Harriet Fraad: Fall of the American Empire

1).  “Capitalism Hits Home: All Empires Rise and Fall, The US Is

No Exception”, March 31, 2023, Harriet Fraad,  duration of video 27:17, Democracy At Work, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivwIWgL_AV4 >

Note: This is a video of a monologue by Harriet Fraad. There is no transcript, no direct text. 

2).  “Capitalism Hits Home: Ukraine War & Our Coping

Mechanisms”, January 19, 2023, Harriet Fraad, duration of video 25:29, Democracy At Work, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt4icCkd-ZM >

Note: This is a video of a monologue by Harriet Fraad. There is no transcript, no direct text. 

3).  “Capitalism Hits Home: Waking Up to the Falling American Empire”, January 5, 2023, Harriet Fraad, duration of video 26:01, Democracy At Work, at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCiJlQFyXvs >

Note: This is a video of a monologue by Harriet Fraad. There is no transcript, no direct text. 

~~ recommended by dmorista ~~

Introduction by dmorista:   These are three pertinent talks given by Dr. Harriet Fraad, Richard Wolff’s wife btw, a retired formerly practicing psychologist in New York City.  These three talks are just a selection from a much larger number of talks that she has given, one every other week, since 2020.  She concentrates on the effects of Capitalism, the decline of the U.S., and Imperialist Wars on families and personal psychological well-being.  In these three talks she discusses how the U.S. working class during the 1930s and 1940s fought for major social advances, with leadership and vanguard actions by the militant unions and the three major American Leftist Parties (Communist, Socialist, and Socialist Labor).  Most of those advances have now been reversed by a decades-long offensive by Capital against the American Working Class.

These three particular talks include various observations including the following in, Item 1). “Capitalism Hits Home: All Empires Rise and Fall, The US Is No Exception”, Fraad notes that during the: “ …. 20th century, the US was the dominant global power, with strong unions, social programs, and a strong currency. Today, our wealthiest people are barely taxed, social services are weak, hunger and poverty are worse than ever, and the dollar is losing its primacy.   (Emphasis added) 

In Item 2). “Capitalism Hits Home: Ukraine War & Our Coping Mechanisms”, she notes that the great majority of the population takes no notice of the machinations of our ruling class in such operations as the Proxy War against Russia,now taking place in Ukraine.  All while the U.S. populace is being smothered by misleading propaganda and disinformation.  Americans, who once protested vigorously against Foreign Military Adventures, now are mostly reduced to trying to cope with the many problems and crises in their deeply circumscribed personal lives.  She points out that for $50 Billion every person on Earth could be vaccinated against Covid.  That is a figure that is just half of the $100 billion, already spent giving weapons and ammunition to the Coup Government in Kiev as of the time she gave the talk, it has risen to nearly $120 billion now.  Pushing a population down into apathy and despair is part of the ruling class methodology as the U.S. deteriorates.  

Finally in Item 3). “Capitalism Hits Home: Waking Up to the Falling American Empire”, Fraad talks about the ongoing decline in American society and the well-being of most Americans.  She notes that: “ ….  the American empire is falling and the signs of its decline are everywhere. High divorce rates, low wages and high unemployment, mass shootings, shortened lifespan, election denials, price gouging, and war are all side effects of this American decline.”  She even states that in the first 30 years after WW 2 Amercans were the tallest people among the various populations in the nations of the World, this is no longer the case as other societies have seen to it that their children are well fed, while millions of American children go hungry at least occasionally. In fact, the U.S. population has now fallen to 47th in average stature. The Netherlands is ranked first with an average height of 183.3 cm, the U.S. languishes at 176.94 cm.  Of course the U.S. now has lower average height than many well-known Social Democracies like Denmark, Iceland, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Belgium, and Norway, but also below even places like Latvia (7th at 181.17 cm), Bermuda (21st at 179.72 cm), Greece (23rd at 179.26 cm), and Barbados (45th at 177.03 cm).  (See, “Average Height by Country 2023”, World Population Review, at < https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/average-height-by-country >) (Emphasis added) 

For a complete video archive of Fraad’s 186 talks, delivered during the Capitalism Hits Home series, go to                                                                                                                                          < https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLPJpiw1WYdTNYvke-gNRdml1Z2lwz0iEH >.

For a complete podcast archive of those talks go to                                                                                < https://www.democracyatwork.info/capitalismhitshome >, and scroll down to the bottom of the page.

1).  “Capitalism Hits Home: All Empires Rise and Fall, The US Is No Exception”, March 31, 2023, Harriet Fraad,  duration of video 27:17, Democracy At Work,                at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ivwIWgL_AV4 >

(In this episode of “Capitalism Hits Home”, Dr. Fraad traces a brief history of the rise and fall

of the American empire. Throughout much of the 20th century, the US was the dominant

global power, with strong unions, social programs, and a strong currency. Today, our

wealthiest people are barely taxed, social services are weak, hunger and poverty are worse

than ever, and the dollar is losing its primacy. How did we get here? How can we face this shift

in global power and move forward? Dr. Fraad explores these questions.

{Correction: Judy Garland's death was never confirmed a suicide, but she was persecuted as

a part of the communist party.} )

 

Note: This is a video of a monologue by Harriet Fraad. There is no transcript, no direct text. 

2).  “Capitalism Hits Home: Ukraine War & Our Coping Mechanisms”, January 19, 2023, Harriet Fraad, duration of video 25:29, Democracy At Work,                                  at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nt4icCkd-ZM >

( [S6 E02] Ukraine War & Our Coping Mechanisms

 

"Denial is a way the brain copes with a painful reality." In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home,

Dr. Fraad continues her discussion of how Americans are coping with a falling empire: by not

facing it. Human brains have the capacity to look away or shift blame when facing reality is too

difficult, mainly through denial, dissociation, projection, and transference. Fraad looks at the

war in Ukraine as a prime example of how America is falling and how our coping strategies are

getting in the way of confronting that truth.)

Note: This is a video of a monologue by Harriet Fraad. There is no transcript, no direct text. 

3).  “Capitalism Hits Home: Waking Up to the Falling American Empire”, January 5, 2023, Harriet Fraad, duration of video 26:01, Democracy At Work,                              at < https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCiJlQFyXvs >

( [S6 E01] Waking Up to the Falling American Empire 

Welcome to Season 6! In this episode of Capitalism Hits Home, Dr. Fraad dissects a harsh

reality: the American empire is falling and the signs of its decline are everywhere. High divorce

rates, low wages and high unemployment, mass shootings, shortened lifespan, election denials

, price gouging, and war are all side effects of this American decline. We are not the empire we

once were. When will we wake up to this reality?)

Note: This is a video of a monologue by Harriet Fraad. There is no transcript, no direct text.