Author: Chris Cocca

The Quotable Eugene Victor Debs

~ Chris Cocca ~ Leave a comment

I am not a Labor Leader; I do not want you to follow me or anyone else; if you are looking for a Moses to lead you out of this capitalist wilderness, you will stay right where you are. I would not lead you into the promised land if I could, because if I led you in, some one else would lead you out. You must use your heads as well as your hands, and get yourself out of your present condition.

A great refusal of the cult of personality by someone who could have exploited it.

You might recall that Debs ran for President of the United States 5 times, the fifth from jail.  This is from his statement to the Court upon being convicted of violating the Espionage Act of 1917:

Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth. I said then, and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it, and while there is a criminal element I am of it, and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.

I listened to all that was said in this court in support and justification of this prosecution, but my mind remains unchanged. I look upon the Espionage Law as a despotic enactment in flagrant conflict with democratic principles and with the spirit of free institutions…

Your Honor, I have stated in this court that I am opposed to the social system in which we live; that I believe in a fundamental change—but if possible by peaceable and orderly means…

Standing here this morning, I recall my boyhood. At fourteen I went to work in a railroad shop; at sixteen I was firing a freight engine on a railroad. I remember all the hardships and privations of that earlier day, and from that time until now my heart has been with the working class. I could have been in Congress long ago. I have preferred to go to prison…

I am thinking this morning of the men in the mills and the factories; of the men in the mines and on the railroads. I am thinking of the women who for a paltry wage are compelled to work out their barren lives; of the little children who in this system are robbed of their childhood and in their tender years are seized in the remorseless grasp of Mammon and forced into the industrial dungeons, there to feed the monster machines while they themselves are being starved and stunted, body and soul. I see them dwarfed and diseased and their little lives broken and blasted because in this high noon of Christian civilization money is still so much more important than the flesh and blood of childhood. In very truth gold is god today and rules with pitiless sway in the affairs of men…

Mission: Impossible Burger

~ Chris Cocca ~ 4 Comments

A lifelong carnivore, I have, in recent years, moved to a more plant-based diet (chicken is a plant, right?) I’ve even flirted with vegetarianism and veganism to see, in part, how those approaches impacted my personal health. I’ve found what I think works best for my body and metabolism, but I’m always interested in increasing my plant-based protein intake, and I’m fascinated by the efforts some companies are making to produce plant-based meat that’s indistinguishable from the real thing. And, as someone in the food industry, I think this area of the sector is on to something big.

With the recent news that Impossible patties will soon be available at Burger King, I decided to review their current plant-based offering. You can watch that here:

I also found out that White Castle already has Impossible Sliders. Check that out here:

I had my first fast casual Impossible Burger a few days after hitting White Castle. It was absolutely the best of the bunch, though I haven’t reviewed it yet. I went back recently for another, and the establishment was sold out. Even with an up-charge, they’re in high demand.

Wawa or Sheetz? (A Pennsylvania Thing)

~ Chris Cocca ~ Leave a comment

If you watch The Goldbergs, you know about Wawa. It’s that place of wonders where the JTP gathers to ponder life’s biggest question. It’s also one of the greatest dining-gasoline establishments in the fairest Commonwealth in these fruited plains.

But Wawa is not without its rivals and detractors. In the short video below, I explain the drama, extoll the virtues of Wawa and its chief rival, and do a little folk etymology/amateur bird-calling. It all makes sense in context.

Then, in the comments, I get trolled by my Mom…a very un-Goldbergs move, might I add. That leads to a second video, linked in the comments, about Joe Biden hating young people. He’s from Scranton, so it all connects.

Enjoy! (Like I even have to worry).

Eliana Dockterman and Katie Heaney Consider Privilege, Affection, and Elizabeth Holmes

~ Chris Cocca ~ Leave a comment

Eliana Dockterman isn’t wrong about Elizabeth Holmes’ privilege. I haven’t seen Alex Gibney’s HBO documentary yet, so I don’t know if the thrust of Dockterman’s brief Time review (that Gibney fails to connect the privileged dots as part of his narrative) is accurate, but I do wonder why Dockterman doesn’t mention herself that Holmes’ dad is a former Enron executive.

Dockterman’s breakdown of the Holmes-as-siren trope is probably right on: “Though the documentary suggests that Holmes essentially seduced her famous male board members, who included Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, that seems suspect: any woman will identify Holmes as a CEO desperate for the Valley to forget her gender. (She wore black turtlenecks, lowered her voice several octaves and publicly declared she did not date…”

A few days ago, Katie Heaney asked, regarding Holmes’ now well-known vocal affection, What Kind of Person Fakes Their Voice? I’m not a woman, but I just assumed it had to do with heading off gender bias. Dockterman’s points about Holmes wanting “the Valley to forget her gender” make all kinds of sense to me.

Solid Take: ‘Captain Marvel’ Features The Most Important Action Sequence In MCU History

~ Chris Cocca ~ Leave a comment


I agree with almost all of this by Jason Tabrys. And as a student of the Jesus tradition, the coming into power resonates on an allegorical level. That said, I don’t think Marvel will let Carol be the full answer to Thanos. The remaining Avengers are going to……spoilers ahead…….

….they are going to…..

Time travel. They are going to time travel. That is happening. Somehow, people like Black Widow and Hawkeye are going to do as much as Thor and Captain Marvel…which is kind of ridiculous. Last time I checked, Clint wasn’t Batman.

Educational Inequality is Everywhere You Look

~ Chris Cocca ~ Leave a comment

I’ve had crush on Aunt Becky for like 30 years. All the jokes about waiting for her forever aside, the college admissions scandal sheds light on all manner of inequality.

Just one example: This Mom Went to Prison for Enrolling her Son in a School Outside Her District

Brothers and sisters, we need to move beyond a zip-code or a township/city/borough/county line determining who has access to quality education. Schools with million-dollar tech labs a few miles from schools that can’t afford books. There’s nothing moral or American about that kind of abject inequality. Don’t at me with bootstrap stories. We’re talking about kids who haven’t been able to make any choices, and about the cycles of poverty or privilege they find themselves in.