Category Archives: Myth Makers

Footer Selection July 5, 2018

Why We Are All Americans

It’s A Good Thing Pilgrims Didn’t Require Visas

Sometimes myth-making is not a person but an idea. For example, the notion in the Declaration of Independence that “all men are created equal” is a myth. It wasn’t true then: it only applied to white men. Male slaves were considered 3/5th of a man. We had to fight for the semblance of equality for women and minorities. Hell, we even fought a war, in part over this issue.

Nevertheless, there are some long-standing permanent truths about all Americans—including those waiting to get in. It’s our cultural DNA. We are the only country in the world where everyone who came to America chose to come here: the exception, of course, are slaves, mostly African. There is an obvious reason why this group of Americans has had the most difficulty being fully assimilated into American culture. Take choice away and we are not Americans.

There are seven dominant cultural forces, identified by cultural anthropologists and social research, that define Americans. These forces are:

  1. Choice
  2. Doing the impossible
  3. Wanting Big and More
  4. Wanting it Now
  5. Oops (not a technical or sociological term, but you get the idea)
  6. Improvisation (Entrepreneurism)
  7. Search for What’s New

These seven forces are the structure of Americans, our architecture. The content of these forces is in constant change and manifests itself differently over generations, but the structure remains the same. The two terms should not be used interchangeably. It’s the structure that concerns us here.

As history would have it, these seven forces came over on the Mayflower:

  1. Choice: Stay in Holland for the ultimate in religious freedom or come to America in search of more.
  2. Do the impossible: Start a new country from scratch. Half entrepreneurs, half pilgrims—about the right mix. Continue the journey after one of the ships, aptly named Speedwell, sprung a leak and the plan had to be redrawn.
  3. Big and more: Landing in what is now Massachusetts was just the start of big and more. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 doubled the size of America overnight. It is now the only big country that has developed both coasts and its mid-country. Most countries abandon the middle territory, i.e. Russia, China, Brazil, Australia.
  4. Now: America has always been an impatient country: “Go West, Young Man.” The transcontinental railroad in the mid-18th Century brought the country together. (Somebody is working on a faster Twitter!) America is focused on the near future. Yesterday “is history.”
  5. Oops: (Often the trigger force for improvisation.) Chartered by King James I to land legally in what was then Virginia (a big swath of land from North Carolina up to the Hudson River), the Mayflower went “off course” and “got lost” at sea, now bound for an illegal landing in America. What a way to start a country. With an illegal landing pending and no rules to govern, the Mayflower Compact was improvised on board. It would serve as a foundation for the Declaration of Independence. Later we declared a naval war on England in 1812 at a time we had little-to-no maritime experience or ships. Oops. We started a skirmish with the South over session that was going to be over in no time but became the bloodiest war in American history—750,000 killed and the “war of session” still rages on. We declared war on Germany and Japan with no military capability. It would take four years to sort it all out. We cruised along in wars we lost—Korea and Vietnam—and we were caught napping on 9/11. Now we are fighting a cyber war that we understand so little, but we are improving our way along.
  6. Improvisation: We make it up as we go along. This is the force that fuels economic development. In came into full display force when other countries failed at building the Panama Canal and American improvisation and know-how got the job done.
  7. What’s New: For the Pilgrims, it was Native Americans, no food, winter in Massachusetts, and the whole west to explore. Then in short order there was dissension among the Pilgrims and some up and left and started what is now Connecticut. Soon there, after more dissension, there was a Rhode Island and after 13 colonies, a nation. Then to the moon and back with nothing left but outer and innerspace to explore and conquer.

If you are in doubt, try them out. Pick any issue or recent project at work or in your community organization and see if you see any of these seven cultural forces at work. They do not necessarily work in any particular order. All of them need not apply. But not knowing your project, I will guarantee you that you’ll start by exploring your options/choices, and you’ll know when the project is “over” as you and others start looking for something else to do.

If your project is bogie free, let us know and you can tell us how it worked out: we’ll post your story.

This post is based on my book, The Stuff Americans Are Made Of. It was written in the mid-nineties before the internet so there is not the usual links you might expect. But Amazon is still plugging it. The book was based on 23 qualitative and quantitative studies. For contrast in how other countries manifest their cultural DNA, one major study for the book was conducted in four countries (Japan, Germany, US, and our former neighbors, Canada). What we found is every country has a unique DNA.

If we want better relationships in trade, in program development, in joint projects, and the work of multinational team members, we are ahead of the process when we know and respect the DNA of other countries.

Another great place to start with an examination of cultural forces is the research and writing of Edward T. Hall. One of my favorite is his first book, The Silent Language.

Our Greek Chorus
Opinions of The Vigilant
The Greek chorus was an integral part of ancient Greek theatre, a group of three or four performers who looked alike and spoke all at the same time. Their part was to comment on what was being said and help the audience know what the characters in the play were thinking. The chorus usually sang, or spoke. We honor that tradition here
Simon & Garfunkel

America
Let us be lovers,
we'll marry our fortunes together
I've got some real estate here in my bag
So we bought a pack of cigarettes
and Mrs. Wagner's pies
And we walked off to look for America
Our Greek Chorus
Opinions of The Vigilant
The Greek chorus was an integral part of ancient Greek theatre, a group of three or four performers who looked alike and spoke all at the same time. Their part was to comment on what was being said and help the audience know what the characters in the play were thinking. The chorus usually sang, or spoke. We honor that tradition here
About Mrs. Wagner
An American Story
Updated Posts

What’s the Stink About?

by Josh Hammond

Zuckerberg Puts on Angel Face

by Josh Hammond

He’s a trickster, a conman, out to fool you and win at all costs, sparing no deception.

by Josh Hammond
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Myth Makers July 3, 2018

Where is Walter Cronkite When We Need Him?

Who’s Guarding the “Guardians”

You will not see this kind of intensity, precision, concern, focus, and analysis on any news channel today. You will not go to bed at the end of your day with all you need to know–Cronkite’s ambient words: “And that’s the way it is.” Your trust pill for the night. It was Walter Cronkite’s signoff that nourished trust across the land.

His focus was the news. Personality came later in life, a by-product of his discipline and passion, for calling it what it was. He almost single-handedly ended the War in Vietnam doing and asking what reporters can’t or won’t do today. Now we have personalities above the news that focus on branding, staging, optics, one-upmanship, self-promotion and selling mugs and t-shirts.

Here is what the news looks like today. It’s a crime scene. All we did to this screen shot was dress-up MSNBC’s own taping by adding some yellow to their walled off news scene to make it more authentic. It also promotes their “crime”–trying to get everyone to argue and cause further division.

Credits: cigarshopnearme.net, echilibrusiperformanta.ro, slidesharecdn.com, chicagotribune.com, t2conline.com, todayifoundout.com and TR Studios

 

The cable news shows mirror the evening news. Copy-cats. Rehash of the news we know already. No fresh analysis. No insights. News written hours before. No humor. All brought to you by big pharma and new pills for ills you didn’t know you have. No pills for improving news have yet been invented. No updates except occasionally on “60 Minutes”. And don’t forget the Search for the Hero of the Week.

Essentially all news shows are:

  1. Format challenged.
  2. Lap up Trump’s tweets and complain that he makes them cover them and thereby he determines what they cover and what the agenda should be.
  3. The press elevates his actions to a “Trumpian” level, Zeus from Mar-a-Largo.
  4. Guest say the same thing over and over again, acting like they are original.
  5. Personality driven.
  6. Weak bench.

I am not a news junkie the way I used to be. I watch about 15 hours of cable news and some network news a week. I watch some FOX, little CNN, a little News Hour, “60 minutes,” and MSNBC when the “A” team is on in the mid-to-late afternoon, except for the giggling baby-sitter Nicole Wallace, and Steve Kornacki, the utility infielder who is wardrobe challenged with gestures like a junior-high school basketball coach whose team has not practiced much. Nicole is in New York pretending to be in Washington with enough usual suspects–usually six or eight–from the New York Times and Washington Post to praise their reporting and thank them, oh so much for their time and insight—a repeat of what everyone else says. And to remind us constantly that she worked for one of the most media-manipulating administrations in memory, and one that lied big-time when she was involved in communications for George W. Bush. (Remember: When Clinton lied, nobody died!)

Except for the roving John Heilemann’s with his perceptive analysis and the acerbic Steve Schmidt who is in political rehab after years as John McCain’s political strategist, there is not a dime’s worth of difference between them, as George Wallace used to say.

(I have some claim to this criticism. I am a twice-published critic of drug abuse education films, over 200 of them, with the help of then New York Times Film Critic Judith Crist, actor Peter Fonda, the inimitable William Buckley, founder of National Review, who famously said about these films, “I wouldn’t show them to my doooog.” And Mama Case Elliot of the “Mamas and Pappas” rounded out the celebrity quotient of this review team that resulted in “banning” 90 percent of the most popular films in schools and military bootcamps. I’ve never produced a news show, but I have made commercials, documentaries, and conducted more than two dozen week-long national and regional communications workshops around the country for the first White House Drug Abuse Office established under President Nixon while he was preoccupied with other matters.)

The Most Floundering Network. MSNBC has not found its rudder. Only the High Priestess of Cliche and Contrived News Rachael Maddow ranks in the tope 5 according to Nielsen Ratings, which fluctuate from week to week. Chuck Todd is Exhibit A for The Peter Principle, rising to one’s level of incompetence. When he was political director, there was none better at poll analysis until he started calling surveys polls. He is the promoter-in-chief of arguing. He regularly uses the word argue and its variations 10 to 15 times in his opening segment. He has this new Chris Clilizza head back, eye-roll heavenward, over-articulation, hands up signaling an almost touchdown. It’s not read my lips, it’s read my body language. He has no original guests and repetition is his comfort zone. Katy Tur gives him a run for the use of the word argue. Instigating division and argument is their disquieting habit. Ali Velshi is the exception to the rut: he usually has something interesting to say. He is Canadian, of course.

Here is our take on how we see the networks competing with each other at the expense of the viewer. What do we get right? Where are we off? Which one is your favorite, or your default channel?

Name Position Mission Theme Effect
CNN Grandfather Balance Breaking News Wooden, stoic, formal
MSNBC Millennial Searchers Promote, Arguing Opinion over Substance Cosmetic, soap opera, giggles, format challenged
FOX President’s Channel Promote President The Right is Right, Rep. Security Blanket Presidential Pimps, home of alternative facts, conspiracy fueled, anti-intellectual
CSPAN Uncensored Let Guests Speak for Themselves Straight from horses’ mouth The ambient of cable news
News Hour Thinking Person’s Hour Intellectual Content Balance and Context Thoughtful, serious no barking dogs
Updated Posts

What’s the Stink About?

by Josh Hammond

Zuckerberg Puts on Angel Face

by Josh Hammond

He’s a trickster, a conman, out to fool you and win at all costs, sparing no deception.

by Josh Hammond
Our Newsletter
The easiest way for you to stay on top of what’s happening at Free American News is subscribe to our weekly update. Out every Friday morning, bright and early, it lists the latest post and has some exclusive extras. Please use the pop-up subscription form or click on the subscribe to newsletter box on the lower right-hand column.
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Myth Makers
Myth Makers June 27, 2018

We Are All Above The Law

Until Caught

The Rule of Law is another one of America’s quaint notions perpetuating the idea that we are different than other countries. We chant that no one is above the law. Not so. If you are rich or in power in America and you get caught breaking a law, you can stay above the law for the most part. If you are not rich, the punishment rarely fits the breaking of the law. Those who are not caught are one of “us.” Those who are caught are one of “them.”

Let’s take a regular experience most of us have—exceeding the speed limit when we drive. Why do we do that? Because we are in a hurry, we like to drive fast and we get away with it. Also, we are good at cat ‘n mouse games on the road. Cops park in the same spot a lot of the time, so there is nothing complicated in slowing down when those bridges, sideroads, dips in the road appear. If we do get caught, many of us can talk our way out of breaking the law thereby making us above the law. If we are speeding at 20 miles over the speed limit, all the fine talking will result in a fine. No big deal unless you are driving in another country where your fine can be 10 percent of your income. In the US it takes multiple times before you lose our license. There are plenty of websites that tell you how to avoid getting stopped, some even where and when cops are liking to be out looking to ticket someone.

John Adams was the first this to put this comfort blanket in writing when he wrote the Massachusetts Constitution in 1780. And it has been repeated ever since, especially in times like these with so many elected officials under some kind of scrutiny. The expression is not part of our Constitution, so it is more of a moral aspiration than a law.

There is a reason there are three levels of truth in our judicial system: 1) the truth; 2) the whole truth; 3) nothing but the truth. If law abiding relied only on the first level we would be in a heap of a lot more trouble than we are. But the oath pretty much sews it up.

The Constitution provides for Presidents who are caught breaking the law while in office—impeachment. But presidents, most notably George W. Bush perfected the “art” of a presidential signing statement, a way to have it both ways. Obama used it extensively. The president gets points for signing a bill, but in a statement that is not part of the legislative process, he can spell out what he will or will not do. In other words, he tells us how his administration will be above the law.

As I see it, we are a nation of law-makers, loophole seekers, smooth talkers and amendment crafters to existing laws.

How do you see it?

Our Greek Chorus
Opinions of The Vigilant
The Greek chorus was an integral part of ancient Greek theatre, a group of three or four performers who looked alike and spoke all at the same time. Their part was to comment on what was being said and help the audience know what the characters in the play were thinking. The chorus usually sang, or spoke. We honor that tradition here
Above the Law
"Untouchables"

"It’s not what you know,
It’s what you can prove."
Updated Posts

What’s the Stink About?

by Josh Hammond

Zuckerberg Puts on Angel Face

by Josh Hammond

He’s a trickster, a conman, out to fool you and win at all costs, sparing no deception.

by Josh Hammond
Our Newsletter
The easiest way for you to stay on top of what’s happening at Free American News is subscribe to our weekly update. Out every Friday morning, bright and early, it lists the latest post and has some exclusive extras. Please use the pop-up subscription form or click on the subscribe to newsletter box on the lower right-hand column.
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Editor's Select April 24, 2018

Facebooked

Zuckerberg Puts on Angel Face

Zuck, as the inner-players call him, was up to his usual mix of  mischief including 1) I’m sorry; 2) we designed it right years ago but didn’t follow through; 3) I’m sorry; 4) I don’t know those details—even though I am the CEO; 5) we need better enforcement; 6) back in my college dorm; 7) it’s all here in this legal disclosure; 8) the user doesn’t want to read all these words; 9) I’m not aware of that; 10) I’ll have my team follow up with you.

The only part of the Facebook hearings that was more bland were the same general questions from the Senators and Congressmen, except Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) who said “Your user agreement sucks,” and Senator Dick Durban (D-IL) who asked Zuck, actually stung him and rendered him speechless, if he would share what hotel he stayed in Washington the day before the hearings. Durban’s point: of course Zuck wouldn’t want to share that information, but that is the business he is in!

The disturbing part of the testimony is the pattern of lying and deception, then apology, then promise to fix, then forgetting to do it, then starting over with more deception.

This is just the beginning. Actually, Wired Magazine got everyone’s attention with their comprehensive analysis of the inside story at Facebook.

It may be time to do with his Harvard dorm room what William Hewlett and David Packard did with their garage: enshrine it and move on.

What goes around, comes around. Zuck impersonators are scamming Facebook users and taking naive users for a ride. Same scam, new twist. Reader be vigilant.

Our Greek Chorus
Opinions of The Vigilant
The Greek chorus was an integral part of ancient Greek theatre, a group of three or four performers who looked alike and spoke all at the same time. Their part was to comment on what was being said and help the audience know what the characters in the play were thinking. The chorus usually sang, or spoke. We honor that tradition here
The Traveling Wilburys

I've been uptight and made a mess
But I'll clean it up myself, I guess
Oh, the sweet smell of success
Handle me with care
Updated Posts

What’s the Stink About?

by Josh Hammond

Zuckerberg Puts on Angel Face

by Josh Hammond

He’s a trickster, a conman, out to fool you and win at all costs, sparing no deception.

by Josh Hammond
Our Newsletter
The easiest way for you to stay on top of what’s happening at Free American News is subscribe to our weekly update. Out every Friday morning, bright and early, it lists the latest post and has some exclusive extras. Please use the pop-up subscription form or click on the subscribe to newsletter box on the lower right-hand column.
Go to the Newsletter Subscription page
Myth Makers March 2, 2018

Paul Ryan, the Trojan Horse of American Politics

He’s a trickster, a conman, out to fool you and win at all costs, sparing no deception.

Tricksters pretend to be the benefactors of their world. They aren’t. Rather, they are a character in a story who exhibits a great degree of imagined intellect or secret knowledge they use to play tricks or circumvent normal rules. The trickster can appear as a coyote, a raven or other character or god, but it can transform itself into a man when in full deception mode. They are integral to understanding most cultures.

While Greek gods such as Prometheus, the god of fire, and Hermes the patron of thieves and lying, are more commonly seen as tricksters, Odysseus, the Greek name for Ulysses, did get in line for some of the trickery he used to sack Troy and to get back to Ithaca. An 12,000 line epic poem/song by Homer tells the tale. Here is the latest and best version, the first translated by a woman.

Paul Ryan has no songs. He claims to be the Speaker of the House (of Representatives). In fact he is only speaker for slightly more than half of the House. Something about a house divided comes to mind, a warning from Abraham Lincoln. He further claims to speak for the American People, a deception of gargantuan proportions. Ryan giveth with the large print and taketh away with the small print. He gestures with his left hand for inclusion and leads with right for exclusion. Spoiler alert: he is right-handed.

Now we know (April 11, 2018) that The Trickster is going back to the Cheese State of Wisconsin. He is not running for re-election. The staggering development here (some saw it coming) is that Ryan is second-in-line to be president. Pence is first. Ryan next. If the Democrats take over the House (a possibility by the hapless ones), then a Democrat would be second in line to be president next January. Interesting. Look for that as a campaign strategy by the Republicans.

Our Greek Chorus
Opinions of The Vigilant
The Greek chorus was an integral part of ancient Greek theatre, a group of three or four performers who looked alike and spoke all at the same time. Their part was to comment on what was being said and help the audience know what the characters in the play were thinking. The chorus usually sang, or spoke. We honor that tradition here
Black Eye Peas
“Don’t Lie”

I admit that I've been a little immature
With your heart like I was the predator
In my book of lies I was the editor
And the author, I posted my signature
And now I apologize for what I did to ya
Updated Posts

What’s the Stink About?

by Josh Hammond

Zuckerberg Puts on Angel Face

by Josh Hammond

He’s a trickster, a conman, out to fool you and win at all costs, sparing no deception.

by Josh Hammond
Our Newsletter
The easiest way for you to stay on top of what’s happening at Free American News is subscribe to our weekly update. Out every Friday morning, bright and early, it lists the latest post and has some exclusive extras. Please use the pop-up subscription form or click on the subscribe to newsletter box on the lower right-hand column.
Go to the Newsletter Subscription page
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Myth Makers January 4, 2018

How Much Is $4.4 Trillion?

The size of the proposed US federal budget for 2018

The only thing Americans like more than big is bigger. Nowhere is that more evident than the way politicians talk about budgets. $1,000,000,000 is too small a number, one billion sounds puny. Half a trillion also sounds small. So, they find a bigger number by spreading the budget over 10 years. Now we talking. X times 10 years and bingo.

But how much is one trillion US dollars? A 1 followed by 12 zeroes. But what does it look like?

If you spend one dollar a second, it would take 12 days to spend a million, 31.7 years to spend a billion and an unfathomable 31,700 years to spend a trillion.

Another way to see a trillion is the way Boyce Rensberger of The Washington Post did years ago. He said if you were paid one dollar to read every non-advertising word in the daily newspaper, you could bank $29.2 million a year. You would have to engage generations of grandchildren and keep the reading streak going for 34,247 years to pocket a trillion.

If you stacked one-dollar bills in a 50-foot-long railroad boxcar you could put $63.5 million in each car. A train carrying one trillion dollars would have 15,743 boxcars and span 167 miles, the distance from the Nation’s Capital in Washington, DC, past Philadelphia—as the eagle flies.

If you are still reading and shaking your head, 4.7 trillion would take 73,980 boxcars and cover over 784 miles, the distance from Brussels to Rome or Barcelona to Frankford or Cape Town to Pretoria. If you started in Miami you would need to stop just short of Nashville, Tennessee, and need to wait for an infusion from next year’s budget.

Our Greek Chorus
Opinions of The Vigilant
The Greek chorus was an integral part of ancient Greek theatre, a group of three or four performers who looked alike and spoke all at the same time. Their part was to comment on what was being said and help the audience know what the characters in the play were thinking. The chorus usually sang, or spoke. We honor that tradition here
Good morning, America.
How are you?
Wake-up song
played on the moon
Updated Posts

What’s the Stink About?

by Josh Hammond

Zuckerberg Puts on Angel Face

by Josh Hammond

He’s a trickster, a conman, out to fool you and win at all costs, sparing no deception.

by Josh Hammond
Our Newsletter
The easiest way for you to stay on top of what’s happening at Free American News is subscribe to our weekly update. Out every Friday morning, bright and early, it lists the latest post and has some exclusive extras. Please use the pop-up subscription form or click on the subscribe to newsletter box on the lower right-hand column.
Go to the Newsletter Subscription page