Don't Give Up!

MY FELLOW AMERICANS:

I know I’m not the first person to be saying this — and I will hardly say it in any way more elegant or sophisticated than most. But, can we please just STOP with the partisan bickering???

This is no longer a country of democrats and republicans. This is a country of A REALLY SMALL NUMBER OF MOSTLY OLDER WHITE MEN WHO OWN LITERALLY MOST OF THE MONEY IN THE ENTIRE WORLD — and then there’s “the rest of us.”

Have you watched a good number of the White House press briefings?? JESUS. (Who wasn’t white, by the way.) CAN WE PLEASE GET SOME DIVERSITY UP IN THIS PIECE???

Listen here, folks, whether you identify as Republican, Democrat, Independent, Green, Libertarian, or WHATEVER: we need to stop falling for partisan news headlines! Everything that you read is spin! NONE of it is objective! There really isn’t such a thing anymore. (Even I’m not objective in writing this! I want you to nod to yourself, agree with what I’m saying, [send money!] and then join the Church of Dave!)
;-)

That news article you just posted on Facebook, that allows you to feel all those feels of “MY SIDE IS AWESOME AND YOURS IS JUST THE BAIN OF HUMAN EXISTENCE”?? I really doubt that you fully understand the delicate intricacies of all the political, economic, racial, and social partisanship that goes into each and every attempt at reporting what is happening in Washington. ALL. THE. TIME. 

Wanna know what? I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT EITHER. Truth is, most Americans don't. It’s the same reason why we have lawyers and accountants —  because everything is way too complex for the average person to understand. 

All we know is that — and this is becoming painfully more clear with each passing day — it is "politics as usual." ON BOTH SIDES. So please, don't make this out to be a one-sided issue. Democrats and Republicans alike can EASILY find simple partisan headlines that will allow them to scream at the other side. DON'T LET THEM DIVIDE US!!

Let’s look at the current issue facing the entire country: whether to remain in lockdown mode to stave off a potential disastrous health nightmare, or to reopen the economy to stave off a potential disastrous economic nightmare. EITHER PATH LEADS TO A POTENTIAL DISASTROUS NIGHTMARE. No matter what we do, we face possible  catastrophe.

But here is the real problem. We're probably BOTH right. Both "sides," if you will. There are absolutely strong, valid arguments on both sides of this particular issue right now.

However, unfortunately, that means both sides are also wrong.

So, really, it creates a conundrum of sorts. Or a paradox.

In the meantime, those “pulling the strings” on this issue — the partisan politicians, the media, the health experts, the economic experts, the think tanks, the watchdog groups, the business interests, the lobbyists, the conspiracy theorists, the disinformation junkies — ALL of these factions are vying for your attention; trying to convince you that they are right; trying to be the loudest voice in the room. 

This obviously makes for a rather cacophonous milieu for all of us. And in the midst of that madness, each one of us is supposed to try to determine WHO we trust; who we believe in; who we think is giving us “the truth.” But, as stated previously, the actual minutiae of what is being discussed is likely over most of our heads, save those who are experts or extremely well-versed in public policy, law, government, and the like. 

So, who can we trust? Honestly, NOBODY. Because EVERYTHING is lost in translation, period. 

This phenomenon can be compared to biblical exegesis. You have the original language in which the texts were written, which have over the course of several millennia been filtered down through interpretation after interpretation, countless translations, agendas, subterfuge, obfuscation, distortion and misunderstanding at the hands of a wide swath of religious leaders, theologians, televangelists, street preachers, cult leaders, etc. So now we have a country full of so-called “Christians,” who can’t even agree on the simplest of scriptural understanding.

Or, it’s like a game of “telephone,” in which you have a circle of people, one of whom whispers something into the ear of the person next to them.  That person then whispers it to the next, etc., until the last person in the circle finally says out loud what was passed on to them — and it is usually wildly different from what we started out with. 

So, how does this play out in our politics? Let me spell it out this way. For ease of argument, let’s use as an example a general White House Press Briefing during this pandemic. Most of us have watched at least one of these, some of us are glued to our TVs for every one of them, and the remainder of the populace is probably seeing clips being shared through either the news networks or social media.

Here’s how the “communication train” works. Think of this process, as it unfolds, as a metaphorical train — starting with the engine, and then with each subsequent step representing a boxcar, ultimately ending with the caboose. 

As we’ve seen most of the times when he speaks, Donald Trump goes wildly off-script, improvising much of what he says. In this unfolding event, the first thing that happens is he has a thought. (Where that thought “originates” is way too high brow of a discussion to broach here!) After that thought comes to mind, he speaks it out loud. Now, I would say that with ANY human being, something is immediately “lost in translation” through this process. With this *particular* individual, who has increasingly evinced well-documented cognitive decline, this “lost in translation” is exacerbated all the more. But, regardless, by merely speaking the words, it has already morphed from what the original idea was.  

Next, whatever he has said is picked up by the media. Which Side? Left or Right? Either way, they receive the info just as Donald did, albeit externally — it enters into their consciousness as they hear it — then they have to interpret it, then try to communicate it themselves, thereby losing more in the process. Then we, who have to choose WHICH source(s) we get our news from, also hear it… and then we also have to decide what to do with it. Although for ostensibly too many of us, it leads simply to instances of parroting what our chosen media sources have said, with regards to interpretation. Which leads to a bunch of “talking points” being regurgitated all across social media, each side clinging to whatever the most sophisticated “phrase du jour” happens to be at the moment. 

So, we’re basically each individually the caboose in this communication train. Or, more fittingly, the “butt end” of the train. ;-) 

But we are each a careless caboose, of sorts. Because what then happens,  thanks to the Golden Age of Social Media where everyone is an expert in everything, we each board our OWN train, as we then take OUR  “ideas” (or our reinterpretations of interpretations, etc.) and ram them down the technological throats of any who disagree with us. We are a country full of Casey Joneses — and to quote my beloved Grateful Dead, we are ALL “drivin that train, high on cocaine!” 

With this current president in particular, though, it is just one “thought” after another, after another, after another, each barreling out with lightning speed, with no consideration or care whatsoever. You therefore have this entire “communication train” process occurring repeatedly ad finitum - to the point where it really starts to feel exponential in its growth, much like the coronavirus itself! And so, what we ultimately end up having is a terminus trainwreck. And because of the rate at which these trains are leaving the station, the general public literally has no time to properly process any of this, so we just fire up the engines, we turn to our echo chambers for ammunition, then venture out into the virtual battlefield to wage war on anyone who disagrees with us. 

This is not objective. 

This is not civil discourse. 

This is not healthy. 

This is not even humane. 

I miss the Walter Cronkite era. I’m sure even then we were probably being fed some bad information, but at least we trusted him. 

Politics, in this current ridiculous and ludicrous milieu, has basically taken on the characteristics of a sporting event. A “my team is superior and we’re gonna beat the everliving hell out of you” mob mentality. Any sports fan will tell you - anything it takes to win is all that matters. Each fan will bicker and scream and complain when the referee makes a bad call against the team for which they are rooting. BUT, if that same ref makes a call against the OTHER team? I guarantee you won’t bat an eye. You’ll say, “well, we got away with one there, whew!” Or if the star player of the opposing team goes down early in the game with an injury, you KNOW you’re immediately thinking “OMG OMG OMG WE’RE GONNA WIN THIS!” 

Gone are the days of “it’d be nice if all players on both teams stay healthy through the entirety of the game, as that will lead to an amazing display of the sport at its absolute best! And the best team really will win!” No, that no longer exists. And this is what our political divide looks like now.  

This is not the America I grew up knowing. Yes, there have always been partisan politics. But it seems like it has gotten, and continues to get, worse and worse. AND WORSE! If we have any hope of holding the fabric of this frail country together much longer, we NEED to figure out a way to have healthy, productive dialogue. About ALL the issues. With this behemoth decision currently before us, NOW is the time to talk to one another — to rationally reason things out — to come together as a country and work together across the aisle to combat this crisis. It’s going to be painful for everyone. We need to figure out a way forward so that we can SHARE that pain equally, and not just scream at each other online, hoping to be the loudest person in the room. 

I suggest we start with a widespread analysis, discussion, and understanding of MONEY - and how it is allocated and distributed. I’m not advocating communism or socialism, but I think we can ALL agree that this is just downright OBSCENE:

The top 10 richest people in America for 2019 were:
Jeff Bezos: $114 billion
Bill Gates: $106 billion
Warren Buffett: $80.8 billion
Mark Zuckerberg: $69.6 billion
Larry Ellison: $65 billion
Larry Page: $55.5 billion 
Sergey Brin: $53.5 billion 
Michael Bloomberg: $53.4 billion 
Steve Ballmer: $51.7 billion 
Jim Walton: $51.6 billion

That is just TEN PEOPLE. And only in America!

There. I have started the discussion. Now, what are we going to do about it? MONEY is at the root of this monstrous decision we now must face as a country. So let’s get the conversation started! Just please - be CIVIL. And maybe let’s all try to come up with some original ideas. Perhaps that’s the way forward. We stop listening to the “powers and principalities,” and THINK FOR OURSELVES. We stop parroting the latest catch-phrase, and come up with our own. Our individual thoughts don’t need to be brilliant. But if we can start listening to each other, and actually have constructive, respectful dialogue, then perhaps our collective thinking WILL be brilliant. 

My fellow Americans: don’t give up on that ideal that we, all of us together, are the “greatest nation in the world.” Please don’t give up. 

(P.S. Yes, I realize I am displaying a slight bit of hypocrisy in criticizing  Donald Trump while exclaiming that we should be unified. This is a special case that requires much more attention, which will be the focus of my next post. Unless I get sidetracked by some wholly other ridiculous train of thought! ;-) ) 

“Don’t Give Up” 
 By Peter Gabriel

In this proud land we grew up strong
We were wanted all along
I was taught to fight, taught to win
I never thought I could fail
No fight left or so it seems
I am a man whose dreams have all deserted
I've changed my name, I've changed my face
But no one wants you when you lose

Don't give up
'Cause you have friends
Don't give up
You're not beaten yet
Don't give up
I know you can make it good

Though I saw it all around
Never thought I could be affected
Thought that we'd be the last to go
It is so strange the way things turn
Drove the night toward my home
The place that I was born, on the lakeside
As daylight broke, I saw the earth
The trees had burned down to the ground

Don't give up
You still have us
Don't give up
We don't need much of anything
Don't give up
'Cause somewhere there's a place
Where we belong

Rest your head
You worry too much
It's going to be alright
When times get rough
You can fall back on us
Don't give up
Please don't give up

'Got to walk out of here
I can't take anymore
Going to stand on that bridge
Keep my eyes down below
Whatever may come
And whatever may go
That river's flowing
That river's flowing

Moved on to another town
Tried hard to settle down
For every job, so many men
So many men no-one needs

Don't give up
'Cause you have friends
Don't give up
You're not the only one
Don't give up
No reason to be ashamed
Don't give up
You still have us
Don't give up now
We're proud of who you are
Don't give up
You know it's never been easy
Don't give up
'Cause I believe there's a place
There's a place where we belong