The Revenge of Sticks and Stones
We as a nation are gradually coming to grips with the fact that there is a nationwide mental health crisis. There are many institutional reasons for this crisis, and fixing them would do wonders.
However, I have my own pet theory for the mental health crisis.
I don't have a credible empirical study to back it up, just my own gut.
My theory is thus:
America is going nuts because we are being force-fed too many lies. Or to put it another way, we've hit peak cognitive dissonance.
America, The Land Of The Free, has the world's largest prison population
The poor are lazy and get what they deserve, but also Life Is Not Fair
2/3rd of Republicans are Pro-Life and both Pro-Death Penalty and Pro-War
The Elites who are oppressing us are in Hollywood, not in corporate boardrooms
We care about refugees, but not care about our foreign policy of making refugees
Republicans love the troops, but also love cutting the VA
We hate our oppressive government, but will kill and die to protect our government's ability to fuck with every other nation on the planet.
Capitalist greed is making the world a better place, while helping the poor actually hurts the poor.
Buying an cache of assault rifles is defending your liberty, but protesting in the street should be a crime.
and on, and on.
But the biggest contradiction involves Trump and why people hate him.
People hate Trump because he says rude and intolerant things.
People hate Trump because he says racist and misogynistic things.
People hate Trump because he says untrue things.
People hate Trump because of what he says.
Very few people hate Trump because of what he actually does, and that's wacko to me.
I was raised to believe that names could never hurt me...unless I decided that they could.
Today's liberals have decided not only that names can always hurt you, but that words are more important than sticks and stones.
It's for this reason that the McResistance remains "diffuse, leaderless and lacking coherence".
It's because the McResistance isn't fighting for something, or even against something. It's simply expressing an emotion brought about because of what someone said.
It's infantile and is a symptom of self-obsession.
It's for this reason that liberals will accomplish absolutely NOTHING of importance.
As long as their obsession is being language police and symbolic gestures that make liberals feel good, then actual policies to make people's lives better are out of the question.
Liberals are all about "righting the wrongs of historical oppression" eventhough most of them have a Disneyfied knowledge of actual history.
Of course, conservatives are no better, just different.
Trump is doing symbolic things that shock and anger liberals, and that's all conservatives really want as well. Symbolic gestures that anger liberals make conservatives feel good.
In this regard, we've gotten the political system that we deserve.
People that care about things that effect all of us don't have the microphone.
Comments
I was discussing this today
Don't know if you heard about the great nation of Binomo, an island nation near Vietnam that the Russians were involved in shady dealings to bring about a political revolt. Nikki Haley has heard of it and is watching it closely.
https://www.rt.com/news/414086-prank-nikki-haley-russia-place/
Now in the U.S., we have no idea this happened. Our UN Ambassador is being mocked worldwide. But as long as she says: Russia, Iran bad...Israel good...U.S. fights for freedom...she will continue to be regarded by both parties as a perfect representative of U.S. foreign policy.
Both parties will have no problems spending yet trillions more for war with Iran while ignoring the very people that voted for them. But the media bombards them daily with scary images of North Korea or Iran laying waste to truth, justice, and the American way whilst the corrupt arms dealing lay waste to truth, justice, and the American way.
The americant way
is overrated.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Look up USS Little Rock
Newly-launched, it's broken down at least twice flailing out of the Great Lakes. On its way to FL. It's a littoral vessel, who will it be invading?
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
Probably the Everglades. nt
"we manage them and we continue to remind them what their place
Ah, the arrogance of Empire.
We won't decline with grace
Ha! This is so damn funny
From the comments....
Tonight on the 5 o'clock news, 17 intelligence agencies have proof that the high king of Binomo is developing weapons of mass destruction, gassing children and citizens, and kicking cute puppies for sport. No American citizen would double check that headline, and would immediately take to facebook and twitter with hashtags and chants to overthrow the Binomo "regime".
This could happen on any subject that our government wants us to believe. There used to be a law against the government from spreading propaganda, but it was rescinded a few years ago.
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
Obama's final gift
Ministry of Truth
Have they hired Winston yet?
Countering Disinformation and Propaganda Act
Oh, that sounds loverly. How about 'Get Smart' instead?
recognize, understand, expose, and counter
non-state propaganda (which I guess means state propaganda is okie-dokee)
aimed at undermining United States national security interests
I'm thinking US is very insecure for this BS to float.
thanks obama
internal spy-ops are the new normal
Brings back fond memories, doesn't it?
"I will filibuster the FISA bill"
"I don't want him to talk about leadership, I don't want to hear him say that he will defend the constitution, I want to see him do it. If he doesn't, then we'll worry that he's just another spineless democrats who are more afraid of controversy than doing the right things."
Awe, hope springs eternal.....
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
wtf does moositis
say about FISA -- nada
"Iran Bad!"
Oh, slap.. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei took to Twitter today to give Trump a message.
‘Reagan was smarter than you, and he lost!’ Iran’s leader slams Trump, praises Black Lives Matter
There were problems with running a campaign of Joy while committing a genocide? Who could have guessed?
Harris is unburdened of speaking going forward.
The government that we deserve.
How true.
There is most definitely a mental health crisis in this country. Many who meet on bus stops never acknowledge those around them because they've become emerged in the language of the "smart" phone. People use to talk without saying anything other than "Hi". So rare now. Now news is not news unless they're told it is news.
Our current government is nothing more than an afterthought to many.
I hate Trump. It's an easy thing to do. Yet we created him.
I think often about going incognito.
Thanx gjohn.
Regardless of the path in life I chose, I realize it's always forward, never straight.
Outrage Is Not A Solution
I'm guessing there is a unanimous agreement here at c99p that running against Trump and his outrage du jour is not a sufficient response.
I saw this on a t-shirt and was struck by the way it encapsulated a part of the problem you are describing:
I include Trump supporters, Hillarybots and Americans who still believe that Obama deserves admiration for his "accomplishments" in the group of oppressed Americans who continue to be deceived.
The propaganda of the dark side is strong.
"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn
If someone wants to spend their time working on
black issues, or native American issues, or children's issues, why is that a problem? I think you're coming at this from the democratic party pov
because many liberal minded people are accomplishing great things, just not in electoral politics.
Everything is described in the media relative to the two party system. You never hear about third parties except somewhat during the elections, but never when it comes to discussions regarding governing this country. It's all about the republican and democratic parties. The McResistance is the democratic party. So that's their thing, they oppose the other party which includes Trump. 80% of democrats also support imperialism and the accompanying wars, regime changes, sanctions, etc. It's the same thing we saw when Bush was in office, it never changes. When it was Obama in office it was the same thing, which is why many of the Trump supporters voted for Trump, because he wasn't Obama and a democrat. The problem is, that's only half the country at this point, the rest of us do not identify with either party. I think when you're talking about SJW's and liberals, you're referring to the democratic party and with conservatives, the republican party. In that respect, neither are accomplishing anything other than trading places every two to four years and helping to perpetuate an oligarchy controlled political system.
What great things?
You know what would be a truly great thing?
Reforming our justice system, all the way from the police to the courts to the prisons. To make it more fair and less punitive.
Not only would it be a universal good, it would help minorities the most.
And to my point - it would be a thing.
What would NOT be a great thing is more brown CEOs and Hollywood starlets.
And there are alot of people working toward those ends.
To say they're accomplishing nothing is not correct.
I didn't mean to say
that people aren't working hard to do good things.
I should have been more clear.
As an individual I throw money at base causes
Like hunger and contraception. Does that make me a compensation that our government has ignored? Turned its multi-back to? Are we better off without higher authority now? Go back to city-states or smaller farm coops?
Sleep deprivation is taking hold. AND I cold-turkeyed antidepressant use some months ago. Magnesium is touted as a replacement for Antidepressants. Gives me the runs leading to more sleep deprivation. Irony: I slept through an afternoon PCP appointment today.
Hey! my dear friends or soon-to-be's, JtC could use the donations to keep this site functioning for those of us who can still see the life preserver or flotsam in the water.
A lot of people . . .
are working to improve women's reproductive health. It's getting worse.
are fighting to end imprisoning people for being unable to pay fines and court costs. The practice is expanding.
are trying to improve working conditions including safety standards. Policy is moving in the opposite direction.
actively oppose the ever expanding power and rapidly rising prices of the pharmaceutical industry. The cost of drugs is rising at several times the rate of inflation.
There are many good people devoting tremendous energy and more money than they can afford to worthy causes. They help particular people. Sometimes they slow the rate of change in the wrong direction. They are commendable.
Their efforts are not a solution. I don't have a solution either. But I can't imagine one that doesn't involve government policy. The Trump Administration announced today that it is removing regulations that were created after the Gulf Horizon disaster. It will save energy companies $900 million.
...And cost how many TRILLIONS in the long run?
This isn't just "penny wise, pound foolish", it's financial suicide (as well as ecocide on an insane scale).
There is no justice. There can be no peace.
Exactly!
why can't we have good things?
we don't need great things, we just need less bad things. Can that be articulated in a tweeter or something?
Yep, that would MAGA.
We really did have institutions and a net in thus country before state services were 'privatized.'
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
Yep, that would MAGA.
We really did have institutions and a net in thus country before state services were 'privatized.'
A truth of the nuclear age/climate change: we can no longer have endless war and survive on this planet. Oh sh*t.
yup
US foreign and domestic policies are doministic (new word).
Weaponized Compassion
This is actually part of the strategy of the Grover Norquist/Paul Ryan tax cut Republicans:
By eliminating government spending for essential services, environmental causes and other social justice issues it compels Americans with genuine compassion to funnel money, time and effort into all kinds of organizations and diverts that money and resources away from electoral politics.
List all the left wing groups trying to save America and the planet. Now try to list a right wing group that focuses on any issue besides electoral politics. Gun control and Anti-abortion come to mind and they are both targeted to achieve electoral goals.
I forget the source for this analysis and have not explained it as well, but you get the idea. Of course the Right Wing MSM Media Machine make their job a lot easier.
Is there a left wing ALEC?
"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn
People have been working for native american rights
outside of the election system for a lot longer than since this taxscam passed and what's wrong with working outside electoral politics? Electing politicians to make our decisions for us is so last century. Actually that is what they should fear most, the people organizing outside of this corrupt unrepresentative political system.
Nothing Wrong With Organizing For Special Interests
I have nothing but sheer admiration for the monumental efforts of Native Americans who have been fighting terrorism since 1492.
I had close friends who went to the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest to support the Water Protectors and have still not managed to get back in touch with. I was at Occupy L.A. on day 4 until the bitter end. I sat in with BLM at Occupy City Hall and went to several other demonstrations by BLM.
The question is how we turn all of that dispersed energy into ballot box victory? Where is the left wing ALEC that handwrites legislation in all 50 states for progressive legislative victories? How do we turn the efforts of Move On, Greenpeace, Vets for Peace and others into institutional change?
A whole lot of shakin' goin on and it's all good. We need to get a left wing/socialist Powell Memo outline to get everybody on the same page and moving in a unified direction.
"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn
@Meteor Man
Problem is that self-interests working against the public interest tend to get lumped in together with those working for the public good, under that 'Special Interest' label, so that the excuse is that both have to be treated equally - not that they are, where the public good is concerned.
But this legitimizes self-interests lobbyists actively harming the public interest, even while little more than perhaps some lip service is given to those concerned with such as involves protecting human and environmental rights against these lobbying self-interests, so that I always differentiate and term self-interests as what they are. I think that's essential, myself.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Ballot box victory for who?
It's what I said in my original comment, this complaining about "SJW's" is all about the democratic party, and part of that is Daily Kos. In other words, some people here are pissed at the democratic party for focusing on special interests instead of what they feel the party should focus on.
Some of us could care less about the democratic party other than it's the opposition in the class war. The only ones who will be on the same page with the democratic party are partisan democrats and fools.
See Below
Democratic Socialists of America?
Green Party?
I dunno. Maybe just making alternative legislative bills available to the general public so they can see what is possible. Just brainstorming here, not pretending I have the solution.
"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn
Exactly What I'm Talking About
Speaking to Susan Collins on the "commitment" she had that tax cuts would not affect health care:
And this:
https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a42a7dde4b025f99e187b5b
We also need an organization independent of the Democratic party to do the nuts and bolts task of turning ideas into legislative bills.
"They'll say we're disturbing the peace, but there is no peace. What really bothers them is that we are disturbing the war." Howard Zinn
No.
The National Conference of State Legislatures is rigorously nonpartisan. ALEC accuses it of being liberal, but, as Stephen Colbert pointed out, reality has a well-known liberal bias.
@Meteor Man
I'd noticed a distinct lack of interest in anything else - or at least anything positive/life-saving; the Koch brothers et al wouldn't fund anything to do with saving the country, people or planet, of course.
I suspect that they really believe that they each can buy a suitable new planet as their new estate off some passing alien, by the time that their 'billionaire immortality magic trick' kicks in. The aliens, naturally, will all be simple primitives charmed by their shiny little data-dots representing Earth wealth and will do anything for them.
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Interesting essay
Thanks gj for brining this up. It is an issue close to my heart. I deal with various forms of (what I consider) madness almost every day. Perhaps more exposure of this issue is important.
The way mental health issues are dealt with in this Merkin universe is telling. The security forces gather the homeless, druggies, boozers, dealers, rebels or anyone out of the ordinary as criminals. The CJS (criminally administered sadist entrapenenuers) don't bother with offering solutions to the convicted odd-balls' perceived malice. Instead, we are offered the luxury of being locked up in a cage to face the screaming meemies in the company of strangers.
It is becoming an (almost) well known fact that the 'home of the free' has the highest per capita incarceration rate in the world. That means the US has formed a sub-society of deviants from the laws. To protect us from their errant ways. To isolate them without a voice or choice. If you have ever experienced the form of justice this present state provides, you know exactly what that means.
The cold truth is many people have been caught up in this dragnet of 'war on drugs' or 'hard on crime' initiatives regardless of their mental state. There is little effort to separate mentally and socially unadaptive behavior from all other forms of crime. And there exists even less support for counseling, rehab and other programs to help people integrate or otherwise get out of the CJS mines.
Why are mental health treatments not covered by insurance? Why do visits to mental health professionals go on your permanent record, for potential employers to see? And why is there no discussion of societal dissonance. Each newsworthy event is treated as a 'lone wolf' episode. There is no effort to consolidate patterns and apply gestalt solutions.
Yeah, so we do have a large mental health problem in this country as defined by those in control. The kinder approach would be to address the reasons behind why we can not live in an insane world.
Sticks and Stones...
May break my bones, but Whips and Chains excite me!
Heh.
you're under the right regime for that
guess it's better than water cannon fetishes
I would argue "in all regards"
One simple glance at our culture tells you that it is corrupt and sick beyond imagination. That pretty much describes our government too. I'd say everything is operating as it should. Now, if only we would stop inflicting the cancer on the rest of the world that'd be nice. But as we all know, empires do not die gracefully.
A lot of wanderers in the U.S. political desert recognize that all the duopoly has to offer is a choice of mirages. Come, let us trudge towards empty expanse of sand #1, littered with the bleached bones of Deaniacs and Hope and Changers.
-- lotlizard
Good one
Love the Disneyfied quote, very apropo.
Even Disneyland broke down yesterday while
getting $100 for a day of fantasy.
We be screwed
EDIT: added link to very funny VF video about her heinous
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-12-27/vanity-fair-editors-relentless...
I never knew that the term "Never Again" only pertained to
those born Jewish
"Antisemite used to be someone who didn't like Jews
now it's someone who Jews don't like"
Heard from Margaret Kimberley
We are all taught The Great White Man version
of history in high school.
Great White Man did such and such on this date in history.
It's a Disney version of history. It sucks. It's boring. Most of all, it's incomplete. It leaves out almost all of the interesting parts.
The problem is that most people never go back and try to learn REAL history.
@gjohnsit
But do 'most people' have any idea that any real history ever existed? It seems to be pretty thoroughly buried by The Official Stories precisely so that they don't... and perhaps it's often made boring so that fewer bother digging any further?
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Fingers of gawd & X in Foreign Affairs
Let's start with the venality of the fascists CONS and their skill with lying about that venality ... o.k. ... anyone confused? If so, quit reading.
Now, mix in this venality the educated liberal elitist disdain, contempt, and scorn for being the people who make things work and get things done. They get edumacated so that they can dictate, so they can live above the mess in the clouds, so they can put their fingers together like gawd on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and create and float away into the ether, so they can do policy, so they can be like George Kennan writing the containment policy against the USSR in 1947.
It was around the 70's when all these huge mental health facilities were closed cuz of the inhumanity & cuz of blah blah noble this and noble that ... and ... the venal CONS and the elitists did their magic and ... VOILA - all kinds of homeless wandering the streets!!!!!!!!!!!
Did anyone figure out the nuts and bolts and nitty gritty details of their grandiose plans ? Did the Great PLans pay family wage job pay to implement those nuts and bolts and details? fuck no.
Educated liberal elites - they aren't sexist, racist drooling shitheads or the venal string pullers - they also seem to be consistently useless for actually making real things in the community actually really work. The CONS couldn't have better opponents.
rmm.
But then I sigh; and, with a piece of scripture,
Tell them that God bids us do good for evil:
And thus I clothe my naked villany
With old odd ends stolen out of holy writ;
Wow
I'm in awe. You distill the essence of the last 30 years of "progress". It's there in front of us, but we can't see it.
Virtue signalling is the distraction of the day.
I first learned of the term virtue signalling from reading right wingers. And a good term. The resistance to Trump is built on almost nothing but virtue signaling while ignoring the underlying realities of say the Bush and Obama bombing the living shit out of the Middle East creating those refugees as you mention. And now sorta funny but now, the cast of The Post talks bullshit about free speech but hem and haw over being asked about Snowden and the shit Obama pulled using the Espionage Act.
More McResistance crazy
Holy sheets...
Got to the original tweet, and retweeted close to 16,000 times. And you know those re-tweets ain't from Trump supporters.
The irony. The utter irony.
@gjohnsit
If that isn't from the Onion, it ought to be contained there - with a large disclaimer of that being parody. Although any call for blind trust in the notorious CIA and FBI - never mind from a Bush 'ethics' lawyer - ought to set off hysterical laughter.
Anyone know which troll army hirelings are doing the bulk of these re-tweets this time?
Psychopathy is not a political position, whether labeled 'conservatism', 'centrism' or 'left'.
A tin labeled 'coffee' may be a can of worms or pathology identified by a lack of empathy/willingness to harm others to achieve personal desires.
Dave Chappelle and Secular Talk gets it
'Murica is a boil on the ass of the Planet Earth.
And nothing we do will change that so long as money holds the country by the balls.
Modern education is little more than toeing the line for the capitalist pigs.
Guerrilla Liberalism won't liberate the US or the world from the iron fist of capital.