Archive for the 'Empathy' Category

Oct 02 2007

Q and A For The People Of A Forsaken Republic:

Published by cyrano2 under American Infantilization, Iraq, American Delusion, Neocons, Corporatism, Imperialism, Savage Capitalism, George W. Bush, Empathy Deficient, Empathy

Cyrano’s Journal Online and its semi-autonomous subsections (Thomas Paine’s Corner, The Greanville Journal, CJO Avenger, and VoxPop) would be delighted to periodically email you links to the most recent material and timeless classics available on our diverse and comprehensive site. If you would like to subscribe, type “CJO subscription” in the subject line and send your email to

pissonbush

“George W. Bush — the reigning mascot of this fantasyland of infantile omnipotence and instant gratification”

Addressing the origins of the “who’s is your daddy” nation

By Phil Rockstroh

“We must become the change we want to see.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“In any case, I hate all Iranians.” –Debra Cagan, Deputy Assistant Secretary to Defense Secretary, Robert Gates

How many times do we, the people of the US, have to go around on this queasy-making merry-go-round of propaganda and militarism before we shout — enough! — then shutdown the whole cut-rate carnival and run the scheming carnies who operate it out of town? It is imperative the nation’s citizens begin to apprehend the patterns present in this ceaseless cycle of official deceit and collective pathology. This republic, or any other, cannot survive, inhabited by a populace with such a slow learning curve.

Over the last three decades, the authoritarian right has risen to create the nation they have been longing for since their humbling by the Watergate scandal. After being subdued and humiliated by the mechanisms of a free republic, the right has turned the tables — and subdued and humiliated the republic. If the trend continues, all but unchallenged and unabated, we might as well replace the torch held aloft by Lady Liberty with a taser.

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Sep 17 2007

Raising Progressive Offspring

Published by cyrano2 under Social Justice, Redemption, Progressives, Parenting, Empathy

Cyrano’s Journal Online and its semi-autonomous subsections (Thomas Paine’s Corner, The Greanville Journal, CJO Avenger, and VoxPop) would be delighted to periodically email you links to the most recent material and timeless classics available on our diverse and comprehensive site. If you would like to subscribe, type “CJO subscription” in the subject line and send your email to

peaceworld

By Emily Spence

9/17/07

One’s living in a proactively progressive family is not easy from a number of standpoints. Especially as a youngster, one can feel torn between wanting to fit in with contemporaries and standing up for an altogether different viewpoint and lifestyle — an alternative that could cause one to be ostracized and shunned by peers.

Relative to this, I well remember the day that Justin, the empathetic son of leftist friends, burst through his kitchen door and started to cry. His mother and I asked him about the reason and he replied that he couldn’t figure out the response that he should take in a heartrending situation. Therefore, he simply felt overwhelmed in frustration and anguish.

Then he went on to describe the situation that was causing him so much grief. It involved his wanting to be protective towards a neighborhood newcomer, a small Hispanic boy on whom children of other ethnic groups were mercilessly picking. However, he wasn’t sure of the way to effectively go about it.

Meanwhile, he, himself, didn’t want to be bullied, along with the new boy, for supporting him. All the same, he earnestly tried to include him in local group activities even though others ridiculed and rejected Justin’s choice to do so. Overall then, it just wasn’t working out for the Latino regardless of whatever Justin tried to do.

Then Justin went on to relate that he absolutely hated that the relatively lighter skinned children called the darker skinned ones the “N” word and called anyone else the “N” word when a person fumbled in the basketball games that transpired on his block. In short, he, as a deeply sensitive individual, simply couldn’t stand the gap between the ways that the other children treated each other and the way that he wanted to interrelate. He already knew about the degree of torment that pariahs can experience as his parents operate a shelter for homeless people.

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