Comments on: Curtis White, The Spirit of Disobedience, 3

By: Stephanie Bellile

Stephanie Bellile — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:55:30 +0000

I don’t know if any of you are interested in the connection that music makes with the corporate world, but I thought of something you all may want to look at. Curtis White speaks of our consumer crazed world throughout his book and while I was reading it made me think about a song I heard once. So for those of you who are into punk rock or are just curious you can check out the lyrics to this song at http://www.sing365.com/music/lyric.nsf/Greater-Omaha-lyrics-Desaparecidos/95525D24EB2FC96448256D0A003221BD

By: Anders Thompson

Anders Thompson — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:54:16 +0000

At one point in chapter four I was reminded of Heinlein’s “Stranger in a Strange Land” where a certain popular religion existed based on unending consumption and pleasure. Instead of a future filled with blind consumption White believes we can create a new and better society based on Christian ethics which have not been compromised in the name of economic growth. The continuous growth of consumption is the culture of death against which White rails. Our two party system is focused on providing unending expansion at the expense of the environment, other nations and even of our own citizens. The ultimate concern at hand is a culture supported by destructive policies.

By: Thomas Matuszak

Thomas Matuszak — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:28:02 +0000

I believe that White’s outlook on the future is very positive. He calls for a non-revolutionary movement, because as the world saw in Russia, one major corrupt power took over another major corrupt power. White talks about who we most return back to Henry David Thoreau and John Ruskin’s idea of what it means to be human. His version of a positive future is one that we all look inward and think of what we need and only need to live and be satisfied. Along with Thoreau and Ruskin, White talks about the need to act upon our (the individuals) best interests not our communities. In doing so we will be able to define what it is we need and what it is to be us.

By: Eric Bansemar

Eric Bansemar — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 18:21:45 +0000

The problem with corporate capitalism for White is that is essentailly an extension of fascist thought, in the sense that it does not view the people it exploits as human. It is essentially for this reason that it is the chief villian of the book. For White, it is something that because of its inherent evil, needs to be fought against in order for the spirits of the individuals to survive.
To a certain extent his claims are justified, though it is always an issue when you try to use a single stance to explain the actions of a large group of people. It is simply difficult for me to believe that everyone who engages in capitalistic ventures or practices operates under the guise in which Whits says that they do.