Before the law

 

Trying to work for economic justice in West Virginia often reminds me of the literary work of  Franz Kafka (1883-1924), who came from a German speaking Jewish Czech family. His works are characterized by weirdness (whence the term "Kafkaesque").  For example:

*His Metamorphosis is about a middle class commercial worker named Gregor Samsa who one day woke up as a giant bug. Then things got REALLY weird. I made my kids listen to this when they were little and still remember my daughter saying "so this guy just turned into a bug and he's worried about being late to work?" 

(In case you were wondering, the answer was yes.)

*In The Trial, the protagonist Josef K. is arrested for a crime although he never learns what it was. He desperately tries to work on his defense, although he has no clue about any of it. In the end, he's killed. His last thought: "Like a dog."

*In The Castle, the character K. is summoned to a village to meet and presumably do some work at a castle but despite his best effort he never gets there. The book was unfinished, which makes it even better. It's like one of those you-can't-get-there-from-here jokes.

You can see in his many stories alienation, confusion and incomprehensibility. People have interpreted this in many ways, ranging from theological bewilderment to bureaucratic confusion to existential despair. Good though.

The story on my mind today is a one-pager titled Before the Law. It came to mind after spending over a year pushing to continue or reinstitute an expanded child tax credit along the lines of the one that expired at the end of last year. Lots of people I know and work with hit it with all we had, with media work, quilts, teddy bears, street actions, meetings, rallies, etc.. We were even part of a last minute push to include it in yearend congressional legislation. 

No proverbial stone was unturned. But we couldn't get there from here.

In the story, a man spends his whole life waiting to make his case before a judge, although the gatekeeper never lets him enter. He eventually tries to bribe him. The gatekeeper accepts, though he says  “I am taking this only so that you do not think you have failed to do anything.”

At least we have that consolation.

Like a dog

I've been meaning to blog about Moby-Dick here but today another literary classic is on my mind. That would be The Trial by Franz Kafka, one of his more Kafkaesque novels. In it, the protagonist, Josef K., finds himself accused of a crime but is never told what it is. He must devote a great deal of effort to his defense, although he has no idea how to do that. In the end, he is casually executed. His last words describe the killing:  "Like a dog."

That's pretty much the way the majority on the WV Board of Education treated former superintendent Jorea Marple, an amazingly capable and dedicated educator. The school board is supposed to "reconsider" her firing tomorrow, although I imagine they will only do it over again. If anyone should be fired, I'd start with them.

ON THE OTHER HAND, sometimes the American justice system works better than Mr. Kafka's. I was encouraged by this announcement of the latest development in the federal criminal investigation of Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine disaster. I hope it keeps on getting better and better.

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