I agree, there is plenty of blame to go around, including us, progressives and liberals. Not all that long ago stores were closed on Sundays, even grocery stores! In America at least, our restricted retail schedules were based on Christian principals and challenged and overturned in the language of liberalism, for neoliberal purposes to be sure.

I agree, complaining and mocking others is counterproductive, unless it’s the corporations and banksters driving this madness. Thanksgiving must be a four day civic/industrial holiday. The entire country should shut down (by law!) for four days. And I bet there’s a large majority of Americans who agree with me, Christian, socialist, conservative, progressive or just the sane and compassionate. In my thinking, such a political agenda is actually low hanging fruit. Just imagine four days of relative peace and quite in the ever frantic hustle and bustle USA. We desperately need it, or collective mental health requires it.

Well not only that. Anyone remember blue laws?

Kevin, Once again well done and thank you for your coverage and insights, which get sharper and more pointed with each blog post.

This just in via my Twitter feed:

Capitalism can sell you everything… except empathy. Walmart shopper pepper-sprays 10 ppl in a #blackfriday altercation: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_BLACK_FRIDAY_PEPPER_SPRAY?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Then check out this image at the Bag depicting the elevation of consumption over citizenship.
http://www.bagnewsnotes.com/2011/11/black-friday/

My initial thoughts are of course disgust. But I like to believe that compassion and human community are winning out this year, despite how hard the media sales consumption to those “millions more Americans near or in danger of going into poverty because they could lose their job, their home to bank foreclosure, or contract a disease or illness that leads to a medical bill they will be unable to pay.”

The corporate monster has no shame but we are winning!
Happy holidays, Towner

Thanks Ruth. Pumpkins are hard to get in Scandinavia this time of year, about 2-3 weeks late, though I could have planned better. But a friend from NJ got a hold of a descent bird and I’m making pecan pie (with our walnut harvest) and stewed white beans with a ham hock. Then Sunday is 1st Advent when we light the 1st candle in the advent wreath, a Scandinavian tradition. I think all our children figure Thanksgiving is just one of the oh-so-many Christmas festivities here.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Seems odd to point out the Tank with the RNC (we should rightfully be alarmed!) and associate it with the current Occupy crackdowns given most have been conducted under Democratic mayors with either active participation or implicit consent of a Democratic Federal administration. And then, don’t be surprised to find similar police state hardware at the DNC at the Time Warner Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, home of Bank of America! And lest we forget our recent history, the 2008 DNC convention in Denver was a virtual police state lock down.

Anyhow, I’m outside the US this year, won’t get to celebrate T-day until Saturday with some other expats. Wishing you all good health and happiness during these troubled times.

Towner

Kevin,

I find this entire “internet meme” fascinating, and the way that not only different people are remixing cultural icons but also re-deploying them like you do here. Michael Shaw at BNN has some interesting remarks about these “culturally sacred” images noting,

“Different images are surely saying particular things, but what they are all saying, at the meta-level, is: after witnessing such a profound betrayal of trust perpetrated by the State, as mentor and guardian, on the kids in their trust, we have further lost innocence and the lens we were using up until last week to view our culture through suddenly isn’t so clear anymore.”

And that’s precisely how I read some of the more off beat remixes, like the Star Wars scene above. But most of the images, whether historical photographs, civic art or popular culture seem to tie together our collective memories of social justice struggles much like what you’ve presented here. This is also what democracy looks like!

Furthermore, it’s an inherently submissive and weak strategy, at least in the way it was articulated because the idea rests on the hope that the media will suddenly play nice. At best, it’s a defensive game, an attempt to take a story away. Perhaps the stunt might make some small impact. But I doubt it. So long as you are playing on the corporate media’s playing field you will lose. They will always report what they want how they want: “If they can afford suits then certainly they can afford to go out and get a job!” “Why would they spend money on publicity stunts which could otherwise used to help feed the poor?” On and on.

Political theater definitely has its place. I especially liked the corporate zombie costumes early on. So perhaps there could be a time and place for deploying such a tactic. But it should never be reactionary to the corporate media.

Thank.you.Kevin!

Exactly!

What is with all this insistence that we need solid majorities anyways? Solid majority action through democratic electoral process is a fantastic idea but totally unattainable at this juncture. Power is not wielded democratically in this country, just ask the 1%. I thought that was one of the central messages of OWS? The second important fallacy being discussed in this thread is the idea that OWS just needs “better messaging.” The message is crystal clear to everyone not benefiting in some way from the current system, or fearful of their tenuous position within it.

1/4 of the population is real power! And as suggested above, we don’t really need better polling, we know that a large majority of Americans actually do support and desire a more equitable and democratic distribution of political and economic resources. OWS isn’t everything nor should it be. To hell with the corporate media and trying to win a messaging battle on their turf. Organize your family, your neighborhood, your workplace and build bridges across other communities in need. As I’ve been told numerous times, this is a global movement but the real progress will be achieved locally.

Elections won’t matter much. Neither will a better message. The technocrats will only legislate for the 99% when they are forced.

Uh what? Of course Bush and Cheney are war criminals. But are you suggesting all those Dems were (and continue to be) poor victims of an anthrax terror plot designed to keep ‘em in line?

This is what “Homeland Security” was designed for! And let’s not blame this on Bush/Cheney. 90 Senators voted for the Homeland Security Act, 98 Senators voted for the Patriot Act. Under Clinton the War on Drugs was dramatically increased, etc.

I’ve had it on my must see list for a while as I was interested in the ways Marshall McLuhan’s theories of media are explored in the film. Looks like the whole thing is on youtube, in parts. Here’s the original trailer, thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90mqG8I2xR0

Seconded!