The 2016 Presidential Elections had a profound impact on this individual. Often, my reactions in politics are visceral, but the W. Bush and Trump Administrations have crystallized many truths behind my reactions. The short of this message board post is that I am frustrated and searching for relief, in 2020, and must express this to stop my head from exploding.
First, the amount of sexism, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia expressed in 2016 was jaw-dropping, especially considering the 44th President, and Donald Trump's 62.8 million votes. Multiculturalism has been studied and the mixing of cultures creates new ideas and prosperity, but it as creates a backlash; nationalism. It is often 30-35% of a culture's populous that embrace the fear of change, and become ideologues.
While this is true of Great Britain in the era of Brexit, Donald Trump's election seems to have inspired a wave of nationalism across the developed world, which puts freedom and Democracy at-risk, at a time when Russia and North Korea threaten the world, and China remains a superpower rising as a militaristic old-world Communist power. This is the challenge globally.
A host of issues--including the existential threat of Climate Change, Infrastructure in the US, social issues and reforms, human rights and the refugee crises that seems at a peak since World War II (Syria, Myanmar, Yemen, Sudan, etc.)--are pushed away for a trade war in China, a wall along the Mexican-American Border, saber-rattling with Iran and China, and cheap negotiations with North Korea. This is incredibly frustrating to watch as an American citizen, as a member of this increasingly global community.
19 intelligence agencies, our own in the US, and Bob Mueller, have been insulted by Donal Trump's insistence of no collusion with Russia, nor Obstruction of Justice in covering up collusion, or any investigation into collusion. Our head of the Executive Branch continues to fight with the FBI, the intelligence agencies, as he compliments Russian, North Korean leaders as "strong." He mouths the words of Russian and Saudi Arabian leaders who committed crimes, and threatened the National Security, of the United States.
He never "drained the swamp." He became the swamp. Goldman Sachs officials run the Treasury. The revolving door of lobbyists continue to serve in our government. Negligence in Congress has been documented recently by the Center for Public Integrity, as special interests and corporate entities write laws rubber-stamped by the American legislative bodies.
We engage in a fake fix to our fourth estate problems. Napster taught the world a booming industry can be destroyed by the internet. Since that time, we have paid advertisers and news agencies by click-bait. So, popular news tries to make money, not inform the American citizens. This is why a trash television star, not serving a day in government, can lead the most powerful nation in the world.
A higher sense of purpose--God, the Enlightenment, Country--is passe and narcissistic, in America. It is laughed at, as anti-heroes achieve their objectives, become the strongest to survive, on television show after television show. But, what would George Washington think of not reading a bill in Congress, or deciding not to vote, on a rainy day?
We check our brains at the door, never challenging ourselves to learn outside of the classroom, and in the classroom, the spoonful of sugar to wash down the medicine of learning, has become a 2-liter of pop to wash down a single serving of vegetables.
Questions do not have immediate answers. Social media encourages comparisons, and depression. The internet is for expression, not learning. We are all Jon Stewart's hacks--jaded and stupid--trying to thumb our nose at society without the tonnage of knowledge, and wisdom, to do it. We ball at any information that doesn't fit on a Triscuit.
The short of it? We are wasting the best of this gift--the liberation from disease, poverty, destruction, violence--by the Enlightenment. We need to reform elections, and hold moral standards. The science produced in the next century will make the Manhattan Project look like another day in the park. We need to stop it with moral actions, or we face destruction.
2020 is my hope for the future and the chance to correct course. I feel strongly we face extinction without a change in leadership.
End of my rant. For now.
First, the amount of sexism, racism, homophobia, and xenophobia expressed in 2016 was jaw-dropping, especially considering the 44th President, and Donald Trump's 62.8 million votes. Multiculturalism has been studied and the mixing of cultures creates new ideas and prosperity, but it as creates a backlash; nationalism. It is often 30-35% of a culture's populous that embrace the fear of change, and become ideologues.
While this is true of Great Britain in the era of Brexit, Donald Trump's election seems to have inspired a wave of nationalism across the developed world, which puts freedom and Democracy at-risk, at a time when Russia and North Korea threaten the world, and China remains a superpower rising as a militaristic old-world Communist power. This is the challenge globally.
A host of issues--including the existential threat of Climate Change, Infrastructure in the US, social issues and reforms, human rights and the refugee crises that seems at a peak since World War II (Syria, Myanmar, Yemen, Sudan, etc.)--are pushed away for a trade war in China, a wall along the Mexican-American Border, saber-rattling with Iran and China, and cheap negotiations with North Korea. This is incredibly frustrating to watch as an American citizen, as a member of this increasingly global community.
19 intelligence agencies, our own in the US, and Bob Mueller, have been insulted by Donal Trump's insistence of no collusion with Russia, nor Obstruction of Justice in covering up collusion, or any investigation into collusion. Our head of the Executive Branch continues to fight with the FBI, the intelligence agencies, as he compliments Russian, North Korean leaders as "strong." He mouths the words of Russian and Saudi Arabian leaders who committed crimes, and threatened the National Security, of the United States.
He never "drained the swamp." He became the swamp. Goldman Sachs officials run the Treasury. The revolving door of lobbyists continue to serve in our government. Negligence in Congress has been documented recently by the Center for Public Integrity, as special interests and corporate entities write laws rubber-stamped by the American legislative bodies.
We engage in a fake fix to our fourth estate problems. Napster taught the world a booming industry can be destroyed by the internet. Since that time, we have paid advertisers and news agencies by click-bait. So, popular news tries to make money, not inform the American citizens. This is why a trash television star, not serving a day in government, can lead the most powerful nation in the world.
A higher sense of purpose--God, the Enlightenment, Country--is passe and narcissistic, in America. It is laughed at, as anti-heroes achieve their objectives, become the strongest to survive, on television show after television show. But, what would George Washington think of not reading a bill in Congress, or deciding not to vote, on a rainy day?
We check our brains at the door, never challenging ourselves to learn outside of the classroom, and in the classroom, the spoonful of sugar to wash down the medicine of learning, has become a 2-liter of pop to wash down a single serving of vegetables.
Questions do not have immediate answers. Social media encourages comparisons, and depression. The internet is for expression, not learning. We are all Jon Stewart's hacks--jaded and stupid--trying to thumb our nose at society without the tonnage of knowledge, and wisdom, to do it. We ball at any information that doesn't fit on a Triscuit.
The short of it? We are wasting the best of this gift--the liberation from disease, poverty, destruction, violence--by the Enlightenment. We need to reform elections, and hold moral standards. The science produced in the next century will make the Manhattan Project look like another day in the park. We need to stop it with moral actions, or we face destruction.
2020 is my hope for the future and the chance to correct course. I feel strongly we face extinction without a change in leadership.
End of my rant. For now.
