One possibility might be to move somewhere that offers something better . . . where might that be? With such a negative view of our country, one might consider it. I think there are so many positives about America that, for me, they far outweigh the negatives. The conundrum may be whether we choose to change or whether we expect others to change. Just a thought.
Hi Bill,
Very true. Though I don’t think it is being that cynical. This cartoon seems to rebuke the critics of the Occupy movement who are more interested in the character of the protesters than in the arguments or the movement writ large. And unlike many of those critics, I am less inclined to worry about who the messenger is or how she is dressed than I am in what she is trying to tell us. To me, this has rung true, as many good people I know have had trouble agreeing with “dirty hippies,” even when presented with an unacceptable alternative. I also think that the more isolated our representatives become from the people they govern, and the media from the people to whom they broadcast, the higher the bar for change. We saw literally millions marching in the early 2000s to prevent an invasion in Iraq and then afterward to protest it, and yet people talk as if “nobody” was against it. It seems to me that it is objectionable that there is a greater expectation for a person to adapt to a bad system than for the system to best adapt to the people. That is something both conservatives and liberals should agree on.
Don’t know if my previous, incomplete response went or not, but the essence of our problem, in my opinion, is the huge political class (elected officials, bureaucrats, lobbyists, tax professionals, lawyers, etc.) we’ve created and continue to re-elect, re-appoint, protect and benefit so generously . . . would that they had to live with exactly the same rules and uncertainties that we live with . . . no special treatment. They would then be forced to be “in touch” with reality. Political and ideological differences will always exist and are, to a certain extent, healthy. But as getting re-elected and the money required to achieve it has become more important than honestly held positions on issues; while racism, classism, stereotyping and greed for money and power overcome honestly held values we’ve come to a critical time in the history of our republic. We must have the guts to acknowledge and expect our leaders to acknowledge the fact that we’re broke and can’t continue to pile debt on future generations . . . it is NOT sustainable any longer!
I haven’t seen them. Lost in the web, I suppose.
I think you and I agree a bit on this. Though I give a lot of criticism to the media class, which seems to have dramatically changed. The understanding of the fourth estate I gained from communication classes doesn’t match with what we’ve been seeing for quite some time. This is supposed to be the means of reigning in corruption, but hasn’t been. If you ask me, much of it goes back to Ford’s pardoning of Nixon, which seems to have resulted in an ever-increasing power in all elected offices, not just the president. Not to mention our preference for seeing politics as a competitive zero-sum battle rather than the running of a republic. That is another thing the media contributes to.
But our politicians are supposed to be above that. They swear an oath to protect the country. The election isn’t our only means of dealing with them. We can actually move public opinion rather than sit on our hands.
One possibility might be to move somewhere that offers something better . . . where might that be? With such a negative view of our country, one might consider it. I think there are so many positives about America that, for me, they far outweigh the negatives. The conundrum may be whether we choose to change or whether we expect others to change. Just a thought.
Hi Bill,
Very true. Though I don’t think it is being that cynical. This cartoon seems to rebuke the critics of the Occupy movement who are more interested in the character of the protesters than in the arguments or the movement writ large. And unlike many of those critics, I am less inclined to worry about who the messenger is or how she is dressed than I am in what she is trying to tell us. To me, this has rung true, as many good people I know have had trouble agreeing with “dirty hippies,” even when presented with an unacceptable alternative. I also think that the more isolated our representatives become from the people they govern, and the media from the people to whom they broadcast, the higher the bar for change. We saw literally millions marching in the early 2000s to prevent an invasion in Iraq and then afterward to protest it, and yet people talk as if “nobody” was against it. It seems to me that it is objectionable that there is a greater expectation for a person to adapt to a bad system than for the system to best adapt to the people. That is something both conservatives and liberals should agree on.
I appreciate your response!
Don’t know if my previous, incomplete response went or not, but the essence of our problem, in my opinion, is the huge political class (elected officials, bureaucrats, lobbyists, tax professionals, lawyers, etc.) we’ve created and continue to re-elect, re-appoint, protect and benefit so generously . . . would that they had to live with exactly the same rules and uncertainties that we live with . . . no special treatment. They would then be forced to be “in touch” with reality. Political and ideological differences will always exist and are, to a certain extent, healthy. But as getting re-elected and the money required to achieve it has become more important than honestly held positions on issues; while racism, classism, stereotyping and greed for money and power overcome honestly held values we’ve come to a critical time in the history of our republic. We must have the guts to acknowledge and expect our leaders to acknowledge the fact that we’re broke and can’t continue to pile debt on future generations . . . it is NOT sustainable any longer!
Hi Bill,
I haven’t seen them. Lost in the web, I suppose.
I think you and I agree a bit on this. Though I give a lot of criticism to the media class, which seems to have dramatically changed. The understanding of the fourth estate I gained from communication classes doesn’t match with what we’ve been seeing for quite some time. This is supposed to be the means of reigning in corruption, but hasn’t been. If you ask me, much of it goes back to Ford’s pardoning of Nixon, which seems to have resulted in an ever-increasing power in all elected offices, not just the president. Not to mention our preference for seeing politics as a competitive zero-sum battle rather than the running of a republic. That is another thing the media contributes to.
But our politicians are supposed to be above that. They swear an oath to protect the country. The election isn’t our only means of dealing with them. We can actually move public opinion rather than sit on our hands.
Thanks for the comment!