Hardly even a few months into this election cycle and already Trump has minions to do his bidding. I won't say evil bidding as that would bestow a good deal more than he deserves here.
In the first place they are his minions more so in his mind than in reality, and I make the declaration specific to that caveat. As for his supporters, I don't think they're evil, or minions either for that matter; gullible maybe, naive and just plain ignorant perhaps as well, but not evil minions. Which doesn't, of course, release them from any of the responsibility they'll take on for doing a really stupid, destructive act; and all because of the stupid party that made it possible for people like him to have a shot at their nomination in the first place. And how else could you describe a party responsible for Ted Cruz, Sarah Palin, Marco Rubio, and a gaggle of governors who've taken religious extremism to soaring new heights. Why shouldn't just plain dumb have its day in the bright light of extreme expression?
These people would have a right to be angry of course, but the real shame here is that they won't see their own culpability in allowing this to happen at all. It's always risky making generalizations but I would be willing to say that a majority of these people hardly ever read any history, or documented exposes, or scientific reviews. How could they when most of what they know comes from television, and only the most isolated of web sources. As such they don't have nearly enough information to really understand what's going on around them; making them easy marks for whatever simplistic spouting moron that comes along; just as long as that moron puts a resonant salve on their fears, and assurances that easy certainty will save them. That this puts them into the category of children being led away by a man with promises of candy seems to escape them entirely.
It's a sad commentary indeed when one has to be so blunt about a big part of what ails this nation, but there it is. A part of it, of course, is that having children as citizens is exactly what a profit driven, commercial/commodity form of social organization desires the most; or at least what it has always thought it desired the most, as evidenced by conservative Big Money playing into this scenario for so long.
The other part, however, is as it has always been. We are responsible for what we allow our government, as well as our so called "betters," to decide for us. Too long have we all been lulled into the idea that you can simply pay and forget. Pay your taxes (grudgingly or not), pay into a campaign, or buy into this or that miracle remedy. That's all. And after that it will be taken care of so you can sit back, chung your brew of choice, and be entertained, and otherwise pleasantly distracted. We'll even settle for a shitty job if it just pays enough to stay comfortable snug in our own private cocoons of ignorant bliss.
The thing is, people talk about wanting liberty and freedom, but they seldom have any idea of what is actually required of each of us to maintain it, and stay responsible for it. That the bill due to pay for that is informed personal involvement, and not just on a part time basis. To do that, however, as it should be done, cannot truly happen until we reinvent how our social/economic operating system works. This is so because the current operating system was made obsolete decades ago and we just refuse to accept that.
by BENJY SARLIN
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by JON SCHUPPE
