Time Out America: A Cultural-Political Rant

Bunchs Lunchbox  |  09/27/2010 7:00 am

"The Citizens of the United States of America have a right to applaud themselves for giving to Mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights. For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens in giving it on all occasions their effectual support. May the Children of the Stock of Abraham, who dwell in this land, continue to merit and enjoy the good will of the other Inhabitants; while every one shall sit under his own vine and fig tree, and there shall be none to make him afraid."

“... One of the expedients of Party to acquire influence, within particular districts, is to misrepresent the opinions & aims of other Districts. You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies & heart burnings which spring from these misrepresentations. They tend to render Alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal Affection." ~ George Washington

Let's Take a Cue From George

I continue to be surprised by how surprised I am by "the average American's" short-sighted/lack of hind-sight cultural-political retardation. We've reached a manic point in our national politics that we have begun to view tearing one another down as progress. It feels as though we are on the brink of a bitter battle, a revolution; we are a country firmly divided and this is the new civil war. Yet, no one seems to know quite over what we are divided, nor where the line is drawn.

We want blood, to squash their still-beating hearts under our bare feet ... but the enemies seem to be our friends, neighbors, family. I don't want to kill my family. Surely, these can't be all bad people?

We Americans are in such a frenzied state, so absurdly and willingly manipulated from all sides that our cultural consciousness is shifting toward some bizarre Lord of the Flies nightmare. We have lost sight of the simple fact that the preservation and advancement of our community is at the heart of every action we take, every decision we make.

Politics has always been a bit of a sport, yet, it is mostly a chessman's game. However, we continue to run our elections like NFL football games -- all hype with predictable outcomes driven by unscrupulous means. Elections are swelled into bloody death matches with high-stakes wagers. To root for your team to "crush," "stomp," and "kill" the other, I understand, but in football, there is an inherent violence to the sport that satiates that want in its fanatics. There is no physicality in politics, that unfulfilled blood-thirst has odd consequences that can manifest themselves in frightening ways. The media should know it is collectively responsible for any side-effects of its drum march.

The angry rhetoric of football is satisfied by the clash of pads and bodies, by big, brutal tackles; politics has no such release, yet, there is no reverence for its delicacy. Politics is a game of words and ideas, it is a game of the mind being run as a game of the body. It's a frightening conundrum.

There is a boiling anger in America that reminds me of the reason no one uses pressure cookers anymore. It's cause is the oldest trick in the political playbook: divide and conquer.

What 'Us' Means

We cannot identify our political adversaries precisely because they are our neighbors and friends. Yet, a culture has been created where we do not want to see our alleged opponants -- without consciousness that they are for all intensive us -- benefit. We want to see them lose and suffer, because who the fuck are they to think they should win? The outcome of this has been a continuing slide in the very things that once made America the envy of the world: The middle class, good pay, vacation time, a nice house, a new car, great roads, good schools, health insurance -- the idea that everyone had a fair shot.

Over the past 20 years, these attributes have been systematically dismantled. They have eroded to a point that our culture sees them as spoils. As my hourly wage drops and I become responsible for my own health benefits, who are you to demand a raise and complain about your $20 co-pay? As my car grows older and I have to pay to fix it, as I can't afford to buy a home, who are you to expect such luxuries? Where we used to strive to 'keep up with the Jones's,' we're now racing to pull them down.

It's a shame the union movement in America became so politicized, because its roots were simple, they laid in the people who did the work. The idea was simple, the work of the worker had worth.

Americans tend to forget that this government was founded by and for "the people." Meaning each had not just the opportunity, but the responsibility to contribute to its progress. Progress is the simple act of moving forward. Somewhere along the way, we lost track of the meaning of the word "representative." These are elected officials intended to represent us. Yet, we've elevated them into leaders, people upon whom we have little influence, who we let wisdom and law trickle down to us. Instead, it is supposed to work the other way, where we feed from the ground needed wisdom and laws to them. This is our country, not mine or yours or theirs. It is ours. We are everyone who lives here, which means we don't get to decide what is best for us individually, but what is best for us collectively. This is not a socialist or communist stance, it is common sense (by the way, McCarthy is long-dead, the Red Scare is over). If everybody benefits, we're to assume we are part of everybody, and thus, we'll benefit too. If you want to work a little harder to get a little further ahead, go right ahead -- best of luck to you!

Bought, Sold, Paid For

So where is the problem? It too is a matter of lost words. The stock market and the American government were founded in such close succession that neither realized what a powerhouse the other might become, nor how mutually beneficial. Through this growth, we have forgotten that we are a Democratic society, and instead have deemed our self a Capitalistic society. Our corporations have come to define our culture, they have divided us into left and right, all the while walking firmly down the center putting money from both sides in their pockets without a shred of guilt. And nor should they, a private company exists for one reason -- to make money. So long as the people grant them ability to continue to do so, they have every right.

Unfortunately, corporations do not, and have never, had the interest of Americans in mind. A corporation is an island unto itself. Somewhere along the lines, despite soaring profits, corporations began to cry poor, and this is where the systematic dismantling of the American middle class began. Unions granted worker voices influence in company policy and profits. Everyone benefited. What worker would make decisions that would run his own employer into the ground?

But there was room to grow profits, and making a case for global competition corporations began to convince the public that lower wages and less benefits were the key to our success. We are living now in the product of that mentality; a time of record home foreclosures, diminishing property values, soaring unemployment, and good honest people living below the poverty line. These are not leaches, bums, or losers -- these are our friends and neighbors. Our family. This is our community, and a community divided falls apart. Meanwhile, corporate profits continue to grow, proving their lack of regard for their nation by employing those oversees for cents a day with no benefits.

Here's the thing: The American dollar is not tied to any precious metal. It's value is essentially arbitrary. With that in mind, it's value is based on its own richness at home. Explain to me the detriment of employing the dollar solely within the borders of the U.S. Because it seems to me a simple equation: If a company only hires American workers and divvies a fare share of profits to them as wage, those workers will use that wage to purchase goods. If all the goods are made here by other workers, those purchases equal profits for other companies. It seems a chain reaction ensues. For example: If I work at General Motors making cars and I make good money, I'll likely by a home, which will need a washing machine, a sink, a computer. Maybe I will by new clothes. So, with my money, I purchase an American washer, sink, computer and clothes, meaning those companies make money which benefits their workers who in turn will likely purchase a new car, perhaps from the place I work. When we're all making money and paying our taxes, our government is less strapped and better funded.

[Just a note: This is precisely the policy that makes Israel one of the richest nations in the world.]

Or, perhaps I simply don't understand economics. Though, I suspect I just don't understand maximized profits.

The Illusion of Left vs. Right

My political adversaries will call me a typical anti-business leftist. This couldn't be further from the truth. I am pro-American. I don't believe that the corporate culture in America has regard for Americans, as has been proved by how thoroughly they have fucked over every American in their path with precision over the past 20 years.

To clarify, no one is anti-business. Business employs us, makes us a nation, a community. However, I refuse to believe that by working at Best Buy for $8 an hour, I am doing any good for my country.

But, I digress. The point is that as a nation we have become completely insane. We are ravaged with hatred because we see politics as the problem, and we see our political rivals as the manifestation of these problems. We are a nation trained on sports where there are two clear sides opposing one another. Friends, there are -- we are one side, and the corporate interests that have infiltrated our government are the other. We can compromise on our issues together, but as long as we let these entities continue to convince us that we are on opposite teams, well, good luck paying your kids' doctor bills.

If we stop long enough to look back and see what's actually caused our problems, look to see what direction our current policies are taking us in, we might find we have more in common than we think, that together, we can make some decisions and inform our representatives of some legislation that would be helpful. Currently, we are stuck in a landslide that is recklessly pushing back and forth while slipping down the slope. We are unaware of any direction we are actually headed because we're stuck in this perpetual tug-o-war of constant and pointless left vs. right elections, hyped by the media into bizarre sporting events. We simply want to kill the other side, unaware of what either side does or doesn't mean.

America, I think it's time we call a time out.