Barbara Ehrenreich - Smile or Die: How Relentless Promotion of Positive Thinking Undermined America

[CanSocDem]

12. Read this in Harper's a few years ago...

...right after I had purchased a subscription for the brilliant essays of Lewis Lapham.

Because I believe in the power of correct thinking, this article seemed like an omen against my new subscription. In the same issue, Laphams retirement was announced.

GRRRR....

But back to Barbara's little rant. Of course it's not her fault; she's bright and articulate and fully aware of all the social forces that make some peoples lives more difficult or shorter than others. Even those of us who believe in the power of our own thoughts can see that some people are having difficulty. Most of us are sensitive enough not to start casting blame at, either the persons attitude or at some other intellectual construction that may or may not be involved.

We can't live someone elses life, I learned long ago. We can offer assistance and support without infringing on an individuals right to exist as they see fit. Our chief goal should always be to EMPOWER the individual. If Ehrenreich wants to throw up her hands and say we have no power then she is as guilty of depressing the collective psyche as she claims the positive thinkers are.

The American corporate culture is all about creating thoughtless, powerless consumers. People who think for themselves and march to their own drumbeat are exactly the kind of people who are vilified by the corporate institutions.

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