Tag: books

Simple Recommendations

I was recently asked by a wonderful friend, colleague, fellow intellectual, comrade, activist (did I leave anything out! 🙂 LOL): What are some recommedations you would make to help people working in the academy dealing with the profound level of ignorance found within and among our citizens. I truly don’t know if there is a ‘magic bullet’ that will solve the fierce and intense level of disinformation that is being heaped upon all of us by the various institutions within society. This entry is also impelled by my reading a book entitleed Using Gramsci: A New Approach by Michele Filippini. In this work he covers many of the themes found in the work of the Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci. Gramsci spoke about the way in which hegemonic rule is predicated on ‘owning the means of production’ (He was a Marxist!). For Gramsci, an element of highly developed Capitalist societies is the bourgeoisie’s capacity to own the means of ‘mental’ production. This includes, but is not limited to, the media, the schools, the law etc. It is important to remember that the central (not exclusive!) feature distinguishing various perspectives within and among the various institution is found, in part, on their class perspective.

I recall having a discussion with a friend of mine talking about the differences and similarities between MSNBC, CNN, Fox, New York Times etc. While it would be naive to think that they are all the same it would be equally dangerous to think that they share nothing in common. One of the major qualities that they have in common is that they function to ‘produce profit’. They are, within the Capitalist ecological system, a Commodity. It is important to understand the implications of this reality. We frequently speak about the sad state of journalism in the United States; however, we fail to do a radical critique of the industry. What we frequently call Mainstream Media, whether conservative or liberal exist as profit business ventures. Their primary (not exclusive!) function is to create wealth, not to inform! ls this it’s only function?, of course not. But one should not be naive (or blissfully ignorant) of this reality. One’s world view is shaped by the options which we encounter in our daily lives. Marx famously said ““Men make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past.” we make our informed political decisions based on the information available within our information eco-system.

I read many things, this includes various genres of writing. In terms of political/social/economic discourse (also novels…etc.) what I find is most important is the purpose of production question. Why is this thing being created. I was reminded of this very abruptly once by a student of mine years ago when I was teaching a course on Mass Media. The student noticed that virtually all the magazines that I was reading had NO ADVERTISEMENTS among their pages. I didn’t even realize this until he pointed it out. It is a profound insight to realize that the function of these pages was not to get someone to ‘buy’ something! The raison d’etre for all of the mainstream magazines is as a vehicle to get their ‘sponsors’ information out to the public. It ‘uses’ news (whatever is deemed as news!) to get viewers. This now might take the form of ‘clickbait’ language. The common slang for how this was thought of in the news game was ‘if it bleeds, it leads’. Which is a way of saying that the purpose of much news is the sensationalizing of certain elements of reality. But that is merely a description of what is happening and doesn’t answer the WHY of what is happening. Now we can get a more accurate assessment of why this occurs. It functions this way precisely because it was never meant to inform. That is not its purpose when it is produced. It is produced to sell something!

This brings me to some very simple but powerful reccomendations that I will suggest to all the readers of this blog. I would also reccomend that you suggest this to anyone else who is involved in the shaping of consciousness of communities. I am going to post a list of some of the magazines that I have read, subrscribed to, or use in my general intellectual development. I will be honest, I know that I am a single person that has a lot of extra time to dedicate to this, but I also know that given the hegemonic power exercised by the ruling class in shaping mass culture, thought and sentiment we must be willing to engage in a powerful war of positionality (to use another Gramscian concept) to strive to move beyond these elements of false consciousness into a better place. This will allow our strategies (Praxis) to become much more effective. Finally, I find that to the degree that contemporary journalism in a Neo-Liberal reality is essentially commodified stupidity used to dull the senses, build despair, cultivate hate, and misdirect attention to immobilize our movements from being more effective we must fight this by supporting alternative media. To me the criteria for alternative media is that which is against Capital (I don’t just mean against Capitialism). It cannot exist for profit in any capacity. Market logic is the death of journalistic integrity. I will repeat this statement because it is so essential to understand my thesis: Market logic is the death of journalistic integrity. One of the final benefits that I have learned about supporting Alternative Media is that these communities frequently do so much good apart from their disseminating much needed information. I know one magazine The Progressive offers free subscriptions to prison inmates upon requests. I also know that In These Times offers free subscriptions to union members. It is for me incredibly gratifying that I can be a small part of supporting these efforts by my simple act of subscribing to these publications. I tried to get some of the libraries at the universities that I worked at to carry the hard copy of these publications and to subscribe to the online version. This is so important because it is absolutely an accepted position that virtually all of the major for profit magazines should be part of the litany of publications (The New York Times, The Atlantic, etc.) found in the library. For me it is of paramount importance that the ‘hidden bias’ of these publications be called into question, challenged and critiqued. It is also important to begin to break the hegemonic hold that Market logic has on virtually all aspects of our lives. Below is only a partial list. If anyone has others titles, I would be more than happy to explore them. I am deeply aware of the way in which Capitalism pretends to speak of creating conditions of neutrality all the while cloaking its non-neutral perspective in the language of an abstract (non-historical materialist) perspective. In order to explore this issue, I would very, very, very, very strongly recommend reading Passionate Declarations by Howard Zinn. It was originally titled Declarations of Independence: Cross-Examining American Ideology. The reason I bring this up is because I am very aware of how many non-profit entities now serve to buttress the Capitalist system.

Below is a list. My Simple Recommendation is that every person reading this subscribe for one year to one of these magazines or at the very least make it an intentional part of ones routine to look at this source (along with New York Times, Atlantic etc.). If there is concern around being ‘labeled’ as some type of anti-American person, be aware that this risk is a small price to pay for an act of resistance that really will have immediate impact. If nothing else tell people about these magazines/publications/perspectives etc. One of the most annoying/disturbing/frightening things is that the ruling class of the United States has been allowed too long to ‘frame’ the parameters of the discussion. This is most evident in how we speak of Bernie Sanders as a completely ‘radical-left-wing’ utopian dreamer. The reality is that in relation to much of the world Sanders’ policies are at best center-left. Two years ago, I read a book which rocked my world entitled American Exceptionalism and American Innocence: A People’s History of Fake News-From the Revolutionary War to the War on Terror by Roberto Sirvent and Danny Haiphong. I had never seen such a clear and incisive explanation of how the United States ruling elites create such a parochial and distorted view for its citizens. We as thought leaders in one form or another (educators, professor, activist etc.) have to claim some blame for the profound level of ignorance and outright stupidity of our citizens. Many of us are bereft of anything that resembles a truly global perspective. I have been witnessed to this level of ignorance on numerous occasions. I will give only one example as a point of reference.

When I was a student at Boston College we had a political discussion which included some of the faculty of Boston College. It included member from various schools within the university. One of the professors’ spoke of how Saddam Hussein was a horrible person (no denying this) and how he was evil and could not be rationally negotiated this. He failed to mention that at one point Saddam Husein was on the CIA payroll! I can assure everyone reading this that the people of Iraq knew about this! Hussein violated many international laws when he unjustly invaded Kuwait. These were some of the same laws that the U.S. violated when we invaded Panama! Again, rest assured much of the world knows about these hypocrisies. The professor also began to speak about 9/11. The day in which ‘the world changed’. He never mentioned that for people in Chile they have their own 9/11. It is the day that the United States helped overthrow a democratically elected president, Salvador Allende. Planes destroyed the presidential palace. I was at the time of this panel discussion/presentation reading a book entitled Chile 1973: The Other 9/11. Again, we live in a ‘world’ that apparently doesn’t include Chile! It was only because I was present that these two facts were introduced into the conversation. I am not saying this to somehow give myself praise, I was able to access this information, in part, because I had other sources (and perspectives) beyond the mainstream intellectual tradition allowed by the United State setting. This should cause all of us great sadness, anger, frustration among other feelings.

As I remind my students it is not our ‘fault’ (I agree with Marx we don’t make our lives from scratch but from a historical reality that we inherited) but it is our responsibility. As I said in a previous entry. It is no longer acceptable for anyone that claims to care about our various emancipatory struggles and concurrently be ignorant of the true history of radical critique and struggle found not only in the United States, but throughout the world. I am aware that I may sound like someone that knows it all…I assure you, I do not. This journey is one that is ongoing for all of us, but it might just begin with one step (and one subscription! 🙂 ) at a time.

The List (Pending further work)

  1. The Progressive
  2. In These Times
  3. Z magazine (online)
  4. Monthly Review
  5. Catalyst magazine
  6. Jacobin
  7. Sojourners
  8. Current Affairs
  9. Socialist Review
  10. Spectre Journal
  11. Dissent (kind of lightweight but good)
  12. Red Pepper

My Life Among the Books…or “A guy walks into a library….and his life is changed forever…”

I have lately been very blessed to have a lot more time to do my ongoing reading. One of the main reasons I love summer is precisely that it allows me the leisure to read throughout the day. I find that I am doing it frequently in coffess shops and more recently in my local public library. (I do a lot of reading during the school year at our school library! 🙂 Great praise to our wonderful library staff!) I have come to realize that I have learned so much not just from books but from the actual act of reading. I also realized that reading has functioned in many ways throughout my life. I would like to explore this important aspect of my life. I hope the reader will find something of value?

I always remember loving to read. One of my earliest memories is going with my sister to the public library as she went there to study (and hang out with friends). She would deposit me in the children’s section of the library and I would be completely lost in a world (really universe!) beyond all limits. I was no longer in South Park in Santa Rosa, but I was roaming with the tyrannosaurus rex or in the depth of the ocean in a submarine. I was solving mysteries with the Three Investigators (and Alfred Hitchcock!) or understanding how people built the pyramids. So many faces, places, feelings, thoughts. etc. It was truly a marvel. I also have wonderful memories of the going to the local park and getting to go into the Book Mobile. It was such a wonderful feeling to know that I could visit this magical place in my own neighborhood. It was like entering a space ship/time machine/magic ship all in one! I think at this time reading functioned both to take me away from some of the worse (and most painful experiences) of my life. It also allowed me to realize how much I was not ‘captive’ to the very apparent reality that was all around me. Reading also gave me a ‘glimmer’ of something (someone) larger. My father used to be a huge reader. In fact I have very vivid memories of him reading. I always thought that part of being a Man was to be a reader. It was just a given. My father once told me a story about how once he was asked by another farmworker why he read so much? The man said that he wouldn’t be able to ‘use’ what he read. He was just a field worker? My father responded that reading allowed him to understand the world and himself better. That we always needed to think! I now realize that reading helped develope my thinking skills. It is now fashionably called ‘critical thinking’ but back then it was just called thinking? LOL . I suspect that one of the reasons that Neoliberalism has such a chokehold on us is because we are so incapable of understanding and engaging our capacities to live in a world of our creation. I am constantly amazed how the young people (and many adults!) are truly mesmerized by the current historical moment and are incapable of placing themselves within a historical context. They “think” that this is ‘the way it is’. I remember seeing a bumper sticker in Berkeley that said “Don’t believe everything you think”. Reading challenges me to always be ‘on my toes’ when it comes to learning. It allows me to realize that the way things are is not (nor ever really was) the way it has always been (or will always be!).

The next time I remember being very much involved with books and reading in a conscious way was after high school. Before I speak about that time I must say that I had such wonderful teachers in both Jr. High and High School. It would require another blog entry entirely to do them all justice. Here, I will only briefly mention how my love of learning and discovery, curiousity etc. which began with my parents was fueled by many others throughout my life. This includes being ‘jealous’ of seeing my sister doing ‘homework’ for school. Imagine being told you had to learn…and given the time! She would get to stay up past her bedtime to do homework! I remember not being able to wait until I would be a grown up and had that job…yes! 🙂 I must admit sometimes while in school myself, the homework thing did lose some of its appeal…lol. I also will mention here Mr. Patterson, Mr. Cleek, Ms. Maeda, Mr. Fox. Mr. Latimer, Ms. Haenel among so many others! However after the time in compulsory education I went to the Santa Rosa Jr. College. I recall not finding enough satisfaction in some of the classes. I now realize I was also struggling with other issues that required some attention be brought to bear on them. I ‘dropped out’ of college at 18 and didn’t return until I was 27.

During these 9 years. I became what I would later identify as a working class intellectual. It was what Antonio Gramsci the Italian Marxist would call an ‘Organic Intellectual’. I basically worked odd jobs during the day (Sears automotive, daycare, putting up window sidings, youth minister, roofing etc.) and just read anything I wanted at night. I basically worked just to pay rent and eat. I certainly was helped by my family and especially my mom! God bless her! She never really ‘pressured’ me into doing something with my life. I did a lot of interesting things during that time in my life. I will give but 2 examples of how reading was a part of my life.

I was working as a youth minister during some part of this time in my life. It was the in many ways the first ‘real job’ that I had. It was a bit more professional (white collar) then some of the other jobs from that period. I was given a budget to run the youth program for a church. This included a budget for what was termed professional developement. This included a budget to buy books! I couldn’t believe it! They were paying me to buy books and read them! It was utterly insane (to my way of thinking at the time!) The first book that I bought was the 2 volume set by Richard McBrien entitled Catholicism. I remember reading that book(s) cover to cover. One of the most wonderful things about that book was that McBrien would make reference to various intellectuals that had shaped the Catholic theology and more broadly the Western intellectual tradition. I would find ‘ideas’ that were presented in the text that were of interest to me and then go and find those authors and read their stuff! So as an example I read about Jacques Maritain and his encounter with the Existentialist philosophy. I was lead to read many of the Existentialist philosophers etc. It was fantastic! Plus, I could use part of my ‘working hours’ to read…(professional developement!). This was actually allowed and encouraged! One of the most powerful things that came from that time was my encounter with Karl Marx and the Marxist tradition(s) This was in large part due to the confluence of many factors but especially how the Church became deeply politicized due to what was going on in Latin America. I, of course, fell in love with Liberation Theology. To this day I consider my reading of A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation by Gustavo Gutierrez on of the pivotal moments in my life. The reason I bring this up now is that during the time that I read this intellectual tradition it was a time when I was reading everything I could get my hands on. This included other economist (Hayek, Friedman, Mises, Keynes etc.) along with other ideas (I read Freud, Jung, Friedan, Steinem, Abzug,) I was also introduced to early LGBTQ movements and thinkers such as the writing of Robert Goss among so many others. What I found so wonderful about this period was that there was no ‘labeling’ for me in terms of putting people (or myself!) in boxes! I just judged each thinker on the merits of their ideas. Did it make sense?, did it seem to reflect reality (or the Real)?, did it resonate with my experience (or the experience of various communities that I was encountering)? etc. This is why years later I was astounded that people would be so dismissive of me by saying ‘you sound like a Marxist’. I never had anyone say I sounded like a Jungian? Or Maritainian? The people that were most dogmatic about putting me in a box were the anti-Marxist, this is particularly true in the academy but also in regular public discourse? I really never felt that Marx deserved any special place above other thinkers. Some of his ideas were super wonderful, some not so much. I still feel that way about viritually all of the intellectuals that I encounter (including myself! Some of my ideas are wonderful…some, not so much 🙂 😦 LOL !!!! )

The second example I give about my love for learning came during the same period of my life and also occurred while working the same job. Along with being given a budget I encountered another aspect of professional life. It was called 2 week paid vacation! I had never heard of sucha thing. You literally got paid while not having to go into work. Wild! Wild! 🙂 Because no one in my family really knew what this was about I just configured my own ‘vacation’. I asked a handful of people that I respected what books they would reccommend or has been of importance in their development. I was given a list of about 5-7 books. I bought the books. With my 2 week paycheck, I drove down to San Luis Obispo, I rented a motel 6 and did nothing but go to various beaches (Pismo, Avila etc.) and read. I finished all the books and ate Mexican food and danced at nightclubs! My 2 week pay lasted about 10 days. I went to my mom’s house and asked if I could live there for the remainder of my vacation…ahhhh the good old days! 🙂

At some point during this part of my life (and a little later) a strange phenomena becan to occur, I was asked to ‘speak’ at various events and for various audiences. Communities of various kinds (high school religion classes, confirmation groups, church youth groups , labor unions, civic organizations etc.) would ask me to speak on various topics. I would research (basically read a ton of material on said topic!) and then talk about it. I found this type of ‘work’ very gratifying. It was also wonderful because I could use my reading and nascent teaching skills to good use. For me that always meant working for the Common Good (to use CST parlance). Finally I had enough people tell me that I should just go back to school and ‘become a teacher’. Since I was doing a lot of teaching anyway. So….I did. 🙂

I realized that I wanted to be a teacher and found that the most powerful area that I was drawn to studying was theology. Here I will have to do a bit of a detour. During the period mentioned above I was doing a lot of political work (for me, not in comparison to some of the other people I was working with who I consider true political activist!). I was also doing a lot of ‘soul searching’ and asking theological questions. I felt like these two communities sometimes didn’t fully understand the need to have both issues addressed. I felt like the political activist were unaware of the need to ‘change the heart’, to use a phrase found in some spiritual literature. I also felt that some spiritual/self-improvement folks were not aware of the need to address in a very concrete manner the material conditions under which people lived. Sometimes it was not just a matter of ‘changing your mind, changing the world’. This binary reality was super difficult for me to live with. I never felt fully at home in either community. Then I read A Theology of Liberation by Gustavo Guiterrez. I do not exaggerate when I say that I wept openly when I read his words. I had never read anything that so spoke to me. It was like an entire world had been opened up to me. I remember thinking “this guy gets it”. I felt like he understood the absolute need to always be working on these two planes of existence. Or more accurately how it really was all ONE EXISTENCE! So I decided to teach and I decided to teach theology (later what this category meant got reconfigured to include a lot of other disciplines).

I began my studies at Holy Names University where I received a B.A. in History and Religious Studies. Because this is an entry on my life with books I will not spend much time on the formal education itinerary. I do recall that the wonderful professor/nuns were astounded that I had already read so much of what we were required to read. I did begin to teach at Moreau Catholic High School (after a 1 year attempt at teaching middle school). While at MCHS I was offered the ability to continue my ‘studies’ (had I ever really stopped?) by getting a Masters in Theological Studies during the summer at the University of Notre Dame. I was absolutely thrilled. Again, it was astouding to me that I was essentially getting paid to read/study! I felt like a thief….scamming people! 🙂 I loved it so much! There was an episode very near the end of my time getting this degree that I was once again reminded of how importand reading was in my life. In order to receive our M.T.S. we had to take comprehensive exams. This required us taking oral and written exams based on the selections of many, many preassignmed books. It was somewhat grueling process but one that I loved. In any case after the exams I had chosen to stay on campus the extra 2-3 weeks until graduation (rather than return to my home in Berkeley). I remember that my exams ended on Friday. On Saturday I went for a run (around the beautiful lakes on campus) and then went to the ND bookstore and promptly bought about 5-6 books to read during the ‘time off’. Some books were clearly light reading (a humor book by Janeane Garofalo and Ben Stiller entitled “Feel This Book: An Essential Guide to Self-Empowerment, Spiritual Supremacy, and Sexual Satisfaction) but others were fairly dense intellectual tomes. I remember Lawerence Cunningham finding me early in week sitting outside reading one of the books on of the more intellectual books. He was amazed and reminded me that most people who ‘survive comps’ usually don’t ‘crack a book for a year or two afterwards’. I told him that for me that made no sense. He commented on this meaning I might be a candidate for doctoral studies. I assured him that I was not interested and just wanted to go back and teach high school…..I entered the Doctoral Program at Boston college within a few years! 🙂 Throughout it all….reading, reading, reading. But I always remember feeling the need to share (teach) what I was learning with other people. I was always blessed and honored to be asked to work with various communities and contribute in some small way to their projects/movements.

I continue to read and teach. I have been blessed and honored to do both in a variety of contexts! I most recently have realized something about how reading has function to make me a better teacher. In fact it was, in part, this realization that made me begin this entry. I have met some teachers who lose patience with their students because they are amazed at how slow the students are or how they don’t seem motivated. I think what we forget to realize is the incredible amount of WORK IT IS TO LEARN SOMETHING FOR THE FIRST TIME. To encounter, engage and try to comprehend completely new material is truly an onerous task. I am currently reading a book entitled Mute Compulsion: A Marxist Theory of the Economic Power of Capital by Soren Mau. It is absolutely brutal! I will read entire pages and not know what the hell the Brother is talking about! It is sooooooooo unnerving. I consider myself intelligent but it can be humbling, frustrating and also, yes incredibly exciting. But I can only hand that level of intellectual challenge for a bit of time. I can only imagine what it would be like to inhabit that space for hours, and hours at a time. I think it is salutory for all teachers to periodically find ways to remind themelves what it feels like to be an absolute neophyte at something. I find that just having this ongoing reminder allows me to look at my students with a bit more patience, love, compassion and humanity. I suspect that for me reading has always function to make me, and the world around me more humane, and ultimately more Divine. Thank you God for the gift of reading.