Blame the rich for being poor. If they were not so wealthy we would not be so poor... Blame the obese for being thin. If they were not so fat we would not be so thin? Blame the healthy for being sick. If they were not so healthy we would not be so sick?? Blame the living for being dead. If they were not so vibrant we would not be so dead??!
Maybe we should really take responsibility for our lives. If I lose my teeth due to my sugar intake, it is not the fault of those who do not eat sweets or who brush their teeth regularly or otherwise have good dental hygiene, for my own oral or dental misfortune. That temp agency worker didn't get DNRed because the other temps did their jobs perfectly, he was told "Do Not Return" as a result of hiding in a corner talking on his cell phone. If I am in track to compete for a chance to finish first but do nothing to prepare, it is my own lack of training which truly prevents me from winning rather than the fact that all of the other contenders may have developed their potential more than me.
We never say it was those who have been following all of the rules, obeying all the statutes, who cause the transgressors to be defiant or be punished. Why is it that others' success is viewed as the cause for one's own failure? They take from me because we are all supposed to have an equal chance and somehow I am unable because they are greedy? They are doing really well since all those others are not doing well at all? The ant stores food for the Winter but the grasshopper does not and frolics all Summer instead, so how is it the ant's fault for the grasshopper's fate?
Sure, we can blame the rich for being so wealthy that the disparity between their financial situation and our own is so large, but we cannot say "woe is me," she is well-off and I am barely scraping by, so devoid of any effort of my own, the distance between our incomes should suddenly not be so much. We can certainly more easily notice a slacker when everyone else is working hard. If you drive the wrong way down a one-way street it is blatantly obvious that you're out of place: none of the signs face you, parked cars ought to be a giveaway, but be sure to suggest that it is on-coming traffic that causes the crash.
The dirt yard on your side of the fence is most certainly caused by the well-manicured and consistently watered sod that is properly maintained on the other side, so go on and cry your alligator tears, maybe Mao or Stalin will take pity on you.
A search for meaning perhaps or maybe a senseless jumble of disconnected thoughts proving no theory.
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Saturday, February 13, 2016
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Political gains tax
Without catastrophe there can be no change. Various things are exploited by the government or other political entities in order to press their agenda. The facts need not support the claims nor be the entire truth, what is important is gaining belief to motivate your outcome.
If there were no "global warming" we would never have much reason to add solar or wind generation or improve recycling efforts. Though we are still excessively dependent upon plastics and other petroleum products, plus, where will our soon to be mandated electric cars obtain their energy other than more dirty polluting power plants. Either is a zero sum game but its all hidden behind the "woe is we, save the whatever, feel good I'm doing a little bit of nothing" situation.
Much like one vote by one person has little value of itself, one person making certain that every bit of possible recycling is omitted from the trash is not really going to save the planet. One person choosing not to buy Naive bottled water isn't going to curb carbon emissions by itself. One person throwing their trash into a wastebin instead of upon the sidewalk will not prevent a refuse strewn neighborhood though one person toiling to maintain many square feet of it may have a real impact. The tax is our burden, the change to our lives that we pay for the outcome the political entity desires.
In those back rooms they speculate. "Imagine what we could do if we got everyone to do 'this'" and whatever that is is up to those political powers. They can justify invasion into our privacy without a warrant, help us feel good about the removal of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) from our foods, make us believe that organic or non-GMO is the hot thing. They can outlaw mowing of lawns, add security checkpoints at every street corner, force us to "willingly" carry tracking devices; submit our DNA to a database.
Sometimes science prevents a movement from becoming mainstream simply because real science does not validate it. Vaccinations are important and are of minimal risk, they do not cause autism so find a different windmill to poke at. In other things, historical fact or science is exaggerated or perhaps only part of the story is emphasized in order to succeed. Humans do affect their environment but to a catastrophic degree it is highly doubtful. We largely invent (or exploit) catastrophe because we only listen or act when it is dire and politicians know this very well.
If there were no "global warming" we would never have much reason to add solar or wind generation or improve recycling efforts. Though we are still excessively dependent upon plastics and other petroleum products, plus, where will our soon to be mandated electric cars obtain their energy other than more dirty polluting power plants. Either is a zero sum game but its all hidden behind the "woe is we, save the whatever, feel good I'm doing a little bit of nothing" situation.
Much like one vote by one person has little value of itself, one person making certain that every bit of possible recycling is omitted from the trash is not really going to save the planet. One person choosing not to buy Naive bottled water isn't going to curb carbon emissions by itself. One person throwing their trash into a wastebin instead of upon the sidewalk will not prevent a refuse strewn neighborhood though one person toiling to maintain many square feet of it may have a real impact. The tax is our burden, the change to our lives that we pay for the outcome the political entity desires.
In those back rooms they speculate. "Imagine what we could do if we got everyone to do 'this'" and whatever that is is up to those political powers. They can justify invasion into our privacy without a warrant, help us feel good about the removal of HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) from our foods, make us believe that organic or non-GMO is the hot thing. They can outlaw mowing of lawns, add security checkpoints at every street corner, force us to "willingly" carry tracking devices; submit our DNA to a database.
Sometimes science prevents a movement from becoming mainstream simply because real science does not validate it. Vaccinations are important and are of minimal risk, they do not cause autism so find a different windmill to poke at. In other things, historical fact or science is exaggerated or perhaps only part of the story is emphasized in order to succeed. Humans do affect their environment but to a catastrophic degree it is highly doubtful. We largely invent (or exploit) catastrophe because we only listen or act when it is dire and politicians know this very well.
Monday, March 26, 2012
The Stand
All of the fingers point at you, destroying the shadows you cling to with white hot blazing words of hate.
Walk to an open area, trace a circle around where you stand. This is your space and you defined it. Now imagine that those around you have twisted and contorted this space. Imagine that they have turned that space into a label and have affixed it to your forehead for all to see, yet it remains invisible and unknown to you. Your space still has a membership of one, but this solitary exclusive club is an inverse and a negative. It is a belonging that is not known to exist because you were placed there by all those around you. You cannot be a part of the outside because you are specifically denied access. Why are you not the same as all the rest? What gave you membership? You did not define this label, this epithet, slur. Those who put you there in that notorius club, who refuse to join because they are too good or perfect to be members, are known by many names. It is they who belong to the hateful minority. When such a hate filled minority gains influence and prestige, that is when true evil manifests.
You know about all of the groups you belong to, whether membership is by default or by desire. Those aspects you control, the best are highlighted with your participation and the others are accepted with indifference. Of those qualities that you cannot control, you work hard to emphasize those you feel will be accepted and try to hide the rest. Choose one feature of yourself that you are particularly fond of, that helps to define who you really are and makes you unique. Imagine this facet of yourself that you have picked, is despised by everyone around you. Imagine that because of how fond you are of this part of yourself, that you are not always able to hide it. Imagine that you are an expert at hiding this aspect of yourself but everyone around you somehow knows the truth. Where do you go? How do you survive? How does it feel to stand in this small circle others have drawn around you?
Pride is about community and identity. It is shouting from the top of the mountain to proclaim "I am!" It is a time of belonging without fear, an oasis of hope for the troubled. The most unfortunate thing, is that sometimes it is difficult or impossible to even privately feel pride in ones identity. When the hiding of self reaches this extreme, when there is only a slim chance for one's identity to surface around others, it is a very fragile time. Only this affected person knows exactly how precarious, the difficult balancing act on the edge of an abyss.
Suppose that one thing that defines you is the gender of who you love, would you let everyone around you deny you the ability to express your love? Would you let others decide whether the government, its laws, corporations, their policies, can exclude you because of the gender of who you love? Now replace the word gender with race or religion or status or class or creed or caste. Does switching it to something other than gender make it more acceptable or less acceptable? Why?
You bully, hate-filled political speaker, fire and brimstone bigot, non-acting bystander. Represent humanity. Extend a hand to draw someone from the edge, not to push them over. Words. Be inclusive, compassionate, empathize. Imagine yourself in their boat, their shoes. Honestly, how do YOU want to be treated?
Walk to an open area, trace a circle around where you stand. This is your space and you defined it. Now imagine that those around you have twisted and contorted this space. Imagine that they have turned that space into a label and have affixed it to your forehead for all to see, yet it remains invisible and unknown to you. Your space still has a membership of one, but this solitary exclusive club is an inverse and a negative. It is a belonging that is not known to exist because you were placed there by all those around you. You cannot be a part of the outside because you are specifically denied access. Why are you not the same as all the rest? What gave you membership? You did not define this label, this epithet, slur. Those who put you there in that notorius club, who refuse to join because they are too good or perfect to be members, are known by many names. It is they who belong to the hateful minority. When such a hate filled minority gains influence and prestige, that is when true evil manifests.
You know about all of the groups you belong to, whether membership is by default or by desire. Those aspects you control, the best are highlighted with your participation and the others are accepted with indifference. Of those qualities that you cannot control, you work hard to emphasize those you feel will be accepted and try to hide the rest. Choose one feature of yourself that you are particularly fond of, that helps to define who you really are and makes you unique. Imagine this facet of yourself that you have picked, is despised by everyone around you. Imagine that because of how fond you are of this part of yourself, that you are not always able to hide it. Imagine that you are an expert at hiding this aspect of yourself but everyone around you somehow knows the truth. Where do you go? How do you survive? How does it feel to stand in this small circle others have drawn around you?
“Show me a man or a woman alone and I'll show you a saint. Give me two and they'll fall in love. Give me three and they'll invent the charming thing we call 'society'. Give me four and they'll build a pyramid. Give me five and they'll make one an outcast. Give me six and they'll reinvent prejudice. Give me seven and in seven years they'll reinvent warfare. Man may have been made in the image of God, but human society was made in the image of His opposite number, and is always trying to get back home.”
Stephen King, in The Stand: The Complete & Uncut Edition (1990), 3rd paragraph of Chapter 42, Glen Bateman speaking
Pride is about community and identity. It is shouting from the top of the mountain to proclaim "I am!" It is a time of belonging without fear, an oasis of hope for the troubled. The most unfortunate thing, is that sometimes it is difficult or impossible to even privately feel pride in ones identity. When the hiding of self reaches this extreme, when there is only a slim chance for one's identity to surface around others, it is a very fragile time. Only this affected person knows exactly how precarious, the difficult balancing act on the edge of an abyss.
Suppose that one thing that defines you is the gender of who you love, would you let everyone around you deny you the ability to express your love? Would you let others decide whether the government, its laws, corporations, their policies, can exclude you because of the gender of who you love? Now replace the word gender with race or religion or status or class or creed or caste. Does switching it to something other than gender make it more acceptable or less acceptable? Why?
You bully, hate-filled political speaker, fire and brimstone bigot, non-acting bystander. Represent humanity. Extend a hand to draw someone from the edge, not to push them over. Words. Be inclusive, compassionate, empathize. Imagine yourself in their boat, their shoes. Honestly, how do YOU want to be treated?
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