FYGPD
What an eventful day, full of the 'ol in out, in out .... real savage like
Ok, so you live in this society, making a living, paying taxes, consuming, producing, etc. Everyone has an opinion on things, whether it be how schools should be ran, crime solutions, and of course, the perennial favorite, taxation. So, as such, each person will draw conclusions based upon personal welfare (e.g. "I won't have any prison in my backyard!), concern for their offspring or loved ones, (e.g. "I want Medicare so I can keep granny in the nursing home and out of my face!" or "Fuck school funding! My kid is getting home schooled!"), yadda yadda yadda. So, each person takes a stance on an issue, and over time (it seems now like by late teens for those who're "concerned"), they take an overall stance (In the good ol' US of A, you know the score), liberal or conservative. Yay. Polarity.
Now, for a bit of foreground
I don't know how many of you have read any Noam Chomsky (And don't finger me for anything because I'm mentioning him and his ideas, I think he's full of shit on a lot of stuff), but he has frequently mentioned the concept in America of an informed minority versus the uninformed, politically apathetic majority.
Simply put, roughly 15-20% of the American population is "cultured", and as such, they feel obligated to retain opinions and psuedo-participate in politics. This "minority" of sorts typically consists of the "educated" slice of our society (e.g. college graduates and other somehow cultured fucks). These are the people to whom most politicians try and appeal, because the informed minority packs the most punch when it comes to grass-roots action, and you want them on your side, not your enemy's. These people are the ones who often initiate grass-roots actions in retaliation to what they will view as unjust legislation. On an ironic note, it seems that a lot of people coming out of four-year institutions nowadays don't even care about the world around them, just look at accountants. Others still form those "convenient" political opinions, like taxation and all that drek, out of what I'd gander would be personal interest for themselves/loved-ones/or fellow ilk, not concern for the welfare of the fellow man/woman/child/kumquat. They will usually wait until Big Brother starts making laws that interfere with their lifestyle, then act. Try the AFL-CIO.
The other slice of people are the "working" masses, basically those who will work until they're old enough to retire, then live out a humble life until Death visits their front door. That is, if their pensions aren't raided by that time! These people are similar to a person who draws opinions based upon the welfare of themselves/immediate family (e.g. A person who will vote for a presidential candidate because they promise tax cuts, enemas, etc), and once again, not for the general welfare of their countrymen. A politician will usually make their appeal to this group, but they usually don't have worry much about this demographic, because a working stiff is typically more concerned with what's happening tonight on Chicago Hope than writing a letter to their congressman.
So, for those of you who aren't politically active in the token sense, I ask you this question: "What made you choose your political orientation?", And I gander, an average response would be something along the lines of "Liberalism/Conservativism is what appealed most to me", either that or "I chose to be liberal/conservative because of their stance on a specific issue (e.g. abortion, too-much/lack-of federal control, etc etc.). So, with the first type, they are more likely to defend party dogma, while the latter type will say something similar to, "Hey, I aligned with this group because they're pro-choice, I really don't agree with/care about the liberal/conservative views on education/environment/the whole nine yards". Creeeeeepy, real creepy.
Now, this is all fine and dandy, but what many people forget at this junction, is that MUCH splintering still occurs from this point. Think about it. Free-trade Liberal (The world is going to crumble unless we further trade, even though the answer is usually sweat shops). Environmental Liberal (Earth first, people later). Christian Conservative (We must protect those outdated American values! I don't want my daughter sleeping with any blackies!). And my favorite, the apparently atheist Conservative (Although they'll deny it when asked), who chooses the draconian conservative view to further their own bitterness towards the world (What? Funding for the homeless? Fuck those worthless leeches! What? Money for prison rehabilitation? Fuck inmates! I think we should fry 'em all!). Just like people, these political orientations come in 31 flavors (figure of speech), and within a general party orientation (left or right), we have all this ridiculous infighting.
What people fail to realize, is that the people you elect in order to further your societal concerns are living by their own agenda, which is usually dictated to them by either the party elders, or the lecherous corporate lobbyist. The one thing that far too many "politically aware" persons seem to overlook is that lobbying in America today is the cause of probably 70% of the "executive" legislation, e.g. the legislation that starts "at the top". Look at the DMCA, you think consumer activist groups came up with that hummer? Wrong! It was from lobbying done by the likes of Time-Warner, Disney, and all your favorite cartoon characters, like Diane Finestien(sp?) and the Gores (Al and Tipper). The Sonny Bono Act is another fine example of what corporate lobbying can get done. Mickey Mouse was going to enter the public domain in 2004, but thanks to the Sonny Bono Act, it's more like 2030 IF they don't get more extensions in that time (And I don't mean hair extensions). Now, that's not to say that copyright is evil, but for fuck's sake, Disney has made enough money off of him! Sounds a little like greed, methinks. The simple fact is, a large portion of action taken by the legislature is not done to sate the thirst of the people, it is done to pay back favors to campaign contributors!
Thankfully, a congressman will usually only get one term to further their own political agenda, before being ousted. Unless of course they're real good liars, like Jesse Helms. Of course, if your constituents are a bunch of apathetic morons, then...When in Rome!
Let's face it, people like to hate(dislike) each other. We're always looking for reasons. Pick a card, any card. Race. Religion. Creed. Income Bracket. And oh, what's this? ... Political Orientation! Well it's no surprise, but the legislature is just playing you against each other, so that while the parties bitch and holler about how much they'd like to see the other one dead, the big wigs at the top just keep on truckin', to a different tune, of course.
When you get to the top of the ladder, *everyone* is sucking the same dick, the company's! Fuck Imperialism! |
