The Dangerous Ground of finding Common Ground

Krystal Ball

This got me thinking. 

Hey, wanna get in trouble with me? Stop hating on  your neighbor with the Trump flag, sticker and or tee shirt. Stop hating on the Bernie Bro, Biden voter or other despised lefty. Go talk to them or more importantly, listen. We just might find how absurd the "this nation is so divided" narrative is. Sure, sure, there are real differences. My agnostic self has many issues with people I know to be in the Christian Right. Could we still relate on too much money in politics? Poverty is a problem? or something else? 

It seems a lot of us agree the country is going in the wrong direction which is vague but at least a starting point. What direction should we be going instead? Where's the agreement? Too many jobs going over seas leaving huge swaths of the population behind condemned to poverty and despair. Our infrastructure is in decay and falling apart from neglect. Our healthcare system provides good care but navigating it and paying for it are twin nightmares. I think there can even be agreement on protecting the environment. No one likes shitty, smelly and flammable rivers! Just shouting, "The climate is changing you dumb asses!" might make you feel better for a moment but does nothing to address the problem. Here's another one- forever wars. People all across the political spectrum mostly recognize these for what they are, money making ventures for war profiteers. I think you would have to dig pretty deep to find people who buy the WMD argument for invading Iraq. Who among us can explain why we are still in Afghanistan almost 20 years after 9/11/2001? Bin Laden was killed a long time ago and the Taliban were crushed (but refuse to be killed off completely). I'd add we can all agree on how bad our veterans are neglected upon their return.

If we could solve the problem of massive income inequality, I think many other problems would melt away. Remember friends, the dominant discourse (America is so divided), always serves those at the top. There are more. "Work hard to get ahead," serves those we work for. "Keep a good credit score," serves the bankers. "Guns don't kill people, people kill people," is good for gun makers and the NRA. Remember when the NRA used to be sane? I'm a gun owner who will have nothing to do with them now. That reminds me...

Few of us are deep red or dark blue. Most of us are a mix making us nearer to the middle of the political spectrum. Do some Trump voters have legitimate gripes? Yes. So do Bernie voters. Both groups have been forgotten by cookie cutter Democrats and Republicans.

Whatever you do, don't give in to despair and apathy! That only benefits the powerful.  

            

The Strangest of Times

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair." -Charles Dickens.

Funny how that still applies today. But let me add one more for this time (2021) - "It was the strangest of times." Where to even begin? U.S. Politics for $100 Alex. Sure, why not? 

 

2020 saw a lot of firsts. It saw the splitting of our two political parties not into Liberal Vs. Conservative but one living on the edge of reality and another who dove off into the land of make-believe. 45 claimed FRAUD, STOLEN ELECTION, RIGGED! So he sent his lawyers into courthouses all over the United States. In this country this is how we resolve disputes and get relief. But to get relief you need evidence there was indeed a wrong. He lost dozens and dozens of cases. A little reading?  Yet, despite this he was the first President in history not to accept his loss. He cried fraud, stolen and so on to any who would listen which led to January 6, 2021. Despite the court losses, lack of evidence and many of his former lawyers being sued into oblivion, too many still believe him! This cannot lead anywhere we want to be. Adapt or die. Maybe change your ideas Republicans? What's next? UFO's / UAP's? Not yet. How about the death of privacy? Okay. 

 

"Smile, you're on candid camera!" morphed over the last few decades to, "you're on camera." Even if there is no visible camera in the area, there's always somebody close by with a smartphone, an unseen security camera or a license plate reader.  We are being watched. There is no opting out. Alone in your car, minding your own business digging a massive bugger out of your nose; yup that's going on Youtube! Cops seem to have been the slowest to adapt. Often when they harass, beat or murder some hapless black or brown person a video surfaces. My guess is this has always been going on. We just now get to see it. Yes, this is a good thing. Google, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook (among others) data mining operations, not so much. Somebody else (not you) has access to everything you have ever done on line. It's all good until somebody uses this collected information to harm you directly- identity theft, blackmail or public embarrassment. Then there are whole new levels when we get into governments, corporations and who knows what else deciding what you can and cannot see. Black sedans showing up at your house at 3AM? Hope you ordered pizza. Want to get away from it all? Better bring cash or leave a data trail along the way. Don't let the cops find your cash, they may just keep it! The death of privacy, just a bit more strangeness in 2021.  Now the good stuff- UFO's and UAP's (UFO re-branding).

 

It seems the US Navy has been playing hide and seek with UFO's and documenting it for awhile now. tic-tacs, pyramids, weird lights remain unidentified. And are the flying saucers of old still around?  I'd say 60 Minutes is about as mainstream as you can get. If they are reporting something it is at least worth a second look. A little understanding of astronomical distances tells me it's unlikely we are being visited from other worlds. But... there is something going on and no one knows what it is. In any other time, this would dominate the news shows, cycles and infotainment sphere. But we are in 2021, where reality is subjective. Now some bad stuff. 

 

People are able to create and live in their own reality bubbles. We cannot agree on what facts are indeed facts! I don't know how to approach this, what the answer(s) could be. What can I say to a stop the steal yahoo who insists the Donald won despite losing 60 cases in state, federal and even the Supreme Court. Our own FBI, DOJ and even international observers said there was no evidence of massive fraud. What can I say to a climate change denier who lives in their own insulated bubble of climate change denial? Here are a few things I could point out- this, this and this. No matter, it is still not real to them. Evolution vs creationism? This guy can explain it better than me. Good on him for trying. I have an answer for what facts are for me personally, but not the bigger problem. 

 

I know, I too, create my own bubble. So I check several credible sources. I ask why am I being told this and who is doing the telling. I read a lot. And of course, I always try to follow the money. So one answer could be teaching critical thinking skills early and often. I think, most importantly, don't get down and discouraged. Yes, things are getting batshit crazy! Take heart in how far we have come and how awesome a world we can have if reason, science and critical thinking win out. Conspiratorial thinking, longings for mythological pasts, demagoguery and so-called alternative facts have NEVER LED anywhere good.