The Arc of History Bends Towards Justice.

 

B. Traven comes to mind today because of an article in today’s NYT that documents the seizing of unused land from rich Brazilians by the Landless Workers’ Movement (LWM).  Active for about 50 years, LWM settles whole villages on fallow land, creating an opportunity for poor people to grow functional farming communities from scratch. 

Best known for The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, Traven was a revolutionary whose radical works included a series of six books in what is known as The Jungle Books, which track the lives of indigenous Mexican wage slaves in the years leading to the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920)  The fifth book of the series, Revolution of the Hanged Men describes a rebellion in a debtors labor camp where mahogany was harvested. In a nutshell, the rebellion succeeded, the workers freed themselves, and the people marched away in search of Land and Liberty. 

The LWM has been operating in Brazil for some 40 years and has been surprisingly successful, given the long history of inequality and political suppression. As LWM's  leaders point out, "Occupation is a process of struggle and confrontation."  LWM’s leaders, who call themselves “militants,” have organized hundreds of thousands of Brazil’s poor to take unused land from the rich, settle it and farm it, often as large collectives.  (Imagine this happening in the USA.)

Even under Brazil’s former fascist president, Jair Bolsonaro, there were about 15 successful land occupations undertaken per year.  In the first four months of leftist leader Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva's presidency, which started January 1 of this year, there have been 33 occupations.  This poses a dilemma for Lula de Silva, a longtime movement supporter, who still has to deal with wealthy landowners and corporations, while maintaining the confidence of his unlanded base.

The LWM can demonstrate some significant achievements.  Communities it has built support some 2,000 schools educating children who would never otherwise have an opportunity to get an education.  And the Times highlights one community that has been legally recognized since 2016, where 227 families, each owning from 20 to 35 acres, share tractors and plows, and grow organic fruits and vegetables for themselves and for market. 

 

 THAT ROCK N ROLL MUSIC

I’m still a fan of American Idol, but I often fast-forward through many performances.  Usually, if the choice is some modern pop operatic hit from Adele or Sea or Pink or Ed Sheeran and nearly anything modern country I can’t tell one song from another.  They all sound alike to me.  Gimme that old time Rock n Roll, or Motown, or Rhythm and Blues or outlaw country or Loretta Lynn and Patsy Cline.  I am seldom entertained by whatever passes for music to today’s boppers. 

Now comes Ed Sheeran’s lawsuit over Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On to confirm my observations.  Sheeran told the court that the songs at issue have “almost identical” chord progressions and added "Most pop songs can fit over most pop songs."