Thursday, August 09, 2007
Decline and fall
Perhaps it's a matter of maturity, or maybe it's just this particular regime, but I am more cynical about public intelligence than I've ever been. I guess it's both: there're amost always more possibilities than the either-or dichotomy would have us believe.
The adulation of Bill Clinton followed by the outraged shock at his human behavior sent up lots of warning flags. Public opinion was not all it was cracked up to be. Yes, even though Lincoln spoke warmly of the intelligence of the masses—fool some of the people all the time, all of the people some of the time, etc., etc.—I think he was wrong. The way the Bush-Cheney Junta carries on, without utter outrage on the part of the citizenry, and the number of idiotic supporters of this horrid war who continue to wave the bloody flag of blood-and-guts—I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that the public really isn't too bright. I'm not even sure the public is particularly well-intentioned. Greedy, yes.
It seems to me there should be parades of people with torches, carrying barrels of tar and sacks of feathers, marching on the White House—hell, on the whole government—with the intent of clearing out the rascals that run things. That there aren't, that the government can do whatever the fuck it wants and there's hardly a whisper from the public: I don't think people give a shit.
If I post nothing else today, this quote of Charles Darwin should be enough.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge."
The adulation of Bill Clinton followed by the outraged shock at his human behavior sent up lots of warning flags. Public opinion was not all it was cracked up to be. Yes, even though Lincoln spoke warmly of the intelligence of the masses—fool some of the people all the time, all of the people some of the time, etc., etc.—I think he was wrong. The way the Bush-Cheney Junta carries on, without utter outrage on the part of the citizenry, and the number of idiotic supporters of this horrid war who continue to wave the bloody flag of blood-and-guts—I'm rapidly coming to the conclusion that the public really isn't too bright. I'm not even sure the public is particularly well-intentioned. Greedy, yes.
It seems to me there should be parades of people with torches, carrying barrels of tar and sacks of feathers, marching on the White House—hell, on the whole government—with the intent of clearing out the rascals that run things. That there aren't, that the government can do whatever the fuck it wants and there's hardly a whisper from the public: I don't think people give a shit.
If I post nothing else today, this quote of Charles Darwin should be enough.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge."
