If a message as simple as "stay in school" can be twisted into a generalised fear of socialist indoctrination, I fear my country has stepped through the looking glass.
So, I was proud to see that mi compadre Sean Paul Kelley got his first byline in The Guardian. Good to see a talented writer and a savvy observer of the world around enjoying some success (now if I can just figure out how to do something similar). 'Course, no writer gets very far without a message...and in this case, Sean Paul definitely has a lot to get off his chest. From where I sit, he's spot on.
How anyone could get exercised over a speech in which the President of the United States and leader of the free world exhorts schoolchildren to work hard, apply themselves, and maintain a good attitude simply defies rational description. Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and George W. Bush did something roughly equivalent...and yet no one said "Boo!"...because there was nothing objectionable about any of their speeches. A Democratic President (and...OMIGOD!!...a black man!!) does the same thing...and the cries of "Socialism!!" can be heard from sea to shining sea? WTF? Have we lost our collective mind? Like I need to answer that....
The reality is that there's a vocal minority in this country determined to undermine Barack Obama at any and every opportunity. That this may ultimately be detrimental to the public good seems almost beside the point, because Barack Obama isn't "one of us". You might, as I do, attribute this reality to racial hatred, or you might see different, more complex reasons at work. Whatever it might be, the sad reality is that some wingnuts simply don't believe that Obama is worthy of being President. If they can't win on the merits of their arguments, they can hammer him about his birth certificate...or they can simply make things up and cobble them together into "real" issues. The truth of the matter really doesn't matter, because from their point of view all they have to do is to keep Obama distracted and engaged in a constant parade of meaningless battles. Keep this up for long enough, and they're confident that ultimately victory will be theirs. That their intransigence may well take the country down with them seems almost beside the point. Their all-consuming hatred of all things Obama is really all that matters. Feeding the beast and maintaining the frenzy has become an end in itself. Reality, rationality, and perspective have long since left the building.
That intellectual and moral vacuums the likes of Glenn Beck and Rush Limbaugh have attracted such rabid and devoted followings says a lot about why we're in the mess we're in. No, I don't expect these folks to think like I do, but sometimes I can't help but wonder if it's too much to expect them to merely THINK. If you think that Beck, Limbaugh, and their ilk have ANYTHING positive to add to our national debate, you might want to give some serious thought to surrendering your voter registration card now. If you can't be bothered to think critically, if you're idea of rational discussion is emotional, vitriolic condemnation (i.e., shouting down and/or screaming at) of those you disagree with, you have nothing of any value to contribute.
I fear for the future of my country when a large segment of the population refuses to engage in anything resembling critical thought. I despair for what lays ahead of us when so much public "discussion" resembles the script from "Idiocracy". How can we look ahead with confidence when so many are quite happy to react emotionally, putting their mouths in gear before engaging their brains? As much as I try to maintain my optimism, to remember that we're Americans and we've overcome much larger problems, looking on the bright is becoming progressively more difficult. When so many are willing to believe the worst because they're vacant, empty vessels waiting to be filled up by the first available demagogue, can (or should) we be optimistic about our future? Or is our destiny to be ruled by the lowest common denominator, those willing to react the fastest and shout the loudest?
WE DESERVE BETTER.
