I apologize for the length of this entry, but it had to be done.
I am so thankful that I can finally write the blog that I started and couldn't finish earlier after watching that Presidential “debate", the uninformed newbies running their mouths and the media doing what it has done since the orange one came down the escalator to announce his candidacy for President of the United States had me experiencing my old adversary - anxiety. I knew that the orange one might win then because of the education I had in Political Science/Public Service, experiences I have had in electoral politics - both national and local, as well as observations I have been making as a citizen for even many more years.
I was disgusted and ridden with angst when I went to sleep and woke up yesterday, but not for the reasons I was hearing from pundits, friends and most loved ones who were anxiety stricken about Biden’s poor performance in the “debate.” I no longer hang any of my hopes on the society in which I swim. One of the reasons I pay so much attention to major media is that I have always used it as an indicator of popular opinions since it is effective at programming my fellow United Statesians. I recently learned that I had to focus on creating a local community for myself. I was exposed to the importance of organizing 40 years ago through other community experiences. Although I have recently had the opportunity to focus on building with those who want to create a “generative embodied anti-racist culture” as Resmaa Menakem talks about it and Somatic Abolition makes possible. Nothing else is worth my energy, especially my emotional energy and health at this point.
I had those feelings of angst because it was happening all over again. What was happening, you wonder? The media was ONCE AGAIN failing at its job being the Fourth Estate in this democracy. Since the advent of candidate orange man and his ability to galvanize those uninformed about how this system actually works (low information voters) and becoming the avatar for the worst impulses of this country’s populace, the major media has failed 99% of the time to handle him effectively. They give him free airtime because he plays them like a fiddle just like he does right up to today. Their addiction to ratings, spectacle and their abdication of their 4th estate role is big part of the reason we are where we are as a society. No wonder I used to call the mainstream media “death and destruction news.” The orange one is the destruction and has already caused a lot of deaths.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat confirmed this during Deadline White House broadcast yesterday for the 4 minutes and 40 seconds that she spoke at the end of the show and in her book, Strongmen. I have posted on social media about other sources of this knowledge of authoritarians over the years by citing the book On Tyranny and the podcast Gaslit Nation. Yes, Nicolle Wallace needs to do another longer segment with just her.
When I watched the “analysis” of the “debate” by MSNBC’s panel of pundits, Lawrence O’Donnell was the only one making any kind of sense immediately afterward. I even sent him a tweet about it.
The major media keeps covering the advent of this man on the national and international stage as “normal.” They have in effect been the conduit that made his authoritarian purposes palatable to the public. I am certain that this process is covered by some of the sources referenced above.
So many dynamics of our society make this country ripe for the picking by bad actors, mostly the high number of uninformed people in the population, those who do not regularly exercise critical thinking and those who pride themselves in “not being political.” The orange one is a puppeted useful idiot of a man bent on a campaign to revive his country’s “greatness.” Their childhood trauma has dovetailed to put the world in a tailspin as many become the frogs being slowly boiled in a pot. As I have written before, the orange one is a transactional narcissist that has always gone to the highest bidder. I refuse to call him a strongman as Ruth Ben-Ghiat would term his aspirations, but he definitely has a love affair with strongmen, and honestly, so do many United Statesians.
Because of our conditioning about what leadership should look like, too many of us choose to identify leadership in a way that aligns with narcissistic traits (clinical or habitual). We end up looking for leaders to be like the acolytes of Jack Welch in business, playground bullies who seem to grow up to be the celebrities of the WWE, some person out of central casting or some combination. Poor us.
I also had to stop subjecting myself to the ecosystem of Amanda Seales’ personality and stage of growth. I have often followed tolerable younger people 😆 to keep my finger on the pulse of how they are moving us toward the future. I could no longer tolerate what she fosters for reasons I will not state here. I am going to let her, and those who seem to need her influence, live unfettered by my wisdom about the road they are on.
Another dynamic of this society seems to be that too many people worship youth and celebrity while disrespecting people with the wisdom of age. I am glad that I have always valued elders and seen celebrities as people, not someone to be worshipped. I do admire talented people, but not the artificial superiority of people with a platform and a following, no matter who they are. I have never disrespected them in a seeming effort I have observed to “cut them down to size.” I do recognize them as humans with a different context than mine.
I believe I have written enough about the needed collaboration between wisdom and innovation represented by the youth and the aged. The seeming need to throw away everything about aging in this society of weight loss drugs, plastic surgery, MILFs and Zaddies is undermining the richness of the opportunity. I hope that we reach the equilibrium of this collaboration for all our benefit.
Back to pundits and the Presidential “debate”. I got out of electoral politics because of the plantation nature of the dynamic as is often the case in this system that has been predicated on worldwide white body supremacy disorder. I have also observed that the navel gazing done by the elites of the political class has undermined their effectiveness. Of course, I noticed it when working on the Jackson campaign and the Obama campaign. But most recently I noticed, besides the Comey interference in the 2016 election, Hillary’s campaign and many pundits didn’t take the orange one’s influence seriously. Too many of them are out of touch with everyday United Statesians.
When I woke up the day after the “debate”, I was reaching out to all of my regulars to process my emotions about the reverberations of the public’s misguided emotions. I was disappointed by JoyAnn Reid during the MSNBC analysis of the debate. Roland Martin wasn’t doing what I needed. Jon Stewart seemed to be gut punched as well. I didn’t expect anything from CNN because I stopped watching that channel regularly a long time ago. I am also observing the shift of people of certain ideologies to find new clandestine homes that seems to always happen throughout history. MSNBC used to be a little forward thinking for mainstream news. I have watched the former Republicans find their home there as well as some who disabuse what they wrought in the orange one that gave way to the new MAGA Republican party.
I recently ran across a very insightful recording about the differences between the symptoms of Biden’s aging and the personality of the orange one. I hope it helps to clarify what we are observing. I wish some pundits would avail themselves of its guidance as well.
I am thankful that the palate cleanser I needed to engage was my own daughter. It was the first and only conversation I had that settled my soul the day after. The next came many hours later, when I watched last night’s broadcast of The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell. I wish I could pass around this episode like candy! For historical perspective and sanity watch the following:
The whole show was great. I especially appreciated what Zerlina Maxwell said on the panel and Neal Katyal’s analysis of the latest SCOTUS rulings was also the most helpful thing I heard about them. I will update this with the full audio of the episode when it is available.
This destruction started in the Reagan era in California. You would be surprised to learn of the thread of the idea of “Making America Great Again” in history beyond Reagan saying it back in the day. He even kept the racist gaslighting going with his appearance at the Neshoba County Fair.
I remember noting the challenges that the State of Calfornia had in passing a budget. The party of “no” has been undermining this union with its clandestine bad faith that has finally reached the federal government and has now manifested itself as Project 2025. Let’s stop taking these people with a grain of salt and compromising with them. Learn to effectively deal with the schoolyard bullies who have grown up to bully this country.
I hope more of us will do our part to stop abdicating our role as the most important part of this union. Voting is the essential part of it. If it wasn’t, “they” wouldn’t be working so hard to undermine it. We just need to have the stamina to persevere to “keep it” as Benjamin Franklin proclaimed. Remember, all politics are local. To make a change, make it happen where you are. No need to find something - look around you, I have no doubts that there are opportunities close to home.
To those in the stage of wokeness where they fantasize about being revolutionaries, know that we need everyone and all approaches as many exemplify in telling the story of Malcolm and Martin. I won’t post her latest rant here, but Amanda Seales once again during it, she railed against those she characterized as “reformists.” I have seen these notions lead to tire necklaces during the anti-Apartheid campaign. 😔
These labels will only be confirmed through the retrospective of history. History is the best judge of who is a sell-out/reformist and who is a revolutionary. I now see why she may not have used the term “sell-out.” Those who hold those labels dear as a badge of honor, have at it. I have no desire for that. I only seek to live well with my other good faith humans and other parts of nature.
Slash and burn is a viable approach, but I think even agrarians will now say that it was a shortsighted and unsustainable approach as shown in these linked search results.
Speaking of nature, I have confirmed most of the lessons that have served me throughout my life by observing nature. Some have heard me speak of this lesson about the nature of change for years. High tide and low tide does not occur all at once. It comes in and goes out until it reaches its apex or low point. That is how change that brings many along happens based on what I have observed over my lifetime.
I want to go together.
As for where we are now as a society, hold on, it’s already been a ride and it will take all of our wherewithal to navigate what we are about to go through. So, let’s stop looking up to people who are cunning in all the worst ways. There is a line that shouldn’t be crossed because it can have dire consequences.
I am thankful that I met and got to have a conversation with Gil Scott Heron in the late 80's. Even with that honor, I only recently realized that “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised” means it will probably first be internal as we journey in the knowledge of self. I first interpreted it as a communal thing, not covered by the mainstream media. I wonder how those pundits would fare under the scrutiny with which they cover others.
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