It’s January 2021, and the results of the election cannot yet be called results, and as a result, there is a groundswell of anxiety. This lack of certainty, and frankly, lack of leadership, leads to a lack of both internal and external control.
In other words, “things are falling apart”.
Things have been falling apart for quite some time. Maybe it started in the late Nineties, maybe earlier – after all, Boomers still cling to their lost innocence happening sometime around 1963.
and to be fair, if they hadn’t lost their innocence then, they lost it by 1969
Most people in this country are raised thinking the following:
- elections are a pure expression of democratic will
- your vote counts
- the police are there to protect you
- you can run for office someday
- in America, the decks are not stacked against you
apparently, it took this guy for you to figure out that’s not the case
One by one those pillars have been eroded over the past year. During good times, that would be difficult enough.
You can’t steamroll people for a whole year, bankrupt them, belittle them, burn down their cities then respond with “u mad?”.
It’s good to see people show a little fight.
does this mean he’s officially the new Speaker now
What’s been seen over the past year, hell, the past four years, is anger.
Anger is an important and often misunderstood human emotion. In its expression, anger is roundly condemned as something to be ashamed of.
“Don’t get angry!” is the refrain.
Telling people not to be angry is not just petty and dismissive – it completely ignores where anger comes from.
Anger can be a force for good.
Anger can be a force for change.
Anger can be a force to improve one’s circumstance, or the circumstances of those they care about.
And guess what? You’re going to make people very angry by telling them it isn’t okay for them to express their anger – or even be angry to begin with .
For example: “fiery but peaceful” protests (Minneapolis burns to the ground) versus “insurrection” (people busted into the Capitol and didn’t bother going to the gift shop).
fiery but mostly peaceful
The larger concept is this: people only want one thing (and it’s disgusting!) to feel seen and heard. It’s the basic foundation of respect.
Respect is not something afforded in a top-down way.
Respect is not a corporate slogan, it’s not a reminder bleated as a hashtag.
disturbingly disrespectful to somehow just about everyone
Respect is given in day to day interactions, it’s afforded and accepted horizontally. I respect you, you respect me. I’m not better than you, and you’re not better than me. Importantly – I’m not holding anything over you, and you’re not holding anything over me.
That’s where the #BLM movement fell completely short – they branded themselves as this high-minded concept above discussion or disagreement.
#BlackLivesMatter does not afford respect to Black Americans – as a movement, hashtag-BLM doesn’t have the credibility to.
The dignity of Black Americans – or any American – is not afforded by a political action committee, a politician, or an office-holder.
Black Americans are right to be angry at Black Lives Matter and the institutions that disregard and disrespect them.
All Americans are right to be angry at a shifty voting process and a media that disregards and disrespects them.
“one Biden vote, twenty Biden votes, eleventy Biden votes”
That’s the purpose of civil rights. It’s a part of our job of being Americans. It’s our gig! Our rights are held individually, not granted or bestowed top-down by a government entity.
As we’ve seen, the media and our elected leaders demand respect but don’t give it, give credence to one side’s anger but not another’s, and appoint themselves as the arbiters of dignity.
The media and our elected leaders are the problem.
The media and our elected leaders are not working towards a solution, they’re vaulting themselves beyond and above others.
Most of this country sat by and watched businesses be burnt and looted, unending violence, and watching it be called peaceful because the media and elected leaders felt the aims of the protest were noble, gaslighting anyone in opposition to it ignoble and not worthy of respect.
the top 7% of protests own all the violence!
Instead of fair reporting, the media and our elected leaders picked a side and marginalized another. By doing so, the media and our elected leaders disrespected at least half the country.
the media calls this a “peaceful protest” – disgusting!
For people to not be angry – they have to be given an opportunity to feel safe, to earn a living, to go about their daily activities, to make the place they live better.
When you chip away at those pillars, the people are not just going to feel angry, the people are going to actively be angry.
we couldn’t do that in 2020 and looks like we’re not getting back to it in 2021
History shows (and Yeats bemoans) that things will always fall apart, but the fallout can be minimized when people are able to build something – besides resentment.
DC politicians and media think they’re the falconer, beckoning for falcons that can no longer hear their call. They think they set the boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable action. It’s precisely that type of top-down thinking that resulted in them fleeing their offices and posts when there’s pushback.
when they order Chipotle for office lunch
The term “representative” means that one must represent the wishes of their constituency and earn their respect (most acutely, through their vote).
The term “reporter” means that one must broadcast what occurs, hopefully accurately, earning the respect of their audience (most acutely, through their view count).
When the integrity of voting is being discussed in over six states, and politicians are claiming “well, the people voted!” instead of investigating thoroughly, all voters and votes are disrespected.
“hey Janice, I know it’s 3am but we found another 10k ballots marked only for Biden and no other down ballot races!”
Mind you, Congress that questioned the legitimacy of the President to even hold office for nearly his entire term, all the way up to impeaching him on specious claims.
Congress could investigate mythical “Russia hacking the election!” claims for four years, but couldn’t be bothered to investigate fraudulent votes in many states, enough to potentially turn an election, for a few minutes?
That’s when things start to fall apart.
The good news (“other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?”) is this – things don’t have to stay broken forever.
It may seem paradoxical, but during times like this, the best thing to do is build.
Yes, it’s difficult to build, especially when you’re barely allowed to go out and stand in the gluten-free bread lines.
But don’t wait for the good times to magically happen – make the good times.
Life is short.
Start now.
Instead of having to manage decline, or fret over what you could have done – you can be an architect of the good times. You can build new, even when it seems like everything’s falling apart.
The best part is you don’t need permission to build – not from any elected official or media entity.
just your local building permits office, the third certainty in life behind death and taxes
If there’s ever been a time to start living the life you wanted to, now’s the time to build it new.
Building new when everything’s falling apart – it’s channeling that anger into something productive.
Building new when everything’s falling apart – it’s the ultimate respect you can afford yourself and others.
gay but relevant
