Mike Pilewski writes about life, politics and culture in the United States
Imagine that the basic needs of everyone on Earth were taken care of. What would society be like? American futurist Jacque Fresco, who turned 98 last week, has spent his life thinking about this. Needs are at the root of capitalism. You have something that somebody else needs; that person has something that you need; you trade these things directly … >>
During the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan had some frank words for the American people. The manufacturing economy, he said, was on its way out. Rather than try to keep it alive artificially, the US would cultivate a service economy. This was an excellent use of semantics. “Service” sounds good. It carries an air of politeness and efficiency and wish fulfillment. … >>
“That’s such an American attitude!” my friend said, giving me a hostile look. For a moment I wondered if our cozy rendezvous in an Erfurt café was coming to a sudden end. All I’d done was offer a friendly suggestion, but it was one that clearly went against everything she believed in. Nadine (not her real name) had been talking … >>
The word of the moment is “occupy”. It means so many useful things. You can ask someone: “Is this seat occupied?”, meaning “Is someone sitting here?” Rooms in a hotel can be occupied (meaning used or inhabited), as can office space in a building: “The Pilewski Tower has 70 percent occupancy.” You can be occupied, meaning you have something to … >>
Three times in one week, the world almost ended. Joplin, Missouri was wiped out by a tornado on Sunday. Our sympathies go to the residents, some of whom are known to our staff. In California, an 89-year-old Bible enthusiast had predicted the Rapture for the day before. Afterwards, he said he was “flabbergasted” that this didn’t happen. He’s now rescheduled … >>
My sister and I didn’t have much in common as kids, but somehow we always managed to spend Thursday nights together. That’s when The Waltons was on. Most of you are probably familiar with the series about the family living in the mountains of Virginia during the Great Depression. The show had 221 episodes, and I think we watched them … >>
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Barack Obama is making a mistake. He has this strange tendency to get involved in fights that don’t concern him. This started when Henry Louis Gates, Jr., was arrested (leading to Obama’s famous “beer summit”). Then Obama stepped too far into the health-care debate (leading some to believe he was dictating … >>
Two countries. Two governments. Both unpopular. And one of them will have a test to meet in less than two weeks’ time. On Tuesday, November 2, Americans will elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives and one third of the 100-member Senate. It is widely believed that the Democrats will lose some or all of the substantial majority … >>
Every classroom contains a few kids who are bored and like to cause trouble. When I was in school, our teachers would threaten them by saying, “This will go on your permanent record!” The threat was effective: none of us wanted to be prevented from going to college or from getting a job. It was also credible: we had no … >>
Half a lifetime had passed since I’d seen these people. The year was 2003, and the event was our high-school reunion. Of the 620 students in my class, about 20 percent were there. Half of the rest could not be found. The others, I suppose, weren’t interested, or perhaps they felt their stories wouldn’t impress anyone. The people we thought … >>