I guess my mom must have been a pessimist. I do not remember her ever saying "it will all work out in the end" or any such tripe. She knew full well people have to make it work out and usually need to work hard and with others to do it. You know those topics people were never supposed to talk about at the table. politics and religion, well, those were regular areas of discussion nearly every evening when we ate dinner together. My dad was Catholic and my mother protestant (a small denomination, Schwenkfelder). My mother claimed to be Republican and my dad Democrat. If we made a statement at the table, we were expected to be able to back it up, well after age 10 or so. With 5 daughters, my parents knew sexist attitudes were unacceptable even though we didn't have the word sexist at the time. We were expected to go to college even though 2 of us were visually impaired and our family had no money. Three of us did graduate from college. We did not hide our politics or religion when guests came to eat with us and most of them appreciated the open discussions and that their opinions were heard too, and sometimes challenged. My parents were not helicopter parents and trusted us after age 4 or so to follow the outside rules (don't go into the street without looking, watch out for other kids to help if possible, and come home for dinner when the bell was rung - yes, we had a dinner bell). It has been hard, but we have all made decent lives for ourselves and continue to discuss politics and religion when together when the occasion arises. We do believe the world should be better and that we all have responsibility to do our part to make that happen. Knowing how human beings can be, we know the good Earth won't happen by itself. So Garland, let's get to indicting the insurrectionists. ?Santos (or whatever your name is), resign from Congress you don't belong there. McCarthy, grow up and be a responsible adult. Tell your caucus they must raise the debt ceiling or get rid of it altogether (that would be best). McConnell, the filibuster was not meant as a plaything to make your party look strong by trying to do minority rule in a democracy. You know you would hate that if the tables were turned, so stop the childishness. Gov. DeSantis, you are not the king of Florida. Why anyone thinks you should be is beyond comprehension. Leave school districts alone. Hide your bias toward trans persons and let each person be the person they need to be. The idea is building up people not tearing them down so they don't have to get paybacks, as Putin is claiming he is doing in his fear of everything not Russian. Ant Putin, stop the stupid war. Neither your people nor Ukrainians deserve your killing people to salve your fears. Men, back off and assume women's bodily autonomy and only comment or get involved in any way if asked. Women can handle decisions about their bodies without male dictatorship. Thanks Mom for not feeding us the "everything will turn out fine in the end" nonsense.
"Justice delayed is justice denied" . It angers me that the "Lock her up " guy, who NEVER mentioned due process, is given every consideration by our legal system.
Brilliant piece, Professor Reich. I read it three times. Let’s hope your lovely mother was right and that the tide turns soon on all of your talking points.
You motivate me to do more and more to ensure that I can at least be proactive in my own small way. Thank You.
I'm with you all the way on this Robert. If 78% of Santos constituents want him gone - request a recall election. He's not going to resign and McCarthy thinks he needs him. The Democrats could request a progress report on trump from Merrick Garland, they can even ask for one in complete secrecy then all they'd need to say is they are or are not satisfied with the report. It does not have to be made public. On Ukraine, if the best we can do is offer armament fine, get it there like NOW not in 2024. Somethings like Putin are far beyond our control, but what we can control we should.
I too am a glass half full kind of person. Bad things happen to good people, it’s how we recover and respond that differentiates us from the doom and gloomers of the world; to be paralyzed by doom is a response we cannot afford.
We need a pep talk. We need to rally and take action. The ole good vs evil fight.
I keep thinking of the quote of Mark Twain’s when he was asked what was the turning point in his life he replied “ When Caesar crossed the Rubicon”.
What will be the transformative moment in our society, our lives that will take us back from the brink of disaster? I would have thought the gun violence, the massacres of schoolchildren would have compelled our government to implement better gun laws and a better mental health system. Tragedy does not warrant action? It is hard to predict the event/s that will be the turning point for change. There is no crystal ball we can look into to show us the way or when the wicked witch will be dead.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if each and every person would become a beacon of hope and compassion so that there was more light than darkness.
That may be wishful thinking but better to be an ambassador of hope than not.
What made me think like this?? I’m not sure about Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon but maybe when my ancestors crossed the Atlantic!
Thinking of the people of Ukraine and Turkey and Syria.
I agree with everything in this except including MLK and his comment. The rest of the quotes are coming from people urging patient waiting. King was hardly waiting patiently for the universe to bend toward justice. He was pouring his life into the struggle and offering hope that it might eventually prevail. Garland seems to have seen the successful prosecution of several hundred vandals as more urgent than protecting congress and the White House from seditionists.
Entirely agree. From the UK it looks insane that Trump and Santos are still at large, but we have our own endless procrastinations and intentional delays while the powerful reconvene.
I loved this bullet point article that describes my state of mind perfectly! I mean your end analysis pal not your mothers!! Love reading your thoughts.
Problems seem insurmountable when one is living in the middle of them . Solutions seem easy after they are reached. But global warming, the fracturing of our middle class and its political consequences seem exponentially more threatening than what has come before. I hope I live to see a successful resolution that does not spawn unintended consequences.
Dr. King's "arc of the moral universe" is usually quoted in a way that encourages complacency. In an earlier speech, he had a different assessment of the assumption of the inevitability of moral progress: "There are those individuals who argue that only time can solve the problem of racial injustice in the United States, in South Africa or anywhere else; you’ve got to wait on time. ... We have heard and we have lived with the myth of time. The only answer that I can give to that myth is that time is neutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively. And I must honestly say to you that I’m convinced that the forces of ill will have often used time much more effectively than the forces of goodwill."
The backlash against civil rights, brazenness of white supremacists & open embrace of facism, Supreme Court's gutting of Voting Rights Act & reproductive rights, are recent proofs that King's earlier statement is the accurate one.
Everything you said, Robert Reich! Is it effective to call Senators and Congress representatives? Can one petition the Supreme Court? I wonder what might be the most effective way to message?
if there's one so-called bible verse that i believe in -- and it's not even found in the bible!! -- it's this:
god helps those who help themselves.
if we ALL are not activists in the protection of at least one thing that we hold dear -- politics, economics, climate change, biodiversity -- we have no right to be viewed or treated respectfully as fully-formed people.
I guess my mom must have been a pessimist. I do not remember her ever saying "it will all work out in the end" or any such tripe. She knew full well people have to make it work out and usually need to work hard and with others to do it. You know those topics people were never supposed to talk about at the table. politics and religion, well, those were regular areas of discussion nearly every evening when we ate dinner together. My dad was Catholic and my mother protestant (a small denomination, Schwenkfelder). My mother claimed to be Republican and my dad Democrat. If we made a statement at the table, we were expected to be able to back it up, well after age 10 or so. With 5 daughters, my parents knew sexist attitudes were unacceptable even though we didn't have the word sexist at the time. We were expected to go to college even though 2 of us were visually impaired and our family had no money. Three of us did graduate from college. We did not hide our politics or religion when guests came to eat with us and most of them appreciated the open discussions and that their opinions were heard too, and sometimes challenged. My parents were not helicopter parents and trusted us after age 4 or so to follow the outside rules (don't go into the street without looking, watch out for other kids to help if possible, and come home for dinner when the bell was rung - yes, we had a dinner bell). It has been hard, but we have all made decent lives for ourselves and continue to discuss politics and religion when together when the occasion arises. We do believe the world should be better and that we all have responsibility to do our part to make that happen. Knowing how human beings can be, we know the good Earth won't happen by itself. So Garland, let's get to indicting the insurrectionists. ?Santos (or whatever your name is), resign from Congress you don't belong there. McCarthy, grow up and be a responsible adult. Tell your caucus they must raise the debt ceiling or get rid of it altogether (that would be best). McConnell, the filibuster was not meant as a plaything to make your party look strong by trying to do minority rule in a democracy. You know you would hate that if the tables were turned, so stop the childishness. Gov. DeSantis, you are not the king of Florida. Why anyone thinks you should be is beyond comprehension. Leave school districts alone. Hide your bias toward trans persons and let each person be the person they need to be. The idea is building up people not tearing them down so they don't have to get paybacks, as Putin is claiming he is doing in his fear of everything not Russian. Ant Putin, stop the stupid war. Neither your people nor Ukrainians deserve your killing people to salve your fears. Men, back off and assume women's bodily autonomy and only comment or get involved in any way if asked. Women can handle decisions about their bodies without male dictatorship. Thanks Mom for not feeding us the "everything will turn out fine in the end" nonsense.
"Justice delayed is justice denied" . It angers me that the "Lock her up " guy, who NEVER mentioned due process, is given every consideration by our legal system.
Brilliant piece, Professor Reich. I read it three times. Let’s hope your lovely mother was right and that the tide turns soon on all of your talking points.
You motivate me to do more and more to ensure that I can at least be proactive in my own small way. Thank You.
A.🌻
I'm with you all the way on this Robert. If 78% of Santos constituents want him gone - request a recall election. He's not going to resign and McCarthy thinks he needs him. The Democrats could request a progress report on trump from Merrick Garland, they can even ask for one in complete secrecy then all they'd need to say is they are or are not satisfied with the report. It does not have to be made public. On Ukraine, if the best we can do is offer armament fine, get it there like NOW not in 2024. Somethings like Putin are far beyond our control, but what we can control we should.
My Mom used to say, "Everything comes out in the wash." I agree but, first, you have to turn it on.
I too am a glass half full kind of person. Bad things happen to good people, it’s how we recover and respond that differentiates us from the doom and gloomers of the world; to be paralyzed by doom is a response we cannot afford.
We need a pep talk. We need to rally and take action. The ole good vs evil fight.
I keep thinking of the quote of Mark Twain’s when he was asked what was the turning point in his life he replied “ When Caesar crossed the Rubicon”.
What will be the transformative moment in our society, our lives that will take us back from the brink of disaster? I would have thought the gun violence, the massacres of schoolchildren would have compelled our government to implement better gun laws and a better mental health system. Tragedy does not warrant action? It is hard to predict the event/s that will be the turning point for change. There is no crystal ball we can look into to show us the way or when the wicked witch will be dead.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if each and every person would become a beacon of hope and compassion so that there was more light than darkness.
That may be wishful thinking but better to be an ambassador of hope than not.
What made me think like this?? I’m not sure about Caesar’s crossing the Rubicon but maybe when my ancestors crossed the Atlantic!
Thinking of the people of Ukraine and Turkey and Syria.
I agree with everything in this except including MLK and his comment. The rest of the quotes are coming from people urging patient waiting. King was hardly waiting patiently for the universe to bend toward justice. He was pouring his life into the struggle and offering hope that it might eventually prevail. Garland seems to have seen the successful prosecution of several hundred vandals as more urgent than protecting congress and the White House from seditionists.
Hope- passively waits for something to happen
Expectation- actively works to make something happen sooner rather than later
Damn right, Robert. Haven't we seen enough of Trump, Putin, Santos and the rest? It's lime for the hammer to fall.
Entirely agree. From the UK it looks insane that Trump and Santos are still at large, but we have our own endless procrastinations and intentional delays while the powerful reconvene.
I loved this bullet point article that describes my state of mind perfectly! I mean your end analysis pal not your mothers!! Love reading your thoughts.
Problems seem insurmountable when one is living in the middle of them . Solutions seem easy after they are reached. But global warming, the fracturing of our middle class and its political consequences seem exponentially more threatening than what has come before. I hope I live to see a successful resolution that does not spawn unintended consequences.
Dr. King's "arc of the moral universe" is usually quoted in a way that encourages complacency. In an earlier speech, he had a different assessment of the assumption of the inevitability of moral progress: "There are those individuals who argue that only time can solve the problem of racial injustice in the United States, in South Africa or anywhere else; you’ve got to wait on time. ... We have heard and we have lived with the myth of time. The only answer that I can give to that myth is that time is neutral. It can be used either constructively or destructively. And I must honestly say to you that I’m convinced that the forces of ill will have often used time much more effectively than the forces of goodwill."
The backlash against civil rights, brazenness of white supremacists & open embrace of facism, Supreme Court's gutting of Voting Rights Act & reproductive rights, are recent proofs that King's earlier statement is the accurate one.
Thank you for this. It is exactly what I needed to hear this night.
Everything you said, Robert Reich! Is it effective to call Senators and Congress representatives? Can one petition the Supreme Court? I wonder what might be the most effective way to message?
if there's one so-called bible verse that i believe in -- and it's not even found in the bible!! -- it's this:
god helps those who help themselves.
if we ALL are not activists in the protection of at least one thing that we hold dear -- politics, economics, climate change, biodiversity -- we have no right to be viewed or treated respectfully as fully-formed people.