I bought a ticket to the circus last week. Not much has changed since the last performance except that the monkeys have multiplied, and their handlers became drama coaches.
I don’t generally address politics in this space. We all have a right to our own opinions, and the right not to be badgered by someone with opposite views. The circus is just another venue for infringing on those rights. Be aware that circuses are built around distractions; the clowns who star in the show are expert magicians, and the basis of magic is that nothing is ever as it seems. This is the year of the circus. It’ll be around for months and, even if you don’t buy a ticket, the shouts of the barkers will be hard to ignore.
I’ve dozed through numerous State of the Union addresses but this time I stayed awake because I’m ever more worried about the future of America. I heard nothing to diminish worry. The event is simply a performance. A serious assessment of the state of the nation wouldn’t include a greeting parade, interruptions for booing, applauding and chanting, panning the audience to see who’s dressed inappropriately for a meeting with the President, and everyone crowding in for a selfie. No blame or bragging, just an honest look at what’s working and what’s not. No interpretation by pundits with agendas of their own, because the message would be straightforward.
Fear is a powerful tool for controlling the masses. Remember the pandemic? We’re constantly told to be afraid, very afraid: of covid, that the planet is burning up, that peace can’t prevail unless the United States intervenes in every country’s battles. Afraid that someone’s feelings will be hurt, that our actions will be seen as racist, that anyone with a different religion or viewpoint is a threat, afraid to own our truth…
We may be told what solutions may cost, but not how spending those dollars will add to the national debt, or why we should send money abroad when we can’t pay our bills at home. Credit card companies have debt limits, but apparently that doesn’t apply to governments. If your rent has gone up, if you’ve been to the grocery store, or eaten a hamburger out, you’re pretty sure the economy is in bad shape. Maybe you got a raise but it’s less than the cost-of-living increase, and you won’t be eating at McDonalds much anymore. Maybe your favorite business no longer exists because they couldn’t find people to hire, or keep ahead of the shoplifters. Maybe your own business closed for the above reasons.
I wouldn’t want to live anywhere but America, but if we want this experiment to continue, we’d best get off our rear ends and participate, instead of waiting to be bailed out by folks wearing clown suits. Sometimes the emperor and his/ her minions really are naked.
Let’s stop letting them throw money at the problems and get our boots on the ground. Do the homework, find out what’s true and what isn’t. All sides have an agenda they won’t admit, and your job is to discover it. Every decision has unintended consequences. Discover what those are, and decide whether we can live with them.
My dad always said that figures don’t lie but liars can figure. When speakers, or news articles, use acronyms instead of the real names of something, when you encounter a string of zeros instead of the word ‘trillion,’ start looking around for mirrors, and sniffing for smoke. Be afraid. Be very afraid.
Meet me here next week and meanwhile, do your best. Someone might like it.