I just read Kirk Nielsen’s article, Can We Rescue the Republic Before the Dark Politics Take Over? which Matt Paust, a.k.a. ClarkK, linked in his recent Tribe post. Very interesting take on an assortment of woes.
The portion of the article about polarization in the U.S. seemed especially on target. I know people who do not talk to others who watch the wrong news channel. What?! Are you kidding me? I say, “Read news from several sources and watch or listen to as many news and commentary shows as you can, so you have a better chance of knowing what is going on.”
Just to pick one topic out of many raised in Nielsen’s article, I have said more than once that reality shows and offerings like The Jerry Springer Show make me think of the time just before the fall of Rome. Then there is the game little kids play in which they spin and spin wildly until they fall down. At first it is funny, but as kids get bigger it starts to hurt.
It appears that some segments of American society are wildly yelling and spinning, learning nothing. They fall down and it hurts, but they do not seem to be choosing to do something better.
I do not want to see the U.S. crumble, as some are gleefully predicting while they have nowhere else to go that does not have its own reasons for complaint. To me, right now there is too way much emphasis on deciding who to blame instead of on solving problems.
This week I wrote to my Congressman that I hoped he would write back and tell me that President Obama is calling to the service of not only the country, but the planet, the greatest problem-solving, scientific minds in the world to put a stop to the gushing oil first, and then overcome the overwhelming mess. If we can go to the moon, clone animals and build pyramids that stand the test of eons, humans can solve the crisis in the Gulf. Then the inevitable blaming and lawsuits can begin.
America is not perfect, yet people float on watercraft the size of postage stamps to get here.
I believe. I must.
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Comments
america needs democracy, but will not get it. sauve qui peut.
Trilogy: Thanks for stopping by and for the nice comment!
I too have friends like that, ones I never tell that I sometimes watch FoxNews(mostly in the morning, cause well, then, it's mostly news!! :) )
JustCathy: I'm happy you feel this way.
alloomis: I would like to think things are a bit different. We can always vote out our leaders. As long as the U.S. doesn't mess with the Bill of Rights, we'll be okay.
Spud: I was talking mostly about the oil disaster, but I hear your frustration. I would like to see more people with open minds, but that is sometimes a hard sell.
Rated.
Tink: I even watch the 700 Club now and then, just to hear how issues are chewed on at that venue, which has a lot of viewers.
Pilgrim: Thank you, friend.
ClarkK: :-)
Fusan: I think you are the Energizer Bunny of Sweetness!