The Real Danger to America: Boredom and Apathy
I don’t follow politics because all politicians make me sick.
If this sentiment sounds familiar to you, it is because it is exactly what the powerful, conservative forces want Americans to believe. “Pay no attention to the media they are ‘the enemy of the people.’”
If you don’t believe me, consider this tidbit of news via the Washington Post:
“On Google, ‘searches for ‘impeachment’ topped the trending charts for much of the day, but the volume didn’t come close to the previous day’s leader: a nationwide quest for information regarding Sonic the Hedgehog, the video game character that is getting its own adventure movie next year.”
That’s right. People are googling cartoon characters, but are they curious why Ukrainian leaders are desperate for military aid from the United States? Are Americans concerned that Russians kill more of Ukrainian soldiers on their Eastern Front? Are they baffled why Trump held out that military aid so he could extort the Ukrainian President for dirt on the Bidens? Nope.
It’s not that Americas don’t care about all news; another school shooting gets their attention for a while (although they have become so commonplace that it does not make headlines anymore). Crime still makes the news — if it bleeds it leads, as the saying goes. It’s politics that is the big turnoff. Why?
Early indications are that too many Americans fall into the “I don’t care…I don’t watch…I hate all politicians” tribe. How many, you ask? Consider that only 57% of the country even bothered to vote in the 2016 presidential election! The Pew study concluded that “the U.S. placed 26th out of 32 highly developed nations.” Ouch.
This continue to dog those Americans who are fully cognizant that a democracy cannot remain guided by principles when its citizens remain so apathetic they refuse to take part in the most sacred act any nation can take pride in — electing those who will guide the most powerful nation in the world in making sure its children see a safe, bright future.
Many of these same Americans will not even pay attention to the House impeachment proceedings because they moan that “It’s boring.” Even Stephen Colbert made a joke of the fact that the media complained that impeachment proceedings “has no pizzazz.” So whether or not President Trump has committed “high crimes and misdemeanors” is just not as exciting as the next episode of American Ninja.
And who is happy with this apathy? The politically powerful forces like Grover Norquist, who wants to shrink government into a bathtub until it can be choked to death. And why is government and the ‘mainstream media’ the enemy to these folks? Because government upholds the rule of law, and governtment tries not to acquiesce to rule of the corporate jungle. Namely, do what makes the most profits and damn the environmental regulations, the consumer protections, and ignore the human rights violations here and abroad.
The “mainstream media’ upholds journalistic standards for establishing the truth and the facts that can be at odds with profitability and expediency. If the news reports corporate misdeeds, and the ensuing corruption, then often government investigates — that is exactly what far right organizations fear and will do its level best to fight. The opiod crisis with Purdue Pharma, the water contamination by Dow Chemical…even the Flint water contamination are all examples of what happens when power is unchecked, both private and public.
So in the end, keep the people bored and uninterested. Apathy is the best drug for those who are complicit in wrongdoing. Make sure that the voter does not get too ‘fired up’…and by all means, make it exceedingly difficult to vote. Convince the masses that government is not your friend….
Unless, of course, FEMA is needed to reimburse someone for their destroyed home from the latest tornado, fire or flood.
In the end all we can hope for is that enough Americans climb up to the rooftops and scream: “I AM AS MAD AS HELL AND I’M NOT GONNA TAKE IT ANYMORE!”
After all, they literally may be doing that — climbing up to their rooftop while the floodwaters rise.
