slothropia.com

I’m sure that since I wrote the title of this post two thousand blogs went live, joining the bazillions that are already out there..slothropia is offered then as another small brick onto a very large pile. It will be a venue in which I explore topics, ideas, and events of interest to me and sometimes of significance to the world. Actually, I intend to contribute this brick to a pile only slightly smaller, consisting of blogs concenrned with politics and culture, music, cinema etc., etc. blah blah.

Or let’s make that a smaller pile still, one of progressive/lefty blogs. I am, however, slightly (only slightly) less concerned with electoral politics than some others that I find indispensable, such as Daily Kos or Atrios.

While I would place myself on the progressive side of the U.S, political spectrum, I have politely declined all offers to join the Democratic Party. I receive regularly through the mail offers to join and donate to the Dems, most of which I have declined politely (if declining politely equals shredding the received printed matter).

The Democratic Party is – how to say this tactfully- a flawed institution. It is an unwieldy coalition for one thing; its left and right wings can cooperate on certain issues and sometimes on electoral strategy and tactics, but there are fundamental ideological differences within the party that hamper its ability to generate coherent policy and messages. I suggest this condition relates to its founding by Thomas Jefferson, a slave owner who believed that all men are created equal. For over a century and a half, this party harbored both true democrats advancing the cause of ordinary citizens, and reactionary slavers, bigots and Dixiecrats.

Still we have to live in this lousy world and given the structure of American politics and the political culture here, today’s Democratic Party is the only creaky vehicle available to carry the nation in a positive direction. Yes, I tried the Nader Greens in 2000. And I would love to see a viable progressive third party. If there were a Wobblie Party I would join and work for it. But in the near term…

This weblog now enters the world completely unheralded, known only to a few friends and relations. It is largely an effort to help me understand the world I live in. If thoughts are stimulated in others I will be very glad. It’s also part of my effort to help just a little to create a world in which everyone is able to live up to their potential for joy and fulfillment.

Finally, I offer this clue as to the origin of the title of my little cyber cottage.