Recently I've tossed around the idea of writing a book. It's more of a long-term goal as I don't yet feel qualified to write publishable material with all the necessary references characteristic of a scholarly endeavor, but it's something I would like to work towards and eventually do in the next 6 years. I have a general topic in mind, but I haven't decided yet on approach or focus. However, I'm having an initial difficulty that I'd like your opinion on. It has to do with what the progressive movement in America needs most at this time. Are Americans, in your opinion, more progressive than the government that pretends to represent them? Is it simply the tyranny of the two-party system and the absence of effective methods at controlling government actions which enable our government to ignore the well-being and wishes of its people much more than its European counterparts are able to do? This position can be argued from looking at polls which show that Americans consistently disagree with the position of the government on certain topics, notably the health care system and most recently the invasion of Iraq. Or is this position perhaps too optimistic? Are the American people actually happy prisoners of the system, not having any influence but also not desiring anything radically different? Does the overwhelming domination of corporate media, the consumer society, and atrocious educations in history actually produce a people which do not understand the nature of the institutions and policies that they support? This position I think can be supported as well, although I'm more interested in hearing your opinions than trying to convince you of mine. I'm trying to decide whether the content of a book should be more directed towards the "how" or the "why" (or perhaps equal amounts of both?). I would appreciate your participation in the poll and in any comments you might make in explaining your choice.
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
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