Chamblee54

“Ron Howard has summed up what many of us believe. Including me. “I’m a liberal, but …” Just when you thought it was safe, more facebook wisdom emerges from the digital cellar. It is not the first time, nor will it be the last. Chamblee54 wrote about it in 2020, and that parts of that post will be recycled today. Pictures today are from The Library of Congress. Jack Delano took the featured photograph in August 1941.“In the square, facing the main street in Saint Albans, Vermont”
My first reaction was to ask, did Ronald William Howard really write this? Of course, IALB had been published before, and a bit of googling revealed the obvious answer. The credit/blame for IALB is usually assigned to Lori Gallagher Witt, who posted these thoughts January 7, 2018, on facebook. Yes, IALB was written by a woman, but when it comes time to share her musings, the credit is given to a man. At least both LGW and RWH are white, so we will have to wait until later to fuss about THAT. Complaining about privilege is an obnoxious privilege.
RWH is a success. He acted in two hit TV shows, and directed many movies. A major motion picture involves the investment of millions of dollars, with all the strings attached. This is the infrastructure that IALB mentions in item 12. “Which means those with privilege — white, straight, male, economic, etc — need to start listening, even if you don’t like what you’re hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that’s causing people to be marginalized.” “The system” does cause some people to be marginalized, but it also allowed RWH to craft movies that millions enjoy.
“11. I believe our current administration is fascist. … because I’ve spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. … because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past.” Fascism is one of those slurs that gets casually tossed around, until it means very little. Yes, there are similarities between the US Government, and Nazi Germany. There are also significant differences. The glib Hitler comparisons only serve to distract from a consideration of boring issues and tough choices.
“15. I believe in funding sustainable energy … There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else.” Here again, God/the Devil is in the details. Take electric cars. How are we going to generate all that electricity, when our power grids are struggling? How are we going to get the cobalt needed to make batteries? There are horror stories about cobalt mining in Africa. It is a lot easier to take a cheap shot at “billionaires” than it is to take create clean energy.
“Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else.” I don’t know much about LGW, and her finances. If she has a 401k, then that money is invested somewhere. This a big chunk of the “billionaires” that progressives like to bash. Yes, there is corruption and stupidity in our capitalism investment infrastructure, but the simple truth is that this is how we pay for what we do. When you call for “dismantling” the system, you forget that there needs to be something to replace it. The rhetoric of the liberal butt crowd is better at pointing out problems than solving them.