Sam Smith One of the hard things about journalism these days is how much time is spent by reporters, sources and the public on symbols, words and their meaning and how little on what is really is, or could be, happening. The roots of this include the rise of advertising and public relations as … Continue reading When symbols compete with reality
Activism
Rebellion
AN EXCERPT FROM "WHY BOTHER?" Sam Smith, 2000 - The words revolution and rebellion attract unjust opprobrium. After all, much of what we identify as peculiarly American is ours by grace of our predecessors' willingness to revolt in the most militant fashion, and their imperfect vision has been improved by a long series of rebellions … Continue reading Rebellion
Cora Du Bois
Sam Smith I only took one course from Cora Du Bois, but when I heard about Susan Seymour’s new biography of the anthropologist - who had come to Harvard about the same time as I did - I immediately got hold of a copy. As I observed a few years ago, “Anthropologists were often people, … Continue reading Cora Du Bois
A hidden Washington that works
Sam Smith It is easy these days to give up on Washington ever doing anything right. Which is one reason I've enjoyed being on the board of the Fund for Constitutional Government for the past quarter century. The fund, started by the late Stewart Mott, has helped create and support groups that have blown whistles, … Continue reading A hidden Washington that works
Beyond the blame
Sam Smith Following the coverage of the SAE incident and the Ferguson situation I have been increasingly struck by how much time is being spent blaming someone and how little on moving towards a solution. To be sure there have been exceptions, such as Rev. Traci Blackman who told CNN last week: I was out … Continue reading Beyond the blame
Why cross cultural coalitions are important
Sam Smith – My suggestion that blacks, latinos and labor come together to form a national coalition hasn’t received a lot of enthusiasm. It doesn’t surprise me because we live in a time of atomized activism, unlike the 1960s and 1970s when there was far greater focus on the issues rather than the cultural identity … Continue reading Why cross cultural coalitions are important
Selma
Sam Smith When I finally went to see Selma, I was reminded of the American Indian who said of his tale, “Some of the facts may be wrong, but the story is true.” Certainly the depiction of the Selma march and the abuses by white Alabama officials that led up to it more than justifies … Continue reading Selma
How liberals helped create a bipolar America. . . and what to do about it
Sam Smith America is trapped in bipolar prejudice. Conservatives dislike blacks, latinos, women and gays while liberals dislike white Americans who don’t agree with them, especially men. Conservatives are encouraged by cultural paranoia and liberals by cultural narcissism. The conservative prejudices have been more than adequately publicly outlined, but the liberal side remains largely under … Continue reading How liberals helped create a bipolar America. . . and what to do about it
A 2015 To Do List
Sam Smith Stop dissin' the decentralization of power Liberals and their media repeatedly suggest that any decentralization of power is a step back towards a Civil War definition of states rights and that opposing federal concentration is the sole purview of the reactionary right. This is, of course, nonsense and one needs to look no … Continue reading A 2015 To Do List
When the bad congeals and the good scatters
Sam Smith Never in the history of the United States have the powerful been so closely intertwined in so many ways and with such contempt for the rest of the country. Democratic and Republican politicians are beholden to the same large corporations and wealthy individuals who bribe them regularly in the guise of campaign contributions. … Continue reading When the bad congeals and the good scatters
No one left but us
Sam Smith - The recent election - in which the minimum wage for some workers was raised while the minimum intelligence for some politicians was lowered - illustrates a few points this journal has been trying to make, namely that Americans are more progressive on quite a few issues than their leaders and that choosing … Continue reading No one left but us
A coalition for the common good
Sam Smith Washington will soon have the most xenophobic Congress since the days of segregation. The old southerners mainly hated black people, while the new crowd can’t stand anyone who doesn’t look, act and believe like themselves. Their voting ID restrictions not only echo the southern poll tax but sometimes are twice as costly. And … Continue reading A coalition for the common good
Hints of anarchy
Sam Smith - Boston.com reports on a riot in Keene NH during its annual Pumpkin Fest. Some 30 people were reported injured by those the site called "partiers." The Daily Beast, which prefers young Americans to kill and maim those overseas. said, "Today the city of Keene, N.H., faces a massive cleanup following a spate … Continue reading Hints of anarchy
Finding a symbol and a song
Sam Smith - For some years now, I have been grumpily and futilely complaining about the lack of a common counter-cultural symbol and a wildly shared musical anthem. Having been raised in the beat, civil rights and peace eras, I have naturally assumed that you can’t produce change without sounds and symbols. My frustration went … Continue reading Finding a symbol and a song
The hat trick of survival
An excerpt from "Why Bother?" by Sam Smith H. L. Mencken once said that the liberation of the human mind has best been furthered by those who "heaved dead cats into sanctuaries and then went roistering down the highways of the world, proving . . . that doubt, after all, was safe -- that the … Continue reading The hat trick of survival
Sam Smith's Essays 