Shock and Appall

Our system is perfectly designed for the results we’re getting.

We worship wealth and crave power. We have a job called “celebrity” and wink at vulgarity and reward villainy. We admire brashness. We randomly excuse or excoriate peccadilloes: depends on the news cycle, the fame or infamy possible, and the money and status of those involved.

Why does it surprise when we nominate for President people who embody this?

They are simply the alphas among we the omegas.

*

But no — more precisely we believe others do the above, not us. Not we but this one or that one in the next checkout aisle or freeway lane or cubicle. Not me — that bastard next to you.

We gaze at the sauntering imperially slim and go home to not confess our sins.

*

To talk of solutions is to talk of what will not come, not in our lifetimes. Because solutions don’t in the main arrive. They must be brought. We can begin but not end but we want to do neither.

On one end of the extreme … could we bray or bellow when they expect us to let them? Would we have Trump horsewhipped? Might we hit Hillary with a pie?

In the middle of the golden mean … could we think, work, pray? Would we change or learn how to or how to want to?

On the other end of the extreme … could we do nothing? Yes, we would do that.

*

Parsings as ever and all else is rarely equal.

But mainly we have what we want.

Image: Patrick Gerace

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