What If I Don’t Want To?

A first grader should understand that his culture isn’t a rational invention;  that there are thousands of other cultures and they all work pretty well;  that all cultures function on faith rather than truth;  that there are lots of alternatives to our own society.  I didn’t find that out for sure until I was in the graduate school of the University of Chicago.  It was terribly exciting.  Of course, now cultural relativity is fashionable — and that probably has something to do with my popularity among young people.  But it’s more than fashionable — it’s defensible, attractive.  It’s also a source of hope.  It means we don’t have to continue this way if we don’t like it.
—    Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.
Quoted from his book of collected shorter works:  “Wampeters Foma & Granfalloons“
[We don’t have to let 400 families in the United States control 60% of America’s wealth.  Ronald Reagan (the God-Father of the wealthy class) signed the largest tax increase in U.S. history to ensure the country paid it’s way.  Incidentally, most of this increase was directed at corporate tax loop-holes, not personal income taxes, although there were increases to those as well.   —    kmab]
.

Read Full Post »