The race for the White House has already begun again even though the election isn't until November 2012. And soon it will be flooding the airwaves and newspapers with oft-repeated, tired refrains and money.
Believe me, there are quite a few smaller market television stations that are gleefully awaiting that money because campaigns rupture cash into markets across the country.
I get the image in my mind of a greedy little gnome anxiously, or perhaps hungrily, rubbing his hands together and cackling in anticipation...
But you know what? It doesn't matter who's in office, which party that person represents, what color they are, what orientation, gender, etc...
There will always be people screaming, hollering out that who ever's in power is to blame for absolutely everything that's wrong in the world, in society, in culture and so forth today. Seems it's always the same people who are screaming, or at least the same rants being expressed.
However, everything is built on top of something else, much like how ancient cities have been found beneath modern ones in countries like Italy. It's a progression. No one thing is completely separate from everything else and everything that came before.
If the problems are coming to a head now, then they began to build sometime in the past, most likely before the last election. Probably even earlier than that.
On top of that, problems that are beginning to grow now will come to a head sometime in the future... Possibly after the next presidential election or even later.
But like the political cartoon in 2008 that showed Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama all wearing bulging diapers and shouting, "Change!" or like Robin Williams' character in "Man of the Year," Tom Dobbs, who jokes, "Politicians are a lot like diapers. They should be changed frequently, and for the same reason." (quoting Benjamin Franklin), there will always be a call for something different.
The old saying, "The grass is always greener..."
Well, guess what? It's not. It's the same stuff, just in a different spot, or a different rhetoric. And the same goes for pretty much all politicians as far as I have seen.
They boast and prance, pose and declare, but when it comes down to it, no matter what promises they made while campaigning, they will have to work with what ever currently exists. So a bad budget will continue to be a bad budget no matter who's trying to balance it.
People are going to respond to what's happening. Some of the commentary I have seen is outright hate-filled, outrageous and even completely ignorant.
Take, for example, the people who rant against one person now, and who will also rant against that person's successor in the future, saying almost the exact same things. Such is the case I have often seen when people get into political arguments.
"We're better, they're not." "We'll do what needs to be done and they won't." Us and them, two sides ever divided, no matter how alike they really are.
Good song for this - "Both Sides of the Coin" from "The Mystery of Edwin Drood" by Charles Dickens. Part of the duet:
"For is it I or is it me?
"And if I'm him and if I'm he/each on of us might not/Agree on what to do.
"And if I take opposing sides within myself,/Then who divides up what is right or wrong?
"I'll go along with you.
"Ha'penny, one penny, tupenny, thrupenny/Twelve to a shilling, twice that to a florin/To find the same face on both sides of the coin?/Bob is your uncle from pennies to guineas,/The two-sided mint is the rule, not exception,/And would you not quite feel quite the fool of deception/To find the same face on both sides of the coin?"
To hear the song - click here.
If you don't recognize the currency, those are old English coins. Nor am I either Rosencrantz or Guildenstern who find a coin on the side of the road that keeps coming up heads.
Politicians and their supporters sling mud back and forth, trying to dirty the other side, no matter which side of that proverbial coin happens to be facing up. But guess what? The person throwing the mud will still be spattered by the spray and will have a filthy hand in the meantime.
Even though I am not a Christian, did not Jesus say that he who is without sin can be the first to throw a stone? According to the Bible, since all people are born "tainted" with the so-called Original Sin of Eve, even if it is supposedly absolved by baptism, doesn't that indicate there is no one who is without sin?
Thus we end up with hate-filled ads on television or in the newspaper. For what else was the whole rigamarole with the Swiftboat Veterans or any of the other similar ads that come out with every single election for just about every single race, large and small?
They will attack. Sometimes they go after a specific thing a person has done, like how John Kerry supposedly kept harping on his Purple Hearts. Sometimes they go after an issue, such as current President Barack Obama's vote on the debt ceiling while holding a seat in the Senate.
Among the people screaming the loudest are those who protest what has already happened.
In this particular instance, I'm talking about an issue that was abolished more than 100 years ago: slavery and the Civil War (which actually began over state rights, not slavery). And all the angst that continues to broil to this day.
We're currently "celebrating" 150 years since the beginning of that war, an event most people agree occurred on April 12, 1861 at Fort Sumter in South Carolina. I have seen a reference to an earlier skirmish that took place in Florida in January 1861, but I haven't seen that much information on it, so I'm going to go with the April origin.
To this day, certain groups continue to wave the slavery flag, saying the descendents of the slaves are owed something. To be blunt, when was the last time they picked cotton or lived in a commune with no shoes, running water, dirt floors, etc. or were sold as chattel? It's in the past, so leave it there.
Of course, most people forget who the original slaves were: the American Indian tribes. Unfortunately, vast numbers of those people were wiped out by diseases brought over from Europe like small pox, typhus, measles, various sexually transmitted nasties, among others. Doesn't do the land owner any good to have a work force that drops dead, now does it?
So the land owners turned to another source of labor: the various African tribes that were constantly fighting amongst themselves in a region where enslaving the losers was traditional. So here we are with certain people still screaming over what was done in the past.
However! Those same groups keep throwing fits over references to that past. For instance, reprinting Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" to remove all references to the "hated" n-word. Can't be that hated since it's used all the time in a certain style of music that began with the very culture that claims to hate it...
Of course, the people screaming over this one are forgetting one very simple fact: This book was written for its time period. That WAS a time when people of darker skin were sold as chattel with no name but their use (thus all the Smiths and Bakers and other such common surnames) or the name of their owner. So read it for its historical and cultural reference, but changing it now is a moot point!
Or in another example, the teacher trying to help students understand what a human auction was like by holding a mock one in her class (this happened in Virginia, a state that was a part of the Confederacy and where slavery was a common practice, including by such notable figures as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington). I will admit, this may not have been in the best of taste, but because slavery is a part of our history, we can't forget it.
We are not Stalinists who would rewrite the history of our country to make of it what we would wish and to eliminate that which is distasteful, unfortunate and uncomfortable.
I have been mocked for "going off" on certain topics and this is one of them. I am not Aunt Polly and I don't need my fence whitewashed. (That's a literary reference in case you would like to look it up.)
Teach me the history as it was, in as unvarnished a way as possible. (And in as objective a way as possible since all history books are written by the victors, which automatically means such texts are already biased.) What is important, what is significant behind the dates our children try to memorize in school?
Why? There's another saying that's very fitting here - Those who do not learn history (or forget it or ignore it) are doomed to repeat it.
Whitewashing the unpleasantness, covering it up, doesn't eliminate the fact that it existed.
My view - Ignorance breeds fear. Fear breeds prejudice. Prejudice breeds hate. Hate breeds destruction. And that in turn breeds deeper ignorance.
Political Screaming... AKA Whining and Fear Mongering - Part 2 - Playing on Fear
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Political Screaming... AKA Whining and Fear Mongering - Part 2 - Playing on Fear
Like I said above, we can't forget what happened. Still, we really shouldn't dwell on it either.
Remember it, learn from it and move on.
In recent years, numerous states have issued "apologies" for slavery (though how truly sincere those "apologies" were I rather question since they are politically driven) or had to change state flags to remove Confederate emblems or students have been ordered to remove Confederate flags from their vehicles so as not to intimidate classmates and community members.
It's the whole racism versus cultural/historical pride argument. Plus those "apologies" are never addressed to the first slaves, only to the loudest.
And I'm no white supremacist. I hold that no one group is better than any other just because of skin tone, eye color or hair color, let alone faith or beliefs. I feel that all people of all creeds are worthy of respect and fair treatment. As a person who is different based on my beliefs, if not my olivine-skinned appearance, I understand far better than I think many realize what it is to be judged based on one aspect of who and what I am.
On more than one occasion, people have asked me what my background is, based on my appearance. I've been asked if I was Muslim or Jewish. I've even been asked which country I'm from, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Greece, Italy and India among others. In essence, it's not a good thing to judge a person based on their looks alone or to separate people based on appearance, beliefs (religious or political) or any other "us-or-them" tactic.
Indeed, I think such isolationist views will and have done far more harm than ever they did any good. And the symbols associated with them need to again be considered in their cultural and historical context.
For example, take the swastika. Adolph Hitler, a very superstitious man who had a great interest in the occult, took an ancient emblem and "twisted" it to his own ends. Thus, a symbol that had existed for thousands of years as one of eternity and the cycle of life became instead a symbol of death and hate.
The rolling logs, as the original symbol is often called, has been found in cultures all over the world, from the American Indian to the Hindu. Few people remember that now because all we hear are the people who continue to use this symbol to intimidate those who are different. They scream their hate and torment those who don't agree. What else would a burning cross in a yard or a noose hung in somebody's locker represent?
Unfortunately, it is human nature to destroy that which is not understood or unknown and is thus feared. And in the end, some media outlets play on this fear by broadcasting or printing extremist opinions and pundits... Not going to name any names there as I'm sure you can think of a few for yourself, perhaps even different ones from the ones I'm thinking of based on your view.
Even in such pieces, we don't hear or see the whole story. Only one aspect of it because of the editing, the video clips, and the time or space limitations.
Thinking about it, this is along the same lines as the religious "tensions" that exist, whether between the differing sects of one religion or between differing religions entirely.
Plenty of blood has been spilt in the name of a god with both sides screaming that whichever god is on its side! Thus we had the Crusades, of which there were several over a span of about two centuries, all fought over who controlled what is known in all three major, monotheistic faiths currently in existence as the Holy Land. These bloody campaigns were sanctioned by faith! And politics. Unfortunately, thousands lost their lives to them, on both sides and from all of the faiths involved. These "wars of faith" were extremely bloody and brutal, set as they were in a brutal time.
So much lost in the name of religion and politics, from lives to history to culture and more.
Basically all this, in the political and religious fields, boils back down to one thing: Fear.
Fear of change, fear of losing control, fear of what might be, fear of letting go, equals fear of difference.
As President Andrew Shepherd (played by Michael Douglas in "The American President) says, "And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you that Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: Making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections."
Politicians will take any advantage they can, including attacking the past of their opponent or of someone close to that opponent.
For example, Shepherd's speech continues, "You gather a group of middle-aged, middle class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time. You talk to them about family and American values and character. Then you wave an old photo of the president's girlfriend and you scream about patriotism and you tell them she's to blame for their lot in life and you go on television and you call her a whore..."
Another example of this could be the questions asked over where Obama was really born, and those who demanded to see the original documents, the "birthers," who then refused to believe in the validity of the documents when both versions were produced.
Being afraid of something doesn't mean you have to tear it down. Face it and make your self stronger by understanding it. Don't scream your fear and rant against the people in power. That just makes you look like a fool.
From Frank Herbert's "Dune" -
"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."
(There are also variants to this that says "I shall not fear" or "And when it has gone past me I will turn to see fear's path." Depends on which you prefer.)
Political Screaming... AKA Whining and Fear Mongering - Part 3 - End Game
Remember it, learn from it and move on.
In recent years, numerous states have issued "apologies" for slavery (though how truly sincere those "apologies" were I rather question since they are politically driven) or had to change state flags to remove Confederate emblems or students have been ordered to remove Confederate flags from their vehicles so as not to intimidate classmates and community members.
It's the whole racism versus cultural/historical pride argument. Plus those "apologies" are never addressed to the first slaves, only to the loudest.
And I'm no white supremacist. I hold that no one group is better than any other just because of skin tone, eye color or hair color, let alone faith or beliefs. I feel that all people of all creeds are worthy of respect and fair treatment. As a person who is different based on my beliefs, if not my olivine-skinned appearance, I understand far better than I think many realize what it is to be judged based on one aspect of who and what I am.
On more than one occasion, people have asked me what my background is, based on my appearance. I've been asked if I was Muslim or Jewish. I've even been asked which country I'm from, including Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Greece, Italy and India among others. In essence, it's not a good thing to judge a person based on their looks alone or to separate people based on appearance, beliefs (religious or political) or any other "us-or-them" tactic.
Indeed, I think such isolationist views will and have done far more harm than ever they did any good. And the symbols associated with them need to again be considered in their cultural and historical context.
For example, take the swastika. Adolph Hitler, a very superstitious man who had a great interest in the occult, took an ancient emblem and "twisted" it to his own ends. Thus, a symbol that had existed for thousands of years as one of eternity and the cycle of life became instead a symbol of death and hate.
The rolling logs, as the original symbol is often called, has been found in cultures all over the world, from the American Indian to the Hindu. Few people remember that now because all we hear are the people who continue to use this symbol to intimidate those who are different. They scream their hate and torment those who don't agree. What else would a burning cross in a yard or a noose hung in somebody's locker represent?
Unfortunately, it is human nature to destroy that which is not understood or unknown and is thus feared. And in the end, some media outlets play on this fear by broadcasting or printing extremist opinions and pundits... Not going to name any names there as I'm sure you can think of a few for yourself, perhaps even different ones from the ones I'm thinking of based on your view.
Even in such pieces, we don't hear or see the whole story. Only one aspect of it because of the editing, the video clips, and the time or space limitations.
Thinking about it, this is along the same lines as the religious "tensions" that exist, whether between the differing sects of one religion or between differing religions entirely.
Plenty of blood has been spilt in the name of a god with both sides screaming that whichever god is on its side! Thus we had the Crusades, of which there were several over a span of about two centuries, all fought over who controlled what is known in all three major, monotheistic faiths currently in existence as the Holy Land. These bloody campaigns were sanctioned by faith! And politics. Unfortunately, thousands lost their lives to them, on both sides and from all of the faiths involved. These "wars of faith" were extremely bloody and brutal, set as they were in a brutal time.
So much lost in the name of religion and politics, from lives to history to culture and more.
Basically all this, in the political and religious fields, boils back down to one thing: Fear.
Fear of change, fear of losing control, fear of what might be, fear of letting go, equals fear of difference.
As President Andrew Shepherd (played by Michael Douglas in "The American President) says, "And whatever your particular problem is, I promise you that Bob Rumson is not the least bit interested in solving it. He is interested in two things and two things only: Making you afraid of it and telling you who's to blame for it. That, ladies and gentlemen, is how you win elections."
Politicians will take any advantage they can, including attacking the past of their opponent or of someone close to that opponent.
For example, Shepherd's speech continues, "You gather a group of middle-aged, middle class, middle-income voters who remember with longing an easier time. You talk to them about family and American values and character. Then you wave an old photo of the president's girlfriend and you scream about patriotism and you tell them she's to blame for their lot in life and you go on television and you call her a whore..."
Another example of this could be the questions asked over where Obama was really born, and those who demanded to see the original documents, the "birthers," who then refused to believe in the validity of the documents when both versions were produced.
Being afraid of something doesn't mean you have to tear it down. Face it and make your self stronger by understanding it. Don't scream your fear and rant against the people in power. That just makes you look like a fool.
From Frank Herbert's "Dune" -
"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing.
Only I will remain."
(There are also variants to this that says "I shall not fear" or "And when it has gone past me I will turn to see fear's path." Depends on which you prefer.)
Political Screaming... AKA Whining and Fear Mongering - Part 3 - End Game
Political Screaming... AKA Whining and Fear Mongering - Part 3 - End Game
To live is to change. There is no point in fearing it and we can't know until it has already happened whether the change has improved our lives and situations or whether it made matters worse.
Charles Darwin is known for observing such a series of events or instances when he reached the Galapagos Islands all those decades ago. He found similar, yet different, species on each island that had adapted to their specific climes in order to survive. He postulated, and proved, that these animals had to evolve, thus change, to live.
You can even see a similar progression in the formation of zygote which grows into an embryo which grows into a fetus within the human womb. At first, it is tiny and may even resemble a tadpole, with gills and a tail. As it grows, it changes, eventually becoming the oh so familiar image of a human infant. And from that bald, squalling infant comes a man or woman who grows, and changes, over the years until that person reaches the grizzled, hump-backed (and possibly bald) time of old age.
Indeed, old age will happen no matter how much you try to fight it. So all the Botox, the tucks and other tricks, all they will do is hide your age, not reverse it. So what if I have some silver in my hair that really stands out against my dark auburn locks? I'm not a spring chicken, and I have had some silver mixed in for close to ten years already, even though I am still some distance from middle age.
Like one of my favorite bumper stickers says, "Growing old is mandatory, Growing up is optional."
It's rather interesting watching the so-called "career politicians" who get into office when they are fairly young and then serve into their dotage. Some, like Robert Byrd of West Virginia, have even died in office after serving for several decades.
Too bad the politicians can't see that their old, tired refrains are losing the audience's interest. For as the bard (William Shakespeare) once wrote in "As You Like It,"
"All the world's a stage,/And all the men and women merely players;/They have their exits and their entrances;/And one man in his time plays many parts,/His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,/Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;/And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel/And shining morning face, creeping like snail/Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,/Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad/Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,/Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,/Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,/Seeking the bubble reputation/Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,/In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,/With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,/Full of wise saws and modern instances;/And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts/Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,/With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;/His youthful hose, well sav'd, a world too wide/For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,/Turning again toward childish treble, pipes/And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,/That ends this strange eventful history,/Is second childishness and mere oblivion;/Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."
They are the players with the thicker script book, though how well they stick to their lines might be questionable.
In some productions, most notably melodramas like "Edwin Drood," the actors want the audience to participate. Of course, actors and any performers on stage would love to get that coveted "Standing O" at the end of every performance.
I personally have never been to a political rally, but my sister and her husband have gone to one and I have watched clips from rallies on television and online.
Candidates will do all in their power to entice the voters. They rev the people, their audience, into a frenzy with passionate declarations for change. They adapt their phrases and phraseology to whatever they think the people want to hear the most in order to lure them to that person's "side," to that person's line on the ballot.
And despite the promises and passion of the campaign trail, once any politician is vested in his or her office, these politicians become trapped in the web that has become our government. And thus does the audience begin to boo, for the promises are left in the dust of reality's truth.
All the people that praised the candidate for candor or promise or vision, they are the first that cry foul when that candor is muddled, that promise is broken and that vision grows dim.
In quoting Edmund Burke, a member of the British Parliament, Dr. Lyman Hall, a colonial congressman from Georgia (played by Jonathan Moore in the movie version of "1776"), says, "And in trying to resolve my dilemma, I remembered something I once read. 'That a representative owes the people not only his industry but his judgment and he betrays them if he sacrifices it to their opinion.'"
Heck, opinions can be altered by numbers. And the very numbers upon which those opinions are based, the statistics behind the polls, can be manipulated by many factors including the wording of questions, the attitude of the questioner, the passion of the responder and more. These are but a few examples out of the myriad ways numbers can be massaged to seem to say one thing even if they actually show another.
Truthfully, it seems to me that it's nothing more than a farce these days. Especially because the changes simply can't happen overnight, no matter how many brave promises are sworn on a campaign trail.
Used to be that when a person broke a promise, broke an oath, that person would become besmirched. That person's reputation would be ruined and he or she would be shunned as untrustworthy, an oath-breaker. Some cultures would even kill such people.
How far we have come from those days of true integrity to now. Promises are broken left and right, on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers of Congress. Doesn't matter which party made the oath.
Still, the populace continues to cling to the shred of hope left within Pandora's Box. Without hope, there can be no thought of a future with happiness and safety. Thus, the people keep turning on the television, making campaign contributions, attending rousing rallies and even wending their way to the polling booth on Election Day, all for hope.
They hope the promises will be kept, that change will be made. That dreams will come true.
Though when you walk into the polling place and the only thought in your mind is, "Which of these would be the lesser evil?" Is this anyway to make such an important choice?
However, all things, especially reaching any goals, any change, take time.
Now I'm not saying that all change is progress. And progress for the sake of progress isn't always a good thing. Sometimes it's nice to keep things simple. And sometimes the change is actually a step backwards instead of one forward.
As Andrew Shepherd said in the same speech quoted above, "America is advanced citizenship. You've got to want it bad because it's going to put up a fight. It's going to say, 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land is the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can standup and sing about the land of the free."
Freedom could be considered a two-edged sword according to that description. But the sword can be turned to good, can take the head of the hydra that has become politics in this country.
However, hydras are notorious for one major thing: take one head and the neck will split into two, thus actually creating a worse situation than what already existed. That is unless you burn the stump of the neck, which prevents it from splitting.
The same could be said of the killing of Osama bim Laden for he is now a martyr and his people will hold him up as an example, thus demonizing the SEAL team and the Americans cheering them on for their actions.
So in the end, these fights based on politics, or religion, will be futile. As the computer Joshua said in the movie "WarGames," "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."
Charles Darwin is known for observing such a series of events or instances when he reached the Galapagos Islands all those decades ago. He found similar, yet different, species on each island that had adapted to their specific climes in order to survive. He postulated, and proved, that these animals had to evolve, thus change, to live.
You can even see a similar progression in the formation of zygote which grows into an embryo which grows into a fetus within the human womb. At first, it is tiny and may even resemble a tadpole, with gills and a tail. As it grows, it changes, eventually becoming the oh so familiar image of a human infant. And from that bald, squalling infant comes a man or woman who grows, and changes, over the years until that person reaches the grizzled, hump-backed (and possibly bald) time of old age.
Indeed, old age will happen no matter how much you try to fight it. So all the Botox, the tucks and other tricks, all they will do is hide your age, not reverse it. So what if I have some silver in my hair that really stands out against my dark auburn locks? I'm not a spring chicken, and I have had some silver mixed in for close to ten years already, even though I am still some distance from middle age.
Like one of my favorite bumper stickers says, "Growing old is mandatory, Growing up is optional."
It's rather interesting watching the so-called "career politicians" who get into office when they are fairly young and then serve into their dotage. Some, like Robert Byrd of West Virginia, have even died in office after serving for several decades.
Too bad the politicians can't see that their old, tired refrains are losing the audience's interest. For as the bard (William Shakespeare) once wrote in "As You Like It,"
"All the world's a stage,/And all the men and women merely players;/They have their exits and their entrances;/And one man in his time plays many parts,/His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,/Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms;/And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel/And shining morning face, creeping like snail/Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,/Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad/Made to his mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier,/Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,/Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,/Seeking the bubble reputation/Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice,/In fair round belly with good capon lin'd,/With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,/Full of wise saws and modern instances;/And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts/Into the lean and slipper'd pantaloon,/With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;/His youthful hose, well sav'd, a world too wide/For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,/Turning again toward childish treble, pipes/And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,/That ends this strange eventful history,/Is second childishness and mere oblivion;/Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything."
They are the players with the thicker script book, though how well they stick to their lines might be questionable.
In some productions, most notably melodramas like "Edwin Drood," the actors want the audience to participate. Of course, actors and any performers on stage would love to get that coveted "Standing O" at the end of every performance.
I personally have never been to a political rally, but my sister and her husband have gone to one and I have watched clips from rallies on television and online.
Candidates will do all in their power to entice the voters. They rev the people, their audience, into a frenzy with passionate declarations for change. They adapt their phrases and phraseology to whatever they think the people want to hear the most in order to lure them to that person's "side," to that person's line on the ballot.
And despite the promises and passion of the campaign trail, once any politician is vested in his or her office, these politicians become trapped in the web that has become our government. And thus does the audience begin to boo, for the promises are left in the dust of reality's truth.
All the people that praised the candidate for candor or promise or vision, they are the first that cry foul when that candor is muddled, that promise is broken and that vision grows dim.
In quoting Edmund Burke, a member of the British Parliament, Dr. Lyman Hall, a colonial congressman from Georgia (played by Jonathan Moore in the movie version of "1776"), says, "And in trying to resolve my dilemma, I remembered something I once read. 'That a representative owes the people not only his industry but his judgment and he betrays them if he sacrifices it to their opinion.'"
Heck, opinions can be altered by numbers. And the very numbers upon which those opinions are based, the statistics behind the polls, can be manipulated by many factors including the wording of questions, the attitude of the questioner, the passion of the responder and more. These are but a few examples out of the myriad ways numbers can be massaged to seem to say one thing even if they actually show another.
Truthfully, it seems to me that it's nothing more than a farce these days. Especially because the changes simply can't happen overnight, no matter how many brave promises are sworn on a campaign trail.
Used to be that when a person broke a promise, broke an oath, that person would become besmirched. That person's reputation would be ruined and he or she would be shunned as untrustworthy, an oath-breaker. Some cultures would even kill such people.
How far we have come from those days of true integrity to now. Promises are broken left and right, on both sides of the aisle and in both chambers of Congress. Doesn't matter which party made the oath.
Still, the populace continues to cling to the shred of hope left within Pandora's Box. Without hope, there can be no thought of a future with happiness and safety. Thus, the people keep turning on the television, making campaign contributions, attending rousing rallies and even wending their way to the polling booth on Election Day, all for hope.
They hope the promises will be kept, that change will be made. That dreams will come true.
Though when you walk into the polling place and the only thought in your mind is, "Which of these would be the lesser evil?" Is this anyway to make such an important choice?
However, all things, especially reaching any goals, any change, take time.
Now I'm not saying that all change is progress. And progress for the sake of progress isn't always a good thing. Sometimes it's nice to keep things simple. And sometimes the change is actually a step backwards instead of one forward.
As Andrew Shepherd said in the same speech quoted above, "America is advanced citizenship. You've got to want it bad because it's going to put up a fight. It's going to say, 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours. You want to claim this land is the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then you can standup and sing about the land of the free."
Freedom could be considered a two-edged sword according to that description. But the sword can be turned to good, can take the head of the hydra that has become politics in this country.
However, hydras are notorious for one major thing: take one head and the neck will split into two, thus actually creating a worse situation than what already existed. That is unless you burn the stump of the neck, which prevents it from splitting.
The same could be said of the killing of Osama bim Laden for he is now a martyr and his people will hold him up as an example, thus demonizing the SEAL team and the Americans cheering them on for their actions.
So in the end, these fights based on politics, or religion, will be futile. As the computer Joshua said in the movie "WarGames," "A strange game. The only winning move is not to play."
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