The Grapes of Wrath...revisited

[Maggot]

If any of you have read Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath", you'll know what Im talking about. One of the most intense books Ive read, it tells the story of the displaced people during the Great Depression and dust bowls in the 30's Just unbelieveable yet close to true. they had massive homeless communities in SoCal and other places. People were happy just to have a place to squat and a piece of bread...and not just a few....tens of thousands.

Whats the revelence....just heard a story on PBS anout the problem....over 8000 homeless in Seattle alone, tent cities....same problem in Portland. Ive lived in Austin and the problem is at least that bad. Seems to be the same all over, and not just worthless lazy parasites; people who just lost their jobs and cant find any work.

What really worries me is that I was speaking with a real estate agent yesterday and she told me that the two largest reporters of forclosures are expecting between 7-14 million...YES THATS MILLION more homes will go into forfeiture in the next year.

Think about that...theres already 15-20% vacancy rate nationwide. And they are still building....mostly upper middle class homes, so the slack will not be taken up.

Pile on top of that rising unemployment, jobs sent oversea, 100 cities defaulting, inflation, and stiff international competition.....

We are facing the worst crisis in my lifetime. Unless there is someone here thats over 80 no one here has seen the type of depressin weve facing.

If you havent read The Grapes of Wrath, you may want to.

 

[Minx]

Re: The Frapes of Wrath...revisited

lol. The Frapes.

 

[Maggot]

Re: The Frapes of Wrath...revisited

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Minx</div><div class="ubbcode-body">lol. The Frapes. </div></div>

corrected

 

[Queequeg]

Re: The Frapes of Wrath...revisited

You want to really liven up your outlook, read "The Forgotten Man" by Amity Shlaes.

http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Forgotten-Man-Amity-Shlaes/?isbn=9780066211701

Hoover and Roosevelt can at least be forgiven for making mistakes in the wake of an unprecedented financial catastrophe, even if a certain bloviating "expert" who read a book thinks otherwise.

The present assholes on the other hand, can make no such assertion with clean hands. The history is there if you have the stomach to read it, face the implications and not cynically repeat it or exploit it.

 

[Shady_Jay]

Re: The Frapes of Wrath...revisited

more of a Clockwork Orange guy, myself

 

[Veer_G]

Re: The Frapes of Wrath...revisited

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Minx</div><div class="ubbcode-body">lol. The Frapes. </div></div>

Better yet, bananas in San Francisco!

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[EventHorizon]

Re: The Grapes of Wrath...revisited

I had some hope for a popular awakening to the source of the malaise afflicting this and other Western nations. That the bankers and social-corporatists are running this and other nations is so self-evident it seems to be hiding in plain sight. But alas, the general population is back to spending money they don't have on shit they don't need and chomping down calorically thermo-nuclear junk that a dog would turn it's nose up at.

When we start picketing banks and corporate headquarters and when lobbyist corruption becomes as important to Joe the Plumber as voting against gays or or other dumbfuck single-issue agendas, that's when change will come.

Until then, I buy when they buy, I sell when they sell.

 

[Maggot]

Re: The Grapes of Wrath...revisited

Agent 99...table grade.

Its funny but thesoe shots of all the buildings in DC.....made me think if you did that today youd have homeland Security on you ass.

"the times they are a changin"

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Re: The Grapes of Wrath...revisited

Steinbeck was a hard line socialist and a member of at least one communist organization. His writings were an emotional ploy meant to drive the reader to the conclusion that capitalism is the root of all man's suffering and socialism is the only cure.

 

[Switchblade]

Re: The Grapes of Wrath...revisited

Find an author back then who wasn't a liberal. Steinbeck's writings are quite good, especially, The Moon is Down. Of Mice and Men was quite good as well.
As to The Grapes of Wrath, well my Arky granny(God has finally rested her soul) lived that dustbowl trek from Moffet Arky through Oki, Texas, and all the way to that foraken desert Orange County, settling what was once the bastion of whiteness suburbia when all those dustbowl surviors hit the good times of the 1950's and 60's So-Cal. Me, I happen to like Steinbeck's stuff. It's always a good read.
Check out The Chrysanthamums. It's only a few pages long, but shows just how frustrated and hot a woman can get when her man doesn't quite get the hints. All his writings depict the American Culture and the time in his stories. The language, the coloquial epithets and phrases, all give accuracy to draw the reader into the book.

 

[Maggot]

Re: The Grapes of Wrath...revisited

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Switchblade</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Find an author back then who wasn't a liberal. Steinbeck's writings are quite good, especially, The Moon is Down. Of Mice and Men was quite good as well.
As to The Grapes of Wrath, well my Arky granny(God has finally rested her soul) lived that dustbowl trek from Moffet Arky through Oki, Texas, and all the way to that foraken desert Orange County, settling what was once the bastion of whiteness suburbia when all those dustbowl surviors hit the good times of the 1950's and 60's So-Cal. Me, I happen to like Steinbeck's stuff. It's always a good read.
Check out The Chrysanthamums. It's only a few pages long, but shows just how frustrated and hot a woman can get when her man doesn't quite get the hints. All his writings depict the American Culture and the time in his stories. The language, the coloquial epithets and phrases, all give accuracy to draw the reader into the book. </div></div>

Thanks, Switch, your right on. And what happpened then could well happen again. Lets all hope, and if you pray, pray that it doesnt. I had not heard of the Chrysanthamums, but will check it out.

 

[Fred_C_Dobbs]

Re: The Grapes of Wrath...revisited

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Switchblade</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Find an author back then who wasn't a liberal. Steinbeck's writings are quite good, especially, The Moon is Down. Of Mice and Men was quite good as well.
As to The Grapes of Wrath, well my Arky granny(God has finally rested her soul) lived that dustbowl trek from Moffet Arky through Oki, Texas, and all the way to that foraken desert Orange County, settling what was once the bastion of whiteness suburbia when all those dustbowl surviors hit the good times of the 1950's and 60's So-Cal. Me, I happen to like Steinbeck's stuff. It's always a good read....</div></div>
I didn't say he was liberal. I didn't say I he wasn't a great writer. And I didn't say I don't enjoy reading his work. But I recognize political allegory when I see it and I wouldn't take life lessons from <span style="font-style: italic">Grapes of Wrath</span> any more than I would <span style="font-style: italic">Gulliver's Travels</span>.

 

[Maggot]

Re: The Grapes of Wrath...revisited

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Fred_C_Dobbs</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Switchblade</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Find an author back then who wasn't a liberal. Steinbeck's writings are quite good, especially, The Moon is Down. Of Mice and Men was quite good as well.
As to The Grapes of Wrath, well my Arky granny(God has finally rested her soul) lived that dustbowl trek from Moffet Arky through Oki, Texas, and all the way to that foraken desert Orange County, settling what was once the bastion of whiteness suburbia when all those dustbowl surviors hit the good times of the 1950's and 60's So-Cal. Me, I happen to like Steinbeck's stuff. It's always a good read....</div></div>
I didn't say he was liberal. I didn't say I he wasn't a great writer. And I didn't say I don't enjoy reading his work. But I recognize political allegory when I see it and I wouldn't take life lessons from <span style="font-style: italic">Grapes of Wrath</span> any more than I would <span style="font-style: italic">Gulliver's Travels</span>. </div></div>

My original post used the book to illustrate what HAD happened and what could happen again. Has nothing to do with lifes lessons. Just a fictionalized account of history and the humans caught in awful circumstances.