No hygge for me as I click in the meter key
before the
lights’ go out.
Alt-right
is not alright, it’s not me,
just needing change does not make me a demon,
does it?
Voting for
change is the only power that I have.
Have you
woke up yet?
Anna :o[
Mama Zen
at Real Toads has us writing (in seventy words or less) our thoughts using words from
the Oxford
Hygge - A quality of cosiness and comfortable conviviality that engenders a
feeling of contentment or well-being, regarded as a defining characteristic of
Danish culture
Alt-right - An ideological grouping associated with extreme conservative
or reactionary viewpoints, characterized by a rejection of mainstream politics
and by the use of online media to disseminate deliberately controversial
content
Glass
cliff - Used with reference to a situation in which
a woman or member of a minority group ascends to a leadership position in
challenging circumstances where the risk of failure is high
Woke - Originally in African-American usage meaning alert to injustice in
society, especially racism
Jeez, I worry about ‘Alt-right’
and the assumption that those who reject mainstream politics are by definition
– right wing. (How easily we have accepted/swallowed this word - differentiating us from them.) Our corporate masters –
those who govern us, our politicians - continue to rule (by defamation in words) those who seek change, seek to be a heard voice, seek the right to exist
in ‘hygge’. It appears that the
have-nots, the disillusioned (including the intelligentsia) have no right to a
voice and if they should utter – they are demonised. Those who rule have power over the ordinary
folk (us) and it is up to us whether we bend with them or stand upright and be
counted.
I live on
the other side of the pond and do not pretend to understand the razzmatazz of
American politics – it is completely alien to me. The elections were well televised over here
and Trump came across as an ego-driven nutter whilst Clinton came across as a
self-opinionated warmonger who was completely out of touch with (perhaps) 50%
of the electorate, her people, Her
pointy-finger, snarling at the ‘deplorables’ almost certainly pushed the vote
towards Trump. Her arrogance (egocentric)
was the agent of her failure – her failure to understand the needs of her people. Her arrogance pushed her people into a corner, a corner of which they have come out
fighting , many fighting blinded, that is blinded by the ‘truth’ of Trump.
And now
there is the shit, the total right-wing shit where those who are indeed
deplorable have been given a voice a right to exist by Trump – and (possibly)
soon, all hell will break loose. I fear for this world of ours. I
fear the manipulators’ who play on the fears of the electorate, the electorate
governed – and to much part ignored –by the business that is politics.
On this
side of the pond is the Brexiteer (A person who is in favour of the UK UK Europe is fed up of being a business where real people don’t count. We do – woke up politicians, don’t at your
peril.
Woke up world, see the seen
injustice. The little man – whether he
knows it or not will win, win as the loser (he seems to be), maybe by those who
do harm by manipulating the fears of those who have no voice, a voice in the
wilderness waiting to be heard. Politicians
listen to your people, all of your people – woke up !
Off my soapbox now – but I
seriously worry about this world of ours.
Discuss?
10 comments:
Everything changes... anyone who doesn't see that will get a rather rude awakening, or die in his or her sleep.
Yes, I think a lot of people are waking up to the real problems - that wealth and control is in the hands of the few. But there are billions of the rest of us and we can effect change with our votes, with our pocketbooks and purchasing power, through our choices, and by raising our voices. Standing Rock is showing us how we can stand up at the grassroots level and make our voices heard.
Corporations assume they will win and they may in the short term. But ultimately, if this world is to continue, humans have to find better ways to live upon the planet. My greatest concern about the current situation is that the incoming regime are climate change naysayers, and the earth doesnt have four years to spare of nothing being done to reduce emissions. Sigh. I enjoyed reading your post, kiddo.
I'm even further removed from the arena and have viewed the unfolding events from a more global aspect: on the one side, there is Europe buckling under the strain of unchecked influx of human migration, where terror really is on people's doorsteps. It is no wonder the island kingdom had the knee jerk reaction of drawing back but as you note, this does sound the knell of European dissolution. The combined force of the EU might have had enough weight to stand up to the emerging axis powers of Russia and USA, but if it disintergrates due to in-fighting who can say what the next 4years will do to the balance of power. Sometimes, it's not so bad living south of the equator.
I can understand the cry for change, but my concern is what it's changing to. I actually do believe that we are stronger when united, but I also believe that we need true transparency in why, and the undercurrents of the world who claim that everything is just lies. But maybe coming from a small country constantly in balance between powers of the world ...
I think there are several things that have exacerbated conditions so that we find ourselves in the state we are in. The first, is that we have been encouraged to see things in sharp contrasts of black and white, and throw out any nuances that might change our perceptions. The second is failure to recognize the dark (not bad dark, but that we wish not to closely look at in ourselves) in the stances we consider "light".
As someone who worked hard for the alternate democratic candidate (Bernie Sanders) I certainly see your point. I would agree that there were voices we failed to hear in the gray zones - rural people who have seen jobs melt away, people caught up in the opiod crisis, etc. - and their dissatisfaction ultimately lead to them to vote for change, any change, without any thought to the long term consequences.
And I *did* think of the long term consequences. Whether it was Clinton or Trump who won, I knew that I would need to "stay woke" to the actions of their administrations and be willing to be a more active participant in political processes. Now which one do you think would it be easier to work with, a rational person, mindful of her public persona who likely would bend to enough pressure (as long as there were those willing to stand up regularly for it) so as not to tarnish her image, or a narcissist who doesn't care a damn about the average person and isn't moved by anything that doesn't make him wealthier or otherwise sates his personal appetites?
Voting isn't writing a love letter, it's a chess game. You play with the pieces you have and you work around their limitations. While clearly there would be limits to the plays made with Clinton in power, it is nothing, nothing, next to the limits and dire possibilities a Trump administration can bring. When "change" comes I hope those who voted for it can still look in the mirror, and remember that if they were upset about the possibility of adding to the blood on Clinton's hands, they now own all the blood that will come from Trump's.
Hope they have enough detergent on hand to help them sleep at night.
It is interesting to be alive at a moment when you can see up-close and personal the decline and fall of a civilization. Nothing has changed, or at least humans haven't. We just happen to be on the steepening slide toward the down-hill end of a long and recurrent arc of history.
Small enclaves of something resembling family and compassion will endure here and there, and when the storm is past, will begin to join and make bigger things again.
I live in a little village of about 700 souls in the Southern Appalachians. We survived the American Civil War because the Yankee detachment sent to occupy (burn) the town decided we were not worth climbing up the mountain while getting shot at.
So our strategy for this latest round of madness is essentially unchanged. Keep our heads down, don't brag too much to strangers,trade close to home, be kind to one another and gentle with fools passing through.
Very insightful post(especially since I agree with much of what you say).. A large segment of the Brexit and Trump vote were a last ditch attempt by the frustrated and exasperated worker bees to shake up the entrenched corporate/political oligarchy.. These two supposedly shocking victories occurred in the face of a blistering barrage from the oligarchy's relentless attacks from their media lap dogs.. Even if Trump and Brexit do fail(and the deck is stacked against them both) the shining light from 2016 is that the corruption of our ruling institutions have been finally revealed.
Very interesting Anna! It seems it is the opinion of many not just in the US but the silent majority around the world! One hopes the nucluer button may not be a plaything in the hands of a known but excited entrepreneur (who dares take risks)
Hank
Change is what fuels our dynamism, but the question at the back of our minds to always ponder is: change to what; we already know what we are changing from
Best Wishes in 2017 🍸
much love
I'm beyond worried, too.
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