Are we going down the crapper?

[MacheteJames]

Yeah, I am. I teach social science survey courses at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA. Come take my classes and join in the fun!

Are you an adjunct or full time? I just graduated with a dual major BA in Political Science and Sociology, and my plan was to go on to graduate school for a Ph.D so I could teach Sociology, but after doing a little research and talking with one of my professors who has spent the last 4 years as an adjunct trying to get a full-time position, I took a different path. I don't want to spend 5 years and rack up tens of thousands of dollars in debt and not be able to get a good position... I've heard some horror stories about the current state of academia. So.. I'm going for a masters this fall in regional economic and social development instead.

 

[The Golden Boy]

We're going to hell in a bucket. (at least we're enjoying the ride)

I'm sure every generation has had it's share of "Society's done" scares. I can think of twice in my lifetime that it really seemed there was a really dark cloud over America (don't ask, I'll feel really silly- in retrospect). In all, I think we're circling the bowl, but not as far into the plumbing as we were in 1968. We pulled out of that.

 

[RicPlaya]

Do you even watch Star Trek? Yes, they have to work. What do you think people are doing, serving on a star ship? It's the same as being in the military. There ARE wars -- maybe not on earth, but on a much larger, far more galactic scale. Borg, Romulans, Klingons? It took hundreds of years to find peace. Yes, the show is fantasy, but it's hardly a fantasy free of moral and cultural flaws.

Yes, first world governments are perpetuating the problem, but so are third world governments. Ever seen a state-run "orphanage" in Romania? Or how the government deals with the thousands of children living in Peru and Guatemala that come out at night to sniff American made glue? Maybe the government could put limits on the glue's sales, or even the presence of the companies in the countries at all. But no. Government-employed police instead choose to beat and rape the children, who are referred to as cockroaches. Or maybe I should direct you to the government of South Africa, a country who suffers the worst from the growing AIDS pandemic? The rate of AIDS infection there is higher than anywhere else in the world, and the government has wasted millions upon millions of dollars on hack-job prevention and education schemes that eventually amounted to nothing. Medicine that is KNOWN TO HELP is not given to the patients who need it. Don't be so quick to blame first world governments and first world governments only. There's plenty of blame to go around, and in a lot of cases, it's pure folly to limit it not only to first-world governments, but even governments, CEOs, and trhe media in general. Blaming the "big boys" -- the impersonal figureheads, representing hundreds of thousands of people, ones so distant from yourself -- and not looking around at yourself and your neighbours is a total cop-out. Quit ranting about the horrors of your abstract scapegoats and realize that every time we go to Wal-Mart or get our gas from Shell or the Flying J that we too perpetuate the problems. Every time we shop at HMV or Barnes and Noble, we're supporting the "mass media" that we whine about every day, that is so seemingly responsible for the stagnation of our every day culture.

No, we are not going to have a "cultural wasteland". It's all just part of a cycle that has continued for thousands of years.

Ummmm is there currency on Star Trek? Why do people work in the future on Star Trek? To make money and pay taxes? Or...do they chose a profession of interest because they like it, not to make money because a monitary system was invented something like 5000 years ago and it's obsolite, along with our current form of government which was devised by the Roman Empire something like 2500 years ago. Everyone works on Star Trek, but jobs have a purpose, everyone has a purpose not to make money for the man. It's easy to sit here and compare first world countries to place like Afganistan or Cambodia, or AIDS ridden villages in Africa. We can look at the US, Canada, Europe and say At least we don't live in one of those places and feel good about yourself and your country. But that's not a reason to feel all warm and cushy about the state of affairs in the world. Just because your country is better than some third world country that is unfit by most anyones standards doesn't mean we should be contempt, not try to improve our plant, our race, our goverments, and settle for things we know is wrong. What do you want me to do stop buying gas, then how can I get to work? That's unrealistic, one guy not buying gas will not make a difference. One voice of millions of people saying we want electric cars, "we will not buy gas and continue to poison our planet"! But that will never happen because most people are just happy that they don't have to live in Peru, Bangledesh, or Iraq so they don't care. It starts with us is correct, but we have to push as a people, as a human race, to better ourselves as a whole on all levels, starting with how and why we do things. Not just on a personal level, that would all change if our systems and governments would evolve as well, but why would they change if we don't think there is a problem?

 

[vbass]

Why do people work in the future on Star Trek?

Um, obviously...to boldly go where no one has gone before.

 

[john turner]

Modern American culture is constructed around the behaviors that are encouraged through our social institutions. The most important institution historically in our culture is our economy, and Capitalism defines the values that shape our morality. We are constantly at war with ourselves. We claim superior values and decry the loss of a civility that may be more collective amnesia than anything else. We have been a nation of merchants from day one, and the driving principles of Capitalism (expansion, exploitation, and rule by oligarchy) are the social values that we cherish most. Individualism, security, and prosperity define what it means to be a modern American. We commodify every aspect of our lives. Ben Franklin said it best: "Time is money." That is a quintessential quality of the American experience. All politics is is the way that people affect government to ensure their access to critical economic resources. Modern popular culture, which has really only been around since the turn of the twentieth century, is based upon the ability of entreprenuers to take indigenous cultural products and turn them into marketable objects. With the increasing pace of technological change, the time it takes to mass market, mass replicate, and mass disseminate cultural products is rapidly decreasing. Capitalist expansion requires that those half-dozen mass producers of pop cultural products always be looking to the next product because the attention span of consumers is waning. There is too much stuff competing for our attention. It is a mass production mentality that requires new products to be constantly introduced while yesterday's product quickly recedes into the past and is obsolete. Are we doomed to a cultural wasteland? Not really, but the environment that encourages the innovations of the market has changed significantly. As long as people interact, there will be culture. Remember, culture is that which we share with each other. My $.02

excellent post, although i disagree with the negative implication of the word "exploitation" - i would more say "utilisation of resources". other than that, the only omission i see is the exclusion of external influences. for a long time the case was that the u.s. could exist somewhat in a cultural vacuum, setting trends instead of following them with regards to pop/culture, but that's now changing, and the rest of the world's cultural impact is having a distinct, and increasing, effect on the direction the u.s. culture takes, i think. i see this as increasing.

 

[Aaron Saunders]

Ummmm is there currency on Star Trek? Why do people work in the future on Star Trek? To make money and pay taxes? Or...do they chose a profession of interest because they like it, not to make money because a monitary system was invented something like 5000 years ago and it's obsolite, along with our current form of government which was devised by the Roman Empire something like 2500 years ago. Everyone works on Star Trek, but jobs have a purpose, everyone has a purpose not to make money for the man. It's easy to sit here and compare first world countries to place like Afganistan or Cambodia, or AIDS ridden villages in Africa. We can look at the US, Canada, Europe and say At least we don't live in one of those places and feel good about yourself and your country. But that's not a reason to feel all warm and cushy about the state of affairs in the world. Just because your country is better than some third world country that is unfit by most anyones standards doesn't mean we should be contempt, not try to improve our plant, our race, our goverments, and settle for things we know is wrong. What do you want me to do stop buying gas, then how can I get to work? That's unrealistic, one guy not buying gas will not make a difference. One voice of millions of people saying we want electric cars, "we will not buy gas and continue to poison our planet"! But that will never happen because most people are just happy that they don't have to live in Peru, Bangledesh, or Iraq so they don't care. It starts with us is correct, but we have to push as a people, as a human race, to better ourselves as a whole on all levels, starting with how and why we do things. Not just on a personal level, that would all change if our systems and governments would evolve as well, but why would they change if we don't think there is a problem?

*sigh* My point wizzed RIGHT past your head. I'm just saying that blaming first world governments and ONLY first world governments is foolish, because frankly, they're not the only ones to blame. And no, I'm not saying you should stop buying gas, I'm saying that every time you, or anyone else whines and moans about the evil media and radio that we should all just either pucker our mouths shut or not go out and buy CDs, watch TV, or click on any internet advertisments. Shell and the Flying J were just convenient examples of monopolistic companies tearing out local gas economies and exploiting natural resources in third world countries. Putting in a massive station like a Flying J leads to other big-box superstores settling in towns and cities (eg, Wal-Mart). It's happening right now in Napanee, where I live -- they put in a J a year or two ago and a Wal-Mart's coming in soon too. The arrival of Wal-Mart will destroy the downtown businesses, and instead of shopping in Napanee and putting money into the local economy (where it's inevitably spent on the new 2 pad arena that's cost three or four times as much as predicted), people will just be putting money into one of the highest grossing companies in the world, AND one of the worst set of business ethics on the planet. Not only that, but it's not even going to a Canadian company, it's all going to America. There are four other gas stations in Napanee, and I (and my parents) do what we can to only get gas from those other gas stations, so we CAN spend money locally. There is an alternative, and we choose to use it. Just the same as almost any time I want to buy something gear-wise, I try to shop at the small music store that's in town. They carry a decent array of effects, but you'll rarely find anything more expensive than a MIM Strat or an Affinity P-bass in stock there. The only time I buy anything elsewhere is electronic parts (pickups, pots) and when I was still experimenting with different kinds of strings (local store carries TI's! WOO), and when I bought my fretless (only one store in the area carries Yamahas, and it's in Kingston -- bummer). It's not as good as, persay, owning an electric car, but that option isn't even viable right now where we live (we live rurally, in Canada -- in the winter, an electric car wouldn't go ANYWHERE -- plus, it wouldn't have enough juice to take my dad an hour drive to Trenton to work or my brother fourty five minutes to Belleville to work).

In conclusion...yes, first world governments have a huge responsibility to help other countries along and to achieve a level of quality of life where the life expectancy isn't 39 (Chad) and so that 10 million children wouldn't live in slavery conditions (recent ILO report). Unfortunately, the countries aren't giving NEARLY what they can -- 1/3rd of US foreign aid is to Israel, and 2/3rds of that is military aid. Something makes me think there are a LOT more countries that need that aid a LOT more. I do agree with you on your points, but I just wanted to reiterate what I'd already said, as I did (as I commonly do) lose focus on the subject at hand and go a little bit off topic.

If you want to continue this, PM me, so we don't bulk up this thread with our three page replies .

 

[john turner]

tone down the politics please. i'd hate to see this thread closed

thank you.

 

[Frijoles Negros]

Are you an adjunct or full time? I just graduated with a dual major BA in Political Science and Sociology, and my plan was to go on to graduate school for a Ph.D so I could teach Sociology, but after doing a little research and talking with one of my professors who has spent the last 4 years as an adjunct trying to get a full-time position, I took a different path.

Isnt that the truth.

 

[Thor]

Good post! But I, the Mighty GOD of THUNDER, have
vastly improved your puny ideas!

Modern American culture is constructed around the behaviors that are encouraged through our social institutions. The most important institution historically in our culture is our economy, and Capitalism defines the values that shape our morality.

We are constantly at war with ourselves. We claim superior values and decry the loss of a civility that may be more collective amnesia than anything else. We have been a nation of merchants from day one, and the driving principles of Capitalism (expansion, exploitation, and rule by oligarchy) are the social values that we cherish most. Individualism, security, and prosperity define what it means to be a modern American. We commodify every aspect of our lives. Ben Franklin said it best: "Time is money." That is a quintessential quality of the American experience. All politics is is the way that people affect government to ensure their access to critical economic resources.

Modern popular culture, which has really only been around since the turn of the twentieth century, is based upon the ability of entreprenuers to take indigenous cultural products and turn them into marketable objects. With the increasing pace of technological change, the time it takes to mass market, mass replicate, and mass disseminate cultural products is rapidly decreasing.

Capitalist expansion requires that those half-dozen mass producers of pop cultural products always be looking to the next product because the attention span of consumers is waning. There is too much stuff competing for our attention. It is a mass production mentality that requires new products to be constantly introduced while yesterday's product quickly recedes into the past and is obsolete.

Are we doomed to a cultural wasteland? Not really, but the environment that encourages the innovations of the market has changed significantly. As long as people interact, there will be culture. Remember, culture is that which we share with each other. My $.02

Q.E.D.

Ecce! Obesa Cantavit!

 

[Folmeister]

Are you an adjunct or full time? I just graduated with a dual major BA in Political Science and Sociology, and my plan was to go on to graduate school for a Ph.D so I could teach Sociology, but after doing a little research and talking with one of my professors who has spent the last 4 years as an adjunct trying to get a full-time position, I took a different path. I don't want to spend 5 years and rack up tens of thousands of dollars in debt and not be able to get a good position... I've heard some horror stories about the current state of academia. So.. I'm going for a masters this fall in regional economic and social development instead.

I have been teaching adjunct for six years now and have little hope of getting a full-time position. Modern higher education has succumbed to the modern business environment and part-time faculty are critical in allowing universities and colleges to maintain operating margins. Around 45% of all classes at my principal college (DVC) are taught by part-time faculty. Part-timers are paid less than full-time, rarely receive benefits, have to negotiate for paid office hours, are generally looked down upon by those fotunate to make full-time, and are regarded as interchangeable. What is probably the saddest reality is that good teaching, loyalty, and dedication mean little in the search for full-time employment. Full-timers are often part of building a legacy for college presidents, so other factors "count" more. Our President has asked that no more part-time faculty be presented for consideration for full-time employment. With California's current budget problems we become more and more the migrant farm workers of the Information Age. I love to teach what I do, but the current politics of higher education are infuriating. You may have the right combination of factors that will make you a desirable candidate. You never know until you try. Ph.D.s help, but are no guarantee. I have pretty much come to the conclusion that a Ph.D. will help very little in my case.

 

[RicPlaya]

*sigh* My point wizzed RIGHT past your head. I'm just saying that blaming first world governments and ONLY first world governments is foolish, because frankly, they're not the only ones to blame.

I'll make it short and quick..my point is what could let's say Chad do when your competing or dealing with the US, or Britian, or whoever? They are worried about just feeding thier people, or clean water, or when the next outbreak of ebola will take place, or if the rebels will try to take over the government again. They do not have the time, money, or man power to reform anything. They are just trying to get by most of these small countries. When Bill gates by himself would be 51st in GNP if he were a country that tells you how poor these places are. The countries that have the resources to make global change need to first identify the problems at home, and recodnize there things that need to be done differently. But we all should be in this together...

 

[Aaron Saunders]

*sigh* My point wizzed RIGHT past your head. I'm just saying that blaming first world governments and ONLY first world governments is foolish, because frankly, they're not the only ones to blame.

I'll make it short and quick..my point is what could let's say Chad do when your competing or dealing with the US, or Britian, or whoever? They are worried about just feeding thier people, or clean water, or when the next outbreak of ebola will take place, or if the rebels will try to take over the government again. They do not have the time, money, or man power to reform anything. They are just trying to get by most of these small countries. When Bill gates by himself would be 51st in GNP if he were a country that tells you how poor these places are. The countries that have the resources to make global change need to first identify the problems at home, and recodnize there things that need to be done differently. But we all should be in this together...

Aye, then I agree!

 

[Muzique Fann]

Yes, we are - take a big whiff, the waterline is rising...

 

[secretdonkey]

Yeah, I am. I teach social science survey courses at Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, CA. Come take my classes and join in the fun!

Good post, Folmeister. Years ago I was in an original band with an English professor (need I say this was the best songwriting I've been directly associated with?!?). I was finishing up my undergrad sociology degree at the time, and our discussions led to one of the group's best songs, called "Doublemint Cage."

The reference of course is to Max Weber's iron cage, which I know you must be familiar with from reading your post. Not surprising that a fellow with your credentials would be able to take that notion and run with it in such a concise summary!

Anyway, the notion in our (his) little song is that the iron cage is evolving into a Doublemint cage. Doublemint of course being significant as a universally recognized brand name for a frivolous product. Nonetheless, the "brand" has great power over a people trapped in a consumerist mentality. The bars of this new cage aren't nearly as substantial as the old "iron" ones, in fact they mock us because their only power to contain us stems from our buying into the catchy names and corny slogans, and promises of a happier, more fulfilling existence. Yet as the old "iron" bars are rusting away and offering the possibility of escape, the new cage of consumerism is like a spider web, and we only become more and more tangled -- an idea that fits with your notion of ever-increasing product innovation and ever-decreasing consumer "attention spans." A seeming downward spiral.

Wish I had the words to that song handy!

Anyway, it's merely a basis for a song, not a serious commentary/update on Weber - others have done and will do that, but I thought it was a purdy cool little notion.

And how funny that you post about the state of academia... My bandmate wound up giving up trying to get tenure or advancement and moved off to teach at a prep school for more money, stability... and everything. As I was finishing up my degree, I was being strongly encouraged to pursue a PhD, but looking at my buddy's experience, I ran screaming from following a career path similar to his in the lib. arts.

Ironically enough, I went into advertising. Right now I'd be at the same stage of career he was had I gone through grad school and into academia. As it is, this year I will make close to three times what he was earning as an Assistant prof. for Podunk State U. And yes, I am stuck in quite the Doublemint cage of my own, thank you!



Anyway, here's hoping for a nice tenured spot for you somewhere, someday...

 

[Folmeister]

excellent post, although i disagree with the negative implication of the word "exploitation" - i would more say "utilisation of resources". other than that, the only omission i see is the exclusion of external influences. for a long time the case was that the u.s. could exist somewhat in a cultural vacuum, setting trends instead of following them with regards to pop/culture, but that's now changing, and the rest of the world's cultural impact is having a distinct, and increasing, effect on the direction the u.s. culture takes, i think. i see this as increasing.

Yes, the word "exploitation" is not pretty, but in a Capitalist society firms find their profits in the difference between operating costs and what they sell their products for. To increase profits, one must either expand market share or contain production costs. In American history, that has been expressed through the exploitation of the various labor/ethnic groups that have come here. The poorer the immigrant, the cheaper the cost of labor. Once immigrant populations are enculturated socially and economically, they demand higher wages to support their new affluence. Businesses always had a new group to look to for cheap labor.
Probably the best example is the utilization of slave labor by the southern agricultural sector from 1620 to 1865. What made the English colonial experiment in North America a success was the ability to create a viable economy that would become a part of the self-sustaining South Atlantic system. The English, like the Dutch and Spanish, were in North America to expoit the natural resources and indigenous peoples to sustain imperial expansion. The English found a staple crop to provide for the initial development of the colonial economy: tobacco. The rich, southern lands were perfect for producing crops that were in demand in the already well-established global trade systems. The problem was a lack of exploitable labor. White, indentured servants were in short supply. The Dutch provided the answer: tap into the existing trans-Atlantic slave trade. America became the primary user of slave labor in its hemisphere. Its growing agricultural economy demanded an easily exploitable labor pool. Slavery was the central determinant of the American economy until the mid-19th century. Without it, the southern agricultural economy would never have been as vibrant as it was. Remember, the first great path to wealth in America was through the land itself. Jefferson and Washington were farmers and land speculators. They exploited the natural resources of the young country.
After the abolition of slavery, the American economy, though industrialized, still needed cheap labor. Carnegie, Ford, Vanderbilt, and other captains of industry kept profits high by keeping wages low and unions out. Modern America lacks the laissez-faire approach to labor that it did in the 19th century. Our industrial and manufacturing sectors are victims of the success of our economy. The good life demands high wages and an empathy for human dignity in the work-place force corporations to continue time-honored practices of exploitation outside of the home-market. The whole debate over out-sourcing of American jobs fails to recognize many of the historical factors that make this practice part of modern business.
I think your objection may come from our irrational cultural fear of the spectre of Karl Marx. Marx's ideas emphasized the de-humanizing effects of social conflict within the capitalist/industrialist environment. Ethnocentrism prevents even I from wanting to view our history as anything but positive, but we have, and do, continue to expoit our human and natural resources in a manner in which the negative effects are as important as the positive

(pause for breath)

Now, as for this idea of American popular culture existing within a relative vacuum - American popular culture has never existed as an insular system from other cultures. First, American culture is a aggregate of other cultures. We are the result of massive cultural diffusion that began with the first people over the ice bridge between two continents. Early America relied upon European cultures to provide critical values and artifacts in the long construction of a cultural identity of its own. The early popular literature was English (Charles Dickens), the early popular music was Swedish (Jenny Lind), and early popular theatre was English and Italian (Shakespear and light opera). It was not until we found a well-spring of culture within our own borders to exploit, yes, exploit, that we began to develop our own popular culture. African-Americans lie at the heart of almost all American popular culture, be it the racist roots of minstrelsy or the social conditions that spawned blues, jazz, and rock & roll.
Our culture has always been influenced from outside, but in the new world of mass consumerism, we export much more than we used to. The two most recognized concepts globally are:

1. The use of the phrase "O.K." - this is pretty much a cultural linguistic universal

2. The brand-name Coca-Cola

This tells us that American culture is diffusing all over the globe. It's called "Americanization" and is seen as the commodification and exportation of our beliefs and values. So, sure, we are influenced by the rest of the world. There are more people migrating somewhere else today than at any other time in human history. But, we must be cognizant of our role in shaping the new global culture that is right here, right now!

 

[Folmeister]

Good post, Folmeister. Years ago I was in an original band with an English professor (need I say this was the best songwriting I've been directly associated with?!?). I was finishing up my undergrad sociology degree at the time, and our discussions led to one of the group's best songs, called "Doublemint Cage."

The reference of course is to Max Weber's iron cage, which I know you must be familiar with from reading your post. Not surprising that a fellow with your credentials would be able to take that notion and run with it in such a concise summary!

Anyway, the notion in our (his) little song is that the iron cage is evolving into a Doublemint cage. Doublemint of course being significant as a universally recognized brand name for a frivolous product. Nonetheless, the "brand" has great power over a people trapped in a consumerist mentality. The bars of this new cage aren't nearly as substantial as the old "iron" ones, in fact they mock us because their only power to contain us stems from our buying into the catchy names and corny slogans, and promises of a happier, more fulfilling existence. Yet as the old "iron" bars are rusting away and offering the possibility of escape, the new cage of consumerism is like a spider web, and we only become more and more tangled -- an idea that fits with your notion of ever-increasing product innovation and ever-decreasing consumer "attention spans." A seeming downward spiral.

Wish I had the words to that song handy!

Anyway, it's merely a basis for a song, not a serious commentary/update on Weber - others have done and will do that, but I thought it was a purdy cool little notion.

And how funny that you post about the state of academia... My bandmate wound up giving up trying to get tenure or advancement and moved off to teach at a prep school for more money, stability... and everything. As I was finishing up my degree, I was being strongly encouraged to pursue a PhD, but looking at my buddy's experience, I ran screaming from following a career path similar to his in the lib. arts.

Ironically enough, I went into advertising. Right now I'd be at the same stage of career he was had I gone through grad school and into academia. As it is, this year I will make close to three times what he was earning as an Assistant prof. for Podunk State U. And yes, I am stuck in quite the Doublemint cage of my own, thank you!



Anyway, here's hoping for a nice tenured spot for you somewhere, someday...

Thank you! I must say that your tale is one that I have heard many times, and it makes me mad, glad, and sad all at once every time I hear it told. God bless your ambitions! A pox on our culture for impeding the best of intentions! A cheer for the life fulfilled in other venues! Also, your reference to Weber reinforces my hypothesis that bass players may be some of the most potent intellectuals in the social sciences. Just don't tell anybody!

 

[Bob Lee (QSC)]

I see good stuff and people every day, good stuff coming.

For all the publicity about the rapists, the exploiters, the
criminals, the users, the manipulators, ther are a thousand
or more stories never told about people who volunteer, or
help or sympathize or organize and donate.

Feeling bad and frustrated about what is going on?

Great!

Get up off your farkin ass and donate some of your time to
the food bank, or cancer, or MS, or helping people or your
church, or whatever moves you.

Stop complaining it ain't working, you need to make it work.
Don't think OTHERS are going to help.

I take more pride in what I do for others, than anything else I
do. But that is just me, I am a proud man, and I need
to justify that pride. I try to help all the time.

Have you noticed, that whenever you try to raise money for food,
that wealthy people are the last to donate.

As a Scout leader, I noticed that the people who could afford
food donations the least, gave the most. Consistently.

Cultural wasteland?

Only if you invest your soul in the media.

There is lots of culture out there, big media makes
it harder to find.

Big media will be our biggest hurdle as humanists as time
goes on.

I cannot emphasize how important it is for musicians to
liason with, and support, alternative music outlets now, and in the future.

+1

What Thor said!