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This entry is an addendum to my previous and very long post,
'Vaccine Coercion by Disenfranchisement', which explores the suspicious alignment of politics and media surrounding the handling of COVID, the 2020 U.S. election, and the riots led by BLM.
A word of reason on behalf of the misunderstood. These days, unless we are willing to join in and vehemently preach this homogenous, mainstream media-driven narrative to the choir, we find ourselves at risk of being othered as some ultimate enemy and arch nemesis.
I will not be silent! Stop Bullying! the 99%, #metoo, etc.
Sigh. And it's wrong to krush kittens. Death to the Kitten-Krushers!
As if those who refuse to join in on these virtuous causes are opposed to kindness or humanity.
These gullible, narcissistic simpletons with their constant grandstanding, it's as obnoxious as posting duck-faced gym selfies. What a bunch of would-be rebels and revolutionaries. There's nothing edgy about any of you, except maybe when you Hulu instead of Netflix, or if you Roku, then you're practically off the grid, you bunch of radical, anarchist lunatics.
We're not living in the sixties anymore. Civil rights, women's suffrage, Vietnam, birth control, psychedelics...the kids today missed out on the big, meaningful grass roots social revolutions. They didn't have smart phones and social media back then. They had sex, drugs and rock and roll, and they had conviction!
Instead, today we have these phony, corporate and media-sponsored, staged events with paid protestors, then we have the looters, and then we have all the spectators on social media. And then, there's the police who just have to stand there and take it, even if they're black. And then the world joins in, which is extra fun because they get to be a part of the American reality show.
If you didn't vote for Obama, you're a racist. Then, if you voted for Trump, you're a racist and a fascist, and if you don't support BLM, you deserve to be physically attacked.
By the transitive property, if you don't wear a mask, you're also a Nazi? What if we don't wanna take the vaccine? I'll bet a lot more of us can reach across the aisle on this one. I sure hope so.
Funny about the name, Black Lives Matter; it can get very 'who's on first' routine in a hurry without specifying context. Do I what? Support Black lives? Are you talking about the people?...the organization?...errr the movement?...
Then came the retorts of 'All Lives Matter', and 'Blue Lives Matter' which were quickly dismissed.
No, Black Lives Matter! Say it, or else.
They demand such brand loyalty! If Martin Luther King, Jr. himself were alive today and questioned or condemned BLM, they would probably call him an Uncle Tom and kick him right square in his Dream.
If you aren't a global citizen, you're a xenophobe and probably anti-semitic. Connect the dots on that one, you guys. You can't very well Occupy Wallstreet and stand with these giant corporations.
And, once the big companies support BLM, you're still down with their reliance on Chinese slave labor? Was it such a victory, sticking it to the man, that they paid a sponsorship and put up a BLM badge? As long as these big companies help opiate the masses, they can do what they want.
This same kind of othering has been employed in the past towards those who don't fit neatly in the box.
'I support the troops but not the war'. Fine, that's nice and neat.
In religious circles, it's 'hate the sin, not the sinner'. Very clever and helpful for avoiding hypocrisy, a constant hazard for zealots.
'I didn't vote for either side'. Not so fine, because if one votes third party then it's either 'You're throwing your vote away', or 'If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything'. For example, if you didn't vote for John Kerry or George W (I voted for neither), you'd hear 'You have to vote for the lesser of two evils'.
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| Cartoon by the brilliant B. Kliban |
People just love these quippy memes, and they spread like wildfire on social media. Like Myers-Briggs and those incessant Love Languages people cling to for match making, a memorable labelling system provides a place for people to belong, so that in a pinch they can be identified and put on a team, learn a secret hand shake and all play pat-a-cake.
The only ones that ever stuck with me were Dad's existentialist 'Shit, shave and shower' and Gary Larson's 'Pants first, then shoes'.
Sometimes, one must summon the courage, honesty and intestinal fortitude to simply say 'I don't have an answer, but I smell bullshit'. If faced with a choice of getting F'd in the ass or poked in the eye, I'm going with neither of the above.
Such is the slippery slope of standing in the honest and lonely purgatory of remaining agnostic, suspending judgement for the sake of attempting rational objectivity with a heavy dose of analysis and skepticism, faithful only to a search for answers, or at least as an attempt to purge any lies and misconceptions by process of elimination. Yet, it is a thankless virtue, as no credit will be given, and the skeptic who stands solemnly in the gray shadows of no man's land is summarily dismissed and then fast tracked into damnation.
What are you? A Fascist or a Communist? Shove! Punch! Square peg in round hole. You're welcome.
Whether one questions wearing a mask, taking a vaccine, who to vote for, supporting Black Lives Matter, or believing the news, there are a lot of really good people who are just trying to make sense of the world around them, and because they care, it is important to question.
Not believing the narrative isn't the same as embracing the offense.
I don't believe in Bigfoot, but that doesn't mean I'm hiding a secret hatred of Bigfoot. And, if Bigfoot actually exists, but I don't have enough evidence to honestly say I believe in Bigfoot, it simply means I'm being honest, and I would feel silly fist bumping with Bigfoot enthusiasts at conventions. No, fuck you AND Bigfoot. And the Tooth Fairy.
Of course, like many people, I would be outraged if I believed the police were racially targeting black people en masse. Rather, I genuinely find the premise to be untrue and contrived, and I am outraged that such a sensitive subject would be deliberately employed to further some political outcome.
Here's an interview by Ben Shapiro speaking with Larry Elder, who offers some facts and statistics about "the Black Lives Matter movement and whether or not black Americans are being systematically hunted down by police in the United States".
I especially support the Black personalities on YouTube who have the courage to call bullshit on these police shootings and subsequent riots. They have the bravery, self respect and self worth to use their voice and speak up, to distinguish themselves and isolate the unfortunate criminal element associated with the culture to preserve the individual dignity and of honor of Black people. It is their's to claim and share as a unique cornerstone of true American culture. Such integrity inspires supportive solutions. Yet, if I were to question or criticize aloud the mainstream approach to addressing the ailments of this disenfranchised culture, I would be condemned and attacked by both Black and White for being a racist.
Good, conscientious people are being silenced or ruined for expressing their concerns, and those who demand all forms of tolerance have become unconscionably intolerant.
The truth is that most people probably share a lot of the same values, but the narratives surrounding us are driving division.
Tragically, it seems as if those we've known and loved for years are suddenly exposing such philosophical differences that our most valued and long standing relationships risk being severed.
Some propose that we adopt the mantra of 'agree to disagree' for the sake of suspending judgement and avoiding absurd disconnects, not only with those we know, but as a society. But, it's not enough to simply agree to disagree. Rather than attempt to dominate each other at a point of disagreement from the top-down, we can fast-track agreement from the bottom-up, by establishing the most basic elements of common values. Though easier said than done.
It's not important to win an argument, to convince each other who is right, as though we have enough information to draw a conclusion or judge with a litany of details surrounding any given situation from which we are all many times removed.
Can't we establish up front that regardless of the facts or outcomes, whether a story is true or not, it is most likely we share the same concerns?
We find ourselves carrying the burden of having to reason out a conclusion, without sufficient information or context, creating an anxious sense of competitive urgency to return to society with some stance, and we are not necessarily able to arrive at anything that allows us to engage and discuss. It creates a competition, a self righteous contest, only to find ourselves disappointed, criticizing, accusing and rejecting each other for being gullible or even stupid in our response to stories about events we did not witness.
We have surpassed the point where a joke that makes one person laugh, but makes another person cry, is no longer allowed. Because, as they say of gender-inclusive language - words matter. Take a look at the guidelines on language at Mount Sinai's Adolescent Health Center.
Be careful about fashioning too sharp a stick out of this axiom - words matter - such that free speech becomes too great a liability.
And especially be mindful of deliberately taking words out of their original context to manipulate their meaning and mischaracterize the speaker.
Remember, words and language, though marvelous tools for interfacing, are merely crude approximations of thought. Perhaps words are better at evoking imagery to carry recipients somewhere in the general vicinity of meaning rather than relying on such brute force as to hand deliver meaning to an exact address.
Ironically, those on the Left who have begun policing words are as intolerant as the far-right fundamentalists who insist and rely upon literal interpretations of what were intended as parables and metaphors, such that those who take license or dare to emphasize the fluid and transient nature of language and thought are deemed infidels and heretics. Heads will roll and souls will suffer!
Case in point - don't dare let anyone catch you saying 'He' after he becomes a 'She,' because, like language, gender is now also considered fluid and transient, but it is to be regarded literally, even if it's just a strap-on. Apparently, a metaphorical vagina or parable penis is just as legit as a home grown one. Regardless of X and Y chromosomes, a person's beliefs are to be respected - their faith is what counts. Unless someone starts talking about God or Jesus. Then, it's all bullshit.
Going forward, if anyone talks too much about Christ returning to save mankind, it's probably a schizophrenic and you should give them a quarter and be on your way. But if they announce they're planning on chopping their dick off and installing PVC pipe, you should probably take notes during the lecture and turn in your homework on time because they are your professor and there might be a quiz later.
Are we in such a rush to the checkout that we are bypassing the grocery aisles and just grabbing candy and tabloids at the register? No wonder we're moody, we're spiking our blood sugar and bound to crash. Who needs real sustenance when we have a bounty of dopamine rewards from the social media vending machine, dispensed in the safety and comfort (privacy not included) of our homes in this touchless society.
What the hell am I talking about? Relax, it's just an impression. An expression of the soul. Well, I'll be damned.
One last line from my anonymous, twelve-year-old, outdated, unresponsive blog.
Salvage and reconnect those singed and burnt out wires. You just might yet establish a signal.
See also: 'Vaccine Coercion by Disenfranchisement'.
