The American Ruling Class

The American Ruling Class
Directed by John Kirby

A totally unique, highly stylized, feature-length dramatic documentary-musical hybrid starring Lewis Lepham, the renowned essayist and editor of Harper's Magazine, along with an all-star cast of public intellectuals, CEOs, politicians, folk singers, activists, and celebrity personalities.

Sundance Channel

US Theatrical Release: March 23, 2007

Check your local listings: http://www.sundancechannel.com/films/500205173

http://www.cactusthree.com/theamericanrulingclass.html

Comments

[Anarcissie]

Sundance Channel?? Does this mean I have to get a television set and subscribe to cable? I tried to figure it out from their web site but it's one of those super-slick ultra-high-tech sites on which it's almost impossible to find anything you're looking for.

[Jacqueline S. Homan]

Interesting but very short blog. Here is a link to a very well-written web page and e-book about the ruling class whom the author, Douglas Smyth, refers to as the Selfish Class.

Apparently, just as in 21st century America, 5th century Rome also drank the Kool Aid about cutting taxes for the wealthy (and making said cuts permanent)and about shrinking government - a situation that precipitated the downfall of the Roman Empire: All because its Selfish Class didn't want to have to pay taxes to support infrastructure, keep people from starving to death, and pay the guards as well as the Roman Army to protect ALL its citizens from invasions from the Huns and Visigoths, leading to so much violence that road travel became too dangerous from desperate landless highwaymen and bandits(which impacted trade) and African grain ships refused to dock - and so the majority of Rome's people couldn't get food. The author draws an analogy between then and the lack of funding through taxes on the rich to support the repairs that would have kept the levees stabilized in the Gulf Coast and untold suffering in the wake of hurricane Katrina could have been minimized. Just like in ancient Rome, today in America it is always the poor who suffer the worst - and adding insult to injury, are always blamed for their own misfortune. Acknowledging the faults that are systemic requires the "haves" and "have-mores" (which are the Selfish Class of today) to stop blaming the victim and concede to making changes to minimize human suffering and tragedy.
http://www.roman-empire-america-now.com/selfishclass-2.html

[Hattie]

Excerpt on You-Tube with Ehrenreich and Lapham.
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=the+american+ruling+class+lapham&search=
Great.

[Anarcissie]

It turns out I may not have to buy a television and get cable in to see this movie. Although it's not in Netflix's stable, there are pieces of it on YouTube.

Based on the pieces and reviews here and there, it seems to be a lecture about how the poor live worse than the rich and have less power. Having been poor and having lived with the poor, this wasn't news to me.

That doesn't tell us much about the American ruling class, because ruling classes in different places and different times are structured differently. We need to know, not that the rich are rich and the poor are poor, but exactly how the ruling class and the class system maintain the situation, in case we want to put pressure on it or change it. In fact we, ("we", the U.S.), are not very much like Rome at any period, although some phenomena, like the emergence of a government of poltroons, seems to be a universal feature.

Marx said, "The philosophers have only interpreted the world in different ways; the point is to change it." I don't think waking up a couple of pseudo-Yalies and an audience of gentry to the fact that the poor suffer is going to accomplish this. Telling them to be nicer isn't going to do the trick, because everyone, rich and poor, desires more power and wealth and believes they do not have enough and are already being quite nice about it. Just ask them.

[Hattie]

Barbara Eherenreich's orginal observation is that the true philanthropists in this day and age are underpaid service workers.
I think a lot about the "independent contractors" who clean, cook for the handicapped and elderly, do yard work, etc. and often do not have health insurance.

[Curly Earl]

Hattie,
What's all this about you and Hellmans mayonnaise on Youtube ?

[Hattie]

I know you never post without a big old Costco size jar right next to your monitor. What's your favorite brand?
Hellman's?

[Anarcissie]

I doubt if many people taking low wages for unpleasant, dead-end jobs is philanthropy ("love of mankind"). At least, when I did it, I and my co-workers were just trying to make a living for ourselves. If these service workers are truly underpaid, then they're not philanthropists, they're crime victims. It confuses the issue to say their low wages are a kind of charity.

Ironically, the poor _are_ more philanthropic than the rich: both absolutely and relatively, they give more to charity than rich people, and for purer reasons, since the widows get little credit for their mites, outside of the parable. But that's another thing, a different realm. If we're talking about wages we're talking about an exchange of value, not a gift.

[Curly Earl]

Pretty hard to be taken seriously when you have an addiction to mayonnaise and start your day off with "shooters" of emulsified egg yolks and oil uh ?

And why don't you tell all about the Costco incident ?

You want attention, so this will surely give you your 15 seconds of fame.

[Hattie]

Oh, I don't think I want to tell people what you did there.
Ms. Ehrenreich: I do think you ought to ban the troll. He can go on like this forever. And I really am interested in the serious matters you bring up for discussion. It means a lot to me, as it does to others here, I'm sure, to be able to dialogue like this with someone we respect and admire as much as we do you.
I think it's disrespectful to you, also. I really don't believe he understands who you are and the high esteem you enjoy as a journalist and author.

[Curly Earl]

I know about Barbara Ehrenreich. I think her blog is one of the better ones around.

One of the reasons why you are sniffing around, hoping to poach some of her readers and leave some pretty mindless stuff .

I have always said you were a very petty, jealous person. Your hatred of men and your incitement of hatred all because you have 6 hits aday at www.pitiful.com is very unbecoming.

You are so quick to label commenters trolls, when in actuality, you may be the best example of a troll.

Your butt kissing might work in other venues, but this blog is for people with something worthwhile to contribute, and all we have had from you is troublemaking.
You are like a big black cloud.
You should confine your manbashing hatred to your your own little corner of misery.

[Hattie]

Well, at any rate you can't post on my blog, because I have banned you forever.
Hater.

[Curly Earl]

Look who's calling the kettle black.

One reason why I don't really like what you do is that you hate just about everyone, anything.

Well, at any rate, I look forward to posting at worthy informative blogs where other intelligent posters hang out, and I can read useful, substantiative material, rather than your jibberish hateful rants after reading the morning paper.

Cheer up you grumpy old woman. Stop your hating.

[Hattie]

70.48.23.3

[Justin K.]

That was not only childish but also kind of pathetic. Grow up you two!

[ro278ck]

m285k

[Kevin Carson]

I'm real glad Barbara's blog meet's Earl's high standards for making informative, socially redeeming comments about mayo (eye roll).

[Anarcissie]

Justin -- these people are trolls, vandals. They are probably not very bright and it's the only way they can get anyone to notice them. Unfortunately, that sort of thing is widespread on the Internet. Barbara should delete their comments and ban from the site.

[Justin K.]

it's so sad.

[Anarcissie]

Unfortunately human beings are not the nicest or most reasonable of primates. That is why they have many of the problems we discuss on this blog, such as oppression in the workplace and poor living conditions. None of that is necessary -- it is repeatedly chosen.

[Curly Earl]

Anarcissie, Yeah I agree that some individuals come to blogs hoping people notice them.Sort of like using a name based on the word anarchist.

Are we trolls ? Well I'm not. Hattie might be. Why don't you ask Mr Carson, or Justin Jr. They seem to know all the answers to everything.

[Jennifer Cascadia]

I'm aware of this troll. I think the mayonnaise might be a subtle reference to his masochistic appetites.

[Curly Earl]

So I see Hattie's fellow hater jumps in. Perhaps even crazier than Hilo Hattie, she throws the troll label at anyone who opposes her vehement manhating,rants.

DO they have blogs where haters who heavily use SSRI's can hang out ?

[Justin K.]

What dose this have to do with The American Ruling Class?

[buena]

Right on, Justin. Surely there is an administator for this blog? It's getting ridiculous.