"A utopia for the sort of Americans who believe that prosperity is a direct result of allowing anyone who wears sunglasses perched on the brim of a baseball cap to do whatever they please"
I fucking HATE that look...I have SUCH a STRONG negative association with it I can feel my temperature going up when I see it...
All of a piece, except for the economic bit. Plenty of reports showing big industry moving south with fed grants and loans, local red-carpeting, etc. Industry might drag the south up out of its own mire simply by being industrial-strength. That is not necessarily a good or bad thing, but should not be overlooked.
I don't disagree that DeSantis' fascist policies are bad for Florida, but the unspoken assumption is that he's trying to do what's good for Florida. I don't think that's a safe assumption. I think he's trying to do what's good for Ron DeSantis.
Leftist Georgia resident here. Former Democrat. II live in a very red county about 70 minutes east of Atlanta.
Please don't fall into the generality that southerners are racist. Or that southerners got what was coming to them by electing Republicans. It's incorrect and really blames the victims.
Sure, there's a small subset, maybe 10% of the population here in Georgia who are racist assholes. But the majority of Georgians who vote Republican are simply religious, working class people. In their lifetime, they haven't seen a Democrat help them. It's gotten worse in the last decade, in that Democrats don't even SAY they're going to help them. Senator Warnock didn't vote for the rail workers' sick days. Not a "no", he just didn't show up. So I didn't show up for his runoff. I
There are no Democrat candidates on the ballot in Georgia elections. Sure, national races yes. But outside of the major cities, there's NO DEMOCRATS ON THE BALLOT. As for people who say, "well you/they should run for office", please tell me how you expect working people who slave 60 hours/week for insufficient wages are going to have the time or knowledge to run for public office.
Finally, a tidbit, from my accountant. This guy (M)- I used to fear entering his office during Covid, back when I was a masked Democrat and I saw M as the enemy.
This year, I just burst out and told him, "I'm not a Democrat anymore. Not a Republican either, but definitely not a Democrat."
M told me about a white female client of his, who told him that he should recognize his (white) privilege and admit he had a "leg up" in the world.
M told me how angry that made him. He was born in abject poverty. There was not enough food in the shack of a house he grew up in. He yearned to go to college but had to spend the time working instead of studying. He taught himself numbers, and got certified as an accountant. He literally had no help whatsoever, and now there is a very loud portion of this country who tells him that he only succeeded because he is white. M hears that and says, HUH?
It is incredibly offensive to southerners to be pigeonholed as racist jerks, when Democrats have done absolutely nothing for them. Why in the world would they vote for Biden? Right now they're poorer than they have been in decades, and Biden says the economy is great. Northerners think that it's so cheap to live in the south so low wages don't matter. That is bullshit propaganda.
So, I'm more likely now to knock on my neighbors' doors and talk to them about American empire and how BOTH PARTIES have screwed us. And I hope that someday people will realize that the narrative of southern racists is so offensive and wrong. Just because mainstream media pushes it doesn't make it true!
And note I think DeSantis is gross. I just want to poke a hole in the narrative that white southerners are racist.
I was born and raised in North Florida, which is very similar to Georgia. Southerners are racist and racism is one of the most powerful factors in both Southern history and Southern politics to this day. That's just a factual observation. I am not an apologist for Democrats, but to say "Democrats have done absolutely nothing" for people in states that are dominated by Republicans is a little meaningless. I support your door knocking though. Thanks for reading.
I agree it is meaningless to talk Dem vs. Repub. I also am sure you grew up around some real jerks. I'm probably naive about how bad it can be down here.
My point is more that you can't possibly think that every single white southerner is racist. You're from the south, and you're not. I'm a white female from Cleveland, Ohio (Dennis Kucinich territory- not the Ohio publicized on mainstream media). I've lived in Costa Rica and California, and now I live in Georgia. Am I racist simply because I live within these state lines?
The US empire does a fabulous job of stoking divisions among the people. The mainstream media LOVES to talk about how much we hate each other.
My reality is quite different from that, in this uber-red county in Georgia. Most of the time, when I treat people kindly, they respond with kindness.
They're also not on Twitter, so that probably helps.
Amen, sister. (I'm raised in OK, where the survivors of the 1921 race riot have to appeal the state's rejection of their lawsuit... but live in CA)
There are *many* racists in blue states, but even more important, the income divisions have impacts everywhere. Dividing the rich and poor, and distracting them with racism, homophobia, LBGTQ stuff is just that ... a distraction. The *BIG* issue is poverty.
And you're right that D's have been complicit in promoting poverty. For example, Bill Clinton conspired with Newt Gingrich to turn AFDC into TANF. 76% of those needing public assistance were served by AFDC. From TANF: 26%. The attacks on the poor have been bipartisan.
This income divide also twists people's thinking.
"In … Domination and the Arts of Resistance (1990), James Scott makes the point that whenever one group has overwhelming power over another, as when a community is divided between lords and serfs, masters and slaves, high-caste and untouchable, both sides tend to end up acting as if they were conspiring to falsify the historical record. That is: there will always be an 'official version' of reality--say, that plantation owners are benevolent paternal figures who only have the best interest of their slaves at heart--which no one, neither masters nor slaves, actually believes, and which they are likely to treat as self-evidently ridiculous when 'offstage' and speaking only to each other, but which the dominant group insists subordinates play along with, particularly at anything that might be considered a public event. In a way, this is the purest expression of power: the ability to force the dominated to pretend, effectively, that two plus two is five. Or that the pharaoh is a god. As a result, the version of reality that tends to be preserved for history and posterity is precisely that 'official transcript.' "
– From (footnotes) <i>The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity</i> by Graeber and Wengrow
If you haven't I would suggest reading Michael Harriots articles or podcasts as well. He does a fine job a breaking down why it is not necessary for a majority of people to be overtly racist for racist policies to thrive. He also had an article "democrats are white people too". It wasn't about white as a race, or as individuals, but the idea of supporting "whiteness" at all cost (which is why non white people can join in) . In some ways those at the very top want the same power structure and results. They just differ on the methods. Bill Clinton took a "I will smile, seem friendly and play this sax while my friend here robs you. If you are unhappy fill out this form and accept this free CD of Bob Marley greatest hits" DeSantis is more like "why do I need to smile or get anybody else to rob you? I will just take what I want and if you are unhappy move!"
In both cases, you've been robbed, but at least one provided a laugh!
And yet "politics is a sideshow" for your simple, reductive mind. Don't organize for Democrats In Disarray when you could organize for unions. There's no both/and for you, right? You're like those Gandhi types who enraged Orwell for losing their connection to what life is like for most people, despite talking about lifting up the masses.
As you know, I'm a huge fan of your work, so I make this request with the utmost respect: Please don't insult men (or women, for that matter) by calling them "bitch." You're better than that.
The eventual collapse of Capitalism is made possible by the many Capitalists constantly on the lookout for new ways to make/save money. Capitalism is independent wealth, which is a recipe for disaster. That’s why hyper inflation is inevitable.
Additionally, the high costs associated with increasing natural disasters will crush our workforce, as no government, company, or family can find everything they need to survive single-handedly. This fact will bring about more unity, I predict. Climate Change will force us to work together, which is what socialism is, ensuring equal treatment and access to all.
But the real challenge will be organizing ourselves, the all of humanity under a new system that will guarantee us universal entitlements: food, housing, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and a professional job for every able-bodied adult.
The 8-part plan I am proposing is called O.R.G.A.N.I.Z.E. My goal is to have in place a safe transition before the collapse, a way to protect each other from extinction. It begins with environmental science and improving the living and working conditions of everyone, everywhere.
I think this misses a grander point about the republican project, which suggests that these policies will eventually blow up in their faces and cause them and their careers undue harm, but it won't. It didn't for Reagan and it certainly didn't for the Bushes. It didn't for Schwarzenegger out here in California, either. When you're rich, you get to experience all the failure you want and never end up holding onto the consequences. It'll likely end up being the same for DeSantis -- a worse Florida for everybody, especially Floridians, while he and his golf carting buddies end up walking the same country club golf courses until the day they die.
Always a great read. I love the phrase "like rats given management duties in a restaurant kitchen". My first thought was of "Ratatouille" (the film) but I don't think that was the intent. Then again, try and picture seven (New College Board of Trustee) rats under a chef's toque (hat) and it's easy to understand why "Too many cooks spoil the broth".
Another banger. Also amazed the you cataloged such a lengthy list of problematic economics and didn't have to mention that in the near term a lot of real estate is borderline uninsurable and long term it's underwater. I don't live near Florida and it's not my job to worry about that, but I still do. Bad for so many Americans.
I think there might be a couple typos here: "The cold northern state will (with?) better education and stronger labor unions and better health care and gun control and equality, or the hot southern state without any of these things, but with orange win(?) for sale at a number of roadside stands? I can’t wait to find out."
I think you are referring to Michigan rather than Wisconsin. The legislature in Wisconsin is still controlled by the fascists. The governor can only try to mitigate the damage. However, there was good news recently in the election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
A beautiful, true, and hilariously sad piece. I don’t know how you do it but I’m glad you do.
"A utopia for the sort of Americans who believe that prosperity is a direct result of allowing anyone who wears sunglasses perched on the brim of a baseball cap to do whatever they please"
I fucking HATE that look...I have SUCH a STRONG negative association with it I can feel my temperature going up when I see it...
“Neo-Confederate fascist mentality “ ❤️ this description
Don't you mean that crushing the public school system makes people MORE ignorant and pliable rather than LESS?
All of a piece, except for the economic bit. Plenty of reports showing big industry moving south with fed grants and loans, local red-carpeting, etc. Industry might drag the south up out of its own mire simply by being industrial-strength. That is not necessarily a good or bad thing, but should not be overlooked.
This is also known as "Pulling An Alabama."
I don't disagree that DeSantis' fascist policies are bad for Florida, but the unspoken assumption is that he's trying to do what's good for Florida. I don't think that's a safe assumption. I think he's trying to do what's good for Ron DeSantis.
Leftist Georgia resident here. Former Democrat. II live in a very red county about 70 minutes east of Atlanta.
Please don't fall into the generality that southerners are racist. Or that southerners got what was coming to them by electing Republicans. It's incorrect and really blames the victims.
Sure, there's a small subset, maybe 10% of the population here in Georgia who are racist assholes. But the majority of Georgians who vote Republican are simply religious, working class people. In their lifetime, they haven't seen a Democrat help them. It's gotten worse in the last decade, in that Democrats don't even SAY they're going to help them. Senator Warnock didn't vote for the rail workers' sick days. Not a "no", he just didn't show up. So I didn't show up for his runoff. I
There are no Democrat candidates on the ballot in Georgia elections. Sure, national races yes. But outside of the major cities, there's NO DEMOCRATS ON THE BALLOT. As for people who say, "well you/they should run for office", please tell me how you expect working people who slave 60 hours/week for insufficient wages are going to have the time or knowledge to run for public office.
Finally, a tidbit, from my accountant. This guy (M)- I used to fear entering his office during Covid, back when I was a masked Democrat and I saw M as the enemy.
This year, I just burst out and told him, "I'm not a Democrat anymore. Not a Republican either, but definitely not a Democrat."
M told me about a white female client of his, who told him that he should recognize his (white) privilege and admit he had a "leg up" in the world.
M told me how angry that made him. He was born in abject poverty. There was not enough food in the shack of a house he grew up in. He yearned to go to college but had to spend the time working instead of studying. He taught himself numbers, and got certified as an accountant. He literally had no help whatsoever, and now there is a very loud portion of this country who tells him that he only succeeded because he is white. M hears that and says, HUH?
It is incredibly offensive to southerners to be pigeonholed as racist jerks, when Democrats have done absolutely nothing for them. Why in the world would they vote for Biden? Right now they're poorer than they have been in decades, and Biden says the economy is great. Northerners think that it's so cheap to live in the south so low wages don't matter. That is bullshit propaganda.
So, I'm more likely now to knock on my neighbors' doors and talk to them about American empire and how BOTH PARTIES have screwed us. And I hope that someday people will realize that the narrative of southern racists is so offensive and wrong. Just because mainstream media pushes it doesn't make it true!
And note I think DeSantis is gross. I just want to poke a hole in the narrative that white southerners are racist.
I was born and raised in North Florida, which is very similar to Georgia. Southerners are racist and racism is one of the most powerful factors in both Southern history and Southern politics to this day. That's just a factual observation. I am not an apologist for Democrats, but to say "Democrats have done absolutely nothing" for people in states that are dominated by Republicans is a little meaningless. I support your door knocking though. Thanks for reading.
I agree it is meaningless to talk Dem vs. Repub. I also am sure you grew up around some real jerks. I'm probably naive about how bad it can be down here.
My point is more that you can't possibly think that every single white southerner is racist. You're from the south, and you're not. I'm a white female from Cleveland, Ohio (Dennis Kucinich territory- not the Ohio publicized on mainstream media). I've lived in Costa Rica and California, and now I live in Georgia. Am I racist simply because I live within these state lines?
The US empire does a fabulous job of stoking divisions among the people. The mainstream media LOVES to talk about how much we hate each other.
My reality is quite different from that, in this uber-red county in Georgia. Most of the time, when I treat people kindly, they respond with kindness.
They're also not on Twitter, so that probably helps.
No hard feelings, okay?
Amen, sister. (I'm raised in OK, where the survivors of the 1921 race riot have to appeal the state's rejection of their lawsuit... but live in CA)
There are *many* racists in blue states, but even more important, the income divisions have impacts everywhere. Dividing the rich and poor, and distracting them with racism, homophobia, LBGTQ stuff is just that ... a distraction. The *BIG* issue is poverty.
And you're right that D's have been complicit in promoting poverty. For example, Bill Clinton conspired with Newt Gingrich to turn AFDC into TANF. 76% of those needing public assistance were served by AFDC. From TANF: 26%. The attacks on the poor have been bipartisan.
This income divide also twists people's thinking.
"In … Domination and the Arts of Resistance (1990), James Scott makes the point that whenever one group has overwhelming power over another, as when a community is divided between lords and serfs, masters and slaves, high-caste and untouchable, both sides tend to end up acting as if they were conspiring to falsify the historical record. That is: there will always be an 'official version' of reality--say, that plantation owners are benevolent paternal figures who only have the best interest of their slaves at heart--which no one, neither masters nor slaves, actually believes, and which they are likely to treat as self-evidently ridiculous when 'offstage' and speaking only to each other, but which the dominant group insists subordinates play along with, particularly at anything that might be considered a public event. In a way, this is the purest expression of power: the ability to force the dominated to pretend, effectively, that two plus two is five. Or that the pharaoh is a god. As a result, the version of reality that tends to be preserved for history and posterity is precisely that 'official transcript.' "
– From (footnotes) <i>The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity</i> by Graeber and Wengrow
If you haven't I would suggest reading Michael Harriots articles or podcasts as well. He does a fine job a breaking down why it is not necessary for a majority of people to be overtly racist for racist policies to thrive. He also had an article "democrats are white people too". It wasn't about white as a race, or as individuals, but the idea of supporting "whiteness" at all cost (which is why non white people can join in) . In some ways those at the very top want the same power structure and results. They just differ on the methods. Bill Clinton took a "I will smile, seem friendly and play this sax while my friend here robs you. If you are unhappy fill out this form and accept this free CD of Bob Marley greatest hits" DeSantis is more like "why do I need to smile or get anybody else to rob you? I will just take what I want and if you are unhappy move!"
In both cases, you've been robbed, but at least one provided a laugh!
And yet "politics is a sideshow" for your simple, reductive mind. Don't organize for Democrats In Disarray when you could organize for unions. There's no both/and for you, right? You're like those Gandhi types who enraged Orwell for losing their connection to what life is like for most people, despite talking about lifting up the masses.
As you know, I'm a huge fan of your work, so I make this request with the utmost respect: Please don't insult men (or women, for that matter) by calling them "bitch." You're better than that.
Disagree! I think it's funny and good when it's punching up, as in this case. Like please don't call me a bitch, but DeSantis? Alright by me.
I think it is okay as a term of art for dudes but I'll give it some thought.
Just think about how many women have been beaten bloody after a man uttered, “Wrong, bitch.” That’s why it’s triggering.
https://youtu.be/cv1okXCsYDA
The eventual collapse of Capitalism is made possible by the many Capitalists constantly on the lookout for new ways to make/save money. Capitalism is independent wealth, which is a recipe for disaster. That’s why hyper inflation is inevitable.
Additionally, the high costs associated with increasing natural disasters will crush our workforce, as no government, company, or family can find everything they need to survive single-handedly. This fact will bring about more unity, I predict. Climate Change will force us to work together, which is what socialism is, ensuring equal treatment and access to all.
But the real challenge will be organizing ourselves, the all of humanity under a new system that will guarantee us universal entitlements: food, housing, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and a professional job for every able-bodied adult.
The 8-part plan I am proposing is called O.R.G.A.N.I.Z.E. My goal is to have in place a safe transition before the collapse, a way to protect each other from extinction. It begins with environmental science and improving the living and working conditions of everyone, everywhere.
Thanks for the positivity of looking at how nasty Ron DeSantis is. Well written.
I think this misses a grander point about the republican project, which suggests that these policies will eventually blow up in their faces and cause them and their careers undue harm, but it won't. It didn't for Reagan and it certainly didn't for the Bushes. It didn't for Schwarzenegger out here in California, either. When you're rich, you get to experience all the failure you want and never end up holding onto the consequences. It'll likely end up being the same for DeSantis -- a worse Florida for everybody, especially Floridians, while he and his golf carting buddies end up walking the same country club golf courses until the day they die.
Always a great read. I love the phrase "like rats given management duties in a restaurant kitchen". My first thought was of "Ratatouille" (the film) but I don't think that was the intent. Then again, try and picture seven (New College Board of Trustee) rats under a chef's toque (hat) and it's easy to understand why "Too many cooks spoil the broth".
Another banger. Also amazed the you cataloged such a lengthy list of problematic economics and didn't have to mention that in the near term a lot of real estate is borderline uninsurable and long term it's underwater. I don't live near Florida and it's not my job to worry about that, but I still do. Bad for so many Americans.
I think there might be a couple typos here: "The cold northern state will (with?) better education and stronger labor unions and better health care and gun control and equality, or the hot southern state without any of these things, but with orange win(?) for sale at a number of roadside stands? I can’t wait to find out."
I think you are referring to Michigan rather than Wisconsin. The legislature in Wisconsin is still controlled by the fascists. The governor can only try to mitigate the damage. However, there was good news recently in the election for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Or Minnesota. Minnesota did all kinds of great stuff with a slim state trifecta. Definitely not Wisconsin.
Which begs another question...Who the fuck is BANKROLLING this dude?