A sick society?

[Ron Ecker]

Those old enough to have lived through the assassinations of the 1960s might remember the judgment by some pundits or talking heads that we lived in "a sick society."

Well, a group of conspirators don't make a sick society. On the other hand, might a society be considered sick if it doesn't do anything about the conspirators?

Can we justifiably be called a sick society today for continuing to do nothing as a society about those assassinations that changed history, for half a century and counting?

Seems to me there is definitely something sick about it.

 

 

[Paul Brancato]

I went to see Mort Sahl a month ago, and after that read his book Heartland, which I owned for decades but never read. He would agree with you 100%, as do I. What he points to are the ‘liberals’ and the liberal press. To be clear, he doesn’t think liberal is a dirty word. What he says is that those that go by that title in the press and government are for the most part unfaithful to that principle. These ‘liberals’ failed the nation completely then, and now. The cause? A combination of CIA targeting of the ‘left wing’ of our democracy, and going along to get along by the rest. 

[Pamela Brown]

I tend to agree.  It seems to me out education system is in part at fault.  Students are not being taught how to reason, how to think independently, and how to weigh and evaluate information.  Instead, they are conditioned to 'believe' those in 'authority' who will then tell them what is 'best' for them.  

[James DiEugenio]

Mort Sahl was pretty much spot on with that judgment.

And I agree with Ron also.  What was sick was the fact that our justice system completely collapsed.

[David Andrews]

Over the past several presidential administrations (Democrat and Republican) and through the many congressional sessions since the Reagan years, American workers have lost rights that they fought for since the 1870s and into the Depression, and lost privileges afforded them in the optimistic remaking of the working world after WW II.  And no one is rebelling against this or demanding any restorative measures. 

Couple that with the immense powers given to the corporate world, especially to banking, insurance and mortgage lenders (down to Trump's relaxation of banking regulations last week), and the individual worker is now powerless in our society.  No one will mount any effective protests.  No persons will engage in collective action, such as general strikes, to ensure the rights and empowerment of all.  Common beat cops take their cues from militarized police forces and quash all dissent, down to misdemeanor level, with brute force,* and answer for it later, if at all.

All this public passivity came out of failure to oppose the culture of assassination, or to even acknowledge it.  The same psychology operated over the decades, and the failure to rise then is the same as the failure to rise now.  

It is no longer worth being a working person in America - and we are all workers.  It is no longer worth being an investor, nor the owner of a retirement account or a mortgage.  Below a certain level of financial security, it is no longer worth being a citizen.  Our rights, duties and privileges can be cut off at any time, by fiat.

If we had any sense, our retirement accounts and mortgages would, by established law, be put under control and protection of the federal government, and not in the hands of private entities licensed to steal and cheat.

(*) http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/2-nj-police-officers-reassigned-investigation-launched-in-case-of-woman-punched-on-beach-by-police/ar-AAxVkxV?li=BBnb7Kz

Edited May 29, 2018 by David Andrews

[Paul Brancato]

If any of us saw Capitalism - a Love Story, you'll recall that Michael Moore dug up an old film clip never shown to the American people of FDR, speaking from the Oval Office, saying it was time for a second bill of rights - to an education, to housing, to a good job. It's speaks volumes that this speech remained hidden for so long. 

[James DiEugenio]

That was really a wonderful scene in the Moore film.  

FDR was a lot like JFK, perceived as a traitor to his class.

[Robert Harper]

4 hours ago, Paul Brancato said:

I went to see Mort Sahl a month ago, and after that read his book Heartland, which I owned for decades but never read. He would agree with you 100%, as do I. What he points to are the ‘liberals’ and the liberal press. To be clear, he doesn’t think liberal is a dirty word. What he says is that those that go by that title in the press and government are for the most part unfaithful to that principle. These ‘liberals’ failed the nation

Paul--So glad you went to see him. I was talking to a friend recently about how he and George Carlin and Richard Pryor could easily have their work performed by young people doing stand-up they way all theater evolved--saving the narratives that had meaning for many.

[Cliff Varnell]

46 minutes ago, Robert Harper said:

Paul--So glad you went to see him. I was talking to a friend recently about how he and George Carlin and Richard Pryor could easily have their work performed by young people doing stand-up they way all theater evolved--saving the narratives that had meaning for many.

No stand-up young or old is going to perform someone else's work, with the exception of Dennis Leary, of course...R.I.P. Bill Hicks, the latter-day Mort Sahl.

[Steve Jaffe]

JFK's clothes. His tie and shirt are consistent with the entrance wound in his neck.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Steve Jaffe
This is in the wrong discussion. -- SJ

[Joe Bauer]

Want to weigh in on the original thread topic specifically, but before I do I wanted to share a funny little bit about Mort Sahl.

I pull up and watch a certain amount of old TV show episodes on You Tube that hold me with their main stars and themes. Almost all from the 1950's and 1960's.

Perry Mason, The Fugitive, The Invaders, What's My Line, Firing Line, Twilight Zone and so many others. 

I was recently watching another TV show from the 1950's titled "Richard Diamond - Private Detective"

The caper led Richard Diamond ( David Janssen from the "Fugitive " TV show fame ) to a night club where Mort Sahl was performing his stand up comedy act.  Sahl's real name was used in the show story.

There is actually some dialogue in the nightclub between Sahl and Diamond.

Diamond has a murder suspect in mind "Tony Gino" ( played by the actor Ross Martin ) who hangs out at this club and who is a big fan of Sahl's. After the show Diamond follows and confronts this suspect in his home attempting to feel him out.

In their cat and mouse game banter the bad guy starts distracting by talking to Diamond about what a great comedic talent Sahl is. Diamond is uninterested but the suspect won't change the subject of Sahl and even pulls out a record of Sahl's and tells Diamond..."you just gotta hear this guy's take on our foreign policy. Its really funny."

Diamond is so irritated by this silly Mort Sahl diversionary talk by the suspect he walks over to the record player and jerks Sahl's record off the player and breaks it in two and angrily throws it down.

Guess you don't mess with the bad guy's Mort Sahl's records. This infuriates the suspect.

As it turns out however, this Mort Sahl loving bad guy is NOT the guilty person involved in the murder case Diamond was investigation.

Diamond smashed that Sahl record needlessly and thoughtlessly!

 I hope he reimbursed the mistaken bad guy for this injustice.

And it was a slight toward Sahl in the script in my opinion as well. Just kidding. 

Just another funny episode in Sahl's life and it shows he was talking foreign policy in his comedic act that far back as well and popular enough to be on national TV.

Edited May 30, 2018 by Joe Bauer

[James DiEugenio]

Can  you link to that one?

BTW was Mary Tyler Moore in that one as the phone girl, or was it after she was fired for asking for  ten dollar raise?

[Robert Harper]

5 hours ago, James DiEugenio said:

FDR was a lot like JFK, perceived as a traitor to his class.

That is what I call  the Clintons as well. They both did anything to leave their class.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Robert Harper

[James DiEugenio]

Not the same Robert.

FDR and JFK were born into wealth.  They were then perceived as being too much for the common man, thus a traitor to their class.

The Clintons were not born into wealth.  They accumulated wealth, most of it after they left the White House.

[Robert Harper]

7 hours ago, Joe Bauer said:

 

Jim--that was my point, that Clinton instead of being true to his "common" class, brought pay-to-play to an apex while  both he and wife used government to "better their class."  While FDR and JFK were concerned with those not in the 1%; the Clintons scratched their way to get amongst them. Thus they were "traitors"to their own class.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Robert Harper