I’ve been reading David Byrne’s Bicycle Diaries for an upcoming review in the Mercury. Meanwhile, this part really struck me…
While Argentina was under a military dictatorship in the 1970s, the IMF and World Bank provided loans and in return demanded that Argentina’s industries be opened up to foreign investors and its national industries be privatized. The country soon went heavily into debt (which is fairly typical whenever the World Bank gets involved somewhere) and unemployment rose. A lot of the country’s wealth was quietly flown out, in dollars. In 2001 it all came to a head and the government closed Argentines out of their own banks accounts and food riots broke out across the country. The peso was devalued, factories were closed, and half the population fell below the poverty line.
Later that year some workers decided to restart some of the shuttered factories themselves. The owners, who had abandoned these factories, protested and took the workers to court. The owners and the banks wanted to sell off the assets—the machinery and materials—and make a quick buck. In some cases the workers won the right to keep the factories running—the judges, it seems, sometimes felt that employment was more important than a one-time profit. The factories, a few of them, are now run without bosses; they pay their property taxes, and have begun to pay off their debts…
This might be inspiring for some U.S businesses now: for example, newspapers that are saddled with debts due to takeovers by investment funds and forced to declare bankruptcy. one wonders if te workers in those businesses, and maybe even in Detroit, could run the factories themselves.
There’s a documentary about all this by Naomi Klein, apparently, called The Take, which is going for $25 a copy online. I might hold a “screening.”
i find it hard to imagine the courts finding in favour of the workers in this country… far too ‘socialist’.
also, you may already be aware, but Mr Byrne has a jolly interesting blog:-
http://journal.davidbyrne.com/
Absolutely—couldn’t agree more about the courts and socialism. But I’m thinking in the Ursula Le Guin vein here too—what might it take for Americans to accept such a bargain? For the courts to accept it, even?
http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2009/06/18/le-guin-on-morality-turd-in-the-punchbowl
I’d not read the Byrne blog, so thanks for the link. I found this post about English newspapers and class very perceptive for an American:
http://journal.davidbyrne.com/2009/08/081109-london.html
The intricacies of the class system, like he said, “what newspaper you read, what football team you support,” and how they link with your social class in my home country, are fascinating. I keep pushing A.A.Gill’s book, “The Angry Island,” on Americans, because it explains these things so concisely and so amusingly. Here’s a link to a preview of the contents page:
http://books.google.com/books?id=fhI_bz-lb3sC&lpg=PP1&dq=A%20A%20gill%20the%20angry%20island&pg=PA7#v=onepage&q=&f=false
Those categories are hilarious.
One of the things I like about reading David Byrne, and it’s a bit like Samuel Pepys, is that his life is what I think we’d like to believe all of our lives would be like if money were no object and we were able to indulge our intellectual/artistic/musical fantasies and talents to the nth degree (see his “playing the building” project). On the other hand, he’s got this talent that I think most of us wish we did have, but don’t. As a musician, as a writer, as an artist. A true eclectic. Visionary. Etcetera.
He’s also proof that an eclectic intellect, a connector, can go further in this internet age. I love reading Stephen Fry’s Twitter feed, for example, because his thoughts just ramble and ramble on this incredibly sophisticated plane. Years ago, such energy might have been wasted, just poured out into the piss. Today, we have Twitter for that. And his contributions I find energizing, on a daily basis. When I care to read them…
I’m thinking of bringing back the caste system…but just in Portland.
I’d really like certain people to know the consequences of looking me directly in the eyes. (caning)
ALSO…what does my new friendship with AJ Keen say about my class status?
Seriously, I’d like to know where he falls in that uh..list or whatever and how it reflects on me.
GO.
If you’re talking about the man who painted this,
http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenton_sands/3725396940/
I think it says a lot about your ability to take hallucinogenics. But if it’s another AJ Keen, I’m going to need a lot of information about this person before I give you a thorough analysis.
As for Portland “bringing back the caste system,” have you not heard about what’s been going on in old town? We have our untouchables there, too, you know…
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/conflicting-accounts/Content?oid=1554528
http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/release-the-names/Content?oid=1623043
Hey, @joelgunz is an interesting fella. He’s hosting the Old Town block party next weekened—one of the new “creatives” in Old Town. But we had a great conversation a couple of weeks ago where he was saying how much he likes the smell of piss down there. I was like, “in order to avoid gentrifying this district, what we need to do is start a campaign based on that slogan.”
I LIKE THE SMELL OF PISS IN OLD TOWN.
And it’s gentrified. Ta-da.
You wrote: “One of the things I like about reading David Byrne, and it’s a bit like Samuel Pepys, is that his life is what I think we’d like to believe all of our lives would be like if money were no object and we were able to indulge our intellectual/artistic/musical fantasies and talents to the nth degree.”
Samuel Pepys? While he certainly lived an interesting life and hung out with some incredible people, he was always bitching about money. He started without a lot of assets and made himself wealthy by sucking up to the bigwigs in court and the admiralty. Not that there is anything wrong with that.
Here’s a bit from the great fire:
”
Monday 3 September 1666
About four o’clock in the morning, my Lady Batten sent me a cart to carry away all my money, and plate, and best things, to Sir W. Rider’s at Bednall-greene. Which I did riding myself in my night-gowne in the cart; and, Lord! to see how the streets and the highways are crowded with people running and riding, and getting of carts at any rate to fetch away things. I find Sir W. Rider tired with being called up all night, and receiving things from several friends. His house full of goods, and much of Sir W. Batten’s and Sir W. Pen’s I am eased at my heart to have my treasure so well secured. Then home, with much ado to find a way, nor any sleep all this night to me nor my poor wife. But then and all this day she and I, and all my people labouring to get away the rest of our things, and did get Mr. Tooker to get me a lighter to take them in, and we did carry them (myself some) over Tower Hill, which was by this time full of people’s goods, bringing their goods thither; and down to the lighter, which lay at next quay, above the Tower Docke. And here was my neighbour’s wife, Mrs. ———-, with her pretty child, and some few of her things, which I did willingly give way to be saved with mine; but there was no passing with any thing through the postern, the crowd was so great. The Duke of Yorke of this day by the office, and spoke to us, and did ride with his guard up and down the City, to keep all quiet (he being now Generall, and having the care of all). This day, Mercer being not at home, but against her mistress’s order gone to her mother’s, and my wife going thither to speak with W. Hewer, met her there, and was angry; and her mother saying that she was not a ‘prentice girl, to ask leave every time she goes abroad, my wife with good reason was angry, and, when she came home, bid her be gone again. And so she went away, which troubled me, but yet less than it would, because of the condition we are in, fear of coming into in a little time of being less able to keepe one in her quality. At night lay down a little upon a quilt of W. Hewer’s in the office, all my owne things being packed up or gone; and after me my poor wife did the like, we having fed upon the remains of yesterday’s dinner, having no fire nor dishes, nor any opportunity of dressing any thing.
“While he certainly lived an interesting life and hung out with some incredible people, he was always bitching about money. He started without a lot of assets and made himself wealthy by sucking up to the bigwigs in court and the admiralty. Not that there is anything wrong with that.”
If, by “assets,” you mean land, then yes, Pepys started out poor. He was the son of a Whitechapel tailor and rose up in the admiralty on his talent, not his class. But once he’d got in with the bigwigs, he was a made man. He lived in the center of London during the Great Fire while my family was probably stuck down a coal mine somewhere in Wales. It’s relative: I don’t think my family could have bitched about money if they’d wanted to. They were all too busy trading sheep!
Oh hmm…this AJ Keen.
http://andrewkeen.typepad.com/home/
Interesting. He was born in Hampstead, which is well-known as a very classy part of London. Having said that, he went to the University of London, which either suggests he was rejected by Oxford/Cambridge like I was, or that he chose to go to London because he was a bit “left.”
The weird thing is he’s attacking the internet era as the age of the amateur, killing the expert, but he’s now marketing himself as an expert on the age of the amateur. I’d say he’s middle class, but a chancer, like I am.
Generally you’ve got to be careful of Brits living in the states. We couldn’t make it over there, so we come out here and there’s nobody to police us, class-wise.
I’m going to be the ex-pat class policeman. Send me your British and I’ll deconstruct their motives.
Yeah, but look how it worked out in practical terms: How many people do you know with the name ‘Pepys’ and I’s met several people with the surname Davis (all of whom have an unhealty fixation with sheep)
There is that…
This was a great read though! Thanks..