You know, I've been giving some thought as to why nearly a third of Americans have consistently voted against their best interests for at least a good forty years.
This phenomena is quite remarkable, when you think about it, that in the short history of industrialized constitutional republics, the United States of America has one the worst records of consistently providing quality of life comforts for all of its citizens. Even before American industrialization, merely being a non-while, non-male, non-rich, non-adult, non-English speaking, non-Christian, non-land owner meant that your life was going to be pretty much a living hell of constant toil and very little to show for it. Hence came the rise of the various labor, suffrage, abolition, civil rights, gay rights, immigrants rights and gender equality rights movements throughout the years, as well as a countless number of subsets of other, more specialized ones (If you've ever seen any protests by an enraged gaggle of geeks, dweebs, nerds, spazzes, furries or other assorted freaks, you'll know what I mean).
It's always been a fight to get ahead in this country and stay there. There's nothing new about this; it was in all the history books for all of us to read about it in school... if we bothered to. And besides, it's quite natural for anyone to yearn for their piece of the pie. As a matter of fact, one of the best things about America is that the fight for the piece of the pie has been a battle that most of us were and are entitled to. Unfortunately in this country, getting the assholes who actually OWN the pie to share it has been our epic struggle since the time from when we wore powdered wigs and three cornered hats. We all were not equals back then (and many still aren't today) and there always seemed to be those who had their whips, truncheons, nooses or guns in hands to stand in the way of that quest for equality.
The goal of universally applied rights and privileges is the cornerstone of American democracy, and once extended, should never be allowed to be taken aback. This is an important point that I had to make, so keep it under your hat, because I'm going to come right back to this later on.
Given all that boring crap that I've just made you yawn with, I think that it's about time that I'd get to the point:
So, why do Americans go out of their way to shoot themselves in the feet?
Everyone's got an answer, of course, and we've heard them all. It's the fault of the politicians, the clergy, the media, the god-damned idiots, the snooty assed intellectuals, the banksters, Hollywood, the corporations, the lobbyists or whomever.
No, I humbly propose another answer. I say that we're in this mess today because of the marvelous effectiveness and general pervasiveness of Good Old American Bullshit*.
Bullshit is and what has always made America great.
Everything in this country runs on it. Bullshit seeps out of all of our red-blooded American pores. Bullshit is always there, no matter where we go. Bullshit watches over all of us at night when we sleep (and yes, you Matrix fans, it's there when we pay our taxes). People in other countries yearn for our Bullshit, as they scarf it up and regurgitate back to us with everlasting glee. We dedicate entire industries and even whole cities to the manufacturing, exportation and promotion of our primo American product, pure, uncut Bullshit. Hey, what would Hollywood, New York and Washington DC be without it? It's no coincidence that the centers of entertainment, commerce, politics and finance go hand-in-hand with the highest concentrations of American Bullshit. No, as a matter of fact, It's quite essential that they do. They pursue each other in an obscene ballet of magnetic attraction. Money and power seeks bullshit and bullshit seeks money and power and it's an endless cycle that spreads itself centrifugally outward, engulfing us all mercilessly, with every revolution.
How good is this stuff? DAMN good. Think about this, our Good Old American Bullshit* is so damn good that anyone, and I mean ANYONE, can be taken in by it. I don't care how smart and savvy you are, I guarantee that, at least once in your life, you've been taken in by its power. You could be young or old, rich or poor, fat man of skinny man or whatever, if you turn your back on it for a second, it'll get ya. Now, it's not to say that we have some kind of Bullshit monopoly in this country that no other countries have. Of course, not. But when you compare the quality and quantity of Bullshit that we produce in this country against all others, it's quite clear to the naked eye that we have them ALL beat down pat.
When did Bullshit begin? Oddly enough, it began at the beginning.
Bullshit was used to spread lies since day one in this country. Take the prime example of the Preamble of the Constitution:
“We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
This Bullshit was written at the very same time and was codified in the very same document to exclude whole classes of people from everything on that list, unless you were a white, land owning male. The very nature of all the struggles that I mentioned in the very first paragraph were based on the tremendous effort to reverse the utter Bullshit written in that one quote. The men who wrote those words and signed their names to the document knew full well that it was complete Bullshit AT THAT VERY MOMENT. They figured that it was more convenient to have their successors clean up their Bullshit, instead of telling the truth by saying that they're making the world safe for white guys and fuck everyone else.
Bullshit operates in both form and function alike and is applicable in lot's of different ways even to this day. Take Coca-Cola, for example. Here we have a company that has operated globally, chiefly of the Bullshit premise that a substance that once had cocaine as an ingredient and is now composed of carbonated water, high fructose corn syrup or other sweeteners and various other additives is somehow more palatable than plain, fresh, clean water.
Bullshit has made Cola-Cola into a multi-billion dollar corporation that's recognizable in every corner of the planet.
Bullshit rules.
So how does this work? It works because we let it work.
Bullshit operates through a well oiled machine that produces Grade A American Product for what ever the occasion. You've got a situation? Yes, there is a solution. Facts, truth, faith and history are no match against the tremendous power of Good Old American Bullshit* and sometimes, depending on who's using it and how it's being used, all four may even depend on it, For every fact and figure that you can think of to advocate for the increase of quality of life in America or the advancement of equality, there exists one (or many) Bullshit counter-arguments to oppose them.
The Bullshit in everyone's opinions allows them all to float together on the top.
The formula for the production of Great American Bullshit goes down like this: On the basis that it is more important to create equilibrium and equal value for everyone's OPINION, regardless of the facts that may or may not support that OPINION, rather than on the actual facts themselves. We're encouraged not to care about facts and figures, unless they SUPPORT our own opinions. Despite evidence that the opposite is true, our opinions are what matters the most, not our facts.
For example: I believe that the Earth is SIX THOUSAND YEARS OLD. It doesn't matter that the Earth is actually a tad over FOUR AND A HALF BILLION YEARS OLD. Because you see, I'm entitled to the rights that allow me to have my opinion OVER THE FACTS THEMSELVES, by using a claim of religious doctrine. I congregate with other people who hold the same OPINION as me, and we form a coalition to protect our God given right to piss all over science and actual fact. Our right to our OPINION is king, facts, on the other hand, are merely inconsequential.
You can apply this same process to politics, economics, history or whatever. Opinions are highly encouraged and many times they are substituted as fact.
That's how Republicans claim that they're trying to protect the Constitution by gutting it.
Or how Teabaggers can claim that they're standing up for freedom and democracy by supporting the corporations.
Or even how people can be convinced it's best to work longer hours and for less pay, especially if allowing the top two percent to pay less taxes that only result in making the rich richer and the poor poorer.
Private, self-subsidized health insurance is better than public, tax-subsidized hospitals.
Gutting unions makes getting a job easier and better to work at.
War promotes peace.
Destroying our freedoms, in fact, saves them.
Usually when we see things like that, I know that I chalk it up to the power of Bullshit.
What is there to do?
Normally, at this point, I do my damnedest to sound optimistic, or proffer a solution, or even issue some kind of rallying cry to arms.
But not this time. It's not even worth the time or effort.
It's just that I recognize the fact that if you give anyone the right to maintain and promote their own fucked up fears, prejudices, hatreds, mis-perceptions, greed, gluttony, lust and delusions, many people will take up that offer quite gladly. They'll wholeheartedly take in all the Bullshit that fits well with their pre-conceived notions, place it gently in a cradle, feed it, burp it and change its diaper. They'll do it happily, even if that Bullshit stands to grow up to be a murderous thug, that'll slaughter them all in their sleep. There really is no defense against a portion of the society that gleefully works against their own self interests.
The rest of us, however? Well. what can I say? We're not so easily taken in by the awesome power of Good Old American Bullshit* and we do our damnedest to help ourselves, by doing what's best for the country.
I'm sure that I'll hear a reply of "Bullshit" from some of you over this. It never fails. Just tell me what you think. I'll listen.
Either way...Thanks.
*Accept No Substitutes.
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