Joe Bageant

Drink, Pray, Fight, Fuck

How the Scots Irish Screwed Up America

By Joe Bageant

You may not meet them among your circle of friends, but there are millions of Americans who fiercely believe we should nuke North Korea and Iran, seize the Middle East's oil, and replace the U.S. Constitution with the Christian Bible. They believe the United States will conquer the entire world and convert it to our notions of democracy and fundamentalist Christian religion. And that will happen says my Christian neo-conservative friend Dave Henderson, "when we elect a man with the balls to use our nukes." You may not believe me, and if you don't I cannot blame you for never having been exposed to such folks. Only an idiot or a masochistic observer of the American scene would subject himself or herself to these Americans. I like to think I am the latter, but the jury is still out.

A Mean and Unholy Ditch

The Sleep of Reason Amid Wild Dogs and Gin

The hardest thing for garden variety American liberals to grasp is what a truly politicized and hateful place much of America has become -- one long mean ditch ruled by feral dogs where the standards of civility no longer apply. The second hardest thing for liberals is to admit that they are comfortably insulated in the middle class and are not going to take any risks in the battle for America's soul . . . not as long as they are still living on a good street, sending their kids to Montessori and getting their slice of the American quiche. Call it the politics of the comfort zone.

Richard Oxman interviews Joe Bageant (Part 2)

Richard Oxman conducted a long interview with Joe Bageant that appeared on several websites. Here is Part 2.

Mean as those rhinos are, it ain't over

Bravo!!! Mr Bageant ...

I imagine you get a lot of email, so I'll keep it short.

I am around your age, and have a similar genetic heritage as well, I am sure -- working class Anglo/Celts, northern style. Fishermen, small farmers. I also led a similar life as you in the '60s/'70s I would bet, only on the Lower East Side of NYC. Been there. I'm a musician -- played with Mingus, Gil Evans, Tito Puente, Thad Jones, Lee Konitz etc. -- just to establish my bona fides with you.