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(Note: I wrote this Sunday night but have not posted it due to the fact that as each day passes, I believed the strike would be settled the following day. Obviously, it hasn't.........so here goes.) In between times of updating the site last evening because of the fires and high winds, I took some time to read the many postings, on several websites (including this one) about the UAW strike at Volvo. A great many of the comments can be summed up in one word - entertainment.
The format for virtually every message board I've read, even those in the national news areas, is the same. One visitor to the site will make a relatively unpopular post, then that drives other people to make statements condemning the message or the messenger responsible for the unpopular posting. Then, when the message board begins to "flame out", up comes another posting that begins another "online riot". People...........grow some intelligence and stop allowing people to "fire you up", especially people who probably don't have a dog in the actual hunt. And why do people use ALL CAPS? Is this the universal message board key for "I AM SCREAMING AT YOU"??????? I have concerns about all of this and the "message board representation" people are seeing. I know quite a few people who work at Volvo and are Union members. I know Volvo workers who aren't Union members. These are men and women, Union and non-Union, who get up in the morning, prepare their lunch or dinner and then kisses the spouse and kids goodbye as they head out to the picket line (or to work). They are good, God-fearing, flag waving, live below the radar screen sorts of people. They have bills: a morgage, car payment and a couple of kids to feed and put clothes on. The don't cause trouble and they don't want trouble. They joined the Union at a time when the Union and the company were working well together, but now they aren't so sure. They might consider crossing the picket line if it wouldn't cause trouble for them with other Union members. And...........they are not on some stupid message board arguing with what you will realize is only a few people if you start counting. Instead of spending their day behind the computer screen, the Volvo worker I know is taking kids to school and to other activities. They might take in an occasional Pulaski Cougar football game, maybe they even played themselves when they were in High School. They are there to read the occasional bedtime story. They like a good country, Motown oldie or classic rock tune and they still listen to the radio to get their weather information. They have roots in the New River Valley; maybe parents, maybe a sister or a brother or both. They might hunt and fish and they stay out of other people's business. They list health insurance and the education environment as some of the things they are most concerned about as they want healthy kids and a good education for their children. They've voted Republican the last few times around, but now they aren't so sure. They support the troops, but they are becoming more cautious in their thoughts about the war in Iraq. These are the Volvo workers I know, not the ones I read about on these message boards. The Volvo workers I know are concerned. They can read and they can hear. They know this is a dangerous time to be out on strike with so many negative things going on in this country. A war that is sucking money out at a billion dollars a day and an economy that is about to plunge the country into a deep recession. They have friends who were laid off work in the last few days because their employment was indirectly tied to Volvo. They have family and friends who don't understand this strike. The Volvo worker I know is frustrated, and not completely sure who they should be frustrated with. The Volvo workers I know are decent, hard-working, honest and humble people. They know they have a very good job and they want it to continue. They know that many UAW members have lost their jobs over the years and were forced to move away from their roots and family, and become nomads looking for work around the country. They don't understand why the company doesn't "take care of their people" any longer. These are the people that we on the outside and Volvo management needs to hear from. Not some bunch of extremists and online wannabes, but from the guy or gal standing there in the back, taking it all in and doing far more listening than talking. This strike needs to end, and it will when calm and peaceful talks start. Right now, the people in charge can't even agree as to who walked from the table and that is some pitiful negotiating going on when so many lives hang in the balance. So, let's stop beating up the workers at Volvo and calling them lazy and spoiled - the majority is not being represented on these message boards and may not be completely represented by the words of the Union. Once we drown out all the BS, and listen intently, the voice of the majority of Volvo will be heard.
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Riefenstahl was a German filmmaker whose most famous works are documentary propaganda films for the German Nazi Party. Her Triumph of the Will, a documentary of a huge Nazi rally glorifying Hitler, is widely regarded as one of the most effective pieces of propaganda ever produced. After the war, Riefenstahl was classified as a Nazi sympathizer and blacklisted. Later, she became interested in underwater photography and the Nuba tribe in the Sudan. What did she do on her 100th birthday?
