There was a time when we were united;
if not in a world view
than at least in a philosophy of what this country stood for.
I'm not suggesting that we were all in agreement with the means or motives
but, if not in the same corner,
we were at least on the same page.
There was such a thing as the common good,
the recognition that we rose and fell together;
the belief that the overarching progress of this country
depended on all of us working toward the good of the whole.
The erosion of that belief has been accelerated in the last 3 years,
faster than the spread of Covid 19.
Individuals now seem incapable of looking beyond self interest,
incapable of doing anything voluntarily
which would help anyone other than themselves.
And, when that behavior is given voice every day by 'the leader',
when his selfishness and narcissism are on display and normalized,
it's no wonder its become every person for him/herself.
And the folks protesting the loudest,
the ones with the huge guns and small brains taking over state capitals,
are, by and large,
the one demographic that has NEVER known oppression;
the ones confusing inconvenience with being deprived of their rights.
Wearing a mask = loss of individual freedom?
Seriously?
Get a grip.
This toxic brew of
malignant individualism,
institutionalized racism,
consumer fetishism
and selfishness
is a poison in the American system -
and we tolerate it at our peril.
