We The People...
"[The neoconservative right's]political strength...comes from America's unrelenting passion for never bothering to take that extra step to figure shit out." --Matt Taibi
I'll let people who can say this shit better than I can do the honors:
Sidney Blumenthal
Joan Walsh
What will it take for us to get off of our asses, people?
posted by the beige one @ 4:51 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Discomfort.
Oh, and power, at least perceived. And the people who got that seem plenty damn comfortable.
What's amazing to me is that we, as a populace, aren't more vocal about our discomfort...must be why all those social anxiety commercials are airing.
I've always been of the opinion that, the reason most people don't go that extra step is because they simply don't WANT to know about all the nasty, evil shit their elected leaders frequently do in the name of "the people".
If you KNOW it's happening, then you either have to do something about it, or try to ignore it completely. Doing something implies you disagree with what's being done, which is difficult for many people, particularly those who supported the death-mongering politicians, because THAT implies you were wrong in your judgement of their character, their leadership, their principles, and their motives - and these are the kind of people who generally don't deal too well with being told their wrong, let alone actually admitting it to themselves.
On the other hand, ignoring it also takes a tremendous amount of mental energy; energy most people can't even drudge up to deal with the mundane crap that makes up their daily lives, not to mention the fact that in order to "ignore" something like that, you first have to acknowledge that it's happening, which in turn means you have to come to some sort of conclusion regarding the moral or ethical implicatons of the actions themselves, and thus being put into the awkward position of having to examine one's own actions and behaviors, and possibly finding them coming up short.
So, it's better to simply not acknowledge the blood on the hands of their leaders, or, the wads of cash sticking out of their pockets, because that makes it so much easier for to avoid checking their own for any tell-tale signs of complicity.
Well put, Chris.
And really, my frustration stems from the fact that no one is willing to learn that sticking one's head in the sand is wholeheartedly NOT a way to deal with anything...it hasn't worked on racism, sexism, classism, and it won't work on this.
It is the same frustration that arises whenever I hear the phrase, "I thought we'd outgrown X..." (usually X = racism). No, we didn't outgrow it, we just swept it under the rug, and SURPRISE! It's still here.
Same with this shit. 18 months may seem like a breeze compared to the 6.5 years we've already endured, but it doesn't mean things can't get more hellish between now and then. Mark my words, it can and will become more hellish in the next six months.
Let this be a warning for those who like their hair sand-encrusted, I'm gonna be here, and I'm not ignoring it...
Which, combined with my sporadic sports posting, will ensure my numbers stay low...
Post a Comment
<< Home