Some of the topics that are pivotal to our time were on CSPAN
and discussed in books currently...
On Economic
Inequality and Civil Unrest
·
Kent State: 67 Shots: Kent State and the
end of American Innocence- This has also been a returning theme with the riots
and unrest caused after murder of George Floyd caught on video in Minneapolis;
Reminders of Kent State were very real as National Guard have been deployed in
many cities;
·
Film; New Deal era documentary from 1937
promotes government programs that put unemployed African Americans to work ... Lots of talk lately about creating a New Deal for the 21st Century
that surrounds our job losses & the growing income inequality
·
Essay: "I don’t want to die Poor”- economic
struggles with student debt. This is one of the ongoing issues of our time in
the 21st Century, addressed briefly during the 2016 Election, and then dismissed
by the current administration in terms of making any meaningful attempts to address
student debt. The 2019 debates of candidates did speak of ways to forgive debt or to
help lower interest and pay off debt. But this is an ongoing debate that is part of
the current civil unrest where mostly young people are protesting en masse.
·
Book: Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality
& How we Earn- plan to reduce poverty & strengthen the middle class;
The recent rioting on streets throughout US indicate there is a long-standing
need for reform with ideas to strengthen the middle class and reduce poverty
and income inequality here in America;
·
From Here to Equality- Thoughts on
reparations for Black Americans; which has been a long-standing debate among
African American leaders and lawmakers. What form should it take- a type of South
African Truth panel where people could actually record and officially document
their grievances...?; Nazi Germany finally had to, in recent years, settle some
actual, concrete cases of loss with Jews where the Swiss banks held money that
was long stolen and stripped from citizens during the 1930’s Nazi regime. What
should reparation look like? What form should it take is a debate that still is
taking shape...
About COVID
·
How have Americans dealt with similar threats
like COVID in the past? A look at how history repeats itself; with the
pandemic of 1918, there was a situation that was eerily similar as the
President(Wilson) did not engage with the people or want the alarming numbers to be floated or even
mentioned. And in this age of instant mass communication, it cannot be a healthy
situation for a pubic with the need to know the scientific truth and facts to
make judgments for their own survival.
·
Surgeon General on how loneliness can
impact health; One of my themes in my own writing as 6 Degrees Writer, has long focused on the idea that loneliness and isolation
have transformed the psyche of America, not for the better. This is a theme in
many modern works; including Pynchon’s “The Crying of Lot 49”. And this is
something that was addressed recently in the shutdown where people were asked
to retreat indoors and live isolated lives as we fought the spread of COVID 19
History’s
Lessons; Women’s rights & History repeating itself
·
How the South Won: History Prof argues
that Southern social, political, & economic ideologies prevailed in
American West after the Civil War. A sharp look also as we revisit General
Grant’s life in the recent special, about the effects of Reconstruction and
also the long-standing policies that echoed with slogans like “The South shall
Rise Again” and the use of Confederate flags. It continued with policies stripping Afr ican Americans
of the right to vote. We had Apartheid like separate but equal laws surrounding education that existed for almost a century after the war ended in 1865.
·
Lincoln Conspiracy: There was a failed attempt to
assassinate Lincoln before he even arrived for his inauguration in 1861. The latest
History Channel special on General Grant revisits Lincoln’s death, and reminds
us that his presidency was always perilous, including his cloaked and secret
arrival in Washington as they feared he would be assassinated en route to his
swearing in;
· CPAN covers a class looking at Nixon, Ford & the
Constitution. Th Constitutional issues stemming from Watergate, after Nixon’s
Presidency, where there were many reforms within the government and the branches
where we again need shoring up of law involving the criminal justice system and
the Executive Branch power. This has long been a subject of debate, where the President has
power to issue Executive Orders and the power of the Bully Pulpit, as well as
the chokehold on the political party he or she leads;
·
Conference on remaking American Political
History; With some irony as AG Barr spoke of history being ‘written by the winners,' It is also subject to revision with facts and when the era and political
climate changes, it’s always evolving and is still evolving in regard to
Reconstruction, the NYT recent 1619 Project series, and a new series on President
Grant & the Civil War.
·
Professor argues that the Arab Spring was not the
failure it is widely portrayed to be. This is part of an ongoing history &
debate regarding the manner in which the Middle East was carved up after WW I, and then transformed
again after the Gulf Wars during both Bush presidencies;
Political
divides in the country
·
Discussion on Ending Mass Incarceration in
the US: A long standing argument
that has been festering since the 90’s, when the laws were tightened with 3
strikes rule and jailing for drug offenses even those with non violent records-but
who were addicted and convicted on drug charges.
·
A look at the way we won WW II: There was great personal sacrifice involved during the war years,
and we are not feeling this same national pride today. Although there are many people,
particularly in medical fields and service jobs, that have been making sacrifices as
patriots and role models for all. The enormous national undertaking & the feeling of
everyone pulling together for a cause greater than itself; this is missing during this pandemic. Can we ever feel that way again? Is the
Internet-Isolation-Social Media, making that harder to achieve or envision?
·
Best & Worst Presidents reviewed – This is
a relevant review of how we judge our Presidents; and during the Pandemic,
how we need an empathetic and communicative, emotive leader who can ‘feel
our pain’ as we said of Bill Clinton or
Ronald Reagan.
·
The history of American Exceptionalism- The city on a hill origins were found in a 1630 sermon; the term Obama used, Reagan and all
Presidents, including Trump, inherent in Make America Great AGAIN, implying we
were exceptional once; The shining city on a hill is used as a metaphor, and as a trigger and
a mythic Camelot-type device for years in regard to the USA.
· The Legacy of Elizabeth Cady Stanton: The
upcoming anniversary of women’s right to votel the100 year anniversary in August of 2020.
·
The Black Sox Scandal of 1919- Chicago White
Sox fixed the game.-World Series. It's a reminder of the “Good Old Days,” where
there was plenty of corruption and double dealing in sports and politics;
·
How the Internet has allowed trolls, alt
right, extremist subculture to dominate; Looking at this is showing us in a
comprehensive overview that the Internet cannot police many of the stereotypes
and prejudices that have existed long before the formation of an online
platform. The new technology does not extinguish the racial inequality, and
prejudices and biases we carry with us.
·
Reimagining Capitalism: Recent debates
and candidates surrounded the idea of what capitalism is; and how Democratic
Socialism was a term that was scary to the average American, Which is ironic, as we do
have Social Security and Medicare, socialist programs that are popular in the extreme. Medicare for ALL was debated throughout the campaign season also.
Our tech
giants & the future
·
Report that looks at the inner workings &
business strategies of big tech companies like Amazon. Part of the ongoing
Income Inequality debate stems from the way these companies operate; as well as strategies that have pushed small businesses
out of business. Elizabeth Warren was a candidate arguing that companies like Amazon were
monopolies that need to be split up; for their aggressive business tactics.
·
The coming of AI- For Better or worse, AI
is the wave of the future; we need to adjust to ways that the Artificial
Intelligence programs will affect our work, our lives....how we interact with
each other...
· The Book: Hop Skip Go: How the Mobility Revolution
is transforming our lives; With the new
term for Internet Revolution; Tech Revolution; now..”Mobility” revolution, we
look at ways that the mobile phone and our laptops have changed the way we live
and do business;
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