So long, National Football League. You have finally done it. Over the years I have slowly lost interest and silently put up with a number of issues that caused me to question your legitimacy as well as your highly exalted place in our culture. I have watched you exploit young athletes, hold communities and their taxpayers hostage so you could extort public funds to build your cathedrals (Stadiums) at the expense of others, and watched as you systematically denied the fact that your employees regularly experience brain-damage by simply playing the game you own. Your denial campaign on that score rivals anything the tobacco industry or even the Catholic Church did during their famous denial campaigns. But you just added the final straw- built the bridge too far. Yes, it's the kneeling down thing!!
Two weeks ago the NFL owners met to discuss League matters and chief among those was the matter of some players silently kneeling during the playing of the National Anthem. This quiet act of protest was begun by Colin Kaepernick in 2016 when he was a player for the San Francisco 49's. Kaepernick began the practice of kneeling during the anthem as a way to express protest and concern over the unjust treatment of African Americans by police and to generally protest against racial discrimination and injustice. This act of protest caught on with other members of his team and spread to other players and other teams. As the movement grew it began to get national attention and finally Trump found a way to use this practice to promote his propaganda campaign of white nationalism.
During the 2017-2018 season team personnel and owners simply didn't know how to handle this and by all observation simply didn't pay much attention to it until Trump weighed in by completely ignoring the reason for the protest, and instead defining it as an act of disrespect for the country and the armed forces of the country. Last year at one of his propaganda rallies he went so far as to hurl personal insults and suggest to the Roman Coliseum-like crowd that owners should just "fire the son-of-bitch." Kaepernick, who wasn't having a great year at the quarterback position was let-go from the 49's and has not played professional football since, as no team will hire him now.
Before I go on, here are a few facts to keep in mind as each of us observe and react to this issue. 1. It wasn't until just a few years ago that players were even on the field for the National Anthem. The practice of having them on the field came about when the Department of Defense (DOD) contracted with the League and individual teams to have them on the field. The DOD wanted to have a show of patriotism as a tool for recruiting young people into the military, and they thought it would be good "branding" to be partnered up with the NFL. The NFL was essentially paid for that patriotism they insist on now. Let's not pretend that this whole thing is about patriotism and love of country-it was a business deal. 2. 70% of the players in the NFL are African American. 3. 0% of the NFL owners are African American. All NFL owners are white with the exception of one man of Pakistani decent who is a naturalized citizen; and one team that is owned by the Municipality of Green Bay Wisconsin ( a city that is 70% white. 4. The NFL is a $14 Billion operation that is essentially tax-exempt as it has been designated a 501 (c) (6) non-profit corporation- making for a strange intertwining of the federal government and the NFL.
So when the owners met they made a big decision about kneeling during the anthem. Here we have universally (very) wealthy, white (31 out of 32) men telling an overwhelmingly African American workforce, all with unique and special skills, that their voice will be silenced. The official decision was that players must stand for the anthem, or the player must remain in the locker room during the anthem.
In my mind there are two very striking aspects to this ruling. The first is that I have never seen such a blatant use of white privilege. Usually white privilege is more subtle and usually unspoken. This is the white power elite getting right in the face of 70% of their talented workforce, who are the essential raw material of their business and saying: just shut up and do what you're told. The NFL is an entertainment medium, but most fans worship it as an institution that has implications for the whole society- you know about sports being an analogy for life and all that, and even though it isn't officially the "national pastime"- it is most assuredly "America's Game". As I heard in a movie once, the NFL is such a cultural icon, "it owns a day of the week". Now owners who have elevated the game and its players to god-like status, are deciding to put "the help" in their place. The players who are selling their future health (albeit for big paychecks) should be allowed to have a voice in the society that reveres what they do. Racial inequality, discrimination, bigotry, and racially motivated violence are real. And so is white privilege. When the players try to use a symbolic, non-violent gesture to make the point that their people suffer from these ills, only to be told by white owners they cannot, those owners are practicing a form of discrimination. The racial discrimination we continue to see everyday in our country springs from our days as a slave-holding nation. And as I heard very recently, the worst thing about slavery was not the involuntary servitude- it was the ingrained notion that black people are less than human. Unfortunately that ingrained part of ourselves still dwells in too many of us; and opportunities to act out with those old notions continually present themselves. This is one of those occasions. Most of us don't have to stand for an anthem every day before work or have our rights sold to the military for show; and that is probably good, for I wonder how many of us might have reason to say things aren't right and not just stand there like a robot because we were ordered to by the boss.
The other major issue here is the owners' willingness to be used in this game of phony nationalism. Ever the propagandist, Trump saw this opportunity to make it about him while completely ignoring any recognition of the issues being raised by African American players. He made it about respecting the flag and the anthem- even about respecting the military and veterans. This is what an opportunistic and autocratic leader does, and it is right out the playbook of 1930's fascist leaders in Europe. They generate fear- find a group of people to blame- then foment hate whenever possible to make the point and top it off by repeating lies often and with great voracity. The NFL players who participated in this silent, peaceful protests were perfect targets for the misguided and dangerous form of nationalism coming from Trump. Trump even said most recently that players who don't stand for the anthem, "probably shouldn't even be in the country". He went on to unfavorably compare the patriotism of kneeling NLF players with participants in NASCAR. NASCAR has a largely Southern following and does not have one African American driver on its top circuit, making the racial comparison glaringly obvious. Loyalty to symbols rather than ideals is also a sign of a decaying society and should be a warning to all of us..
I am not surprised that the owners bowed to Trump on this one. They are all in the 1% of wealthy people and (almost) all white- in other words: his people. For the record, I do not respect the Flag and I do not respect the National Anthem. I do respect the ideals they are supposed to represent. When the symbols of great notions no longer represent great notions and great ideals, those symbols quickly lose their value. That is the lesson here and it should always be the most important lesson of this fiasco of an issue. We really don't stand for the flag- we stand for the liberties and freedoms it symbolizes- remembering that one of the most important of those freedoms is the freedom to express ideas and to speak out against injustice. Take that away and it is just red, white, and blue cloth; and our National Anthem is just a difficult-to-sing tune. Let's not be fooled by self-serving charlatans who want you to salute, but not to think about what you're saluting or why you do it.
One of the great things about our capitalistic/consumer driven economy is that we can vote with our pocketbook. I'm voting to say goodbye to the NFL over this issue. I know there were those who boycotted last year because they objected to permitting the protest kneeling. I'm going to stop consuming their product because the NFL, as a business and an institution, no longer supports American values. My small gesture will not be noticed, and my absence from viewership or purchasing of their products will make no real difference. But, it is particularly important in these times to take a stand, if for no other reason, than because it's the right thing to do. If enough people do it, it may be noticed and it may make a difference. There is an old saying that, "the arc of history usually bends towards justice". In this case I'd like to be at the start of that bend. I know that in a society dominated by the white race it can be uncomfortable to face our past and current prejudices, particularly when we just tuned in to watch our favorite team play a game we love to watch, and be entertained. But, being uncomfortable is how change happens, and that is what starts to bend the arc of history.
Thanks for looking in.
Monday, June 4, 2018
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Dreams For The Future
It has been quite some time between my last essay and this one. There are a few reasons for the lag time, but most significantly, it was my fatigue in expressing myself in a time of so much unending chatter and political upheaval in this "trump era". I concluded that, with the elevation of old fashion lying and use of "alternative facts" as a way of exercising leadership and corrupting our culture, another voice in the wind really wasn't worth the effort. In addition there have been some significant changes in my life, with new and unexpected events and experiences. So, returning to this endeavor seems more fitting now. (I'll work in some of those life changes and experiences as I go along.) Lastly, I received some encouragements, and that always lends itself to new motivations- so, thank you. I hope I'm up to the challenge of making sense after two long winters of hibernation from this endeavor.
In considering how I would reintroduce myself to this blog page I realized that these last few months have been a time of great reflection and change for me, more so than any other time in my life. This reflection was brought on by the decision to stop my work life and enter into retirement from my career of nearly 44 years in human services. I knew it would be a huge transition as I have been doing some kind of work since I was sixteen years old. I thought it would be best to begin my planning early so I wasn't one of those guys who wakes up on day-one of retirement and says, "now what?" Thus my reflection began. This period of reflection got an additional shot of adrenalin a couple of months or so before my planned retirement when my wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Nothing quite like the Big C moving into your house to get you thinking about where you're going in life, and where your life has taken you so far. All of this has given me the time and space to think about life from a longer range perspective. Too often our American culture pressures us to think only in short bursts of time, memories, aspirations, plans and the dreams we had in our youth.
My coming of age took place in a most interesting time. My early adolescence and awakening to the world around me took place in the mid-'60's and early '70's. Young baby-boomers and those just older than me were creating change on a number of cultural fronts, and the age of technology was just beginning to blossom. Add to that a new generation of leaders "born in this century" as JFK told us, and offered up John F.Kennedy himself, Dr. King, and progressives in every corner and level of government and public life. It was all a person needed to set one's sights on the possibility of a brave new world. I was also the product of a liberal education- even though a Catholic school may not seem like a hotbed of liberal thought, it was the sixties. The Church was just coming out of Vatican II at that time, which liberalized a good deal of thought and practice in the American Catholic Church, with a hard lean toward social justice and away from pure dogma.
So with that as the backdrop, I imagined the world that would come from this turbulent time, and the immense energy for change that was rippling through our world. In my youthful thought processes I only envisioned a world that would move forward in progressive waves in every aspect. In some ways I was right about progress and improvements for us and the world. But in very important ways I was so very wrong in my long-range expectations of what the world would become. The following are a few of the visions from an adolescent boy.
During the 1960's this country became enthralled with science, mostly due the tremendous energy and enthusiasm for space flight and exploration. JFK challenged the country to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade-and we did. What a ride it was, as we watched our TV sets at each launch, each re-entry, each space walk, and each small step of progress to achieve that goal. TV coverage of those Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo fights was continuous from launch to return. And, with only three TV networks all showing the same thing, we learned an appreciation of science and technology like never before. In addition to Space Flight, Medicine was entering a new era. Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful heart transplant in 1967- new drugs were being produced at an unheard-of rate, and medical research was at its zenith in very major university. Science was also giving us our first warning signs about the use and abuse of the planet, creating a new awareness of environmental issues for the first time in the history of man. Computer technology was just beginning to take hold from it's first baby steps in the 1950's, and the reality that we could create a machine that would work as fast as the human brain (and had more capacity) became a real possibility.
With all that going on we all felt, as I felt so strongly, that information, human knowledge, data, and human compassion would guide our future to unimaginable heights. Looking back more than fifty years I can say that many of those dreams came true, but I can't give the area of science, technology, and medicine an A+. Even though we live in an era my father would not recognize if he were alive today, the issues of concern are two-fold. The first is that our capacity to apply the wisdom needed to regulate many of these innovations did not match our capacity to create them. In the age of computerized data and artificial intelligence information and technology can increase geometrically while our emotional and societal ability to absorb change increases much more slowly. In medicine for instance we can do things to keep a body alive that were never dreamt of- but we often have trouble answering the question: should we? In other words, we can preserve life- but we cannot always judge for another the quality of life to be preserved. The second issue is the one I never saw coming. I tend to view corporate power and political power as a combined entity- and today's reality undeniably demonstrates they are one in the same. So with all our advancements I did not see the corporate/political rise of conservatism. I simply didn't count on our egalitarian ideals being so easily pushed aside and corrupted by the forces of pure greed-dressed up in the cloaks of conservative "values". But it happened, with its seeds in the late '70's and the election of Reagan in 1980. This movement stifled the best of our advancements. Over the last generation this power base had gained control of so much power and wealth that it can influence educational trends and human thought on a mass level. It is promoting the idea that being educated is unnecessary, that much of what science tells us is a hoax, or just an opinion. For example a US Senator can stand in the well of the Senate and deny man-made climate change (for which there is overwhelming scientific evidence) while holding a snowball in his hands. This actually happened- and it was wintertime when he said "look at this snowball-see, no global warming." Corporate/political greed is back in vogue, and in spades! We see rollbacks on many rules and regulations to protect us and the earth we live on everyday- not because science supports it, but because the corporate/political powers tell us to mock and ignore science out their own greed. In medicine the last generation of health care has been marked by incredible advancement in medical technology, but research is focused on treatment and not cures (or prevention). Again, we see the rise the "health sector" in economic charts as the guiding influence in medical practice. The HMO model was born and suddenly medicine for profit was the rule. Our recent family medical situation has driven home the fact that money concerns are as big a factor in medical care as is the care itself. Put simply, American health care is more focused on developing expensive treatments than finding cures to many pervasive health issues, based purely on the profit motive.
I had also dreamt that someday mass communication methods could be used to bring the world together. Mine was the first "television generation". It enabled us to see events and observe the human condition in real time- for the first time in human history. This invention was also a huge catalyst for positive change (or so we thought) because of its power to show us injustice as it was happening, as well as momentous achievement as it was happening. Human rights issues around the world and at home could be displayed for all to see, and I dreamt that upon so many of us seeing these things, they would surely be solved. Once again I underestimated how this tool could be used to the opposite effect, and it was. Mass communication, instant communication as messaging was quickly turned into a tool for spreading false notions and spreading evil or selfish intent. Today we use instant satellite communication technology (TV and Digital Computerization) for nearly all human interaction from financial transactions, to all consumer purchasing, and managing our personal relationships and communications. Leaders in the "Christian Conservative" (an actual contradiction in terms) movement used mass communication methods like they were born to it- and they literally were born to it. This is a great example of how a movement can spread more quickly than was ever possible in all of man's prior history. TV gave us so many options for entertainment that we became addicted to the endless choices at the cost of losing ourselves and much of our curiosity to seek real advancement. Today's news is all about the influence of mass communication and spreading propaganda (both foreign and domestic) in our elections and is another prime example of mass communication gone bad. Mass communication and computerization have given us incredible advancements, and life in the western world ( and most other parts of the world) would not be the same without it. I certainly would not want to give it up. But in this category my youthful expectations were not realized. Young people never see, or perhaps aren't able to see, that for every true advance there are those who would use that advance for their own selfish purposes.
It would be easy to go on and on discussing how the hopes of long ago had faded into the realities of today's world. Race relations, economic injustice, environmental concerns, and the proliferation of war for profit are but a few of those areas that still deserve so much of our attention. Where those hopes and dreams did not come to their full fruition, there are still a great many that did. Those dreams that did not disappoint are mostly of a personal nature. Even in a world where violence still rages and mankind remains so selfish, families come into existence, and children grow to become good, caring adults. In these areas my youthful dreams for my future came true. The old adage that families always endure in spite of the world around us, is quite true. I was able to acquire an education and do the work I wanted to do, and my wife was able to do that too. We had children, and we were able to provide them with an education, and see them grow to be highly competent, caring people who are raising wonderful children themselves. On the whole, I would have preferred to see a different world than the one we have, but an honest reflection of my little part of the world tells me to be grateful for the dreams that did come true and to keep hoping and fighting for the ones I would still like to see.
I plan to do a more of these essays in the times ahead. It's nice to have a bit more time to think and reflect. I have come to appreciate, more than ever, the value of reflection. The vitriol and polarization we're experiencing now would sure be lessened by more reflection and less reaction. And, I shall endeavor to do that. But for now, thanks for looking in.
In considering how I would reintroduce myself to this blog page I realized that these last few months have been a time of great reflection and change for me, more so than any other time in my life. This reflection was brought on by the decision to stop my work life and enter into retirement from my career of nearly 44 years in human services. I knew it would be a huge transition as I have been doing some kind of work since I was sixteen years old. I thought it would be best to begin my planning early so I wasn't one of those guys who wakes up on day-one of retirement and says, "now what?" Thus my reflection began. This period of reflection got an additional shot of adrenalin a couple of months or so before my planned retirement when my wife was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Nothing quite like the Big C moving into your house to get you thinking about where you're going in life, and where your life has taken you so far. All of this has given me the time and space to think about life from a longer range perspective. Too often our American culture pressures us to think only in short bursts of time, memories, aspirations, plans and the dreams we had in our youth.
My coming of age took place in a most interesting time. My early adolescence and awakening to the world around me took place in the mid-'60's and early '70's. Young baby-boomers and those just older than me were creating change on a number of cultural fronts, and the age of technology was just beginning to blossom. Add to that a new generation of leaders "born in this century" as JFK told us, and offered up John F.Kennedy himself, Dr. King, and progressives in every corner and level of government and public life. It was all a person needed to set one's sights on the possibility of a brave new world. I was also the product of a liberal education- even though a Catholic school may not seem like a hotbed of liberal thought, it was the sixties. The Church was just coming out of Vatican II at that time, which liberalized a good deal of thought and practice in the American Catholic Church, with a hard lean toward social justice and away from pure dogma.
So with that as the backdrop, I imagined the world that would come from this turbulent time, and the immense energy for change that was rippling through our world. In my youthful thought processes I only envisioned a world that would move forward in progressive waves in every aspect. In some ways I was right about progress and improvements for us and the world. But in very important ways I was so very wrong in my long-range expectations of what the world would become. The following are a few of the visions from an adolescent boy.
During the 1960's this country became enthralled with science, mostly due the tremendous energy and enthusiasm for space flight and exploration. JFK challenged the country to put a man on the moon by the end of the decade-and we did. What a ride it was, as we watched our TV sets at each launch, each re-entry, each space walk, and each small step of progress to achieve that goal. TV coverage of those Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo fights was continuous from launch to return. And, with only three TV networks all showing the same thing, we learned an appreciation of science and technology like never before. In addition to Space Flight, Medicine was entering a new era. Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first successful heart transplant in 1967- new drugs were being produced at an unheard-of rate, and medical research was at its zenith in very major university. Science was also giving us our first warning signs about the use and abuse of the planet, creating a new awareness of environmental issues for the first time in the history of man. Computer technology was just beginning to take hold from it's first baby steps in the 1950's, and the reality that we could create a machine that would work as fast as the human brain (and had more capacity) became a real possibility.
With all that going on we all felt, as I felt so strongly, that information, human knowledge, data, and human compassion would guide our future to unimaginable heights. Looking back more than fifty years I can say that many of those dreams came true, but I can't give the area of science, technology, and medicine an A+. Even though we live in an era my father would not recognize if he were alive today, the issues of concern are two-fold. The first is that our capacity to apply the wisdom needed to regulate many of these innovations did not match our capacity to create them. In the age of computerized data and artificial intelligence information and technology can increase geometrically while our emotional and societal ability to absorb change increases much more slowly. In medicine for instance we can do things to keep a body alive that were never dreamt of- but we often have trouble answering the question: should we? In other words, we can preserve life- but we cannot always judge for another the quality of life to be preserved. The second issue is the one I never saw coming. I tend to view corporate power and political power as a combined entity- and today's reality undeniably demonstrates they are one in the same. So with all our advancements I did not see the corporate/political rise of conservatism. I simply didn't count on our egalitarian ideals being so easily pushed aside and corrupted by the forces of pure greed-dressed up in the cloaks of conservative "values". But it happened, with its seeds in the late '70's and the election of Reagan in 1980. This movement stifled the best of our advancements. Over the last generation this power base had gained control of so much power and wealth that it can influence educational trends and human thought on a mass level. It is promoting the idea that being educated is unnecessary, that much of what science tells us is a hoax, or just an opinion. For example a US Senator can stand in the well of the Senate and deny man-made climate change (for which there is overwhelming scientific evidence) while holding a snowball in his hands. This actually happened- and it was wintertime when he said "look at this snowball-see, no global warming." Corporate/political greed is back in vogue, and in spades! We see rollbacks on many rules and regulations to protect us and the earth we live on everyday- not because science supports it, but because the corporate/political powers tell us to mock and ignore science out their own greed. In medicine the last generation of health care has been marked by incredible advancement in medical technology, but research is focused on treatment and not cures (or prevention). Again, we see the rise the "health sector" in economic charts as the guiding influence in medical practice. The HMO model was born and suddenly medicine for profit was the rule. Our recent family medical situation has driven home the fact that money concerns are as big a factor in medical care as is the care itself. Put simply, American health care is more focused on developing expensive treatments than finding cures to many pervasive health issues, based purely on the profit motive.
I had also dreamt that someday mass communication methods could be used to bring the world together. Mine was the first "television generation". It enabled us to see events and observe the human condition in real time- for the first time in human history. This invention was also a huge catalyst for positive change (or so we thought) because of its power to show us injustice as it was happening, as well as momentous achievement as it was happening. Human rights issues around the world and at home could be displayed for all to see, and I dreamt that upon so many of us seeing these things, they would surely be solved. Once again I underestimated how this tool could be used to the opposite effect, and it was. Mass communication, instant communication as messaging was quickly turned into a tool for spreading false notions and spreading evil or selfish intent. Today we use instant satellite communication technology (TV and Digital Computerization) for nearly all human interaction from financial transactions, to all consumer purchasing, and managing our personal relationships and communications. Leaders in the "Christian Conservative" (an actual contradiction in terms) movement used mass communication methods like they were born to it- and they literally were born to it. This is a great example of how a movement can spread more quickly than was ever possible in all of man's prior history. TV gave us so many options for entertainment that we became addicted to the endless choices at the cost of losing ourselves and much of our curiosity to seek real advancement. Today's news is all about the influence of mass communication and spreading propaganda (both foreign and domestic) in our elections and is another prime example of mass communication gone bad. Mass communication and computerization have given us incredible advancements, and life in the western world ( and most other parts of the world) would not be the same without it. I certainly would not want to give it up. But in this category my youthful expectations were not realized. Young people never see, or perhaps aren't able to see, that for every true advance there are those who would use that advance for their own selfish purposes.
It would be easy to go on and on discussing how the hopes of long ago had faded into the realities of today's world. Race relations, economic injustice, environmental concerns, and the proliferation of war for profit are but a few of those areas that still deserve so much of our attention. Where those hopes and dreams did not come to their full fruition, there are still a great many that did. Those dreams that did not disappoint are mostly of a personal nature. Even in a world where violence still rages and mankind remains so selfish, families come into existence, and children grow to become good, caring adults. In these areas my youthful dreams for my future came true. The old adage that families always endure in spite of the world around us, is quite true. I was able to acquire an education and do the work I wanted to do, and my wife was able to do that too. We had children, and we were able to provide them with an education, and see them grow to be highly competent, caring people who are raising wonderful children themselves. On the whole, I would have preferred to see a different world than the one we have, but an honest reflection of my little part of the world tells me to be grateful for the dreams that did come true and to keep hoping and fighting for the ones I would still like to see.
I plan to do a more of these essays in the times ahead. It's nice to have a bit more time to think and reflect. I have come to appreciate, more than ever, the value of reflection. The vitriol and polarization we're experiencing now would sure be lessened by more reflection and less reaction. And, I shall endeavor to do that. But for now, thanks for looking in.
Saturday, January 7, 2017
What We Permit, We Promote: Version 2.0
I'm reusing a title from an essay I wrote about four and a half years ago. That essay was about our collective response, or I should say, lack of response to Rush Limbaugh insulting and verbally assaulting a young female college student who testified before Congress on the importance of including Birth Control as part of women's health care packages. If you recall that ugly incident, then you recall that Limbaugh literally called her a promiscuous slut and whore, and suggested the public should be able to view videotape of her having sex since there might be some taxpayer money involved in this form of "recreational sex". Unbelievably disgusting comment - made by a disgusting human being. My point in the essay was that none of the Republicans in Congress or on the campaign trail (2012 Presidential Race) dared to speak out against this vile content. By not speaking out they "Permit" this kind of sentiment- and by permitting it we are in fact "Promoting" it.
I didn't make up the phrase. I believe it came from some management guru who used this simple axiom to explain how bad workplace behavior can become the norm. If you accept it- then you are in effect promoting more of it. It seems a fairly sensible way of explaining some level of human behavior.
Version 2.0 is about applying that axiom to our current state of national politics. Never before have we elected a president like Trump. It is not just that he doesn't have any governing experience- it is that he possesses a character that represents the worst in public and private behavior, and has values that fly in the face of our American values. Like you, I read the news and the fake news that comes out everyday indicating that the latest revelation or crazy tweet will "destroy him" or whatever. None of that will happen. He will be sworn in on January 20th and he will be the lawfully elected president. Part of our peculiar American cultural psyche is that we revere a winner- no matter how they win or what they did to achieve "winner" status. Trump surely knows the value of being a winner. He brags constantly on his win and even claims he could have won the popular vote if he wanted to. Considering that over 3 million more people voted for someone else makes that a highly unlikely claim- but he has the sensibilities of a pre-adolescent schoolyard bully, and bragging oneself up is part of that profile. Sadly we Americans always seem to follow the winner in spite of any real values that may violate.
I don't believe I'm being unfair or partisan to claim that his values are really that bad. He has given us ample words right from his own mouth to illustrate what lies beneath the surface of this despicable person. He has made his life an open book and has, on many occasions proudly displayed his lack of moral character, and the shallowness of his thinking. We Americans also have tendency to believe that rich guys are smart guys. It is true that many highly successful folks got that way on their own talents or innovations. Those are the Bill Gates' -the Warren Buffets' of the world- folks who don't brag about bankruptcy's and "leveraging" debt (i.e. screwing people over). Trump got that way because he was born into it- and when he grew up his daddy gave the rest to him. This is history - not opinion. The one thing that Trump has always done better that other successful people is cheat on his debts and bully people he owed money to, or insulted his childlike ego. Money gives you some power- but not brains. How many of us have wondered how smart other people might think we are if we were just millionaires? We just love to love rich people and end up stroking their egos to the point they become monsters and actually believe they really are that smart. In Mr. Trump's case he can't finish a sentence or hold a consistent thought from one day to the next. Watching him over the last year I had to conclude he really just isn't that bright- but he knows how to say a few phrases that incite the crowd- and there are enough people out there who love that kind of crap- so they bow down to this spoiled egomaniac like he is the messiah of our times.
So the thing we need to watch out for now is our own tendency to permit the outrageousness of this man once he assumes office- to allow his outrageous thoughts and behaviors to be seen as normal because he won. He has already sent loud and clear signals of his view of government. Not even in office yet, he has cozied up to the Russians- defending them against the findings of every American Intelligence Service who say Putin tampered with our election; appointed would-be Cabinet members who have either been adversaries with the Departments they will now run, or outright said they would eliminate them; put bigots and billionaires in his inner circle; foolishly chided foreign governments with his middle-of-the night twitter rants; and relentlessly insults and pursues his critics (large and small) like a thin-skinned spoiled child. It's is not "refreshing" or "a bold leadership style" or any of the mindless superlatives meant to make us think he is a "new kind of leader". It's nuts! It proves he doesn't think before he speaks; he's generally uninformed; and it also proves he has no intellectual curiosity to learn because he believes he already knows everything- a dangerous personality trait.
Our obligation is to not Permit it. Obviously a President can do just about anything he (or She- someday) wants to do. So when we say we won't permit it, that means that we have to heed a call to action. When we hear the racist comments or misogynistic sentiments we must speak out. When he and some Republicans in Congress seek to remove the civil rights and protections that were won by the bloodshed of our ancestors we have an obligation to stand against it. When he begins to destroy the fabric of our society in favor of the rich and the privileged we must say no and support the lawful institutions in our country put there to safeguard us from tyrants and ego driven zealots. Answering that call may be difficult. It is not enough to oppose these things he stands for "in spirit". It is not enough to retweet or post something that reflects our objections from the comforts of our home. If we are determined not to permit it then we must be ready to stand in public- to seek out our Representatives in person and tell them to their face that we won't permit it. We must be prepared to march in the street if necessary and let ourselves be seen to defend our values against his outrages. In other words the time for passivity is over. We need to be watchful and vigilant and ready. Tyrants and fools ascend to power when we let them. They count on our passivity and our willingness to simply permit them to act as they will. And if we are permitting it- we have promoted it.
At the risk of this sounding like a crazy rant, I simply urge us all to not take our rights and sense of justice for granted. Every great American leader has reminded us, from our founding, that the things we cherish, can be taken away from us quickly and permanently unless we use our will and our voices to protect them. This country has never been so close to that ominous fate as it now. Let's not permit it.
Thanks for looking in.
I didn't make up the phrase. I believe it came from some management guru who used this simple axiom to explain how bad workplace behavior can become the norm. If you accept it- then you are in effect promoting more of it. It seems a fairly sensible way of explaining some level of human behavior.
Version 2.0 is about applying that axiom to our current state of national politics. Never before have we elected a president like Trump. It is not just that he doesn't have any governing experience- it is that he possesses a character that represents the worst in public and private behavior, and has values that fly in the face of our American values. Like you, I read the news and the fake news that comes out everyday indicating that the latest revelation or crazy tweet will "destroy him" or whatever. None of that will happen. He will be sworn in on January 20th and he will be the lawfully elected president. Part of our peculiar American cultural psyche is that we revere a winner- no matter how they win or what they did to achieve "winner" status. Trump surely knows the value of being a winner. He brags constantly on his win and even claims he could have won the popular vote if he wanted to. Considering that over 3 million more people voted for someone else makes that a highly unlikely claim- but he has the sensibilities of a pre-adolescent schoolyard bully, and bragging oneself up is part of that profile. Sadly we Americans always seem to follow the winner in spite of any real values that may violate.
I don't believe I'm being unfair or partisan to claim that his values are really that bad. He has given us ample words right from his own mouth to illustrate what lies beneath the surface of this despicable person. He has made his life an open book and has, on many occasions proudly displayed his lack of moral character, and the shallowness of his thinking. We Americans also have tendency to believe that rich guys are smart guys. It is true that many highly successful folks got that way on their own talents or innovations. Those are the Bill Gates' -the Warren Buffets' of the world- folks who don't brag about bankruptcy's and "leveraging" debt (i.e. screwing people over). Trump got that way because he was born into it- and when he grew up his daddy gave the rest to him. This is history - not opinion. The one thing that Trump has always done better that other successful people is cheat on his debts and bully people he owed money to, or insulted his childlike ego. Money gives you some power- but not brains. How many of us have wondered how smart other people might think we are if we were just millionaires? We just love to love rich people and end up stroking their egos to the point they become monsters and actually believe they really are that smart. In Mr. Trump's case he can't finish a sentence or hold a consistent thought from one day to the next. Watching him over the last year I had to conclude he really just isn't that bright- but he knows how to say a few phrases that incite the crowd- and there are enough people out there who love that kind of crap- so they bow down to this spoiled egomaniac like he is the messiah of our times.
So the thing we need to watch out for now is our own tendency to permit the outrageousness of this man once he assumes office- to allow his outrageous thoughts and behaviors to be seen as normal because he won. He has already sent loud and clear signals of his view of government. Not even in office yet, he has cozied up to the Russians- defending them against the findings of every American Intelligence Service who say Putin tampered with our election; appointed would-be Cabinet members who have either been adversaries with the Departments they will now run, or outright said they would eliminate them; put bigots and billionaires in his inner circle; foolishly chided foreign governments with his middle-of-the night twitter rants; and relentlessly insults and pursues his critics (large and small) like a thin-skinned spoiled child. It's is not "refreshing" or "a bold leadership style" or any of the mindless superlatives meant to make us think he is a "new kind of leader". It's nuts! It proves he doesn't think before he speaks; he's generally uninformed; and it also proves he has no intellectual curiosity to learn because he believes he already knows everything- a dangerous personality trait.
Our obligation is to not Permit it. Obviously a President can do just about anything he (or She- someday) wants to do. So when we say we won't permit it, that means that we have to heed a call to action. When we hear the racist comments or misogynistic sentiments we must speak out. When he and some Republicans in Congress seek to remove the civil rights and protections that were won by the bloodshed of our ancestors we have an obligation to stand against it. When he begins to destroy the fabric of our society in favor of the rich and the privileged we must say no and support the lawful institutions in our country put there to safeguard us from tyrants and ego driven zealots. Answering that call may be difficult. It is not enough to oppose these things he stands for "in spirit". It is not enough to retweet or post something that reflects our objections from the comforts of our home. If we are determined not to permit it then we must be ready to stand in public- to seek out our Representatives in person and tell them to their face that we won't permit it. We must be prepared to march in the street if necessary and let ourselves be seen to defend our values against his outrages. In other words the time for passivity is over. We need to be watchful and vigilant and ready. Tyrants and fools ascend to power when we let them. They count on our passivity and our willingness to simply permit them to act as they will. And if we are permitting it- we have promoted it.
At the risk of this sounding like a crazy rant, I simply urge us all to not take our rights and sense of justice for granted. Every great American leader has reminded us, from our founding, that the things we cherish, can be taken away from us quickly and permanently unless we use our will and our voices to protect them. This country has never been so close to that ominous fate as it now. Let's not permit it.
Thanks for looking in.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
The Great Regression
It has been several weeks since the election and most of the shock has finally wore off. We have mostly come to grips with the fact that Trump will be the president. All the temporary flare ups with regard to recounts will pass and we will once again settle into the old tradition of passing the flame to the next person (guy) to hold the office. As much as I expect the ceremony of inauguration to be similar to past inaugurations, I see the ramifications of this one to be very unlike any we have had before, except perhaps the election of 1860 which assured the secession of the southern States and a civil war.
In modern times we have never elected a president with so many negatives attached to his persona. We have never elected a president with no governing experience of any kind. We have never elected a president who is so willing to meld his personal businesses with the affairs of government. In spite of Trump's claims, turning his businesses over to his children does not constitute removing himself from involvement- it's just another of his half-truths and slight-of-hand gestures. The real difference Trump's inauguration will be the onslaught of what may be the Great Regression.
Let's all think back over the last century of American and world history. The twentieth century marks the most tumultuous century of man's existence on the planet. It was the century that contained two world wars, with the Second World War being the deadliest experience in humankind's history. I doubt many of us today can comprehend the level of death and destruction wrought by that war. Over 50 million people were killed in WWII and the most savage treatment of humans by humans ever devised occurred during WWII. The latter half of the century saw a continuation of wars around the globe on a much smaller scale, in some form of a scaled-back continuation of WWII, but we would never be able to say we achieved any kind of real peace- even to this day. The Great Depression wiped away the wealth of this nation and much of the world. It also wiped away the hopes of those everywhere who sought prosperity or comfort from their labors.These were the horrors of the last century. But the twentieth century also brought with it incredible advancements in science, industry, and improvements in the human condition in some places on the earth. The twentieth century can be seen as a turning point in our social evolution as well as a turning point in understanding of the world through science and discovery; including the discovery that some of our so-called advancements were actually harming the very planet we live on and threatening our own existence- a notion never before conceived of by man.
Out of all that pain and all that discovery we began to see the seeds of wisdom concerning human advancement take root, and that is what I'd like to focus on in this essay. In the western world in general, and in the USA in particular we began the movement towards improvement in some aspects of our lives. The deep festering wound of slavery pushed into the twentieth century in the form of discrimination and hatred, both codified and informal. We began to make progress in combating that great American sin by passing new laws and enforcing new norms to combat racial hatred and discrimination. We integrated schools and we integrated neighborhoods. We outlawed discrimination in all forms of employment, housing, education and any number of other social institutions.We have not achieved total success, but there is progress.
The last century saw women achieve the right to vote and enfranchisement to real citizenship. The latter part of the century saw the women's movement take shape and the quest for full equality begin. Again, we have not fully achieved it but progress has begun and I hope it will continue. The last century was the breakthrough period for some semblance of economic justice. The union movement, and government programs and policies created a more equal sharing of increased national wealth. The middle class was solidified as the most important segment of the society following WWII. Finally working people could afford good housing, higher education for their children, and the best standard of living for the most people in the history of mankind. Even though some of that has since eroded thanks to political movements in the last part of the century (Reaganomics), an unprecedented period of economic justice and equal distribution of wealth took hold.
The other great sin of the American experience was the destruction of the Indian nations and the theft of their lands and resources in the nineteenth century. Nothing can undo the horrors of that genocide and theft, but at least there came a recognition of the wrongs we did and continued to do until the latter part of the twentieth century. Much work needs to be done to restore what can be restored- but there are those who are willing to work towards the ends of justice for Native peoples of this Continent- a sentiment that did not exist until lately.
Out of the Great Depression we invented the idea that government can redistribute wealth and resources so that our elderly did not have to die impoverished, or children did not have starve because the family lost a breadwinner. We also invented the idea that working people could just as well do productive labor for the public good as stand idle. The reforms of the Great Depression brought us Social Security, Public Works jobs, Aid to Dependent Children, Economic reforms to protect the wealth of the nation from the privileged elite- among a number of other programs and reforms. It was called the New Deal and it fundamentally changed our society- For the Better.
The 1970's brought us to the realization that our industry, our exploitation of the planet, and our greed could destroy the delicate balance of nature on the planet. Advances in food production and medicine caused and unbelievable explosion of the human population worldwide and the need to exploit the planet even more to support the population growth. That decade thankfully also brought forth great thinkers who told us in very dramatic terms that we need to stop our wanton destruction of the planet, with a wealth of scientific evidence to support the notion that we must stop our use of fossil fuels and destruction of natural resources in order to survive on the planet.
As I think back, as imperfect and incomplete as the advances have been, we can take pride that some progress has been made in the human condition and in human wisdom needed for our survival. It is also true that each step forward in human rights and improvement of the human condition was the result of a Progressive Movement- what some may call "liberal" policies and thought. And in each case the conservative movements of the day opposed them. Now we have come to the point with the election of Trump and control of the government firmly in the control of today's conservatives, where the progress of the last century could be lost. If this happens it will be the Great Regression. We will regress in our values, our compassion, our standards, and possibly in our ability to survive the damages we have already inflicted on the earth.
Mr. Trump has given us every reason to believe this is where we're headed. He hasn't even taken office and he already exploding international relationships that took generations to build. His appointments to high offices suggest he is bringing in people to undo progress in education, housing, Health and Welfare, national security, health care, fair and affordable housing, civil rights, protection of the environment, and economic equality and justice. When we select a person as our leader who has lived everyday of his life by the code of financial exploitation of others for his own benefit, and disregard for truth unless it suits his ends, then we cannot be surprised when his leadership reflects that kind of sorted existence. The result cannot help but be a rollback of so much progress created in the last century- progress that was hard won from the pain of others leading to the recognition of the need for reform.
If you long to make America Great Again- to return to past era that was mostly mythical anyway, and see a demagogue as the way to do it, please try to remember what America really was like for Hispanics or Blacks, for the poor, the elderly, for gay or transgender people, for working folks before the Fair Labor Standards Act, for young people who could not pursue a higher education, for women, or the Native American. It wasn't so great for them. America has always been wealthy with an abundance of land and natural resources taken from the original owners as we moved west, which made America powerful. But being rich and powerful doesn't make America Great- it just makes the rich and powerful people in America think they're great. The greatness of this nation is in the values that gave us our rights and responsibilities, taught us to care for those in need, and the planet we live on. I would hate to see this rebirth of boastful nationalism and the personal bravado of a selfish leader take us in to the era of the Great Regression.
Thanks for looking in.
In modern times we have never elected a president with so many negatives attached to his persona. We have never elected a president with no governing experience of any kind. We have never elected a president who is so willing to meld his personal businesses with the affairs of government. In spite of Trump's claims, turning his businesses over to his children does not constitute removing himself from involvement- it's just another of his half-truths and slight-of-hand gestures. The real difference Trump's inauguration will be the onslaught of what may be the Great Regression.
Let's all think back over the last century of American and world history. The twentieth century marks the most tumultuous century of man's existence on the planet. It was the century that contained two world wars, with the Second World War being the deadliest experience in humankind's history. I doubt many of us today can comprehend the level of death and destruction wrought by that war. Over 50 million people were killed in WWII and the most savage treatment of humans by humans ever devised occurred during WWII. The latter half of the century saw a continuation of wars around the globe on a much smaller scale, in some form of a scaled-back continuation of WWII, but we would never be able to say we achieved any kind of real peace- even to this day. The Great Depression wiped away the wealth of this nation and much of the world. It also wiped away the hopes of those everywhere who sought prosperity or comfort from their labors.These were the horrors of the last century. But the twentieth century also brought with it incredible advancements in science, industry, and improvements in the human condition in some places on the earth. The twentieth century can be seen as a turning point in our social evolution as well as a turning point in understanding of the world through science and discovery; including the discovery that some of our so-called advancements were actually harming the very planet we live on and threatening our own existence- a notion never before conceived of by man.
Out of all that pain and all that discovery we began to see the seeds of wisdom concerning human advancement take root, and that is what I'd like to focus on in this essay. In the western world in general, and in the USA in particular we began the movement towards improvement in some aspects of our lives. The deep festering wound of slavery pushed into the twentieth century in the form of discrimination and hatred, both codified and informal. We began to make progress in combating that great American sin by passing new laws and enforcing new norms to combat racial hatred and discrimination. We integrated schools and we integrated neighborhoods. We outlawed discrimination in all forms of employment, housing, education and any number of other social institutions.We have not achieved total success, but there is progress.
The last century saw women achieve the right to vote and enfranchisement to real citizenship. The latter part of the century saw the women's movement take shape and the quest for full equality begin. Again, we have not fully achieved it but progress has begun and I hope it will continue. The last century was the breakthrough period for some semblance of economic justice. The union movement, and government programs and policies created a more equal sharing of increased national wealth. The middle class was solidified as the most important segment of the society following WWII. Finally working people could afford good housing, higher education for their children, and the best standard of living for the most people in the history of mankind. Even though some of that has since eroded thanks to political movements in the last part of the century (Reaganomics), an unprecedented period of economic justice and equal distribution of wealth took hold.
The other great sin of the American experience was the destruction of the Indian nations and the theft of their lands and resources in the nineteenth century. Nothing can undo the horrors of that genocide and theft, but at least there came a recognition of the wrongs we did and continued to do until the latter part of the twentieth century. Much work needs to be done to restore what can be restored- but there are those who are willing to work towards the ends of justice for Native peoples of this Continent- a sentiment that did not exist until lately.
Out of the Great Depression we invented the idea that government can redistribute wealth and resources so that our elderly did not have to die impoverished, or children did not have starve because the family lost a breadwinner. We also invented the idea that working people could just as well do productive labor for the public good as stand idle. The reforms of the Great Depression brought us Social Security, Public Works jobs, Aid to Dependent Children, Economic reforms to protect the wealth of the nation from the privileged elite- among a number of other programs and reforms. It was called the New Deal and it fundamentally changed our society- For the Better.
The 1970's brought us to the realization that our industry, our exploitation of the planet, and our greed could destroy the delicate balance of nature on the planet. Advances in food production and medicine caused and unbelievable explosion of the human population worldwide and the need to exploit the planet even more to support the population growth. That decade thankfully also brought forth great thinkers who told us in very dramatic terms that we need to stop our wanton destruction of the planet, with a wealth of scientific evidence to support the notion that we must stop our use of fossil fuels and destruction of natural resources in order to survive on the planet.
As I think back, as imperfect and incomplete as the advances have been, we can take pride that some progress has been made in the human condition and in human wisdom needed for our survival. It is also true that each step forward in human rights and improvement of the human condition was the result of a Progressive Movement- what some may call "liberal" policies and thought. And in each case the conservative movements of the day opposed them. Now we have come to the point with the election of Trump and control of the government firmly in the control of today's conservatives, where the progress of the last century could be lost. If this happens it will be the Great Regression. We will regress in our values, our compassion, our standards, and possibly in our ability to survive the damages we have already inflicted on the earth.
Mr. Trump has given us every reason to believe this is where we're headed. He hasn't even taken office and he already exploding international relationships that took generations to build. His appointments to high offices suggest he is bringing in people to undo progress in education, housing, Health and Welfare, national security, health care, fair and affordable housing, civil rights, protection of the environment, and economic equality and justice. When we select a person as our leader who has lived everyday of his life by the code of financial exploitation of others for his own benefit, and disregard for truth unless it suits his ends, then we cannot be surprised when his leadership reflects that kind of sorted existence. The result cannot help but be a rollback of so much progress created in the last century- progress that was hard won from the pain of others leading to the recognition of the need for reform.
If you long to make America Great Again- to return to past era that was mostly mythical anyway, and see a demagogue as the way to do it, please try to remember what America really was like for Hispanics or Blacks, for the poor, the elderly, for gay or transgender people, for working folks before the Fair Labor Standards Act, for young people who could not pursue a higher education, for women, or the Native American. It wasn't so great for them. America has always been wealthy with an abundance of land and natural resources taken from the original owners as we moved west, which made America powerful. But being rich and powerful doesn't make America Great- it just makes the rich and powerful people in America think they're great. The greatness of this nation is in the values that gave us our rights and responsibilities, taught us to care for those in need, and the planet we live on. I would hate to see this rebirth of boastful nationalism and the personal bravado of a selfish leader take us in to the era of the Great Regression.
Thanks for looking in.
Sunday, November 20, 2016
Trump: Acceptance - Not Resignation
The last time I wrote an essay for this Blog was about a year ago. I made a conscience decision to stop writing because the times had me convinced there was simply too much noise in the midst of this political season, and I just didn't want to be a part of it. Additionally, I believed that nothing I had to say would add anything of value or be that much different from what anyone else had already said. At the risk of this essay being just another rant like the others, I'll add my thoughts once again. About a year ago Donald Trump had been on the campaign trail for five or six months and literally sucked the oxygen out of political landscape, turning it into a circus atmosphere where real issues and rational thought could not exist. Little did I know that in the months to come (and through the primaries) his outlandish and increasingly hate-filled rhetoric would explode every notion of traditional campaigning as he ridiculed and bullied very other contender (and their spouses) out of the race on his way to the nomination. Once that occurred I could not fathom a country where he could be president, and put my faith in the voting public to end the madness of a Trump presidency. On November 8th I learned that I was ultimately wrong on all counts.
Now we are at the point of knowing Donald Trump will be our President. This is the moment of acceptance. I accept that Trump won this race, and won it in rather convincing fashion. I must accept this fact because it is true and inescapable given the rules that govern us. In spite of the fact that the last two Republican Presidents were out voted at the polls our system gives them the needed votes in the Electoral College to become President. By the way, it's not Trump's fault we have this system- but it should still go. These are facts and they will not change for now. This is acceptance.
Even though I accept the result, I remain both curious about how it happened and resolved not to resign myself to the values Trump brings to the office or the country.
I will admit that his election was a shock to me and has caused me,along with millions of others, to really think about how it happened. My field of study in college was sociology, so oddities in human group behavior is not a new concept to me. I tend to see events such as these as a sometimes odd part of the make-up of our species, but still worthy of examination. I never believed the political pundits or the polls. They are usually as shallow and meaningless as the candidates themselves. But I did believe something else would keep us from the nonsense of Trump presidency, that being-rational thought. I actually believed, wrongfully it seems, that more people would apply simple thought to the matter than obviously did. When you look at how he captured the vote it is clear that many of his voters simply reacted on the basis of emotion rather than thought- often reflecting rather ugly emotions to boot. The emotions in play were fear, hate and anger. I have also come to believe this election had very little to do with Party- Trump is not a Republican in any traditional sense and I expect the Republican political establishment will continue to hate him as President as much as they hated him as a candidate. So let me give a few areas where Trump scored beyond what I believe is rational.
Working People: These are the middle class folks, some college educated but many without college degrees. These are the people who have not benefited as much as they would have liked from the slow recovery following the crash that President Obama inherited. It defies rational thought to believe that Trump could possibly be their champion. There is not one scrap of evidence to suggest Trump has ever done anything in his life to support the working people of this country. He has never been a part of that group and has never committed to any business practice that showed the slightest empathy for the working class. The evidence shows quite the opposite. He is legendary in NY Real Estate for not paying his bills- just because he had the financial clout to say so and then threaten to tie vendors up in court for years if they didn't like it. He gloats about his use of bankruptcy- but never even acknowledges the working people who didn't get paid because he failed, or swindled them- all the while claiming to be a "Genius" for using the bankruptcy laws for his benefit. How could the working class see this financial cad as their hero?
Minorities: It is true that Trump continued the Republican tradition of scoring poorly among minorities. But even if you are not among the racial or religious minorities of this country, decency would suggest we could never support a person who has disparaged minorities the way he has. He has leveled insults, unflattering stereotypes, and outright threats at every minority group in the country. There is only one explanation why he did so well among white voters and turned out the number of rural white voters he did. The inherent racism baked into our national character, residing in a majority of white people is still there. When Trump promised to "take our country back" he was speaking directly to those people and they responded. In tones much louder and plainer than the dog whistle language some people use, the idea of taking the country back meant taking it back from a black president- taking it back from Black Lives Matter, taking it back from Muslims, taking it back from everyone who is not a white male- by ginning up the fear and blame. He didn't create the latent racism, sexism or xenophobic hatred- he simply was audacious enough to take it public- tell people it is once again OK to express it, and stoked the fear-based hatred that motivated people to vote for him. It is not rational to embrace the higher values of our law, our culture, or even our widely held religious values - then turn around and vote for a person who despises and perverts them.
Governance: We live in the most complex society on earth. We are a country of nearly 320 million people who operate in a capitalistic economic system that does not include everyone- by design. That means that our complex culture and the institutions we have established to manage it are complicated and mostly full of conflicts- ideological conflicts- economic and fiscal conflicts- social and religious conflicts. I doubt our founders could have coped with the complexities of this age and still come up with the same form of government they created in the late 18th Century. It is a marvel that this country still operates as well as it does, but without doubt it's management grows more difficult with every passing year, no matter which party is in power. So our solution last week was to give the most powerful office on the planet to man who has no governing experience - except his own admission that he has bribed government officials from both parties in the past to get his way in business. This is irrational. I kept hearing that many people voted for Trump because they want to "shake up Washington". If you wanted to "shake up" medicine would trust your health care to car dealer? Even a really successful one? No - because it does not make sense to do so. Further evidence for the idiocy of this type of voting can be found in his policies (or lack thereof). Trump has not really ever provided a detailed plan for anything. What is his policy on health care?- repeal Obamacare ( but replace it with what?) Foreign Policy? - we need to be tough with our enemies and our friends. (but what does that mean and what actions are associated with that?- he has never said except to promise to "bomb the shit out of them" and reinstitute torture) The economy? America first- create jobs- bring back jobs from Mexico and China. (but how? - he never said) Rebuild the Military. ( it is the largest, most technologically advanced military in the history of mankind now- so what are you talking about?) Foreign Trade. He will renegotiate trade agreements and treaties ( has never given details and just wants us to believe he has some secret power because is a good deal maker- bankrupt businesses aside) ... You might have also noted that since the election Trump has changed every major position he had when he was campaigning. In the area of policy Jeb Bush was right when he called Trump the "chaos candidate". And because he was elected on the basis of a cult of his own ego maniacal personality, you can expect a clear ideology will never emerge- just a Capital and a country full of very pissed off people from both parties.
Immigration: Trump's solution to this vexing problem is to build a wall the entire length of the US- Mexican boarder. Not only is it a nearly impossible feat, the cost would be crippling and it wouldn't solve the problem. Saner people have all said this is ridiculous, but the irrational voter keeps thinking it is the answer. I grant you it's a simple solution- but it is stupid. For those illegal immigrants already here, again a simple answer that sounds good, but could never work. At first he said he would deport 13 million people- now he is down to 2-3 million; a task that is just as ridiculous. The logistics and the strain that would put on our judiciary would grind the entire system to a halt. But, if it sounds good and satisfies that voter itch to blame and punish immigrants for their lot in life, then by all means vote for it. You can also expect (if it were even possible) to have a head of lettuce cost $15.00, if you can get it. Just one more point- if you want to stop illegal immigrants from coming here and "taking our jobs" then start throwing American contractors, hotel owners, and corporate farmers in prison for knowingly hiring them to improve their bottom line.
Federal Budget: this one ought speak for itself. Trump has promised to invest billions more in the military, invest billions more for Veterans, invest in "the best" infrastructure building programs, build a "beautiful wall" 1900 miles long, provide health care "to everyone" ( while repealing the ACA- which includes Medicaid) etc. etc. While he is fulfilling all these wild promises he has also pledged to substantially reduce corporate taxes, high income earner taxes, and middle class taxes significantly. Every economist who has looked at this plan has predicted enormous deficits and recessionary growth curves. In other words the math just doesn't work. But because this "brilliant businessman" said it, the irrational voter bought it because it sounds good on the surface. When questioned on the viability of such a plan, Trump's answer is that he a "I'm a world class businessman, and I know how to do this." - bankrupt businesses not withstanding.
Women/Character: There has been so much said and written about this it is not necessary to recount it all here. His behavior and demeanor towards women is the most deplorable of any person who has ever been in the White House. It's not the affairs. FRD, IKE, JFK, LBJ, and Clinton all had affairs- and those are just the recent ones we know about. Trump takes disdain for women to a level never before encountered. It's not the same as the others- it's a deeply rooted disregard for the value of women as human beings that is deeply disturbing and permeates his being. He openly states his distain for women in his casual bragging about molesting them- and now some of the women he molested are coming forward. Between Trump, and his two main surrogates Giuliani and Gingrich, there are 9 marriages and at least as many affairs. These are people who are so self absorbed that they regard the women closest to them as replaceable parts that can be discarded when the looks and the amusement is gone- only to be traded in for a newer model. Would any rational person, possessing an ounce decency (man or woman) select this type of despicable man as national leader? It defies logic.
The Religious Voter: This one perplexes me more than any other category of voter. 78% of the people in the USA identify themselves as Christian. The rest of us have faiths other than Christian, or no religion at all. But let's focus on the Christians because they overwhelmingly represent people of faith and some of his strongest supporters. Trump did very well gathering the votes of Christians. On the campaign trail he claimed to be a Presbyterian- said the Bible was his favorite book. Did one Presbyterian minister ever come forward to say he knew Trump? No. Was there ever a shred of evidence from anyone saying he attended a church, ever? No. The religious community was flimflammed on that one- everybody knew it and nobody cared. But the most difficult thing to understand is that religion is supposed to inform and help direct the way one lives his or her life. Nothing in Trump's life fits with a Christian life. He is a serial polygamist, a notorious philanderer, a narcissistic man who has shown no regard for any other human being beyond himself and his children (who he seems to regard as nothing more than an extensions of himself). He is the perfect poster boy for every evil human activity Jesus of the New Testament spoke against- yet many Christians supported him. This to me is one of the greatest conflicts in logic I have ever seen. Either Christians were not paying attention (though, I know that's not so) or Christians were willing to give up the tenets of their faith, making them far less Christian than they claim to be. How can one embrace Christian ideals and still think Trump should lead a country many Christians believe was picked by God to be the greatest country on earth? Extremely perplexing.
Clinton is Worse: Given everything we know about Trump, the "Clinton is worse" argument is the stuff of pure legend. She was not worse. For all of her faults, and there were significant ones, her life is far more exemplary than Trump's. Her political opposition has for years investigated and re-investigated her more than any other modern political figure. She has gone through 3-4 years of investigation on the Benghazi tragedy with no finding against her. She has gone through FBI investigations for the email issues and there is no criminal finding against her. Much of her early life was devoted to the health and safety of women and children, and her service in the US Senate was praised by both Parties (you can look it up). But none of that counted in this election. Facts simply did not matter. Trump perfected the old "I'm rubber and you're glue- what you say bounces off me and sticks to you" game. His life is a series of shady deals, federal law suits for fraud or racial discrimination, bankruptcy filings and fleecing creditors, influence peddling (which he bragged about) birther lies and nut-ball conspiracy theories, affairs and divorces, and campaign lies. PolitiFact concluded he lied about the issues on the campaign trail 78% of the time- all the while refusing to reveal his taxes or foreign business holdings because he needed to hide them the voters. But she became "Crooked Hillary". Tomorrow's students will study the way mass media, and social media propaganda worked in this campaign, the way students today study the propaganda methods of the Nazi's in 1930's Germany, as a cautionary tale on how lies can be converted into "the truth". (and no, I'm not calling Trump a Nazi- I'm talking about mass communication methods) Voters didn't have to like Hillary, but the misinformation campaign causing hatred for her was not truthful, proportional, or rational. If you couldn't vote for Clinton based on your notion of her character- but you were Ok with Trump's character, I simply don't understand you.
Like so many people now, I'm left not knowing what to think. I've seen quite a few elections in my life, but never one like this. Trump has added a new element to American politics and leadership- and it's not a pretty one. The politics of personal destruction is not new- but what is new is using the politics of personal destruction exclusively. He ran a campaign completely devoid of actual policy and entirely on fear-based negativity and hate bating. It is no accident the KKK showed up publicly in this election. It is no accident that rallies were places where mob violence was encouraged and practiced. Following his election, it is no accident that hate crimes and open acts of racial and religious violence are exploding (according to a recent FBI report this week). It is no accident that white supremacists are coming out in the open. It is also no accident that people of all walks of life are protesting in the streets. I have not seen this in my lifetime- but it shows you the divisive nature of the man, his beliefs, his words, and his actions.
I still don't know how to react to people who voted from Trump- I still cannot reconcile how so many voters ignored the facts before them, the open display of his vile beliefs and tactics, and voted for him, or threw away their vote on impossible third-party candidates or ridiculous write-ins. This isn't angst that my candidate didn't win. This isn't about giving him "a chance"- he has the chance whether I give it to him or not. This isn't comparable to how people felt when Obama won in 2008- or how many of us felt when George W. Bush won in 2000. I didn't like it- but I have never felt like the person we elected was an actual threat to the existence of the country as we know it. But I feel that way now. It will take me some time and much more thought to reconcile my feelings on the people who voted for him. But they did - and that's where acceptance comes in.
I will not be resigned to accept his deplorable actions and words, his disrespect for people, and his lack of human empathy, simply because he won. That's where: No Resignation comes in. None of us should resign ourselves to the values Trump brings to the office- or the America he envisions. None of us should ever stop fighting for the issues we believe in or give in to the backward movement of human dignity Trump has been promoting. I'd love to say, "I just hope he won't act that way when he is in office". But my rational mind and all my senses tells me he can't stop being who he is and always has been. So it's up to us to stay alert, active, and ready to speak out against any injustice. Even though he won- take heart in knowing more of us voted for Clinton- not him. Even democracies can produce horrible leaders- but we cannot not lose faith in our system. Instead we should become more engaged to bring better values back to government the next chance we get.
Thanks for looking in.
Now we are at the point of knowing Donald Trump will be our President. This is the moment of acceptance. I accept that Trump won this race, and won it in rather convincing fashion. I must accept this fact because it is true and inescapable given the rules that govern us. In spite of the fact that the last two Republican Presidents were out voted at the polls our system gives them the needed votes in the Electoral College to become President. By the way, it's not Trump's fault we have this system- but it should still go. These are facts and they will not change for now. This is acceptance.
Even though I accept the result, I remain both curious about how it happened and resolved not to resign myself to the values Trump brings to the office or the country.
I will admit that his election was a shock to me and has caused me,along with millions of others, to really think about how it happened. My field of study in college was sociology, so oddities in human group behavior is not a new concept to me. I tend to see events such as these as a sometimes odd part of the make-up of our species, but still worthy of examination. I never believed the political pundits or the polls. They are usually as shallow and meaningless as the candidates themselves. But I did believe something else would keep us from the nonsense of Trump presidency, that being-rational thought. I actually believed, wrongfully it seems, that more people would apply simple thought to the matter than obviously did. When you look at how he captured the vote it is clear that many of his voters simply reacted on the basis of emotion rather than thought- often reflecting rather ugly emotions to boot. The emotions in play were fear, hate and anger. I have also come to believe this election had very little to do with Party- Trump is not a Republican in any traditional sense and I expect the Republican political establishment will continue to hate him as President as much as they hated him as a candidate. So let me give a few areas where Trump scored beyond what I believe is rational.
Working People: These are the middle class folks, some college educated but many without college degrees. These are the people who have not benefited as much as they would have liked from the slow recovery following the crash that President Obama inherited. It defies rational thought to believe that Trump could possibly be their champion. There is not one scrap of evidence to suggest Trump has ever done anything in his life to support the working people of this country. He has never been a part of that group and has never committed to any business practice that showed the slightest empathy for the working class. The evidence shows quite the opposite. He is legendary in NY Real Estate for not paying his bills- just because he had the financial clout to say so and then threaten to tie vendors up in court for years if they didn't like it. He gloats about his use of bankruptcy- but never even acknowledges the working people who didn't get paid because he failed, or swindled them- all the while claiming to be a "Genius" for using the bankruptcy laws for his benefit. How could the working class see this financial cad as their hero?
Minorities: It is true that Trump continued the Republican tradition of scoring poorly among minorities. But even if you are not among the racial or religious minorities of this country, decency would suggest we could never support a person who has disparaged minorities the way he has. He has leveled insults, unflattering stereotypes, and outright threats at every minority group in the country. There is only one explanation why he did so well among white voters and turned out the number of rural white voters he did. The inherent racism baked into our national character, residing in a majority of white people is still there. When Trump promised to "take our country back" he was speaking directly to those people and they responded. In tones much louder and plainer than the dog whistle language some people use, the idea of taking the country back meant taking it back from a black president- taking it back from Black Lives Matter, taking it back from Muslims, taking it back from everyone who is not a white male- by ginning up the fear and blame. He didn't create the latent racism, sexism or xenophobic hatred- he simply was audacious enough to take it public- tell people it is once again OK to express it, and stoked the fear-based hatred that motivated people to vote for him. It is not rational to embrace the higher values of our law, our culture, or even our widely held religious values - then turn around and vote for a person who despises and perverts them.
Governance: We live in the most complex society on earth. We are a country of nearly 320 million people who operate in a capitalistic economic system that does not include everyone- by design. That means that our complex culture and the institutions we have established to manage it are complicated and mostly full of conflicts- ideological conflicts- economic and fiscal conflicts- social and religious conflicts. I doubt our founders could have coped with the complexities of this age and still come up with the same form of government they created in the late 18th Century. It is a marvel that this country still operates as well as it does, but without doubt it's management grows more difficult with every passing year, no matter which party is in power. So our solution last week was to give the most powerful office on the planet to man who has no governing experience - except his own admission that he has bribed government officials from both parties in the past to get his way in business. This is irrational. I kept hearing that many people voted for Trump because they want to "shake up Washington". If you wanted to "shake up" medicine would trust your health care to car dealer? Even a really successful one? No - because it does not make sense to do so. Further evidence for the idiocy of this type of voting can be found in his policies (or lack thereof). Trump has not really ever provided a detailed plan for anything. What is his policy on health care?- repeal Obamacare ( but replace it with what?) Foreign Policy? - we need to be tough with our enemies and our friends. (but what does that mean and what actions are associated with that?- he has never said except to promise to "bomb the shit out of them" and reinstitute torture) The economy? America first- create jobs- bring back jobs from Mexico and China. (but how? - he never said) Rebuild the Military. ( it is the largest, most technologically advanced military in the history of mankind now- so what are you talking about?) Foreign Trade. He will renegotiate trade agreements and treaties ( has never given details and just wants us to believe he has some secret power because is a good deal maker- bankrupt businesses aside) ... You might have also noted that since the election Trump has changed every major position he had when he was campaigning. In the area of policy Jeb Bush was right when he called Trump the "chaos candidate". And because he was elected on the basis of a cult of his own ego maniacal personality, you can expect a clear ideology will never emerge- just a Capital and a country full of very pissed off people from both parties.
Immigration: Trump's solution to this vexing problem is to build a wall the entire length of the US- Mexican boarder. Not only is it a nearly impossible feat, the cost would be crippling and it wouldn't solve the problem. Saner people have all said this is ridiculous, but the irrational voter keeps thinking it is the answer. I grant you it's a simple solution- but it is stupid. For those illegal immigrants already here, again a simple answer that sounds good, but could never work. At first he said he would deport 13 million people- now he is down to 2-3 million; a task that is just as ridiculous. The logistics and the strain that would put on our judiciary would grind the entire system to a halt. But, if it sounds good and satisfies that voter itch to blame and punish immigrants for their lot in life, then by all means vote for it. You can also expect (if it were even possible) to have a head of lettuce cost $15.00, if you can get it. Just one more point- if you want to stop illegal immigrants from coming here and "taking our jobs" then start throwing American contractors, hotel owners, and corporate farmers in prison for knowingly hiring them to improve their bottom line.
Federal Budget: this one ought speak for itself. Trump has promised to invest billions more in the military, invest billions more for Veterans, invest in "the best" infrastructure building programs, build a "beautiful wall" 1900 miles long, provide health care "to everyone" ( while repealing the ACA- which includes Medicaid) etc. etc. While he is fulfilling all these wild promises he has also pledged to substantially reduce corporate taxes, high income earner taxes, and middle class taxes significantly. Every economist who has looked at this plan has predicted enormous deficits and recessionary growth curves. In other words the math just doesn't work. But because this "brilliant businessman" said it, the irrational voter bought it because it sounds good on the surface. When questioned on the viability of such a plan, Trump's answer is that he a "I'm a world class businessman, and I know how to do this." - bankrupt businesses not withstanding.
Women/Character: There has been so much said and written about this it is not necessary to recount it all here. His behavior and demeanor towards women is the most deplorable of any person who has ever been in the White House. It's not the affairs. FRD, IKE, JFK, LBJ, and Clinton all had affairs- and those are just the recent ones we know about. Trump takes disdain for women to a level never before encountered. It's not the same as the others- it's a deeply rooted disregard for the value of women as human beings that is deeply disturbing and permeates his being. He openly states his distain for women in his casual bragging about molesting them- and now some of the women he molested are coming forward. Between Trump, and his two main surrogates Giuliani and Gingrich, there are 9 marriages and at least as many affairs. These are people who are so self absorbed that they regard the women closest to them as replaceable parts that can be discarded when the looks and the amusement is gone- only to be traded in for a newer model. Would any rational person, possessing an ounce decency (man or woman) select this type of despicable man as national leader? It defies logic.
The Religious Voter: This one perplexes me more than any other category of voter. 78% of the people in the USA identify themselves as Christian. The rest of us have faiths other than Christian, or no religion at all. But let's focus on the Christians because they overwhelmingly represent people of faith and some of his strongest supporters. Trump did very well gathering the votes of Christians. On the campaign trail he claimed to be a Presbyterian- said the Bible was his favorite book. Did one Presbyterian minister ever come forward to say he knew Trump? No. Was there ever a shred of evidence from anyone saying he attended a church, ever? No. The religious community was flimflammed on that one- everybody knew it and nobody cared. But the most difficult thing to understand is that religion is supposed to inform and help direct the way one lives his or her life. Nothing in Trump's life fits with a Christian life. He is a serial polygamist, a notorious philanderer, a narcissistic man who has shown no regard for any other human being beyond himself and his children (who he seems to regard as nothing more than an extensions of himself). He is the perfect poster boy for every evil human activity Jesus of the New Testament spoke against- yet many Christians supported him. This to me is one of the greatest conflicts in logic I have ever seen. Either Christians were not paying attention (though, I know that's not so) or Christians were willing to give up the tenets of their faith, making them far less Christian than they claim to be. How can one embrace Christian ideals and still think Trump should lead a country many Christians believe was picked by God to be the greatest country on earth? Extremely perplexing.
Clinton is Worse: Given everything we know about Trump, the "Clinton is worse" argument is the stuff of pure legend. She was not worse. For all of her faults, and there were significant ones, her life is far more exemplary than Trump's. Her political opposition has for years investigated and re-investigated her more than any other modern political figure. She has gone through 3-4 years of investigation on the Benghazi tragedy with no finding against her. She has gone through FBI investigations for the email issues and there is no criminal finding against her. Much of her early life was devoted to the health and safety of women and children, and her service in the US Senate was praised by both Parties (you can look it up). But none of that counted in this election. Facts simply did not matter. Trump perfected the old "I'm rubber and you're glue- what you say bounces off me and sticks to you" game. His life is a series of shady deals, federal law suits for fraud or racial discrimination, bankruptcy filings and fleecing creditors, influence peddling (which he bragged about) birther lies and nut-ball conspiracy theories, affairs and divorces, and campaign lies. PolitiFact concluded he lied about the issues on the campaign trail 78% of the time- all the while refusing to reveal his taxes or foreign business holdings because he needed to hide them the voters. But she became "Crooked Hillary". Tomorrow's students will study the way mass media, and social media propaganda worked in this campaign, the way students today study the propaganda methods of the Nazi's in 1930's Germany, as a cautionary tale on how lies can be converted into "the truth". (and no, I'm not calling Trump a Nazi- I'm talking about mass communication methods) Voters didn't have to like Hillary, but the misinformation campaign causing hatred for her was not truthful, proportional, or rational. If you couldn't vote for Clinton based on your notion of her character- but you were Ok with Trump's character, I simply don't understand you.
Like so many people now, I'm left not knowing what to think. I've seen quite a few elections in my life, but never one like this. Trump has added a new element to American politics and leadership- and it's not a pretty one. The politics of personal destruction is not new- but what is new is using the politics of personal destruction exclusively. He ran a campaign completely devoid of actual policy and entirely on fear-based negativity and hate bating. It is no accident the KKK showed up publicly in this election. It is no accident that rallies were places where mob violence was encouraged and practiced. Following his election, it is no accident that hate crimes and open acts of racial and religious violence are exploding (according to a recent FBI report this week). It is no accident that white supremacists are coming out in the open. It is also no accident that people of all walks of life are protesting in the streets. I have not seen this in my lifetime- but it shows you the divisive nature of the man, his beliefs, his words, and his actions.
I still don't know how to react to people who voted from Trump- I still cannot reconcile how so many voters ignored the facts before them, the open display of his vile beliefs and tactics, and voted for him, or threw away their vote on impossible third-party candidates or ridiculous write-ins. This isn't angst that my candidate didn't win. This isn't about giving him "a chance"- he has the chance whether I give it to him or not. This isn't comparable to how people felt when Obama won in 2008- or how many of us felt when George W. Bush won in 2000. I didn't like it- but I have never felt like the person we elected was an actual threat to the existence of the country as we know it. But I feel that way now. It will take me some time and much more thought to reconcile my feelings on the people who voted for him. But they did - and that's where acceptance comes in.
I will not be resigned to accept his deplorable actions and words, his disrespect for people, and his lack of human empathy, simply because he won. That's where: No Resignation comes in. None of us should resign ourselves to the values Trump brings to the office- or the America he envisions. None of us should ever stop fighting for the issues we believe in or give in to the backward movement of human dignity Trump has been promoting. I'd love to say, "I just hope he won't act that way when he is in office". But my rational mind and all my senses tells me he can't stop being who he is and always has been. So it's up to us to stay alert, active, and ready to speak out against any injustice. Even though he won- take heart in knowing more of us voted for Clinton- not him. Even democracies can produce horrible leaders- but we cannot not lose faith in our system. Instead we should become more engaged to bring better values back to government the next chance we get.
Thanks for looking in.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Garbage In- Garbage Out
Those of you who are old enough to remember the dawn of the computer age, somewhere in the early '70's, will remember this phrase: Garbage In- Garbage Out. As the first shards of light began to break over the horizon of the cyber-world we now live in, computers were already creating frustrations with the first pioneers in the business world to experiment with their everyday use. The early code writers and programmers found they encountered quite a bit of criticism from folks who sometimes blamed their own mistakes on those "damned new computers". The programmers had a simple and unfailingly correct answer to the early nay-sayers, "garbage in- garbage out". And, they were right! Their point was this; the machine cannot discern the bad information and data from good information that's loaded into it. So, if you put in bad data and bad information, don't blame the computer- it's only reporting the crap you gave it. By the end of the '70,s this simple phrase had spread to the cultural lexicon of the times and people used it to explain a whole host of issues in which bad input can only get you bad outcomes.
I was thinking about that phrase, Garbage In- Garbage Out, as I was reflecting on the political scene surrounding the Presidential contests as they heat up just ahead of the actual election year. I know it seems that we've been at this so long now, and we haven't even gotten to the year when it really happens- but that's what we get for allowing ourselves to far too many 24- hour news networks and a thriving system of social media where these two behemoths feed off of each other. Nonetheless, I confess to being hopelessly hooked on a news addiction myself. In my reflections I thought this phrase is such an apt analogy for the non-sense we've all seen since last winter. Normally I would have been writing and thinking about the sad state of the body politic a lot, but each time I had a thought where there might be a temptation to write a few lines, I thought of the over-all silliness and just said, "nah.."
But in this essay I've finally come to some words that sum up the totality of the silliness into one old phrase form the '70's. I think just about everyone over the last couple of weeks, for various reasons, have come to see our political processes, and thus our future leadership issues, as just plain broken. Of course once we recognize a problem the next instinct is to blame it on someone else. The most blatant example I've seen of this time-honored tradition (of blaming someone else) is the Republican Party's efforts to blame CNBC for the disastrous debate that took place this week- as they did Fox News the first time. I've watched all three Republican debates (because of my sick addiction) and this one by far was the craziest of the three. All three were crazy- but this one was not only crazy, it wasn't even entertaining. The CNBC moderators, like the Fox moderators were horrible. They asked stupid, childish questions, they did not hold anybody to the facts, and they lost control of the format-without ever addressing the major issues. Horrible on every level! The candidates have now banded together to demand a new debate platform. Even the RNC has called the debates shameful, and they are group who set them up. All three debates featured non-sense and childishness from start to finish.
Watching the news this morning and seeing the Republican effort to change the game I began to wonder if the field of candidates and the positions they have staked out for their respective campaigns has more to do with the quality of the debate than the networks and the moderators. Could it be that the Party and the Candidates are the ones ultimately responsible for the stupidity of the questions and the nonsense answers we have been seeing? Could this be a perfect example of Garbage In- Garbage Out? I think it is.
I don't know what the Party and the public should expect when they have elevated Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina to the top tier of their party. To be even more explicit, the questions asked at the debates can clearly be traced straight back the candidates themselves. Let's take Trump for example. He began his campaign by referring to Mexicans as criminals and rapists; he insulted Lindsey Graham personally and displayed his phone number publicly as a form of schoolyard bullying; he made fun of Rick Perry's eye glasses; made derogatory remarks about Scott Walker's and Carly Fiorina's facial appearance; made comments about rand Paul's hair in the most ironic moment ever; and called Jeb Bush a low-energy loser. He openly brags about his wealth, lies about his campaign donations, and flaunts his four corporate bankruptcies as being smart business moves (with no regard to the creditors he left hanging with his debt). The Christian right loves him because he now carries around a Bible even though he has led the most un-Christian of lives and is now on this third trophy-wife. He "loves" women but talks about them like they his possessions to be taken out, polished up and "cherished" every so often. His policy positions are pure silliness. He says he will export 11 million people and when asked how? says, "humanely". He said he will build a "tremendous wall" with a "beautiful door"- but never says how, how much it will cost, or how it will be operated, AND says he will get Mexico to pay for it. That is so stupid it doesn't even require a response, but he gets to say it everyday on TV or in these debates. Every economist from every political stripe has called his $10 trillion tax cut utter non-sense. He will not address race, violence or education in any cogent way. And his economic growth plan is just to let him make the deals because he so wonderful at doing it. In all, there is not one serious thing to talk to this man about- This constitutes Garbage In.
Dr. Carson and Carly Fiorina and more soft-spoken or even more articulate than "the Donald", but no less crazy with their ideas for America. Carson became famous (politically) by going to a National Prayer Breakfast a few years ago and calling the Affordable Care Act " the worst thing since slavery", which clearly means be doesn't understand the ACA or slavery. He has no economic plan but promised big tax cuts that cannot stand the test of simple mathematics according to a wide range of economists. He is a scientist (physician) but denies scientific data on the climate; has said he would only preserve the Dept. Of Education to monitor and control "liberal" talk on college campuses; he is a doctor but cannot make any coherent policy statements on health care; and the list goes on and on. Ms. Forina has only one claim to fame, and that is her corporate executive career that ended in flames when she was fired for horrible missteps that nearly put Hewlitt-Packard out of business. Since then not one corporation on the planet has even approached her to acquire her "talents". Yet she will go to the debates and tell us that everything that happened in her career was actually great for H-P- and that is the kind of leadership the nation and the world needs, in spite of all evidence to the contrary.
Carson, Fiorina, and Trump all have exactly no experience with government, except how to degrade it or defeat it. So, of course they see themselves as experts on government. Would you hire a carpenter to build your house if they showed up and said "I can build you the best house ever even though I've never done anything like this before"? All see themselves as the savior of system they do not understand and could not operate effectively in. Trump even admits all of his government experience is tied up in buying (read: bribing) politicians to help his business. None of them have devoted a single moment on foreign policy other than to espouse international bullying, without giving the slightest nod to diplomacy. These folks have become the elite of the Republican field. The rest of the very large field of Republicans are a hodge-podge of old political hacks who can't seem to muster much more than 5% from the party voters. Not one of the others has come out with a unified plan for anything. The entire race is about being against Obama and Clinton and for Jesus, with no "program" to do anything other than give tax breaks to rich guys, continue to expand the world's (already) largest military, and get us into more unwinnable wars in the middle-east. Add it all together and you have truck load of Garbage In.
Given the total volume of Garbage in, how can we expect to get anything but Garbage out when this bunch shows up on the national stage. The moderators of these events could certainly do better, but it would sure be easier for them if the candidates gave them something better to work with. If the candidates only talk non-sense on the campaign trail, that is all they will asked about. The candidates owe them and us reasonable solutions to serious problems. This Republican cycle is a clown show in much the same way as it was in 2012. That fact that Trump, Carson and Fiorina are appealing as the "outsiders" tells us only one thing: people are so frustrated and so whipped up by an irresponsible right wing media establishment in talk-radio and Fox News they don't know the difference between those who shout foolishness and those who can actually lead.
This situation reminds me of a scene from the movie, The American President written by Aaron Sorkin. In the scene a close advisor to the President is admonishing the President to stand up to his political opposition who have spread lies and falsehoods. He tells the President that the American people are thirsty for leadership. He says they need it so badly that they would crawl across the dessert and chase a mirage- and when they find no water, they will drink the sand because they were so thirsty. The President becomes somber, stares down his young advisor and says, "They don't drink the sand because they are thirsty, Louis- they drink the sand because they don't know the difference".
I had honestly hoped that this time around the Republicans would have tried to provide the People with a reasonable choice, embodied in serious candidates, making a thoughtful case to the American people. The emergence of these Garbage In candidates shows me that won't happen. This is a function of a Republican party with policies that can no longer create a national appeal, but it is also a function of an electorate that simply hasn't demanded it. If so many people can accept the nonsense of Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, and Fox News, Republicans will remain out of the national driver's seat. And, that is not good for the country. I don't support today's Republican policies, but a reasonable Republican Party could play an important role in national leadership. The thoughtful exchange of ideas can actually bring people together and will always create a much better result. But as things stand now, there it's only Garbage In- Garbage Out from the Republicans, and they have no one to blame but themselves.
Thanks for looking in.
I was thinking about that phrase, Garbage In- Garbage Out, as I was reflecting on the political scene surrounding the Presidential contests as they heat up just ahead of the actual election year. I know it seems that we've been at this so long now, and we haven't even gotten to the year when it really happens- but that's what we get for allowing ourselves to far too many 24- hour news networks and a thriving system of social media where these two behemoths feed off of each other. Nonetheless, I confess to being hopelessly hooked on a news addiction myself. In my reflections I thought this phrase is such an apt analogy for the non-sense we've all seen since last winter. Normally I would have been writing and thinking about the sad state of the body politic a lot, but each time I had a thought where there might be a temptation to write a few lines, I thought of the over-all silliness and just said, "nah.."
But in this essay I've finally come to some words that sum up the totality of the silliness into one old phrase form the '70's. I think just about everyone over the last couple of weeks, for various reasons, have come to see our political processes, and thus our future leadership issues, as just plain broken. Of course once we recognize a problem the next instinct is to blame it on someone else. The most blatant example I've seen of this time-honored tradition (of blaming someone else) is the Republican Party's efforts to blame CNBC for the disastrous debate that took place this week- as they did Fox News the first time. I've watched all three Republican debates (because of my sick addiction) and this one by far was the craziest of the three. All three were crazy- but this one was not only crazy, it wasn't even entertaining. The CNBC moderators, like the Fox moderators were horrible. They asked stupid, childish questions, they did not hold anybody to the facts, and they lost control of the format-without ever addressing the major issues. Horrible on every level! The candidates have now banded together to demand a new debate platform. Even the RNC has called the debates shameful, and they are group who set them up. All three debates featured non-sense and childishness from start to finish.
Watching the news this morning and seeing the Republican effort to change the game I began to wonder if the field of candidates and the positions they have staked out for their respective campaigns has more to do with the quality of the debate than the networks and the moderators. Could it be that the Party and the Candidates are the ones ultimately responsible for the stupidity of the questions and the nonsense answers we have been seeing? Could this be a perfect example of Garbage In- Garbage Out? I think it is.
I don't know what the Party and the public should expect when they have elevated Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson, and Carly Fiorina to the top tier of their party. To be even more explicit, the questions asked at the debates can clearly be traced straight back the candidates themselves. Let's take Trump for example. He began his campaign by referring to Mexicans as criminals and rapists; he insulted Lindsey Graham personally and displayed his phone number publicly as a form of schoolyard bullying; he made fun of Rick Perry's eye glasses; made derogatory remarks about Scott Walker's and Carly Fiorina's facial appearance; made comments about rand Paul's hair in the most ironic moment ever; and called Jeb Bush a low-energy loser. He openly brags about his wealth, lies about his campaign donations, and flaunts his four corporate bankruptcies as being smart business moves (with no regard to the creditors he left hanging with his debt). The Christian right loves him because he now carries around a Bible even though he has led the most un-Christian of lives and is now on this third trophy-wife. He "loves" women but talks about them like they his possessions to be taken out, polished up and "cherished" every so often. His policy positions are pure silliness. He says he will export 11 million people and when asked how? says, "humanely". He said he will build a "tremendous wall" with a "beautiful door"- but never says how, how much it will cost, or how it will be operated, AND says he will get Mexico to pay for it. That is so stupid it doesn't even require a response, but he gets to say it everyday on TV or in these debates. Every economist from every political stripe has called his $10 trillion tax cut utter non-sense. He will not address race, violence or education in any cogent way. And his economic growth plan is just to let him make the deals because he so wonderful at doing it. In all, there is not one serious thing to talk to this man about- This constitutes Garbage In.
Dr. Carson and Carly Fiorina and more soft-spoken or even more articulate than "the Donald", but no less crazy with their ideas for America. Carson became famous (politically) by going to a National Prayer Breakfast a few years ago and calling the Affordable Care Act " the worst thing since slavery", which clearly means be doesn't understand the ACA or slavery. He has no economic plan but promised big tax cuts that cannot stand the test of simple mathematics according to a wide range of economists. He is a scientist (physician) but denies scientific data on the climate; has said he would only preserve the Dept. Of Education to monitor and control "liberal" talk on college campuses; he is a doctor but cannot make any coherent policy statements on health care; and the list goes on and on. Ms. Forina has only one claim to fame, and that is her corporate executive career that ended in flames when she was fired for horrible missteps that nearly put Hewlitt-Packard out of business. Since then not one corporation on the planet has even approached her to acquire her "talents". Yet she will go to the debates and tell us that everything that happened in her career was actually great for H-P- and that is the kind of leadership the nation and the world needs, in spite of all evidence to the contrary.
Carson, Fiorina, and Trump all have exactly no experience with government, except how to degrade it or defeat it. So, of course they see themselves as experts on government. Would you hire a carpenter to build your house if they showed up and said "I can build you the best house ever even though I've never done anything like this before"? All see themselves as the savior of system they do not understand and could not operate effectively in. Trump even admits all of his government experience is tied up in buying (read: bribing) politicians to help his business. None of them have devoted a single moment on foreign policy other than to espouse international bullying, without giving the slightest nod to diplomacy. These folks have become the elite of the Republican field. The rest of the very large field of Republicans are a hodge-podge of old political hacks who can't seem to muster much more than 5% from the party voters. Not one of the others has come out with a unified plan for anything. The entire race is about being against Obama and Clinton and for Jesus, with no "program" to do anything other than give tax breaks to rich guys, continue to expand the world's (already) largest military, and get us into more unwinnable wars in the middle-east. Add it all together and you have truck load of Garbage In.
Given the total volume of Garbage in, how can we expect to get anything but Garbage out when this bunch shows up on the national stage. The moderators of these events could certainly do better, but it would sure be easier for them if the candidates gave them something better to work with. If the candidates only talk non-sense on the campaign trail, that is all they will asked about. The candidates owe them and us reasonable solutions to serious problems. This Republican cycle is a clown show in much the same way as it was in 2012. That fact that Trump, Carson and Fiorina are appealing as the "outsiders" tells us only one thing: people are so frustrated and so whipped up by an irresponsible right wing media establishment in talk-radio and Fox News they don't know the difference between those who shout foolishness and those who can actually lead.
This situation reminds me of a scene from the movie, The American President written by Aaron Sorkin. In the scene a close advisor to the President is admonishing the President to stand up to his political opposition who have spread lies and falsehoods. He tells the President that the American people are thirsty for leadership. He says they need it so badly that they would crawl across the dessert and chase a mirage- and when they find no water, they will drink the sand because they were so thirsty. The President becomes somber, stares down his young advisor and says, "They don't drink the sand because they are thirsty, Louis- they drink the sand because they don't know the difference".
I had honestly hoped that this time around the Republicans would have tried to provide the People with a reasonable choice, embodied in serious candidates, making a thoughtful case to the American people. The emergence of these Garbage In candidates shows me that won't happen. This is a function of a Republican party with policies that can no longer create a national appeal, but it is also a function of an electorate that simply hasn't demanded it. If so many people can accept the nonsense of Limbaugh, Hannity, Savage, and Fox News, Republicans will remain out of the national driver's seat. And, that is not good for the country. I don't support today's Republican policies, but a reasonable Republican Party could play an important role in national leadership. The thoughtful exchange of ideas can actually bring people together and will always create a much better result. But as things stand now, there it's only Garbage In- Garbage Out from the Republicans, and they have no one to blame but themselves.
Thanks for looking in.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
I'm Trying to Think Better
It's been more than a couple of months since I've written anything in this space. I have several really good excuses for my failure to write- a real sin in my personal list of life offences. First and foremost I just haven't found anything that moved me to write. That's not to say that there haven't been some events worthy of thought and debate. There most certainly have been. The police violence and rioting in Baltimore, the so-called military exploits of ISIS in Iraq- and constant Obama bashing over it, the growing herd of Republican Presidential candidates jumping in the clown car, the never-ending Benghazi/Email/Clinton Foundation/Chipotle.. made-up Hillary scandals all come to mind. But in the end I found the public discourse on these subjects both silly and tiring, and I had no desire to weigh in. It all began to be noise and I just didn't want to make any more of it.
I also have the great excuse of traveling quite a bit over the last month or so. Through my work at Goodwill, I was able to travel to Washington DC where I took part in national advocacy events with members of Congress and their staff. I had been to DC before, but this was the first time roaming the halls of Senate and House Office Buildings where the real work (?) is done. Talking to Senators and House Members and their staff people left me with enough impressions to keep me writing essays for months- but I won't go into the specifics just now. Sufficed to say, it's fairly obvious why things are a mess in our national government these days. But it was an interesting experience and I learned a lot. Another great opportunity came right on the heels of the Washington trip, and that was our national convention in Colorado Springs. It was interesting to meet people from all over the country and compare notes on common issues- aside from the pure pleasure of meeting new people. I always find meeting new people be a great experience. Diversity does not abound in my town- so this is a great way to experience people who think and see things differently from me, most especially from differing racial perspectives. For instance, I had breakfast with several people from Baltimore the morning following the riots and I got to see their sadness and worry very closely and personally. It's the kind of thing one normally doesn't get on the news. I'm thankful for that experience.
My final good excuse is that I spent more time reading. I'm not one to spend a lot of time with books. My preferred method to get information about the world I live in is to scan over lots of material from different sources and media, but long hours on airplanes and the chance to relax a bit gave me the opportunity to read a few things. I was particularly pleased to read a couple of books by Fareed Zakaria. The two books of his I read were The Future of Freedom and In Defense of a Liberal Education. I particularly enjoy his perspective because he has an outstanding understanding of this country- yet he brings an interesting point-of-view from a person not raised in the U.S. His name might suggest he is from a middle-eastern country but he was actually raised in India. I also read the Elizabeth Warren book, A Fighting Chance. I was well aware of her point-of-view on economic issues, but I enjoyed the story of her upbringing and how those experiences informed her academic and political careers.
Well, those are my excuses. Good or bad I'm sticking to them. But, the lesson from all this travel, new people, new ideas, and new thoughts is that I should make a conscience effort to think better. How easy it is to get caught in the web of seeing events and experiencing the world from the same old sources and from the same old people.
I had wanted to read Zakaria's book on a liberal arts education since I first noticed it some weeks earlier. I'm a big believer in a strong liberal arts education. Over the last decade or more I have been disheartened to see so many young people tailor their education only towards the technical aspects of the jobs they hope to get, and ignore the benefits of a broader and more expansive education that favors arts and literature along with job-specific learning. I can't help but think that this phenomenon has been bolstered by the economic conditions wherein the middle class wages have remained low- placing more emphasis on "just making a living". The sad byproduct of this thinking is that a new generation of the workforce does not have "thinking skills" (let's call it critical thinking skills) those college educated people had a generation or two ago. Now, as a person who does a lot of hiring, I can see the deficits in people I hire. Even people coming to me for jobs and possessing a college degree are unable to write a coherent paragraph and use basic rules of the English language.
For me, the ability to write and use language well is a critical skill. It is critical to professional success for two reasons. The first is that so much of professional behavior in this age of "compliance and accountability" is the act of documenting one's work. The ability to accurately record thoughts and actions in our professional life is more important than ever- mostly because we have come to rely on data so heavily. Data is not always defined as numbers- but is more broadly defined as "information" and information must have words attached to it on some level. The second, and most important reason is that writing, according to Zakaria, teaches you how to think. He writes," the central virtue of a liberal education is that it teaches you to write, and writing makes you think. Whatever you do in life, the ability to write clearly, cleanly, and reasonably quickly will prove to be an invaluable skill."
"The second great advantage of a liberal education is that it teaches you how to speak. The Yale-NUS report states that the college wants to make 'articulate communication' central to its intellectual experience. That involves writing, of course, but also involves the ability to give compelling verbal explanations...At the deepest level, articulate communication helps you to speak your mind. This doesn't mean spouting anything and everything you're thinking at any given moment. It means learning to understand your own mind, to filter out under-developed ideas, and then to express to the outside world your thoughts, arranged in some logical order." Well said Fareed!
These notions about education and thought have always been important to me. At the risk of sounding snobbish about a liberal education (and please note that the use of the word "liberal" in this context is NOT political) I remain convinced of the old adage that an educated person is one who doesn't necessarily possess the most information- but is the person who possess the best ability to locate and process information. In other words, it is knowing how to think. I'm also convinced that this is not a quality that once achieved, can be relied upon thereafter and always. Like any other ability it must be exercised- it must be taken out and given a good workout on a regular basis. Writing these essays is my workout for thinking.
When I started this blog a few years ago I did it for very selfish reasons. I knew that what I may think about any particular topic would be largely unimportant to anyone else. But I wanted to create some forum to give myself exercise in both thinking and writing. I was creating a small rebellion in my own head against a world that had come to see writing as the expression of thoughts in 140 characters or less- a typical tweet. So much for the rebellion- more people than ever are "tweeting" and I'm still writing essays almost nobody reads. Nonetheless, I'll keep doing this and encourage others to read, and write, and think more- because I know it will make me think better- and I considerate trying to think better a worthy pursuit.
We are all facing a challenge over the next year and a half that will call upon us all to think better. President Obama called election time the "silly season" in 2008, and I can't think of a more apt name for our process of electing Presidents. The ability to think better is important for all of us no matter what our political leanings. My fear is that we have become victims of a culture that actually encourages the opposite of better thinking. The media and the talk-radio culture we now live in has served to dumb-down big portions of the country. I don't advocate silencing these purveyors of nonsense, and reasoning that can be summed up in a few hateful phrases meant for simpletons to repeat in famous "ditto-head" fashion. The Limbaugh's, Hannity's, O'Riley's, and other Fox News types have reduced our ability the think better. And they did it, not on the strength of the message, but by the constant and unrelenting volume of it. They make us reject analytical thinking and brow-beat us into giving up on our own efforts to think. What else could explain the emergence of Sarah Palin? I know some of the same criticism applies to the other side- but the shear amount and degree of non-sense coming from the Fox News Republicans make them too rich an example of doing damage to our minds to ignore. There was a time when journalism was sacred and not part of a media money machine. There was a time when conservatives made intellectual arguments and wrote eloquently in support of their ideas. There was a time when the public had the privilege of seeing both sides make honest arguments and the voting public had a better chance of casting more informed votes. These are not those days.
Given that important issues need to be resolved we must all make a commitment to think better. We have to understand the science behind climate change and quit calling people "arrogant" (Jeb Bush) for looking at evidence. We have to think about, and understand the intellectual truth of human rights and equal rights among them- and not be asked to suspend basic humanity because of religious dogma. We have to expect that our politicians give us more than slogans to explain the complex problems of the world because we think better and we now expect them to think better- write better- and speak better. I will always endeavor to think better and hope more of us will do the same.
Thanks for looking in.
I also have the great excuse of traveling quite a bit over the last month or so. Through my work at Goodwill, I was able to travel to Washington DC where I took part in national advocacy events with members of Congress and their staff. I had been to DC before, but this was the first time roaming the halls of Senate and House Office Buildings where the real work (?) is done. Talking to Senators and House Members and their staff people left me with enough impressions to keep me writing essays for months- but I won't go into the specifics just now. Sufficed to say, it's fairly obvious why things are a mess in our national government these days. But it was an interesting experience and I learned a lot. Another great opportunity came right on the heels of the Washington trip, and that was our national convention in Colorado Springs. It was interesting to meet people from all over the country and compare notes on common issues- aside from the pure pleasure of meeting new people. I always find meeting new people be a great experience. Diversity does not abound in my town- so this is a great way to experience people who think and see things differently from me, most especially from differing racial perspectives. For instance, I had breakfast with several people from Baltimore the morning following the riots and I got to see their sadness and worry very closely and personally. It's the kind of thing one normally doesn't get on the news. I'm thankful for that experience.
My final good excuse is that I spent more time reading. I'm not one to spend a lot of time with books. My preferred method to get information about the world I live in is to scan over lots of material from different sources and media, but long hours on airplanes and the chance to relax a bit gave me the opportunity to read a few things. I was particularly pleased to read a couple of books by Fareed Zakaria. The two books of his I read were The Future of Freedom and In Defense of a Liberal Education. I particularly enjoy his perspective because he has an outstanding understanding of this country- yet he brings an interesting point-of-view from a person not raised in the U.S. His name might suggest he is from a middle-eastern country but he was actually raised in India. I also read the Elizabeth Warren book, A Fighting Chance. I was well aware of her point-of-view on economic issues, but I enjoyed the story of her upbringing and how those experiences informed her academic and political careers.
Well, those are my excuses. Good or bad I'm sticking to them. But, the lesson from all this travel, new people, new ideas, and new thoughts is that I should make a conscience effort to think better. How easy it is to get caught in the web of seeing events and experiencing the world from the same old sources and from the same old people.
I had wanted to read Zakaria's book on a liberal arts education since I first noticed it some weeks earlier. I'm a big believer in a strong liberal arts education. Over the last decade or more I have been disheartened to see so many young people tailor their education only towards the technical aspects of the jobs they hope to get, and ignore the benefits of a broader and more expansive education that favors arts and literature along with job-specific learning. I can't help but think that this phenomenon has been bolstered by the economic conditions wherein the middle class wages have remained low- placing more emphasis on "just making a living". The sad byproduct of this thinking is that a new generation of the workforce does not have "thinking skills" (let's call it critical thinking skills) those college educated people had a generation or two ago. Now, as a person who does a lot of hiring, I can see the deficits in people I hire. Even people coming to me for jobs and possessing a college degree are unable to write a coherent paragraph and use basic rules of the English language.
For me, the ability to write and use language well is a critical skill. It is critical to professional success for two reasons. The first is that so much of professional behavior in this age of "compliance and accountability" is the act of documenting one's work. The ability to accurately record thoughts and actions in our professional life is more important than ever- mostly because we have come to rely on data so heavily. Data is not always defined as numbers- but is more broadly defined as "information" and information must have words attached to it on some level. The second, and most important reason is that writing, according to Zakaria, teaches you how to think. He writes," the central virtue of a liberal education is that it teaches you to write, and writing makes you think. Whatever you do in life, the ability to write clearly, cleanly, and reasonably quickly will prove to be an invaluable skill."
"The second great advantage of a liberal education is that it teaches you how to speak. The Yale-NUS report states that the college wants to make 'articulate communication' central to its intellectual experience. That involves writing, of course, but also involves the ability to give compelling verbal explanations...At the deepest level, articulate communication helps you to speak your mind. This doesn't mean spouting anything and everything you're thinking at any given moment. It means learning to understand your own mind, to filter out under-developed ideas, and then to express to the outside world your thoughts, arranged in some logical order." Well said Fareed!
These notions about education and thought have always been important to me. At the risk of sounding snobbish about a liberal education (and please note that the use of the word "liberal" in this context is NOT political) I remain convinced of the old adage that an educated person is one who doesn't necessarily possess the most information- but is the person who possess the best ability to locate and process information. In other words, it is knowing how to think. I'm also convinced that this is not a quality that once achieved, can be relied upon thereafter and always. Like any other ability it must be exercised- it must be taken out and given a good workout on a regular basis. Writing these essays is my workout for thinking.
When I started this blog a few years ago I did it for very selfish reasons. I knew that what I may think about any particular topic would be largely unimportant to anyone else. But I wanted to create some forum to give myself exercise in both thinking and writing. I was creating a small rebellion in my own head against a world that had come to see writing as the expression of thoughts in 140 characters or less- a typical tweet. So much for the rebellion- more people than ever are "tweeting" and I'm still writing essays almost nobody reads. Nonetheless, I'll keep doing this and encourage others to read, and write, and think more- because I know it will make me think better- and I considerate trying to think better a worthy pursuit.
We are all facing a challenge over the next year and a half that will call upon us all to think better. President Obama called election time the "silly season" in 2008, and I can't think of a more apt name for our process of electing Presidents. The ability to think better is important for all of us no matter what our political leanings. My fear is that we have become victims of a culture that actually encourages the opposite of better thinking. The media and the talk-radio culture we now live in has served to dumb-down big portions of the country. I don't advocate silencing these purveyors of nonsense, and reasoning that can be summed up in a few hateful phrases meant for simpletons to repeat in famous "ditto-head" fashion. The Limbaugh's, Hannity's, O'Riley's, and other Fox News types have reduced our ability the think better. And they did it, not on the strength of the message, but by the constant and unrelenting volume of it. They make us reject analytical thinking and brow-beat us into giving up on our own efforts to think. What else could explain the emergence of Sarah Palin? I know some of the same criticism applies to the other side- but the shear amount and degree of non-sense coming from the Fox News Republicans make them too rich an example of doing damage to our minds to ignore. There was a time when journalism was sacred and not part of a media money machine. There was a time when conservatives made intellectual arguments and wrote eloquently in support of their ideas. There was a time when the public had the privilege of seeing both sides make honest arguments and the voting public had a better chance of casting more informed votes. These are not those days.
Given that important issues need to be resolved we must all make a commitment to think better. We have to understand the science behind climate change and quit calling people "arrogant" (Jeb Bush) for looking at evidence. We have to think about, and understand the intellectual truth of human rights and equal rights among them- and not be asked to suspend basic humanity because of religious dogma. We have to expect that our politicians give us more than slogans to explain the complex problems of the world because we think better and we now expect them to think better- write better- and speak better. I will always endeavor to think better and hope more of us will do the same.
Thanks for looking in.
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