Oh fiddlee-poo. I have seen some stupid headlines in my time (noooo, really?), but there is this recent proliferation of “Obama is losing his edge” headlines. Bu-duh! Listen here, I didn’t vote for the guy, but he won. He is the President of the United States of America. And in so far as I can find the good in that, and support his endeavors, I am going to do it. So, using the power of my blog, which reaches between two and four Americans every day (staggering, isn’t it?) let’s get a few things STRAIGHT, shall we?
First, no one person is going to fix this. I’ve already had that rant when I was trying to decide which of the two competing suckers to stick with the task of helming the Titanic after it hit the iceberg. The only way for our government to get fixed is for people to participate in it. And I am still guilty of sitting on the sidelines, so until we are all actually PRACTICING government, we cannot expect it to fix itself. Period. That goes for everyone in the entire country.
Second, the problem has little to do with government. Yeah we have all seen the videos about “the biggest game in town,” and arguably that is part of the government – but not really. The root cause of the problem is economic terrorism. I’ve already had THAT rant, as the economic terrorists (AKA “The best and the brightest”) haven’t even tried to change their spots – they are just switching their funding sources from consumer markets to taxpayers (and since BOTH of those are the SAME people, nothing has changed).
So there it is. This isn’t about Obama. This isn’t about McCain. This is a battle between consumers and “the best and the brightest.” This is a battle between the American people at large, and the American elite -who seem to remain untouchable despite of their gross management of financials, their lack of ethics, and their addiction to rape. This isn’t about State, about Religion, about Race or about anything other than Greed.
Greed. Lets call it what it is. I was reading some comments on artwork on DeviantArt, and an artist acquaintance of mine stated how she was sick of capitalism and religion enslaving people. I replied to her, and for the life of me I cannot find my reply on the site. But the answer holds true here. At the root of greed is ignorance. I am not kidding. What is greed? www.dictionary.com defines it as “excessive or rapacious desire, esp. for wealth or possessions.” Odd that the term “rapacious” is used, because I used the word “rape” earlier before I had read this definition.
What would motivate someone to aspire to greed? Fear. People fear what they don’t understand, they fear the unknown, they fear the future, they fear death, they have a lot of fear. Fear drives us, even on our best days. Fear, and how we manage it, is part of life itself – it drives religion, it drives science, it drives the arts…and yes, it drives the economy. Fear is always there, and it NEEDS to be there. What the “Best and the Brightest” represents are the ultimate financial warriors. They surround themselves with “intelligence”, they exploit every possible venue and amass their wealth because, like it or not, they are scared and don’t know how to deal with it any other way.
I am not saying it is right. I am not endorsing their choices. But what I am putting forth is the notion that their greed is ignorant. I told my fellow DeviantArt member that the only way to fix things would be to educate both the slavers and the enslaved. But what would we teach? Ahhh. The light is on, and that is a topic for another blog entry.
Please comment. There are as many perspectives as there are people, and I only lament my human incapacity to absorb them all. But please, share!!
Ah, my good friend Ted,
Where to begin? I find your analysis miserably wrong and overly optimistic. Ignorance is cured with education, and I don’t think education is the answer.
First let me tackle greed. Do we not have a biological imperative to procreate? Does not amassing wealth make us more desirable mates as well as provide our offspring a better chance at reproduction, thus furthering our own ends? Does not amassing wealth provide us greater access to everything from health care to healthy food? What about retirement? Doesn’t retirement require funding? Really, can one find fault in wanting these things for themselves and their children?
Pragmatically, we would be better off if people were altruistic, but that isn’t a good way to ensure the continuation of our specific genes…
So, is greed ignorant or enlightened? Don’t you think those who practice the art of greed no what they are doing? Don’t you want the best for your children?
The risk Obama’s administration poses is not to the people on top, it is to the guys in the middle: you and I. Our government doesn’t have the strength to dethrone the elite. Everything they try will fall to us and our children to fund. This is a reduction in our ability to succeed.
It is incorrigible and ignorant of you to blindly support endeavors that lead us to ruin. Don’t do that. Obama is just a man, like you and me. Support him when his agenda matches yours.
hee hee, what you need sir, is some education! Just kidding!! Sorry, had to – it was the ultimate “cop out” response to your comment. I don’t think we disagree as much as you think we do…I don’t blindly follow anyone, but accusing Obama of “losing his edge” is flat out silly..like one guy makes the difference. Let’s not forget the Bush administration started the bail-out bus moving, so it’s not just Obama’s team that has crushed the middle class (which arguable has been non existent for the better part of a decade, or at least the gap between it and the next higher class has greatly increased…).
So I agree government cannot out buy the elite. That they are ultimately just helping the best and thee brightest to more cash at our expense. But where we truly diverge is on the topic of greed. Our species will never rise in capability to match the level of its technology (which is still primative), if we continue to think along those lines…genetic or otherwise. IMHO, I might be overly optimistic for today, but if we evolve a few more centuries or maybe millenia… I think maybe the light will go in the education spectrum. Maybe, if we don’t implode under the weight of our own greed first.
Don’t get me wrong…I got my +5 Cursespewing Great Sword of Greater Elitist Bane on the ready, while I am out there being greedy in my own way. I count myself in the realm of the guilty… but I still think its a stupid waste of our time.