we need to re-evaluate?

Be Nietzsche and ask to look at what your faith is. Be Lyotard and ask if there is such a thing as absolute truths?

But when you do that, you risk being left out of what the group is doing. You risk the group not appreciating what you’re doing and getting upset. Groups don’t like dissent when they’re fighting for the status quo. You run the risk of being asked to leave. Even though individuation is a necessary part of growth.

The problem is that when the group oppresses you, they can reduce your flexibility and make it harder for you to come back to them. It’s better to let you sift thru things and try to answer your concerns and questions.

Which is hard to do for a group that needs control kept like the conservative religions and political organizations need. One doubter is a bad example for the others. They need a hive mind. And you need independence.

So how do we deal with this? As people and as society (societies), how can we build some elasticity into these groups? Or can we?

• Friedrich Nietzsche
• Jean-François Lyotard

When Your Ancestor is a Kitchen Witch or Alchemist (a story) Pt 3

When Your Ancestor is a Kitchen Witch or Alchemist Pt 3

Thru the years, Amalia’s family had kept one thing a secret. Even from other butcher families. Nowadays it might not be a thing (though there are some hysterics around).

Amalia still hid it from her husband, but was starting to teach the rudiments to her daughters when they were learning to cook. In such a way that even they didn’t know what they were learning, so they couldn’t accidentally tell someone. Not even their father or brothers. She only practiced the skills herself when no one was due home for hours.

Amalia was nowhere near the master her ancestor had been, but she had her poultices and potions she could put together in a minute. And she always had the right ingredients in stock. She saved herself and her family a fortune with their hygiene supplies too. They could smell pretty with the best of the crowd, without making anyone ill.

And if she knew of a violent person, they were quickly subdued with a few ingredients from her most private stash.

Her husband was aware that she always knew the right thing to put in food. And their guests felt favoured when they ate at their table. But often they thought that was due to the meats Emilio had cured and salted properly. Yet the sides were tasty too. And dessert was sublime.

And Amalia was fine with letting them give credit to her husband. It protected her and her kids from the villagers bringing pitchforks.

Thankfully Amalia had a good memory. She rarely had to refer to the family grimoire. So it was well hidden.

And Emilio was holding a secret too. But it wasn’t something he had to hide quite in the same way Amalia did. He had an ancestor who was an adept at alchemy. What he had left behind for his family was a reputation not only in meat preparation, but also in home made distillation of wines and beers. It was a joy when a guest was offered something from their cellar.

Emilio always gave credit to family recipes. But he’d modernized most of them so he could easily find the ingredients. Without having to get them shipped from the old country. Not even his wife knew that. And she had tasted the original recipes his father had made when they were first courting.

Alchemy wasn’t as big a threat to the family as witchcraft might have been. But their church may have been distressed. Not that he did anything that involved metals or demons. Though he knew how.

You’d think that this couple would be able to talk to each other, if any. But each thought they were protecting the other. Not so much from today’s citizens. But the world had turned too many times for them to feel safe sharing these secrets outside of their bloodline.

Amalia’s oldest daughter was called Crociata (crossroads). And Emilio’s oldest son was called Ammaliato (enchanted). It was explained away to others as old family names. But those who knew? Well they knew. And some guessed.

end/

Emilio’s Butcher Family (a story) Pt 2

Emilio’s Butcher Family Pt 2

Emilio was the third son of the third son. His oldest brother went into the priesthood, the next into the military and he took over the family business. Same with his father’s generation.

Some might say it was a wish, some might say it was penance for some family member in the past. Maybe they put too much ‘mystery meat’ in the ground? Maybe they changed a recipe and the villagers didn’t like it much? Maybe they sucked at the stitching of soldiers’ limbs when they were brought in the back door? It was hard to say.

But the family showed up to church and it’s socials. And tithed properly. And they took part in every village carnevale. They took groceries to people who were poor and sick in the village.

So whatever their sins were, they were accepted by the village. And their good reputation had crossed the ocean with them. At least in their community and it’s surrounding towns.

Emilio could trace his particular line of the family back generations. And so could many of his customers. It’s just the way things were done. Even without the associations of this town or this generation. He had a solid customer base. And so would his son when he took over the family business.

His wife could say the same of the men in her family. It’s why they often didn’t have to speak to understand each other. It’s just the way things were done in their families.

That Butcher Guy Over on 4th Street (a story)

That Butcher Guy Over on 4th Street

Emilio had a little shop in a little town near a bigger city in a new country…. And left with that information only, people might not think much of him.

But Emilio came from a long family line of butchers. Who traversed the ocean and came from a long line of butchers in the old country. Saying his family name to anyone of his culture wasn’t like saying Martin or Weber. It was the same as saying good butcher, fair prices and good product. Safe to eat. And Emilio took that seriously.

Emilio’s family had been using the same recipe bases of herbs and spices in their meats since they began being butchers too. So if you knew their product anywhere in their history and you came to his town, you had certain foreknowledge of what his meats tasted like. Which Emilio also took seriously.

And even though Emilio was in a small town, he got business from other surrounding towns and cities. Not just because of his family name. But because he was on the local board of commerce and had joined the area butchers’ groups. And worked hard to be a good member and keep his reputation up to their standards.

And Emilio went to the local Catholic church. He sat on the steering committee and was an elder. Whenever they needed some advice about business or money, they often called him.

It wasn’t just about Emilio though or his product. It was also about his wife and her family.

Amalia’s family was known almost as long and widely as her husband’s. And for the same type of things. Had Amalia been a boy, she would have had the same reputation as Emilio did. But such was the way of their world.

So when Amalia decided to marry, she went looking for a man who could bring anything to her that she could to him.

She sat on all the ladies’ committees that her husband sat on the men’s for. And had the same cultural idylls he had. And their family recipes were similar enough that she ceded to Emilio. It was his shop after all. And she was the part time worker anyways. Mostly she was home raising their kids. But twice a week, she went into the shop and took over the service counter so Emilio could go in back uninterrupted and prepare the meats they had just ordered in. And she did the books for the store. So Emilio could concentrate on the preparations. She knew enough that technically she could have done his job too, but she left it to him. Because that was the expectation of the people.

And they both taught their kids what was needed in the shop and the associations they had. And their kids learned.

Many elite think they’re the only ones with such connections. But I wonder if they look in the little villages and villages within cities to see just who is there? Working their way thru their lives, generation after generation. Building their reputations for being decent people. Because their lives and businesses relied on it.

The Idylls of Toxic Positivity, Stoicism and Nihilism

It seems really easy to tell people to buck up, or make their bed, greet the world with a smile, grab what you want, manifest your reality, see it believe it, you deserve it so you should have it, pray and God will give it to you (if you’re without sin and truly believe!)…..

But much as we might want to believe it’s just that easy, and much as we’d like to believe a smile draws wealth, love and peace toward you…. that’s just not reality, is it? In fact, it’s kind of lazy. Sitting in a room thinking (or playing games) isn’t going to draw much to you. Not friends, not lovers, not work. And not happiness.

Reality is the bigger half of the stoic philosophy. You don’t get to think whatever you want. You have to check yourself. And check reality.

If you sit and do nothing, you’re more likely to achieve nihilistic thought rather than stoicism. (Which is prob why too many of the ‘lone wolves’, incels and RWNJs become depressed &/or violent.)

When you realize that, it can be really depressing and confusing to the people who try all day and just cannot bring their wishes to life.

Yet they stay stuck, because the people in these chat rooms and their gurus keep telling them they’re entitled. In the modern world, not many people reach El Dorado. Esp not when they puff up and act like fools when they get told ‘no!’ Or when their boss, parent or potential date says they have to be a decent human. That Neanderthals don’t fit in the city.

And no one will put up with it.

….. discussion of the ‘pills’ system of the incel and extreme right wing cultures

ADL
APA
Rise to Peace

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IEP on stoicism

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for a deeper dive

into the Stoic philosophy. Really easy to follow and the host is very charming!