I'm sure there will be many dissertations on the Wisconsin Recall effort today. I can sum up my feelings in one sentence though.
"American media is just one big river of toxic sludge slowly making its way toward Fox News."
There is absolutely no effort any longer to report the facts. Everything is "framed." Framing has a motive. Framing is driven by whoever has the most money! Framing assumes the reader has no capacity to make an informed deduction from simply being presented facts. Framing allows the presenter to manufacture false doubt, anxiety, anger or fear.
What I fear more than anything else, is living in a culture that has relegated critical thinking to a museum. It's easy! Choose A or B. Choose Left or Right. Choose Right or Wrong.
If I were to buy into this new concept of information, I should just kill myself today! After all, the world ended when the Governor of Wisconsin prevailed in the recall attempt. There will be no more unions, no worker's rights, corporations will own everything!
Luckily, I am one who still has the capacity to think outside the frame. My despair belongs to me. It comes from my understanding of how easy it is to manipulate masses of people into voting against their own interests. It grows out of the experience of embracing hope, over and over again, only to be defeated repeatedly because the system is broken and no one knows how to fix it.
If only we could take back the House! If only we could have a 61 seat majority in the Senate! If we could just bring back the Fairness Doctrine! If we could just bring back Glass Steagall!
But everyday I am confronted by the zombies who mimic the talking points instead of thinking. They are in the line at the grocery store. They are at the public swimming pool. They are old friends at the other end of the telephone connection.
The bottom line is that I am supposed to have hope when it is perfectly clear the other side of this struggle is winning. I am supposed to believe being honest and fair will win over cheating, when the entire system is rigged. I am supposed to believe that the basic good of the human heart will prevail in the end, when many hearts have been reduced to ice!
So here we are again, with that question that keeps nagging us on our endless path. "How bad will it have to get before people really wake up to what's happening?" Obviously pretty bad!
To answer those who want to know why I have closed comments. There were comments that were abusive, obviously posted for no other reason than to abuse. When I deleted them they were reposted. There is no mechanism on OS to restrict who can comment on a blog.
To those who say all comments should remain in a society with free speech, fine, then tell that to the right leaning blogs. I’m tired of the rules of fairness only applying to our side. I’m open to those who wish to challenge my ideas. But I am not open to abuse. I’ve had enough of that throughout my lifetime.
This is not the OS I joined in 2009! It’s just another place that has been infiltrated by hateful, mean spirited assholes who never get anything unless they steal it or cheat or bully their way. If you can live with that, fine. But I cannot. I will not waste my time and energy on people who have no other intention than to destroy. They won yesterday in Wisconsin and they won today on my blog. This is no longer a place where I feel safe!
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Michael Luick-Thrams
Cenk Uygur
mlambere
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Elizabeth Blessing
Salon.com
Comments
People are waking up. Democrats, as well as Independent voter's lead the way to Governor Walker's victory.
Our economy is bad, really bad. People need jobs!
I am so worried about the present deficit spending and apparently, so are many others.
As a union member, I was horrified to find the abhorrent use of my "fair share" of union dues.
" uh huh."
The over and mis-use of the word "Cynical."
Okay, now hear this, 'cause it's really irritating to hear to a true Cynic's ears, and offensive to read the word used improperly.
A Cynic is not someone who is pessimistic, jaded, upset, being realistic, or any of those other incorrect uses of this very useful and poignant word. A cynic sees a situation and comments only upon it insofar as there is information to do so. A cynic walks in front of a building with Average Joe.
Average Joe see the front ediface and says, "Wow, what a magnificent front entrance! This building must be some work of a great architect."
Mr. Cynic sees the same thing and only says, "This front portico seems well made."
Do you see the seminal difference? The Cynic makes no inference beyond what can be observed and factually known. The Cynic qualifies the statement with "seems" to be well made, for how can the Cynic, not knowing of the quality control in the making of the materials, or the controls of quality in it's construction can only comment that it "seems" to be well made. Average Joe, on the other hand, makes a grand assumption of quality based on those looks alone -- and he won't even readily admit to himself that he has absolutely no clue as to the rest of the building -- he hasn't even seen the backside, but will assume it's the same stone and style there, too.
I am a Cynic, but I am also an Optmist. Most find this juxtaposition at odds with the current overmisuse of the word Cynic, for it has become conflated with pessimist and negative views. From the perspective of a true Cynic, I can only say that the body of evidence against correct useage can only indicate a lack of attention to detail in language on the part of those misusing the word. Cynicism is not a synonym for pessimism, damnit!
Whew! Sorry, had to get that off my chest.
Okay. This hope Spiritman SF speaks of is something we cannot let die. Why? Why shouldn't we? What's the point, look at how stupid the people are acting in this matter?
Because it takes hope and a willingness to live in that hope, act on it and work to effect change for that change to occur. It doesn't naturally evolve or occur in the initial moments upon waking up to an insane world. Hope has to fight logic and history in many cases, in order to make any progression in the evolution of culture into something we may one day actually correctly call civilization.
Mankind exhibits traits from Herd animals, Pack animals and Solitary animals. It exhibits traits from Predator and Prey alike and they appear to reside in all of us to some measure, as near as this cynic can tell. We see predatory practices in finance, commerce, politics and that predation is literally men tearing men apart for personal gain. We see predatory practices in organized religion and again, it is literally now institutionalized thought working to destroy the very values those institutions purport to uphold in a sort of Orwellian doublespeak that has the masses attuned to slitting it's own throats for morality and ideology.
Our founding fathers knew this would occur. They didn't take lightly our Constitution, it's formation and the rules that were put into place to slow the onset of corruption, greed and self-interests that they knew would begin the moment the first oaths of offices were taken.
What they didn't count on, and which we cynics can clearly see, is that the sheer weight of apathy, disinterest and dedicated self-interests, even on the part of our citizenry, is crushing the life out of the one thing that really keeps us free: Vigilance to oppose the forces of government granting itself privilige, greater power and less access to limit it. They thought, after fighting a bloody revolution, that the People would remain vigilant.
Then again, their idea of mass media was standing before a crowd of hundreds in the plaza, or people reading a newspaper in Boston with news mostly from Boston, occasional bits of information, days to weeks old, from other parts of the country and man's time to reflect and consider the situation rationally before acting. Because that's just how it had to be done then with the speed of communication being what it was.
Today, it's worldwide, 24/7/365, unceasing, neverending rhetoric and pablum, framed, edited and vetted for sensationalistic and self-serving purposes, even if that purpose is as neglectfully benign as selling more copies of the news, or more advertising space on TV.
This is not an inference or assumption -- it's verifiable fact.
People tend to be a sort of, "Leave me alone and let me live in peace," types for the most part and this is a good thing. Of course, because we, as a race, exhibit herd, pack and solitary animal behaviors from both the predator and prey side of the equation, we are vastly more conflicted than most other animals who simply live by reflex and instinct, be they predatory or preyful.
Herds can be influence by the leaders of the herds. Cynically, it is my observation that the herd tends to worship the solitary or pack leader who displays decisive action and words, irrespective of the actions outcomes, as long as they continue to exercise dominant control of the herd through displays of power and force.
What the herd doesn't seem to realize is that the pack and solitary leaders are, historically, always predators who prey upon the herd at the same time controlling it like it's natural leader.
This cannot stand for too much longer, I wager. Sadly, as a cynic, what I see history telling me is that this Democratic Republic is now at a critical juncture. Will it continue to moo and baa in lockstep with it's cannibalistic leaders, or will it realize it's walking in a field full of predators, round in defense and drive them out to save the herd?
I do not have an easy answer. As an optimist, I see what's going on and how bad it can get and recognize that a sizeable portion of our population is in the "I am here to be swayed" camp. This bodes well for anyone or group who can tap into that dynamic and utilize it to advantage. This is an opportunity to exploit; and the minority groups on either side of the polemics of any issue would be well advised to examine their objectives, ideals and goals and then act accordingly in their attempts to sway this large, generally apathetic center of the herd to move in one direction or the other.
I believe this is where we are as a nation, perhaps as a world. I am optimistic, because this sort of disillusionment is growing. It sparked the Arab Spring, now in the phase of being crushed by self interests. It sparked the Occupy Movement, now in the phase of attempting to understand that in this situation, they must become resourceful predators, using truth, fact and emphatic logic to make progress with the fringes of the herd who are now starting to listen to them.
If this nation goes more Republican, we will surely witness more of what we have seen for the entire eight years of the Bush/Cheney/Republican Controlled Legislature Administration. If any Republicans have a problem with Obama using the tools they gave him to imitate them and try to beat them at their own game, they only have their own selfish interests at grabbing power via consolidation of that power in the Office of the President, it was their machinations that gave Obama that leverage.
Therefore, while anything Obama might do that I don't like (and there are plenty of things I think he should have stood up against) is on Obama for doing it, it is just as much on the Republican Party for empowering him with the tools they put into place in their premature attempt to take this country over and turn it into a fuedal fascist state.
Which is worse?
If you cannot tell, then you are neither a cynic, an optimist nor a pessimist -- you're a fool.
It's gonna get pretty bad, in all liklihood, but there is always hope that enough people will arise to the challenge of bringing some sanity back to our nation by watching all politicians and arms of our government and demand that they act in accordance with the limitations we put in place to keep them from preying on their own population.
I am cynically optimistic that this is in the process of occuring. I just have no idea how long it wil take to cancel the inertia and momentum of stupidity we are currently caught in on our Lemming-like way over the precipice of democratic principles to be crushed on the rocks below of Fascistic Feudal Corporate Barons.
--r--
Needless to say, that begs many questions......
As for the question of Walker breaking the law, that is a good question for the courts to decide. And perhaps they will. But I'm not sure I would agree that recalls should be limited to that. Only if a law is passed that requires everyone to vote. We talk about "the will of the people" even when the decision was made by 51% of the 36% of eligible voters who voted. I believe limiting recalls to "breaking the law" was in the propaganda that was paid with the ten to one spending gap.
If you can, help out, make sure people get out and vote, offer rides to people who might not have a way to get to the Polls.
I don't care what others say, my vote is my right as a citizen, if I do not vote, I give up my right to bitch and moan about the system. Sorry. This is how I feel. I know some who say I DON'T GIVE UP MY RIGHT TO BITCH AND MOAN IF I DON'T VOTE!!
And explain to me why not? Did you vote? Maybe your 1 stinkin' vote may have made a difference, maybe if enough people decided MY VOTE DOES TOO MATTER, things MIGHT be different.
Yes, I'm a dreamer!! KISS OFF YOU DOUBT SAYERS!!!
~wanders back off into the thorn bushes~
The people of Wisconsin voted walker into office before, and very few people changed their minds about Walker over the recall campaign. Thus the recall election was a repeat of the original result.
As a lefty type who has spent some time in WI last year, here's what I have learned;
We need to STOP asking "Why do they vote against their own interests?" as if THEY are morons.
The relevant question is, "What are their interests. Note - that is not the same as asking "What do I BELIEVE their interests are or what should their interests be."
I have spent several weeks in Wisconsin over the last year, working with relatives both in Madison and in Appleton (Appleton is very conservative, Madison liberal for the most part). Each set of relatives has the predictable POV (anti - fat-pension-starving-us-dry-Govt-unions in Appleton and the Well covered Anti -Walker- anti-Plutocracy in Madison).
I have talked among both sets, neither is stupid. Neither is misinformed. Both base their opinions on relevant issues they face in their own lives. Neither needs to be corrected by someone "wiser".
These conflicts are won by first listening, rather than by telling voters why they are wrong. It is time to listen and learn. Teaching is the last step.
~smiles as he finishes reading rant~
A thoughtful piece.
This is not about opinions. This is about real lives. Like the Gay people in Wisconsin who will once again have their hospital visitation rights denied. What do these not so stupid people say to them? "I just don't care about you?" What drives me crazy is this attitude that wants both sides to have equal weight. It ignores the basic fact that one side is more for the commonwealth and the other side is more for special interests. I ask my question again. How bad does it have to get? Let's see how bad it is when there is no government. When everything is decided by the corporate bottom line.
And to those new members of OS who are here simply to disrupt, to spew your hateful vitriol, I say go to HELL!