Colleen Nisbet wrote,

>I am usually a more optimistic person. Maybe someone can offer some
>insightful thoughts that will help all of this to make sense.
>Maybe you will all want me off the list for making such a dismal
>contribution!

Colleen, I disagree. To me, the story you tell exemplifies optimism. It is
the optimism that believes by speaking the truth about what we see and
experience we can help to create the public will to make things better.

The public relations industry gives us a phoney -- and very reactionary --
version of optimism: pleasantness. "Look on the bright side." "Accentuate
the positive." "The best of all possible worlds."

The purpose of phony PR pleasantness is to pre-emptively censor outcries
against injustice. "Don't be so negative!" "Get a life!" "Down-ner!"

Over the past twenty years, Governments have taken the PR message to heart.
"The children have no bread to eat? Give them positive images. Give them
*pictures* of healthy smiling children eating bread." This is not optimism.
It is cynical propaganda.


Regards,

Tom Walker
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