Why You Should Be A Socialist

Why You Should Be A Socialist

Adult nonfiction
"In this book, I want to convince you that everyone should join
the political left and identify themselves as a democratic socialist.
I want to show you, as thoroughly and persuasively as I can, that
leftist politics are not just consistent and reasonable, but that
elementary moral principles compel us all to be leftists and
socialists. I intend to define, as clearly as possible, what I mean
by words like leftism, socialism, and principles, and show you how
left ideas work, why they're practical, and why the usual criticisms
of them are false and/or frivolous..."
OK, readers, I think I'm in love. Nope, Eugene has nothing to
worry about out there at camp where he's hopefully enjoying his
vacation week. The object of my adoration is a book, Nathan
Robinson's Why You Should Be A Socialist. If you read only one book
this decade, or this century that matter, make it this one. In fact I
had to save it for when Eugene was off in the wilderness so the only
one who was startled every time I exclaimed "Yes!" would be Tobago cat.
Robinson's road to socialism, began with the unease many life
observations caused him. Although we say wealth stems from hard
work, a lot of people were born rich enough not to have to work. In a
city where tens of thousands of luxury condos stand empty as
investment properties tens of thousands of people live on the
streets. Some children go to posh private schools while others attend
schools without the basics. Warehouse workers slave under abusive
conditions for a boss who has more money than he knows what to do with.
"The leftist orientention I begin with, then, is one of deep
appreciation of spectacular things and deep loathing for unjust and
cruel things. It's easily dismissed as 'bleeding heart'-ism, and,
well, that's exactly what it is. People's hearts should bleed more.
If your heart doesn't bleed, what the hell kind of person are you?..."
What the hell kind indeed?
After delineating the serious evils and perils in this world the
status quo has led us to, for example, climate change and nuclear
weapons, and brilliantly shredding capitalism in a chapter perfectly
titled "The Army of Psychopathic Androids", Robinson comes to my
favorite part of the book: what exactly is socialism and how we can
embrace and live by it to create a better world.
I love the chapter where Robinson talks about how socialists, in
addition to fighting evils with concrete plans to help hurting,
endangered people, must embrace utopia. We have to know not only what
we want, but what we want to replace it with. He illustrates that
idea with one of my personal favorite institutions.
"If you think utopian thinking is unrealistic or pointless, let
me ask you to consider libraries. Everyone knows that libraries are
incredible places...But we often don't consider just how redical
public libraries are. A library is a place where anyone can go and--
for free--explore a mountain of human knowledge. It has meeting
spaces, computers, and research assistance. It's there for everyone,
regardless of their means."
Librarians, BTW, also are pretty radical defenders of the rights
of we the people. Nationwide they stood up to the federal government
when they were demanded under the Patriot Act to surrender patrons'
book borrowing histories. And when Occupy set up on the Bangor Public
Library grounds then head librarian Barbara McDade went up against a
lot of pressure to defend our right to be there.
Robinson would love the story of the trailer park my family
lives in. It involved a combining of concrete steps and utopia.
During out first two decades there Greystone was owned by a series of
slumlords who were capitalists, maximizing profit while minimizing
responsibility. We didn't even have drinking water free of fecal
contamination. Ten years ago the owner put it on the market. If
someone had bought it for another use we would have been booted out,
many with no place to go. Then some of us had the idea to go coop
instead of giving up. We worked with an organization to take care of
the paperwork. We went door to door explaining why people should vote
yes. Today we collectively own the land we live on under rules we
voted on with a board we elected. You'd better believe service is a
whole lot better!
Two very important chapters discuss the meanness of
conservativism and the wishy washiness of liberalism. The latter is
more insidious. Liberals are not firebrands. They're too bought and
owned by Wall Street to challenge their wealthy campain contributors.
And they go bipartisan for some pretty bad decisions such as Clinton's
welfare deform (spelling intentional) and the Patriot Act.
There is only one thing I don't like about the book. Despite
his respect for Bernie Sanders, I feel like Robinson is writing off
all the rest of us who are older than millenials. Some of us who have
been organizing and protesting and speaking out for decades are still
firebrands. We still are capable of dreaming and taking steps to
achieve dreams. We care intensely about the world our children are
inheriting. I feel that it will take people of vision across all
spectrums of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and, yes,
age to achieve a socialist world.
Anyway if you have a heart capable of bleeding, if you don't
want to shut your eyes to the evils going on in the world, put the
book at the top of the list. Buy rather than borrowing. You're going
to refer to it frequently.
On a purrrsonal note, I'm guessing Eugene is having a fine time at his
camp. He's had some decent fishing weather. But the evenings are
chilly enough for him to fire up the wood stove. While he's away I've
been working on his 31st anniversary gift which is a scrapbook of
photos of special times and people in his life. Even though it's a
coronavirus concession (the not shopping) he'll probably like it
better than anything I could have bought in a store
Wow! Just who just got back. A few days early. Guess he really must
miss that cat of ours! (Jules)
Sun is out.
Grass is ris.
Wonder where
The birdies is.
My daddy hooman is back! I love my daddy hooman. (Tobago)
Tobago and Jules Hathaway



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