Tuesday, August 9, 2016

can racism take us back to our glorious past?





woe is me! i've been sucked into looking at all the awful stuff in the world: takeovers in Turkey, shootings in chicago, nasty political speeches. what's so different about this? mainly, i've avoided the news most of my life. i realized: most of it is speculation about what might happen and it's a collection of disasters around the world collected for the breakfast table, events i can do nothing about.


yes, most of the images and reports simply make me feel helpless and depressed. at seventeen i stopped watching television, thinking 'there are better things to do.' for that insight i'm thankful to reason and personal stability. yet, i did often glance at headlines, looking for what would affect me and the economy. would i be drafted (six years in the coast guard reserve)? could the terrorists unwisely start events in small towns. what if they started lighting forest-fires (it's only a matter of time)?

it's so hard to pick and choose. in high school they pounded into us the need to keep up with current events, a staple of democracy. they did not help us choose between the chaff and the wheat, and once i grab the tiger's tale, i'm drawn into the monsters of the lost lagoon. take a little bit of arsenic and my whole system goes numb.

why am i so distressed at present? the general election for president of the united states. i've got a wacko, nazi candidate who's a darling of the press, pulling in millions of viewers and fooling many. is this the end of democracy in america? will he push the nuclear button if in office? his party members think they can control him. alas, he does have the knack of arousing passions in a crowd. and many articles describe his tactics, supporters, the rabid incendiary racism, and nothing seems to stick. 

here's a very interesting analysis of this followers: A neuroscientist explains what may be wrong with Trump supporters’ brains

iit is rather scary reading, not for the faint-hearted. the author ultimately reveals nothing nothing can be done about them, they don't realize they are ignorant and the contagion of the carrier very entertaining. he has one ability: he can rouse and entertain a crowd by making outrageous statements.



okay, i'm hoping enough people have common sense, though this situation a much bigger gamble than it should be. how stupid can a democracy be to risk everything on the throw of the dice?