Dog eat dog is replacing egalitarianism

Note: Joe Bageant is a on a two-week tour of Australia at the invitation of his Australian publisher, Scribe Publications.

Hi Joe,

I happened upon your interview with Jon Faine this morning on Australian radio. I will admit here and now that until that moment I had never heard of you and I thank the good folk of Auntie ABC for bringing you to my attention.

I will be ordering and devouring your book, Deer Hunting with Jesus, with the hope that it will shed a little further light to me on the mystery that is the United States body politic. I communicate quite regularly with your countrymen via the miracle of the internet, (though I suspect not many of my co-respondents are people of the working poor class) and I am often puzzled as an observer from afar why they are so adamant in their belief that there is only ONE way, the American way, only ONE truth, only ONE answer. I had realised this was a result of brain washing, a lifetime dose of corporate news and views, the antics of those abominable 'shock jocks' and an education system which leads to associating 'Homer' with a yellow skinned cartoon character rather than tales of epic voyages, but I had not quite put the pieces together in the way you expressed this morning.

I would be very interested in your views of the Australian equivalents. I suspect the deeper traditions of militarism and unblinking (unthinking?) patriotism endemic in the American psyche (in my observation) contrast with the more laid back attitudes of the deeper Australian psyche. I heard you describe Aussies as far 'lighter' in their general lives (forgive me if I misquote you) and I would generally concur. I have a theory that the tyranny of distance which had us isolated from the major power plays of the world for so long and the relative ease of life through the past 150 odd years have lead to a milder, more easy going, non-paranoid mindset. Australians have fought no wars of independence, no civil wars, so there is no 'minute man' mindset. There is no general self-conscious knee-jerk defence of 'our way of life' that I find in my discussions with my American friends.

This is not in any way to say one set of peoples is better than the other, I am simply interested in the cause and effect of comparative cultures.

There are many great and glorious things about the United States, and there are many which have me sadly shaking my head. It is probably full of hubris for me to make this observation, but I think that the great ideals upon which the Republic was founded have been corrupted by the very forces of greed, elitism and power which the revolutionary forces fought against.

Issues such as universal health care should be a no brainer for such a rich community. It should NOT be a profit making opportunity for corporate leeches. Ditto for social services, a minimum wage, a decent and free educational system. The brain washing performed on the populace by the corporate/government sector which has it accepting of a two (or is it three?) tiered system, in which the life of the well to do is more valuable than that of one less affluent, is abhorrent at worst, frustrating at best. Why are the taxes of the poor used to subsidise the education of the rich??

I wonder if the people will ever lift their heads out of their donut and beer induced coma and reclaim their right to fairness. (Bread and circuses is an ancient tactic.) In Australia we used to have the concept of 'the fair go'. Sadly with the increasing Americanisation/corporatisation of this culture that concept is disappearing. The concept of 'dog eat dog' is replacing egalitarianism. I long for the reversal of such a trend.

I hope you enjoy your time in our country and wish you more strength to your arm and a strong piercing voice for justice and truth.

Kind Regards,
Wayne
Victoria, Australia

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Wayne,

First of all, many thanks for taking your valuable time to listen to my screed. Not to mention my gratitude to the many broadcasters both private and public here in Australia who opened their studios to me. If I may, I would like to reply to your letter point by point, as best I can:

You wrote: " ... the mystery that is the United States body politic."

I wish it were more of a mystery. Although it is definitely complex, especially for the outside observer, the devolution of an Empire due to ordinary human greed and abuse of power is an old, old story, isn't it?

You wrote: "I am often puzzled as an observer from afar why they are so adamant in their belief that there is only ONE way, the American way, only ONE truth, only ONE answer. I had realised this was a result of brain washing, a lifetime dose of corporate news and views, the antics of those abominable 'shock jocks' and an education system which leads to associating 'Homer' with a yellow skinned cartoon character rather than tales of epic voyages, but I had not quite put the pieces together in the way you expressed this morning."

I cannot remember what pieces I put together this morning, partly because of the number of interviews, but mostly because when I am being interviewed , I sort of let myself fall into the whole thing and try to speak unselfconsciously as a native son of America testifying to the truth as I have seen it. All those things you pointed out are clearly at play. But there is also a semi-religious, or often as not, outright religious, zealotry that comes with being American. It has been there at least since World War One, and probably since the era of manifest destiny. I was completely steeped in it, as were my father and grandfather. It is as if it is in the air over our portion of the continent. Moreover, I think it is the simple product of being handed by nature every natural resource advantage from the outset, growing rich from exploitation of those resources, mostly through ostentatious squandering held up to the world as progress and proof of our superiority. Sort of like being born on third base and thinking you got there by your own talents. Long ago it came to the point that being born an American automatically carried the assumption of superiority. I was steeped in it, and believe me, nothing about it feels at all unusual or ill fitting. It is just a comfortable, perfectly natural feeling of superiority and in no way feels even smug. Just natural and god granted. More amazing to me is that the rest of the world bought the sales job for so long, and apparently continues to for the most part, judging from the numerous lap poodles available to our president, including John Howard of Australia.

You wrote: "I would be very interested in your views of the Australian equivalents."

I would not presume to understand Australia that well. All I know is that it feels more free, honest and egalitarian here. And on the whole, people seem much happier and kinder in general toward their fellow man. And that there is a growing whiff of the corporate state in the air. Such as the increasing vapid silliness of the Australian media ... acceptance of the corporate choice to buy cheap American TV shows rather than produce authentic Australian material representing your unique culture, history and people ...  marbled as it is with its own inequities (aboriginals) ... tragedies (all those ANZAC boys slaughtered for the wars of princes and barons of capital) ... and the beautiful enduring spirit of the "fair go" for all men.

You wrote: "This is not in any way to say one set of peoples is better than the other, I am simply interested in the cause and effect of comparative cultures."

Oh, I dunno. If one set of peoples is murdering babies in Iraq and practicing Darwinian reptile survival inside its own country, and the other is drinking Cooper's Ale, practicing the brotherhood of labor through union, denying no child an education and no sick person access to medicine and hospitals, well ... why not call a spade a spade? But if we want we can call it comparative culture to make it sound nicer.

You wrote: "There are many great and glorious things about the United States ..."

Please remind me of what those are at the moment. I must be having a senior brain fart.

You wrote: "It is probably full of hubris for me to make this observation, but I think that the great ideals upon which the Republic was founded have been corrupted by the very forces of greed, elitism and power which the revolutionary forces fought against."

Man, you are one humble dude. There is no hubris in clear observation. If it quacks like a duck, has webbed feet, and shits by the pond, then it's probably a duck. I believe in calling things what they are.

You wrote: "Issues such as universal health care should be a no brainer for such a rich community. It should NOT be a profit making opportunity for corporate leeches. Ditto for social services, a minimum wage, a decent and free educational system. The brain washing performed on the populace by the corporate/government sector which has it accepting of a two (or is it three?) tiered system, in which the life of the well to do is more valuable than that of one less affluent, is abhorrent at worst, frustrating at best. Why are the taxes of the poor used to subsidise the education of the rich?

Here ya go with that evil commie stuff again! Be glad you don't have Fatherland Security in Australia. ;-)

You wrote: "I wonder if the people will ever lift their heads out of their donut and beer induced coma and reclaim their right to fairness."

If they do not, then they have no right to fairness. Their only right is to the consequences. And I fear Americans are far too conditioned to accept their plight than to do otherwise. Hell, they don't even know they are in deep shit already. I do not mean to sound as if I hate my own people. I do not. But I'm pretty damned disgusted with them. Perhaps it is because at this late age, if Americans ever do get their heads out of their asses, it will not be any time soon, thus I will not be around to rejoice for the people, whether I like it or not, to whom I belong.

In art and labor,

Joe