A pandemic has taken 100,000 lives while our economy has tanked. Racism and its reaction are being played out in virtually every mid to major city in America. Record unemployment. Rampant looting of small business that haven’t been opened in over 2 months. Police vs. protesters. Armed groups demanding we go back to open as the virus awaits it’s next 100,000 victims. Mysterious illnesses affecting the young. No graduation. No jobs. No life. Is America now great again? Zero accountability in federal government. Lies are now the norm. Poverty. Hunger. Dirty air, dirty water and the end of climate control. The fox is hired to run the henhouse at State, EPA, DOJ, DIA, CDC, FEMA, HHS and ATF. The press is demonized and marginalized.
We are told over and over ‘there’s light at the end of the tunnel” but every day the news is bleaker and bleaker.
Our president wants to leave all tough decisions to the state. Mayors cower to police union presidents. Looters steal in the middle of the dark. Our President steals in the middle of light. We pit blue vs. red states, mayors vs. governors, politicians vs. scientists, small business vs. large. Front line nurses, doctors, first responders vs. death. American ethos vs. narcissism. Police vs. protestor. Entertainment and sports (our national diversions) are non-existent.
And worst of all, we are all alone. Where is our Bobby Kennedy to inspire us? Where is our Martin Luther King to lead us. Where is our Abraham Lincoln to settle us? Where is our Caesar Chavez to organize us? Our Ronald Reagan to appeal to our conservative side? We are leaderless and rudderless.
It’s not just to blame Donald Trump (although he is the principle catalyst) or our politicians (although there’s enough guilt to go around) In 2006 Time magazine’s Person of the Year was “Us” with a mirror on the cover. It was supposed to define a liberating moment celebrating our empowerment through digital technology. We were to become our own journalists, our own fix it people, our own political strategists, movie directors and producers, photographers, walking encyclopedias; no longer did we need to rely on “specialists”, we can now do everything ourselves.
So, how’s it working out for us? No experts, no qualified journalists and no leaders. As soon as a leader emerges there’s social media to go to beat them down. The only people of note to seize the reins are haters who are able to carve out a slice of supporters.
We need our system of meritocracy back, not anger and destructive personalities.
Things need to change. Someone needs to throw us a life saver because we are stuck in the middle of the ocean and we have no oars.