Max: Goose Stepping in the Moonlight
Usually I am more paranoid than Jericho. Almost anything government does insinherently suspect. And that which is not suspect (the social welfare/safety net stuff) it usually does with mind melting incompetence. So, when Jericho starts talking fascism and jackboots it is time to be genuinely afraid. Being the contrary fuck that I am, I am going to instead try to be calm and reasonable.
A recent poll showed about a third of high school aged American found my beloved First Amendment too be to generous in the freedoms it grants. My first reaction was concern. The last thing the First Amendment needs is to suffer another round of pruning. Freedom of religion is fine as long as you are not a Native American or Rastafarian. We love freedom of speech so long as no body says anything we don't like. And now we are cool with freedom of the press as long as they toe the government line.
That of course says nothing of the intense assault on my beloved Second Amendment.
However, when I was in high school it seemed like more than a third of my fellow students were not entirely enchanted with the concept of broad freedoms. Maybe it is like how one's old grade school seemed bigger when one was smaller. Maybe others seemed like more like freedoms haters when I was an anarchist. But I can clearly remember being consistently astounded by how many of my fellow Americans had absolutely no grasp of what was in their own Constitution.
Hmmm...
Now that I think about it, I was going to say that freedom has managed to survive. But then it dawned on me that just like me my cohorts are heading toward their mid-30's, when a generation starts entering government in earnest, taking power from the previous generation. And look out what we have in government. Neocons who want to spread freedom everywhere but at home.
Wow.
We are fucked, aren't we?
Of course, we have been fucked for a while now. I've long known that. Freedom isn't easy. Democracy is not self correcting. But that is what most people seem to want. It's not that we are not interested in the well being of our country. It is rather that we are so behind on our Tivos that we just don't have time for participation. So government gets left to two groups. Power hungry politicians who only care about holding office and will espouse any idea to get elected, and nutbars with an axe to grind. The middle, the rational, the gently idealistic sit out a few rounds. And even if they try to jump in, the jump right back out when they see what a fucking mess things have become. Even if they try to stay in, not enough are willing to join the the clean up and they soon find themselved marginalized.
Is it too late? Of course not, you silly person. Will people really care enough to do the work to make it better? Well, that depends. You're people. Are you willing to do the work?
A recent poll showed about a third of high school aged American found my beloved First Amendment too be to generous in the freedoms it grants. My first reaction was concern. The last thing the First Amendment needs is to suffer another round of pruning. Freedom of religion is fine as long as you are not a Native American or Rastafarian. We love freedom of speech so long as no body says anything we don't like. And now we are cool with freedom of the press as long as they toe the government line.
That of course says nothing of the intense assault on my beloved Second Amendment.
However, when I was in high school it seemed like more than a third of my fellow students were not entirely enchanted with the concept of broad freedoms. Maybe it is like how one's old grade school seemed bigger when one was smaller. Maybe others seemed like more like freedoms haters when I was an anarchist. But I can clearly remember being consistently astounded by how many of my fellow Americans had absolutely no grasp of what was in their own Constitution.
Hmmm...
Now that I think about it, I was going to say that freedom has managed to survive. But then it dawned on me that just like me my cohorts are heading toward their mid-30's, when a generation starts entering government in earnest, taking power from the previous generation. And look out what we have in government. Neocons who want to spread freedom everywhere but at home.
Wow.
We are fucked, aren't we?
Of course, we have been fucked for a while now. I've long known that. Freedom isn't easy. Democracy is not self correcting. But that is what most people seem to want. It's not that we are not interested in the well being of our country. It is rather that we are so behind on our Tivos that we just don't have time for participation. So government gets left to two groups. Power hungry politicians who only care about holding office and will espouse any idea to get elected, and nutbars with an axe to grind. The middle, the rational, the gently idealistic sit out a few rounds. And even if they try to jump in, the jump right back out when they see what a fucking mess things have become. Even if they try to stay in, not enough are willing to join the the clean up and they soon find themselved marginalized.
Is it too late? Of course not, you silly person. Will people really care enough to do the work to make it better? Well, that depends. You're people. Are you willing to do the work?
posted by Max Dobberstein at 2/15/2005 11:07:00 AM
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