Listen now | A powerful reflection on culture, history, and resistance—blending poetry, lived memory, and U.S. politics to explore how the past warns us about the present.
I applaud you for your tireless warning to the world to wake up to a gross regression to the past--a dark history that no one in their right mind would want to relive, yet the collective amnesia is strong and therefore the wakeup calls are much needed!
I, too, have been appalled at the parallels between what's going on now and Mao's Cultural Revolution. Because this bloody history has been silenced, it is hard for people to understand just how similar the social political dynamics and collective hysteria of polarization is with what we see today in MAGA America. When I read about the young ones in Germany who were brainwashed by the age of 10, I had chills down my spine. Mao indoctrinated young children too. They wore red neck scarves and waved the Little Red Book. My mom was one of them.
I just read this article that draws the parallel and I believe you will find it interesting:
And in case you missed this essay I wrote a little while ago, I invite you to give it a read. I'm curious to hear if you find any parallels between what I experienced and Nazi Germany:
Lily, when I read your words, I feel a mixture of resonance and reflection. I hear your deep concern about the collective forgetting of painful histories and your courage in drawing parallels that are uncomfortable but necessary to consider.
What you shared about children being shaped by ideology at such a young age touches something tender in me. I’m also aware that the GDR was part of that wider landscape of communist-oriented systems—not just Russia or China, but East Germany too. That part of history shaped people profoundly, in ways I feel are still unfolding even now.
I value your willingness to speak from both historical insight and lived family experience. It helps me connect more deeply to why these conversations matter.
I saw your article and moved on because at that time it did not fit. If you like me to read something please direct message me a link—I tend not to forget it that way. I haven’t had the chance to read either piece yet, and I wanted to say I appreciate you thinking of me and sharing your reflections so openly.
The historical parallels you’re pointing to are heavy and important, and I hope to come back to both when I can give them the focus they deserve.
Yes, Jay. I find that as we each dig into our own lived experience and collective history, the conversation deepens. It's fascinating and eye-opening.
I understand that an article may not appeal to you or fit into your brandwidth of the moment. No problem. I will send links to you directly so you can return to them should you decide to do so.
Suzanne, thank you so much. I do hope they are applauding @Gloria Horton-Young as well, as the biggest part of this essay where her magnificent words. Hallelujah in the Streets is her adaptation of Leonard Cohen’s famous song. And Sea Change provided the awesome music.
I was thanking you for yr words about my show. But of course all the ancestors are cheering you and Gloria and all in these amazing communities raising their Lights to illuminate the encroaching darkness.
here is my solo show about my grandmother who left RussiaPoland in 1917 before the Holocaust but of course during the horrific Pogroms. Not sure it is okay to share this with you all. Humor and tragedy interwoven.
Suzanne, of course it is ok to share an actual show that is a Hommage to your grandmother, performed at the SF Fringe Festival. I haven’t finished it yet, but already laughed out loud quite a lot. You really got all your characters on stage very well. And the story is in many ways relatable and universal, even if I am German, living in Germany. I have seen quite a bit behavior I experienced myself.
yes universal stories that weave us together as One Family thank you for shining your light and creating this space for us to gather like a modern day town square thank you for watching!!!
Suzanne, I just finished the rest of your solo show. I felt moved—quietly, deeply—by the way your grandmother’s voice came through, full of texture, humor, and presence. The way you embody her, and the many lives around her, creates space for echoes I recognize across time and place.
Being born in Germany, I, too, belong to the Kriegsenkel—the war grandchildren generation—and have been shaped not only by the stories that were told, but also by the silences that weren’t. A story like yours speaks to something beyond borders—a remembering that isn’t only personal, but collective. And the silence, too, is often collective. It still lives on in our bodies as transgenerational trauma, passed down through epigenetics.
The line “It may not be like home, but I make a do” stayed with me. That quiet resilience—the gentle insistence on dignity even in unfamiliar places—felt deeply familiar. I’m still sitting with that.
dear ones, thank you beyond thanks for this re-working of Hallelujah's lyrics. I am going to print it out and I am going to leave it places for people to find it. Maybe tucked in some library books or books at the little Free Libraries in my area. I live in a Red State and am in a purple area, where many of us voted for Kamala and see the horror for what it is- truly a horror in our nation. I am the grand daughter of a Holocaust survivor.
Hello "Why We Fight," thank you for your comment. It shows the topic touched a nerve within you.
Reflecting on your thoughts about taxation, it's interesting to consider how societies approach the distribution of resources. You mentioned specific monetary figures for taxation, and it's common for tax systems to operate using percentages. This way, the amount of tax adjusts based on the income or asset value.
Thinking about the U.S. specifically, there was a period with significantly higher tax rates for the wealthiest individuals. For example, during much of the 1940s and early 1950s, the top marginal income tax rate reached as high as 90% or even slightly above. This means that for every additional dollar of income above a certain high threshold, nearly 90 cents went to taxes. Even in the decades that followed, through the 1960s, the top marginal rates often remained above 70%.
This approach was prominent during President Roosevelt's time and the years that followed.
However, the move away from these very high top marginal rates was not a sudden event. A significant shift began during the Reagan administration in the 1980s with the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. This legislation substantially reduced the top marginal income tax rate, marking a notable change in U.S. tax policy. While adjustments have continued under subsequent presidents, the Reagan era is often seen as a key period in the move away from the historically high tax rates of the mid-20th century. It also marks the beginning of Neo-Liberalism as economic model in several countries.
This historical context demonstrates that different models for taxing high incomes have been implemented in the U.S. at various times, raising interesting questions about the various philosophies and economic goals that shape a society's tax policies.
I love this whole post! I noticed the link to play my version of Gloria’s amazing words does not play. If you want me to send you the song to upload it, I would be happy to. Just direct message me and I’ll send it your way!
Sea, thank you for this. I checked the link to your fabulous version of Gloria's version and on my it played just fine on Safari iMac, iPhone and Chrome.
The Music is embedded into the Essay beneath "Listen to this complete version as an actual song with lyrics by Gloria Horton-Young, recorded and performed by Sea Change (you find him here Sea). Based on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.“ copyright – Leonard Cohen."
Thanks Suzanne! When I receive your email, I will send you a copy, as well as the lyrics. You will not be added to any mailing list. I appreciate your kind words, and I’m sure Gloria does as well!
I applaud you for your tireless warning to the world to wake up to a gross regression to the past--a dark history that no one in their right mind would want to relive, yet the collective amnesia is strong and therefore the wakeup calls are much needed!
I, too, have been appalled at the parallels between what's going on now and Mao's Cultural Revolution. Because this bloody history has been silenced, it is hard for people to understand just how similar the social political dynamics and collective hysteria of polarization is with what we see today in MAGA America. When I read about the young ones in Germany who were brainwashed by the age of 10, I had chills down my spine. Mao indoctrinated young children too. They wore red neck scarves and waved the Little Red Book. My mom was one of them.
I just read this article that draws the parallel and I believe you will find it interesting:
https://linguasinica.substack.com/p/from-mao-to-maga
And in case you missed this essay I wrote a little while ago, I invite you to give it a read. I'm curious to hear if you find any parallels between what I experienced and Nazi Germany:
https://open.substack.com/pub/lilypond/p/the-authoritarian-deja-vu
Lily, when I read your words, I feel a mixture of resonance and reflection. I hear your deep concern about the collective forgetting of painful histories and your courage in drawing parallels that are uncomfortable but necessary to consider.
What you shared about children being shaped by ideology at such a young age touches something tender in me. I’m also aware that the GDR was part of that wider landscape of communist-oriented systems—not just Russia or China, but East Germany too. That part of history shaped people profoundly, in ways I feel are still unfolding even now.
I value your willingness to speak from both historical insight and lived family experience. It helps me connect more deeply to why these conversations matter.
I saw your article and moved on because at that time it did not fit. If you like me to read something please direct message me a link—I tend not to forget it that way. I haven’t had the chance to read either piece yet, and I wanted to say I appreciate you thinking of me and sharing your reflections so openly.
The historical parallels you’re pointing to are heavy and important, and I hope to come back to both when I can give them the focus they deserve.
Yes, Jay. I find that as we each dig into our own lived experience and collective history, the conversation deepens. It's fascinating and eye-opening.
I understand that an article may not appeal to you or fit into your brandwidth of the moment. No problem. I will send links to you directly so you can return to them should you decide to do so.
Good night!
Dear Jay, your beautiful words have touched my heart so deeply this afternoon, giving me a much needed lift to my spirits.
You are so eloquent and you have moved me to good tears. I know my mom and grandma are looking in on us and applauding you too with great joy. 🌠🌈💖🙏🏼🙏🏼
Suzanne, thank you so much. I do hope they are applauding @Gloria Horton-Young as well, as the biggest part of this essay where her magnificent words. Hallelujah in the Streets is her adaptation of Leonard Cohen’s famous song. And Sea Change provided the awesome music.
I was thanking you for yr words about my show. But of course all the ancestors are cheering you and Gloria and all in these amazing communities raising their Lights to illuminate the encroaching darkness.
https://youtu.be/4vwRGbsAwxc?si=ALVrskL4tkasgxNf
here is my solo show about my grandmother who left RussiaPoland in 1917 before the Holocaust but of course during the horrific Pogroms. Not sure it is okay to share this with you all. Humor and tragedy interwoven.
Suzanne, of course it is ok to share an actual show that is a Hommage to your grandmother, performed at the SF Fringe Festival. I haven’t finished it yet, but already laughed out loud quite a lot. You really got all your characters on stage very well. And the story is in many ways relatable and universal, even if I am German, living in Germany. I have seen quite a bit behavior I experienced myself.
yes universal stories that weave us together as One Family thank you for shining your light and creating this space for us to gather like a modern day town square thank you for watching!!!
Suzanne, I just finished the rest of your solo show. I felt moved—quietly, deeply—by the way your grandmother’s voice came through, full of texture, humor, and presence. The way you embody her, and the many lives around her, creates space for echoes I recognize across time and place.
Being born in Germany, I, too, belong to the Kriegsenkel—the war grandchildren generation—and have been shaped not only by the stories that were told, but also by the silences that weren’t. A story like yours speaks to something beyond borders—a remembering that isn’t only personal, but collective. And the silence, too, is often collective. It still lives on in our bodies as transgenerational trauma, passed down through epigenetics.
The line “It may not be like home, but I make a do” stayed with me. That quiet resilience—the gentle insistence on dignity even in unfamiliar places—felt deeply familiar. I’m still sitting with that.
dear ones, thank you beyond thanks for this re-working of Hallelujah's lyrics. I am going to print it out and I am going to leave it places for people to find it. Maybe tucked in some library books or books at the little Free Libraries in my area. I live in a Red State and am in a purple area, where many of us voted for Kamala and see the horror for what it is- truly a horror in our nation. I am the grand daughter of a Holocaust survivor.
Suzanne, I am deeply grateful for your words—truly. Please go ahead and share them.
Perhaps Gloria’s powerful lyrics and poetry will invite others into self-reflection.
Living in Germany, I can only imagine what things are like in the U.S. now.
My own memories reach back to the time when Obama was still president—and even before that.
Sometimes I wonder if I’d even recognize parts of the culture anymore.
How many people have more then 50 million all assets
How many will have 5 million more in 2 years
Taxes for these people should be 21/2. Millin over 2 years
And people who have assets of 100 million shlujd be taxed 25 millioni 2 years
1 billion taxes 500 million 2,years
Company’s
Taxes 1/2 of what people are
Hello "Why We Fight," thank you for your comment. It shows the topic touched a nerve within you.
Reflecting on your thoughts about taxation, it's interesting to consider how societies approach the distribution of resources. You mentioned specific monetary figures for taxation, and it's common for tax systems to operate using percentages. This way, the amount of tax adjusts based on the income or asset value.
Thinking about the U.S. specifically, there was a period with significantly higher tax rates for the wealthiest individuals. For example, during much of the 1940s and early 1950s, the top marginal income tax rate reached as high as 90% or even slightly above. This means that for every additional dollar of income above a certain high threshold, nearly 90 cents went to taxes. Even in the decades that followed, through the 1960s, the top marginal rates often remained above 70%.
This approach was prominent during President Roosevelt's time and the years that followed.
However, the move away from these very high top marginal rates was not a sudden event. A significant shift began during the Reagan administration in the 1980s with the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. This legislation substantially reduced the top marginal income tax rate, marking a notable change in U.S. tax policy. While adjustments have continued under subsequent presidents, the Reagan era is often seen as a key period in the move away from the historically high tax rates of the mid-20th century. It also marks the beginning of Neo-Liberalism as economic model in several countries.
This historical context demonstrates that different models for taxing high incomes have been implemented in the U.S. at various times, raising interesting questions about the various philosophies and economic goals that shape a society's tax policies.
Thank you 🙏💙🙏
Diana, I appreciate you and am glad this post resonated with you.
I love this whole post! I noticed the link to play my version of Gloria’s amazing words does not play. If you want me to send you the song to upload it, I would be happy to. Just direct message me and I’ll send it your way!
Sea, thank you for this. I checked the link to your fabulous version of Gloria's version and on my it played just fine on Safari iMac, iPhone and Chrome.
How can I get the link to your music 🎶 that plays your version of Gloria Horton Young's lyrics? Such wonderful creativity here! 👏 🌠🌠
The Music is embedded into the Essay beneath "Listen to this complete version as an actual song with lyrics by Gloria Horton-Young, recorded and performed by Sea Change (you find him here Sea). Based on Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.“ copyright – Leonard Cohen."
Send an email to
seachange714@icloud.com
Thanks Suzanne! When I receive your email, I will send you a copy, as well as the lyrics. You will not be added to any mailing list. I appreciate your kind words, and I’m sure Gloria does as well!