|
Dissolve into Evergreens
|
||||
|
Tort Reform Thanks Grandma Pay You in Tacos? RNC - Really Nasty Convention Up To The Minute Education Four More Smears? Status Report Yummy Tax Cuts, Part 2 I Heart NYC Justin Oldham - Politics and Patriotism
Wilco The Flaming Lips The New Radicals John Mayer Zero 7 Dream Theater Radiohead Death Cab for Cutie The Notwist O.S.I. Ani Difranco The Shins Elliott Smith Badly Drawn Boy Chroma Key Coheed and Cambria The Streets Andrew Bird Sufjan Stevens Atom Site Feed 
|
9.07.2004
So what do you do when you know smart, reasonable, relatively well educated people that plan to vote for The Worst President Ever? Shake your head and wonder "What the Fuck?" Ask them if they would at least consider staying home that day? Wonder if you've just spent a year tirelessly stating your case and presenting evidence for nothing? Marvel at the effect a good coordinated campaign of disinformation can have? ---- In other news today, I had a chance to chit-chat with a soldier serving in Iraq, back on leave, doing a little shopping. I asked him "So how are things really going over there?" His reply? Not so great. I paraphrase, but the basics of his answer was that yes, some progress was being made, but in the Sunni Triangle it was chaos. In addition, there will be a permanent U.S. presence in Iraq with at least five bases that he knows about. We will be there for a long time with one year rotations of troops. I couldn't help but wonder if its really gonna take that long to sweep up all those flowers? I wish the fellow the best of luck, he only has two years left before he can retire with good benefits. I hope he makes it. -------- I've known for a long time that you can't change people's mind. All I can do is present the best case I can for what I believe, and hope that I can be as persuasive as the incredibly well funded propaganda machines that want to make this race about personality instead of facts, sound bytes instead of issues, and simple catch phrases (that are as hollow as Flyboy's cod piece) instead of principles. Today at work was one of those days that people looked at me with that "Why should I believe you?" face. Its a matter of trust in some instances. I could stand there all day pouring out the information I have at my disposal but it still just boils down to trust. How well I establish that trust is vital in my interactions. The Republicans understand the trust issue. Not because they are any more trustworthy than the Democrats but because their campaigns always make a big hoohaa about the Democrats being flip-floppers and dishonest "liberals". They have made intelligence a sign of shiftiness. They have attacked words and language to even make discussing the issues a tiresome task. They did it to Gore, they did it to Clinton and they are doing it to Kerry. Its the same playbook, just different candidates. And it works. They only have to break that thread of trust and its all over. No amount of talking about the issues will ever change a person's mind after that trust is gone. The really nasty part is the attack on language. We cannot even talk about the issues without resorting to mangled language like "tort reform" and "tax cuts" when talking about legislation that will reform nothing and bankrupt the government without any accountability. Now we have a new phrase, "Ownership Society", which is just a fancy way of saying "We're gonna kill Social Security and Medicare and let corporations rape your paltry savings." How can we be against tax cuts, or ownership or reform? If someone hits you in a face and calls it a facelift, is it still an improvement? Its so hard when even the tools of persuasion are taken away. That, and little else has been the real coup of the Scaife funded radio shows and Think Tanks, killing our very method of communicating with each other. I could type or talk until I keel over, but I'm not sure it will make a lick of difference in the long run. And yes, I can't help but take it a little personally. I have failed my customers, my readers and my friends if I cannot build that trust. The only other option is to consider that all I know, all I have read, the hours I have spent researching all the issues, the hours that I have spent thinking about how everything relates to each other, my basic principles, my understanding of people, society, and institutions are all wrong. I will consider it. I once had a friend compliment me by saying that I was insightful. Its still the best compliment I have ever received. I can't help but think that it goes to my head. Maybe I'm not so smart after all? Maybe that piece of shit Five Megapixel camera really is as good as my Canon? Maybe my bosses really do have my best interests at heart? Maybe I can make millions by sending out five chain letters today? Maybe Bush really is the God-appointed crusader who will rid the world of terrorism without collecting tax money from us to do so? One of my dad's favorite jokes: "I might have been born at night..." I'll let you guess the rest. ------ Oh well, till next time, have a grand day, with any luck I'll get to go take some pictures tonight. |
Comments:
Post a Comment
|
About Me
Any Box 
|
||
|
Dissolve into Evergreens
|
||||
