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A raging burst of mendacity clouds the nation’s skies. A loser pretends to be a winner. Can’t accept what happened. Just won’t let go. And stubbornly refuses to move on.
TRUTH VS. FREE SPEECH
Truth has deep intrinsic roots in democracy. A moral value to be recognized and respected. People accept such a reassuring expression of integrity. A clarion call for citizens to stand together in society.
Free speech, equally important, means the right to speak openly. The right to express an honest point of view. The 1st Amendment to our Constitution, however, deserves respect and restraint. Mustn’t be used to justify a self-serving outburst of the moment.
The issue is posting misinformation. Or worse yet – unleashing disinformation to spread and go viral. Facts do need to be checked. Sources cited. Opinions clearly defined, differentiated and documented. In no way taken for granted.
Situations have dramatically changed since 1776 when not even an inkling of social media existed. Two-hundred-plus years remained until the conception of the beast –even in ones wildest most distorted dreams.
FAST FORWARD
Remember Pretty Little Liars? A circa 2010 TV series for Gen Zers. Each week, the four girls and their friends would bluff their way out of one mess after another. And provide an enticing form of entertainment.
Politics, on the other hand, is a tool of governing. Part of the democratic process –not intended to entertain.
Although, at times, it can. If only those moments would be reassuring when they should occur.
To 2021…
So who believes the current lies?
Save-the-planet activists certainly don’t. Perhaps those in a leave-us-alone rural group would. Of late, they’ve been drifting even further to the right. Why?
Fear of losing out. Fear of taxes. Fear of change. Fear someone might be gaining on them. Fear of diversity. Same old-fashion prejudice. A rage of insecurity.
the future is now
The future offers an endless array of options. And is nothing to fear. The past is past. Never can be recaptured. So, upward and onward.
Tell that to today’s less-than-charming liars!
Yesterday’s left wingers have now settled politically into the center right. A slightly younger group then fills the ensuing vacuum left of center.
distortion obscures
The inescapable problem for all of us – those big lies. Not white lies nor tall tales. But blatant lies. Obvious lies. Just have to fact check. A complete distortion of truth.
Sure, we all gaze out at the world through different eyes. As per Anaïs Nin’s Seduction of the Minatour (1954) a mid-20th-century journalist/author recently rehabilitated by the internet: “We do not see things as they are, we see them as we are.”
Truth may vary slightly the way each of us perceives it. Reality, all the while, is out there. Static. So-called alternate reality –a fabrication. Plain and simple.
Granted exaggeration and embellishment might at times enrich a story. But b.s. denigrates everything it touches. It will always be b.s. Passing off a pack of lies for the truth simply doesn’t fly.
GO GONZO
Lies from liars –no longer so pretty, nor so young– have grown increasingly less palatable. These individuals naïvely believe if they sing loudly enough, others will buy their tune. They offer a void of new ideas while only craving peer approval from their contemporaries.
They fear their old world is disappearing. They dread the prospect of advancing. They fear they’ve been short changed. They want to defy nature and turn back the clock. Not just an hour. But years. Decades.
These worshippers of the past even fail to offer a credible substitute for the late, outlaw journalist Hunter Thompson’s gonzo zip and zing. They mouth too much dry, ill-founded propaganda. Driven by greed rather than fact, they flagrantly accuse. But never assume.
time to laugh
Their quest to regain power lost proves an empty one with a glaring void – the absence of any humor. We can’t take ourselves too seriously. It’s erecting a barrier.
Better to smile and laugh and go with the flow.
Late last century, Gonzo journalism offered a playful diversion with a first-person narrator inserted into the saga. Whereas today, a faux victim seeks a supportive streak of sympathy.
sympathy is…
Yes, sympathy. To be blunt, as George Raft a 1950’s gangster actor caustically observed: “it’s located in the dictionary – between shit and syphilis.” The former, the natural byproduct of a normal bodily function; the latter, a potentially fatal venereal disease. Nor should we forget synthetic in the same section and it’s questionable world of plastic.
Psychotics and psychoses are blatantly present in this scenario. But they’ve also managed to have their images protectively covered over and painted out of the picture. Today, alas, everywhere one turns, people are full of both. Totally.
Life has grown too damn serious. Tell me where has all the humor gone?
THE LOOKING GLASS
We really must remember to laugh at ourselves on a regular basis regardless the time of day or the current weather. Even current or past politics. We need to laugh whenever we glance at the mirror. We need smile and give seriousness a good solid kick in the butt. Send it sprawling and cheer.
We need to embrace our neighbor and our neighbor’s neighbor. Now. Sharing and working together has never been more essential. In congress, senators and representatives alike need to reach across the aisle.
To win seats or get reelected at the expense of losing our planet should never even be considered. The values are clear. It’s a no brainer. The issue is timing. We have to set our priorities straight and be competing for the long run.
diversity works
We need to diversify friends and finances, work hard and have fun. We’re just starting to emerge from the horrific pandemic. So, fun needs to have common sense factored into the equation.
Better to temper fate than to tempt it. Everything happens in its own proper time. We mustn’t be afraid. There’s nothing to fear.
Yuri, a Russian friend, described life back home in Moscow after the abrupt fall of communism in 1991. On hearing a sudden knock on the door at two in the morning, Yuri’s grandparents would be terrified.
K.G.B. nyet
They feared it was the secret police and knew all too well the potential threat and danger.
At that time, Yuri’s parents quite young and newly married, happened to know better. Less burdened by the past. Less concerned about the future. A few of their good friends were passing by on their way to the disco. No reason for concern.
Different colors in different hues. Everything changes with the light. Yuri’s grandparents, relieved by the truth, went back to bed. His parents grabbed their jackets and headed out for the night.
recollections
Jumping to the present, Yuri’s parents now recall when he was in his late teens. He’d hear his mobile ping at that magical hour, and he’d head for a fun night with his girlfriend. The time having come for Yuri to step up and step out.
And now it’s our time. Time for all of us to look in the mirror and smile. A time to go forward.
It’s exciting to be starting a whole new chapter of life.
Vaccinated and healthy. Couldn’t be better. Plenty of time to research, plan and start in anew with a whole fresh slate. I’m ready. We all need to be.
About the Article
A view of current attitudes in regard to misinformation and the irresponsible campaign to gain unjustified acceptance.
