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capitalism-how [2017/12/03 12:05]
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capitalism-how [2018/02/07 19:09]
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 ===== How It Happened ===== ===== How It Happened =====
  
-=== Notes on the Day After ===+==== Second Negation ====
  
-Second Negation +**by Sam Friedman**
-1. Notes on the Day after the Revolution+
  
-As crowds partied loudly on glass-glittered sidewalks +=== 1. Notes on the Day after the Revolution === 
-and dodged around potholes while promenading the Bowery, + 
-skirting the waves inching north three feet each year, +As crowds partied loudly on glass-glittered sidewalks\\  
-and offices and sweatshops echoed crescendos +and dodged around potholes while promenading the Bowery,\\  
-as workers debated how  +skirting the waves inching north three feet each year,\\  
-they should now run them, +and offices and sweatshops echoed crescendos\\  
-and what wonders to build +as workers debated how \\  
-with their minds and their hands., +they should now run them,\\  
-I wandered alone, alone among revelers, +and what wonders to build\\  
-with notebook in hand while I muttered and scribbled,+with their minds and their hands.\\  
 +I wandered alone, alone among revelers,\\  
 +with notebook in hand while I muttered and scribbled,\\ 
 jotting elation and jotting my fear. jotting elation and jotting my fear.
  
-The TVs in the windows replayed it, +The TVs in the windows replayed it,\\  
-replayed the Weeks of the Wonders -- +replayed the Weeks of the Wonders --\\  
-how, after the years of the cynics, +how, after the years of the cynics,\\  
-when words of revolution led only to mutters of "not in my lifetime,"​ +when words of revolution led only to mutters of "not in my lifetime,"​\\  
-we began having strikes again in New York and in Jersey; +we began having strikes again in New York and in Jersey;\\  
-and how, a couple of weeks ago, a boss in a tall box near the river  +and how, a couple of weeks ago, a boss in a tall box near the river\\  ​ 
-said "​girl"​  +said "​girl"​\\  ​ 
-to one of the secretaries -- +to one of the secretaries --\\  
-and everybody -- mailroom clerks, secretaries,​ truck drivers, even analysts -- +and everybody -- mailroom clerks, secretaries,​ truck drivers, even analysts --\\  
-walked out,  +walked out,\\  
-but then walked back in again +but then walked back in again\\ 
 and sent the bosses home. and sent the bosses home.
- Then, of course, the mayor called the cops, + 
- the governor called the National Guard, +Then, of course, the mayor called the cops,\\  
- and the President the Army -- +the governor called the National Guard,\\  
-but everybody had been there, +and the President the Army --\\  
-everyone had been called "​girl"​ or "​boy"​ or "​kike"​ or "​Polack"​ or maybe "​rookie"​ or "​grunt"​ -- +but everybody had been there,\\  
-so our rulers called the cops, +everyone had been called "​girl"​ or "​boy"​ or "​kike"​ or "​Polack"​ or maybe "​rookie"​ or "​grunt"​ --\\  
- and they called the Marines, +so our rulers called the cops,\\  
- and they called and they called and they called and they called, +and they called the Marines,\\  
-but workers and neighbors argued with cops, joked with the Guard,  +and they called and they called and they called and they called,\\  
-sang solidarity with the soldiers, +but workers and neighbors argued with cops, joked with the Guard,\\  
- and the now-rebel workers and soldiers beat up the few  +sang solidarity with the soldiers,\\  
-who would not see reason, +and the now-rebel workers and soldiers beat up the few\\  
-and they all went home -- +who would not see reason,\\  
- or joined the crowd. +and they all went home --\\  
-So the American peoples said "​Enough! ​ It's all over!"​ +or joined the crowd.\\  
-and workers stopped working +So the American peoples said "​Enough! ​ It's all over!"\\  
- and crowds seduced armies +and workers stopped working\\  
- and only 18 died in all the Americas+and crowds seduced armies\\  
 +and only 18 died in all the Americas\\ 
 and a few score more died, across the green globe. and a few score more died, across the green globe.
  
-By the flickering light of the Tubes in the windows,  +By the flickering light of the Tubes in the windows,\\  
-I wandered the next day +I wandered the next day\\  
-through grime-littered streets +through grime-littered streets\\  
-built by the defunct civilization +built by the defunct civilization\\  
-that brought us Agent Orange, pet stones, and AIDS for the millions, +that brought us Agent Orange, pet stones, and AIDS for the millions,\\  
-and I rejoiced as I dreaded +and I rejoiced as I dreaded\\  
- and I dreaded as I rejoiced.+and I dreaded as I rejoiced.
  
-And as I wandered, I wondered +And as I wandered, I wondered:\\  
-+"What the hell do we do next?"
- "What the hell do we do next?"+
  
-I mean, after the subtle pleasures --  +I mean, after the subtle pleasures --\\  
- like making the bosses work 4 or 5 months doing some of the real fun jobs, +like making the bosses work 4 or 5 months doing some of the real fun jobs,\\  
- like helping move the nuclear reactors they had ordered built +like helping move the nuclear reactors they had ordered built\\  
-too close to the oceans’ rising seas +too close to the oceans’ rising seas\\  
- or changing the linens in the ICUs; +or changing the linens in the ICUs;\\  
- and letting the ex-cops sleep on the park benches +and letting the ex-cops sleep on the park benches\\  
- and on the floor of the bus station,  +and on the floor of the bus station, ​\\  
- so we can cheerily poke them awake,  +so we can cheerily poke them awake, ​\\  
- crying, "Time to move on now," with a big grin and a big stick.+crying, "Time to move on now," with a big grin and a big stick.\\ 
  
- what the hell do we do next?+what the hell do we do next?
  
-Spectres hovered over my shoulder: +Spectres hovered over my shoulder:\\  
- the thousands of Communards gunned down by Reaction, +the thousands of Communards gunned down by Reaction,\\  
- Rosa and Karl murdered by the goon squads of social democracy,​ +Rosa and Karl murdered by the goon squads of social democracy,\\  
-the telephone exchange in Barcelona —  +the telephone exchange in Barcelona — \\  
- where Uncle Joe "​reached out and gouged someone,"​ +where Uncle Joe "​reached out and gouged someone,"​\\  
- and throttled the soul of a revolution — +and throttled the soul of a revolution —\\  
-danced with dreams of ice picks in my fear-torn, grinning head.+danced with dreams of ice picks in my fear-torn, grinning head.\\ 
  
-as I wondered,  +as I wondered, ​\\  
- what the hell do we do next?+what the hell do we do next?
  
 Sure, the market had to go, but what would we replace it with? Sure, the market had to go, but what would we replace it with?
  
-How would we get the food grown +How would we get the food grown\\  
- and have all the candy, bread, and roses we needed +and have all the candy, bread, and roses we needed\\  
- for the photo-journalists +for the photo-journalists\\  
- and our children?+and our children?\\ 
  
 How would we live our meanings, and not just numbers? How would we live our meanings, and not just numbers?
  
-How could we unleash the sleeping poetry? ​ the smothered power to create that waits like crabgrass +How could we unleash the sleeping poetry? ​ the smothered power to create that waits like crabgrass\\  
- in the brains and hands of everyone, +in the brains and hands of everyone,\\  
-even in the slit-eyed grimaces of the naysayers +even in the slit-eyed grimaces of the naysayers\\  
-who wear red tape +who wear red tape \\ 
 instead of suspenders? instead of suspenders?
  
-Like crabgrass, these five billion poets will shoot forth trillions of pages  +Like crabgrass, these five billion poets will shoot forth trillions of pages \\  
- filled with tripe and doggerel +filled with tripe and doggerel\\  
- which someone – maybe even me -- would have to read, +which someone – maybe even me -- would have to read,\\  
- pages filled with crackpot ideas redolent of disaster,+pages filled with crackpot ideas redolent of disaster,\\ 
 but salvation scattered throughout -- if we could find it. but salvation scattered throughout -- if we could find it.
  
-So there I wandered, +So there I wandered,\\  
-thinking of the Galileos and Miltons we needed to create our new world,  +thinking of the Galileos and Miltons we needed to create our new world,\\  
-and the humongous arguments that indeed filled our ears +and the humongous arguments that indeed filled our ears\\  
-as we shouted forth our insights against each other, +as we shouted forth our insights against each other,\\  
-and I pondered the epic mistakes our revolutionary democracy +and I pondered the epic mistakes our revolutionary democracy\\  
-was undoubtedly making +was undoubtedly making\\  
-even as I roved, wandered and scribbled +even as I roved, wandered and scribbled\\  
-through the rubble, the wonders, and the shoving salvation +through the rubble, the wonders, and the shoving salvation\\  
-as crabgrass pushes aside the arid asphalt of Madison Avenue +as crabgrass pushes aside the arid asphalt of Madison Avenue\\  
-to seek its sun +to seek its sun\\  
-and in so doing pushed the fears from my heart +and in so doing pushed the fears from my heart\\  
-(but not from my next-day mind) +(but not from my next-day mind)\\  
-and I walked grinning into the nearest party +and I walked grinning into the nearest party\\  
-to join the celebration +to join the celebration\\  
-and raised glass after glass in toasts of global unison +and raised glass after glass in toasts of global unison\\  
-with friends in Santos and Granada, Bangkok and Kampala,+with friends in Santos and Granada, Bangkok and Kampala,\\ 
 Melbourne, Tacoma, Portland, and Detroit. Melbourne, Tacoma, Portland, and Detroit.
  
-2. E-mail from an 8 year old I received yesterday, December 2, 2117 +=== 2. E-mail from an 8 year old I received yesterday, December 2, 2117 === 
 Dear Sam, Dear Sam,
  
-All the kids in my class admire +All the kids in my class admire\\  
-your poems of revolution,​ +your poems of revolution,\\  
-your verse on how bruised feelings +your verse on how bruised feelings\\  
-and hunger+and hunger\\ 
 came to snap and cohere. came to snap and cohere.
  
-But none of us can quite comprehend+But none of us can quite comprehend\\ 
 the silly times you lived in. the silly times you lived in.
  
-Why were all the TV shows +Why were all the TV shows\\  
-about cops and lawyers? +about cops and lawyers?\\  
-Weren’t more people killed by corporations +Weren’t more people killed by corporations\\  
-than by murderers?​ +than by murderers?\\  
-And just how were they different,​ +And just how were they different,\\  
-any how? +any how?\\  
-and didn’t shop stewards and community organizers +and didn’t shop stewards and community organizers\\  
-have more guts than any old cop?+have more guts than any old cop?\\ 
 more sense than lawyers? more sense than lawyers?
  
-And all those shows about love and sex? +And all those shows about love and sex?\\  
-Why would men want women so inane?+Why would men want women so inane?\\ 
 And why were all their lines so trite? And why were all their lines so trite?
  
-And work—we don’t understand work at all! +And work—we don’t understand work at all!\\  
-Why did any one work +Why did any one work\\  
-at such hateful jobs? +at such hateful jobs?\\  
-If engineers were so smart, +If engineers were so smart,\\  
-why did they design factories +why did they design factories\\  
-that poisoned all the whales?  +that poisoned all the whales? ​\\  
-Whales were so cute! +Whales were so cute!\\  
-Why did they make it+Why did they make it\\ 
 so we could never meet one? so we could never meet one?
  
-Why would any one become a soldier? +Why would any one become a soldier?\\  
-When ordered to shoot their enemies, +When ordered to shoot their enemies,\\  
-why didn’t soldiers obey+why didn’t soldiers obey\\ 
 and shoot their officers? and shoot their officers?
  
-When the owners paid boys more than girls, +When the owners paid boys more than girls,\\  
-or whites more than blacks, +or whites more than blacks,\\  
-or old-timers more than new hires, +or old-timers more than new hires,\\  
-why didn’t the workers +why didn’t the workers\\  
-or Neighborhood Action Centers +or Neighborhood Action Centers\\  
-take over their workplaces+take over their workplaces\\ 
 that very same day? that very same day?
  
-Did kids after school +Did kids after school\\  
-play “Design a better air de-polluter” +play “Design a better air de-polluter”\\  
-or “Spin the Bottle” +or “Spin the Bottle”\\  
-at their Neighborhood Action Centers+at their Neighborhood Action Centers\\ 
 the way we do now? the way we do now?
  
-Why didn’t the grown-ups +Why didn’t the grown-ups\\  
-play baseball outside with their friends +play baseball outside with their friends\\  
-instead of watching it inside +instead of watching it inside\\  
-with their bags of potato chips?+with their bags of potato chips?\\ 
 Didn’t they have any friends? Didn’t they have any friends?
  
-And you, Sam? +And you, Sam? \\ 
 We also just do not understand you. We also just do not understand you.
  
-Why did you keep doing “AIDS research”?​ +Why did you keep doing “AIDS research”?​\\  
-And what was “AIDS” anyway? What was “disease”?​ +And what was “AIDS” anyway? What was “disease”?​\\  
-Why not retire +Why not retire\\  
-and work full time +and work full time\\  
-to bring on the revolution sooner,+to bring on the revolution sooner,\\ 
 before all the whales had died? before all the whales had died?
  
capitalism-how.txt · Last modified: 2018/02/07 19:09 by admin