ORD>PWM 12D, Embraer 175, 30,000 feet. Light chop but a beautiful late afternoon, midwest summer down below.
Another shooting in Texas but it’s difficult to feel sympathetic(to the problem, not the people) when exactly zero of our political leaders have any interest in fixing the problem. Our system is entirely compromised but distracted America limps along pointing partisan fingers while the NRA funnels money into more rich, white pockets.
Same story different day.
Is it tragic when you know it’s coming? Is it tragic when it has already become commonplace? Or is the tragedy that we still think it’s a tragedy?
We pretend. We pretend our opinion is the truth. We pretend the government still works. We pretend “our side” is right and “their side” is wrong. We pretend we are informed. We pretend we aren’t distracted. We pretend we aren’t greedy. We pretend we aren’t addicted. We pretend our methods are working. We pretend this is our country. We pretend we were here first. We pretend there is an “us” and a “them.” We pretend we aren’t the problem. We pretend we are intelligent.
We pretend we have a solution. We pretend it will get better. We pretend good triumphs over evil. We pretend we have a choice. We pretend we are in control. We pretend we can determine our fate. We pretend we aren’t the problem.
Comments 12
Hi Dan, I absolutely agree with you on this and as an observer from across the ‘pond’ I guess we’re very lucky here to have zero access to hand guns (unless you’re in an extremely highly regulated shooting club where the weapons stay on the premises I believe and certainly we have no access to semi-automatic rifles etc.)
My sincere hope is that the young people in the States will eventually turn away from the politicians who push the NRA’s agenda and vote them out – my only evidence, or misplaced hope you might say, for this is the current rise of our young people across the world who are supporting each other in the fight against climate change.
I just hope that ‘old fellas’ like us will see the change!
Author
David,
I think one of the key elements does live with youth, but I have to say, many are so distracted by online life they don’t seem to care about voting. In fact, I’ve surveyed A LOT of young people about their voting habits and the number one response has been “I didn’t vote.” And the reason they give is that if they can’t vote with their phone they can’t be bothered. They describe the current voting system as “that old school way,” and they seem annoyed by having to go somewhere to vote, so they just don’t. If this changes they will realize the power they actually have and it scares the current establishment to death. Power to the kids.
Dan I’m sorry you feel this way. Yes we live in dark times but the antidote for what you’re feeling is doing some small good thing then another. There are no guarantees any of that will work. But for what it’s worth this is my motto:
https://poets.org/poem/do-not-go-gentle-good-night
Author
Jim,
I’m doing good things every day. That is my goal. The first is to think about other people more than I think about myself. What does my neighbor need? Who IS my neighbor? How do I best communicate? I would call this corrupt times. We are finally being exposed for what we truly are. I actually don’t hold out much hope for our culture. I’m just wondering what will happen when we finally blow apart.
Yeah Dan, that seems to apply to a lot of adults too, especially here in the U.K. – there’s a definite lack of trust in politicians and the system.
Maybe it would help if we could vote electronically, and also look at making voting compulsory, like they do in Australia?
As you say – “ Power to the kids.”
Author
David,
Hopefully, the kids figure it out before it’s too late. Our voting system is rigged too. Republicans are actively undermining minority rights, access to voting and gerrymandering lines left and right. The Russians hacked the 2016 election, which in itself if one of the most remarkable happenings in the history of our country but we are now so partisan, and Trump is so destructive it almost gets lost in the shuffle. He is very talented at breaking things all day long so that the public begins to think this chaos is normal. I’ve said it many times before, we deserve to go down in flames for what we are doing. At some point the Trump music will stop and these same Republicans who are enabling him will turn and point the finger at the Democrats and say “It’s all their fault,” and their constituents will get in line behind them and take the red pill. As predictable as the sunrise.
Dan,
I love you brother but I can’t take the left wing political rhetoric any longer. I’m out. I wish you best.
Author
Thanks Mike. Good luck, keep snapping pics.
Dan
Here are the small good things I’m doing. I volunteer to register folks to vote. I’m getting involved in my local Democratic party. I vote in every election including local ones. I contribute to Democratic campaigns across the country. I’ve joined the ACLU. Next election I’ll volunteer to drive folks to the polls. I’m trying to be civically engaged and I encourage others to do the same. Peace out.
Author
Jim,
That is great, truly. All good ideas regardless of party or affiliation we should all be involved with the groups we believe in. And I like the local level approach as well. Often the local elections don’t seem to get much play, don’t seem to be so critical but they really are. Before we left Southern California we had a few local elections with some truly dangerous candidates. It really became a vote to keep them away more than anything else. They were proposing things that were frankly against the greater good of the population, and they seemed to think nobody would vote, that they might have free reign.
Famous man once said all politics is local. 😉
Author
Jim,
Local elections are often not that sexy, but are they critical, yep.