This will most likely be the first in a (LONG) series of rantings about my thoughts on the status of politics in America today. This is gonna be a bumpy ride, but what the hell. Let's do this.
Growing up the thing that always struck me as the fundamental construct of America that made us so strong was the "melting pot" society. It was through our diversity that we gained strength. Einstein said:
"No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it."
So what is there to gain by conformity? Nothing. It is the very nature of diversity, and the deeper and richer our society delves into it, the greater our collective consciousness becomes, and the more able we are to be able to do great things. I know politics has always been a polarizing force, and maybe it's just my awareness that has changed, but it truly feels like we are starting to separate from one another. We are thinking in terms of class, gender, race, religion, wealth, status, and a million other defining constructs above the sense of collective. And the politicians seem to be gravitating further and further from the center. But why? That is the thing that has really stuck in my craw for a while now. Why are they pandering further toward the fringe? Does Romney really think that he's going to woo some percentage of the Obama base, by refusing to separate himself from the birther commentary? Does Obama think that he's somehow going to win support of the tea party movement by caving to pressure to extend tax cuts? I understand the need to keep the base energized, but isn't there a point where any gains from base stimulation are offset by centrist alienation? Howard Zinn has pointed out that for years while we talk about decisive victories for candidate A, or B, the reality is that they only received marginally more than 25-28% of all the POSSIBLE vote. Half of the voting populous have become so disenfranchised from the process that they don't even bother. How is this democracy? How is it that as special interests and fringe candidates have become the norm while the voice of the middle (the overwhelming majority) have become fodder? An afterthought? Well as the title says....
I BLAME YOU
AND I BLAME MYSELF
The collective consciousness of a nation that has failed to think and act rationally. We blame each other. We blame the "other guy". We are so busy in our own spheres that we can't see the big picture. <Insert something about forests and trees here> Here's an example. There was a time that "Made in the USA" meant quality. Not only quality, but highest quality. Yes, technology was more expensive (relative to average worker salary) and people had a sense that there were just some things that were either; beyond their affordable reach, or needed to be saved up for. Anyone been in Wal-Mart lately? How much does a new flat screen TV cost? And a Blu-Ray player? Not that I besmirch anyone for wanting to enjoy the finer things in life, but there is a progression here that we're missing. Let me tell you about Mr. Sykle.
Mr. Sykle works hard but doesn't make a lot of money. He gets by, but is by no means a wealthy man, nor does he have a lot of disposable income. One day he sees an advertisement for Super Discount Electronics Warehouse. Big sale on Blu-Ray players. This weekend only $69. Mr. Sykle is amazed by this bargain and sure enough Saturday morning he's at the store, and by that night he is enjoying the HD quality entertainment of his new player (and TV, because the salesman showed him how pretty it was). Monday morning rolls around and his manager comes to him and tells him that the company is having some financial difficulty and they're going to be cutting everyone's hours, and even letting some people go. Now his salary just got cut a little bit. But that's okay, he can cut some corners. He'll hold off on buying that new car he needs. Or he just won't save up as much for his kid's education. A few months later, word comes down that more hours are getting cut. This time there is a rumor that the company is outsourcing jobs to China. Mr. Sykle takes another pay cut, cuts a few more corners at home, and slowly his quality of life begins to dimish. Eventually it isn't the excesses that get cut, it's necessities. Standing in line at the super center, wondering why things have taken such a negative turn he has a moment of clarity. In a flash it all makes sense. His shiny entertainment center was made by the UberCheap company, based in Indonesia. Sure, he saved $200, but that money meant that a domestic company had to make cuts to production. Maybe they moved jobs overseas, like his company did. Like his company did....but his company makes electronics parts for an American company. Did he make this happen? Was all of this his fault? The long and short of it is yes and no. Mr. Sykle forgot that the marketplace is connected. He forgot that his persona as a consumer and as a producer were both parts of the same cycle. (Sykle-cycle...get it? LOL)
While there is nothing wrong with international trade, or low price goods, we have to be aware that the effects of them can reach well beyond any one decision, or any one societal perception. But I can't believe that there isn't a linear effect between these concepts. That ultimately we're in a race to the bottom. We buy from the cheapest option, thus the "quality" competition either has to cut costs (and quality) to compete, or go out of business. Either option means that places that can undercut domestic products will do so, and eventually gross quality drops, and gross earning drops too. We are all a part of this. We are blindly going with the flow and not seeing the rapids ahead. There is a VAST discussion to be had about upper echelon earners and greed to be had, but that will have to be another post.
So yes. I blame us. All of us. All of us who have forgotten what it means to be a participant in democracy. All of us who aren't voting with our dollars. All of us who aren't voting period. All of us who have become passive spectators and fallen into the mindset that our little voices can't make changes. Anyone want to wager that if all those "I just don't care anymore" folks came out en masse (every last one of them) and wrote in "Go f'k yourself" as their candidate that the very next day Washington wouldn't be in complete turmoil over the fear of the masses? We deserve better folks, but we have to demand change. Nobody is going to give it to us. If you haven't heard of the freedom riders, look them up. If you have heard of them, look them up again. Take a stand against the system and it's established power structure. Write your congressman, senator, or Governor. Write the President. Buy American. Even the littlest actions can be the tipping point, and if you don't do it...and the next guy doesn't either. We only have one place to look when we start assigning blame for the state of this union. A mirror.
