Yesterday was an eye-opener. Despite 8 hours of driving through countryside that looked virtually identical to the Fens, our minds were not frazzled.
We started off the day with Charles Jay from the Boston Tea Party. We met him at his home that he is just moving into, boxes everywhere and the look of a property who's owner is a little pushed for time. He is portrayed in the media as a bit of a crackpot, but we found him far from that.
His views are a little marginal, when asked by a student at a school "What should the government do about climate change?' He replied "It's up to each person to make sure their neighbour is keeping their garden clean."
We spoke to him about the current political system and whether it is really serving the interests of the masses. Charles said it wasn't, and that the Boston Tea Party were here to tell the truth. If I had the truth, I'd write a book about it and make my fortune, not spend money running for office. Each his own, though.
He was a really nice bloke, accommodating, chatty and passionate. The saddest thing about the whole affair was that Charles' party is going through a power struggle, and he feels disillusioned by the whole process. It's sad to see someone who is only standing on a symbolic platform, so brow beaten by in-house fighting.
Brian Moore was next, he is a socialist who lives in a huge house with a swimming pool and a view out onto a lake. (Viva la Revolution, Brian.) We filmed him campaigning in the car park of a local supermarket; he does this full time, his wife is a banker.
But Brian isn't just a poser though, he spent years in the peace corps, and is relishing a potential adoption of socialism that he hopes will come about. He honestly believes we're months away from the system collapsing...which might put his wife out of a job.
But, we've met two more decent and honest, if slightly eccentric ,Americans who just want their country fixed. Even if their remedies won't be taken widely.
3 comments:
I love Brian Moore's blatant hypocrisy - nothing to hide here folks!
I'd be interested on hearing more on how active the socialists are over there during the election because the Socialist Party have been a lot more visible in recent months over here - in Bristol i've seen them out on the streets on quite a few occasions recently, campaigning about nationalising gas and electricity and the banking system etc... are they as present over in the states at the moment? maybe more a West Coast thing?
To do my Simon Schama bit, America came the closest it has ever been to becoming a socialist state in the 1890s when there was a huge economic crisis going on with mass unemployment, railroad and steel worker strikes etc. William Jennings Bryan who was a very populist/left wing Democrat narrowly lost the election in 1896.
it could almost have been history repeating itself a century on with another bust period, another election - but it just goes to show how powerful the American hegemony is that people clearly haven't considered any alternative to the normal, middle ground type of democratic capitalism- and people like Brian Moore are resigned to pestering people in a supermarket car park!
i guess that kind of ties in with what you found the Wall Street traders were saying Kiers- none of them believe it's their fault or the fault of the current administraion- noone is blaming the institutions of capitalism because noone is ever allowed to believe that there might be an alternative, the downturn is seen as something that simply happens in a boom and bust economy.
so good on you Brian Moore- keep the dream alive! thats what we like to see. (we can forget about the house with the view and the pool and the minted wife for now...)
Hi again,
Looking forward with great anticipation to your arrival and visit in Cincinnati.
More on the various recent large-scale political events hear at:
http://www.unrelated.net/homefrnt/politics.html
Enjoy,
RantinRay
Some top points there Ed. And I agree. Weirdly, the same thing is happening - they're getting more attention because of the crisis. Old Brian is going on the Colbert Report tomorrow night and is scheduled all over the place.
I'm not sure how he feels about his wife having a load of money, but they weren't sharing the pool with the rest of the neighbourhood.
Mind you, he was a lovely old man and offered us a swim. His politics are a little wayward, I think Marx would be appauled, but a nice man regardless.
The film will be on www.current.com within the week.
Thanks
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