Tuesday Night

Tonight I went with Monica to see Barbara Ehrenreich speak at a fundraiser for KPFA. She read from her new book This Land is Their Land and she never fails to provoke and entertain with her insightful zingers about what can no longer be called the class divide, but the class chasm in America.

While I was poking around interwebs looking for links for this book, I found this interview with Ehrenreich on Powells:

"... I've read now fifteen to twenty business advice books and "success in business" books, which often contain what seemed to me delusional and mystical kinds of views of the world. Generally, that you can control the world with your thoughts and your attitude. And they've got blurbs from CEOs on the backs. Books that advise you to accept your fate, and to concentrate on having a positive attitude no matter what, are mega-bestsellers ..."

Sound familiar? Yeah, it's Oprah, it's The Secret, it's basically every victim blaming stance disguised as self-empowerment book out there. House being foreclosed? In debt up to ears? All signs of negative thinking.

Lest you think I'm a total grumpus, I do recognize that outlook does have bearing on how you interact with the world. Check out this video highlighting Cami Walker's 29 Day Giving Challenge. Cami is a friend of Monica's and this project is a good reminder of the areas in your life where can effect change.

Countdown to vacation ... 3 days! Computer is staying at home so I won't be posting anything new, but I'll see if I can come up with something ...