Hijacked! Who is flying and to where?
February 18, 2015
I will start off Socratic. Do you know many people under the age of 70 that care deeply about honor or character? Of the ones that do, I bet they are either military, or emergency services or closely associated to those groups. Do you know many folks who give and help people who are in need? Do you know many folks who will help someone and then run like hell from being acknowledged for the good deed or even thanked for it? Do you know many people in supervisory or entrepreneurial positions that are trying to teach, mentor and leverage other people to be able to take their place one day?
It really wasn’t that long ago that I felt good about America and was ok with the direction we were headed. Was it perfect? No. Was there crime, social/cultural deficits and things that needed serious attention from serious people? Yes. Of course we weren’t perfect, but I had the comfortable impression that we still wanted to be. Recently however, things got wrong… bad wrong. What changed? I frequently say out loud that things just don’t make sense anymore. Did America suddenly become stupid and evil? Did everybody, over the course of a generation, forget how to think, work and solve problems? Something in the water? Side effects of vaccinations?
My friends, we have been hijacked. What changed was the definition of America by the new people who were Peter Principled into power, shepherded behind the scenes by evil power brokers and opportunists. The road to ruin is paved with good intentions. Many years ago, people thought that by ensuring outcomes, you somehow embolden people to continue to try and compete. To make the “right” from the “wrong” of oppression, you simply give the oppressed everything. I really cannot fathom how this would work outside of academia and theoretical models. Anyway, we ran with it and we handed out a trophy to everybody on the field, the stands, and even a few folks that were at the ball field by accident. Sometime during the guilty confusion of the aftermath of the Women’s Rights movement, Civil Rights movement and follow-on bandwagon parades of “I got special rights too because I am ____”; we made demographic qualities into skill sets and qualifications for jobs and schools . “We need a Woman President.” Or “We must have a Black man in the White House.” Again, this practice of social promotion was certainly (is certainly) not exclusive to elective office. People have been hired and promoted based on nothing but the color of their skin, presence of body parts or their preferred gender identification – or more specifically the fear of being accused of NOT hiring those people because of their skin or body parts or self-identifications.
That method is not good. It is “short term pleasure – long term consequence” thinking. It is actually destroying the opportunities and benefits of America. Golly, say that out loud today and you are quickly demonized as sexist, racist, homophobic, religious nut or worse! There was a time, not that long ago, when you could argue, debate and attempt to reason with people regarding their choices and beliefs. Those days appear to be long gone. Somewhere along the way, we evolved into a culture that can’t even bring up problems, differences or ideologies. Now, you must attack, destroy, ridicule, defame, discredit, slander, lie or do “whatever it takes” in order to squelch any opposing ideas or thoughts. Who cares what damage is done in the process. Who cares about the collateral damage to truth, integrity and character? Methodology and tools for the battle??? Control the language and the definitions and you can control the story, and ergo the path. For quite a while, the definitions of things have been slowly changing. Quite recently, the definitions of more concepts like success, work, citizen, responsibility and so on have been altered too. Success now means that you get what you want, regardless of how. Work is for suckers. A citizen is anyone in a geographic location or anyone who wants to be. Responsibility is now a banned word and its meaning has changed to “bad”. Right and wrong are merely convenient descriptors, not constants such as breathing or gravity. In my lifetime, being unproductive and unmarried with children was discouraged. Now, creating children regardless of ability or intention to take care of them is closer to the norm. Soon, it will be the norm and therefore, no longer “wrong”. That is just one cultural example. Now, I had better not even cast a disapproving look toward this type of activity. I am wrong and I should feel about it.
Guilty for what? Whole sections of cultural corrective action plans are based on demonizing and destroying other groups. Concepts like “white privilege” and “micro aggressions” are working their way into the language of social, educational and business life. It seems that these groups must be validated to the point that they are protected like an endangered species. I cannot recall a time that I disenfranchised, mistreated or discriminated against someone based on their skin, body parts or self-identification. Yet, I am bombarded with attempts by some of these groups to embrace shame and blame to ensure they are on top of my group. When that doesn’t work, I am threatened with consequences from laws, and regulatory agencies to ensure I get in line… in the back of the line. AND SHUT UP!
Feel uneasy about reading this? Feel like telling me to put on the robe, drink he punch and start chanting with the rest of the zombies?
If not, then maybe you are able to think about this scenario. The pendulum of power shifts back and forth naturally. Having wealth and power is not bad, nor is being poor and without influence. What is a good model? Those with wealth and power give back and raise up those without, so that the culture and the Country is consistently in stable quality-conditioning and growth. Those with wealth and powerful ensure that the playing field has a “welcome” and “equal opportunity” signs on it. Those not on the field should want to be on the field and then practice hard for the game and listen carefully and respectfully to the coach. That is their job.
What about now? Nope. I am aware that I am writing cultural fiction tales with my panacea. Well, there was a time or two when it wasn’t fiction. No more. For far too long, we have allowed social construction using the methods of manipulated and artificial outcomes. The natural order has been disrupted. The class warfare has identified the enemies and the ignorant masses have had sides chosen for them. Those with power and influence have been demonized by those without. They protect themselves and their assets by encapsulating with CPAs, lawyers and gated communities. Then, you have the truly evil power brokers and opportunists lurking around elective offices. These folks are using the media to create, extinguish, incite and discourage… all so that their own power and influence is maintained. The truly desperate and those who are less fortunate are encouraged by the power brokers’ and their lackey politicians with speeches and promises, but all along are just used as fodder and pawns. They are taught to blame and despise those with wealth and power. The results are true oppression, learned helplessness, rage, and the establishment of geographic collectives of the disposable people.
Hold on, I have to make a brief stop at Analogical Story Land…
Years ago, I was working in a residential program that had about 175 or so clients on the property. I remember a conversation I had with a fellow employee one day while looking out over the property, watching the client mill about in the daily routine. At the time, there were maybe five employees present for the 175 clients. I remember telling my colleague that it was an amazing thing to see. If the 175 decided to organize, then they could EASILY take over the campus. Instead, the 175 were held in place, not by chains or barbed wire, but rather a perception of psychological boundaries. We treated them very well, provided for physical needs and beyond and we helped them grow. In return, they didn’t riot. Of course, it wasn’t utopia. They were growing pains and periodically, there were small insurrections led by those with a misguided power need. But, more often than not, those rebellions were quelled by their fellow residents who knew things were good and who also didn’t want any disruptions in “good”.
Back on the road…
In America, there are small numbers of truly evil and selfish people that are controlling the great masses. Again, just because you are wealthy and have a title, doesn’t mean that you are one of them. Also, just because you are without a lot of resources and have no title, doesn’t mean that you are evil either. We are being manipulated to think that though. Someone wants us to be separated, because United We Stand and divided, they prosper. Conspiracy? Maybe. However, this is how I see it playing out. The truly evil do not have honor, nor do they care about anything other than themselves. They will say and do whatever is helpful in perpetuating their prosperity. Once usefulness of the Country is used up, then they will move on. They will have ample assets, stolen from America and they will simply move to another geography. To this group, America is like toilet paper. Before it is used, it is quite valuable and can be a desperate possession. Once used…
I am no longer encouraged to be successful. While my intentions and goals are designed to build for myself family but also so that I may mentor others to do the same. I want to help others succeed, because that makes for better, happier, healthier, safer and more prosperous communities. Trickle up cultural economics says that my Country thrives and prospers as well. However, my goals, beliefs and values are no longer thought of as “good” or desirable. The power brokers of evil and opportunists only want me to succeed enough so that the fruits of my efforts can be distributed to those paralyzed by learned helplessness to keep them from rioting. Further, I no longer have a comfort of faith that the systems of justice are in place to make our Country better, safer and healthier. I have lost faith in the remaining Federal Government as I fear they are predominantly corrupted and controlled by the evil power brokers and opportunists. The last bastions of hope for a new Country are the States and local communities. Even with that hope, I fear that the States may have already mortgaged their 10th Amendment souls.
Where are you going? Who is driving? Why? Folks, we don’t have many more mulligans left. You can only operate in fiction for so long before reality and the pesky constants of natural consequences show up. One day soon, the cost of all of the social construction and manipulations will come in the form of a devastating bill. I am not sure we can or have the wherewithal to pay it. Maybe it is time to choose a different path.
— R. A. Grier