we'd better get acrimonious

"First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out --


Because I was not a Socialist.


Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out --


Because I was not a Trade Unionist.


Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out --


Because I was not a Jew.


Then they came for me -- and there was no one left to speak for me."


Martin Niemöller  (1892 - 1984)


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"I think the next generation are going to have a very difficult time."


~~  Queen Elizabeth, in 1992
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The word "egregious" has been used and re-used in the past few days since Saturday, describing events in Charlottesville and some of the extremist factions:  in an off-moment, I almost expected Joey Tribbiani to pop in and urgently remind us, "If we want to grab a bite first, we'd better get egregious" --


like that Season 9 episode where he's been trying to learn big words to sound smart for the new girl he's going out with -- Ross tries to help him, but Joey still keeps using his new big words wrong, & ends up telling his date, "If we want to grab a bite first, we'd better get acrimonious."





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I heard President Trump's "Racism Is Evil" speech yesterday.  It was a good speech, I thought, as his speeches go -- better than most of his, so far -- he was serious; he seemed sincere; he didn't make faces.  There is nothing wrong with reading from a Tele-prompter -- a person should keep their words and phrases organized, and stay on track, when making a statement like that for the public.


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There is a theory that floats around which says the "One-Percent" can continue hoovering up all the money, as long as they can keep working people fighting amongst themselves and not seeing the Big Picture.




I think the main problem -- which the Queen of England saw coming twenty-five years ago as globalization was being embarked upon -- is that the up-front economic costs of sharing a free-market economy -- sharing jobs -- with our brothers and sisters in China were not shared and borne by all Americans together; these costs were all dumped on working people.








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Working people got the whole bill for globalization;





it is a deep (egregious?) injustice, & it looks to me like it is the cause for current despair and dysfunction -- you get pockets, or groups, of people wanting to beat up on other people, or beat up on themselves by taking opioids, etc.  (When they figure out there are other people and institutions they can beat up on besides each other and themselves, it might not be much of a picnic. ...)




Tell me, why were no Republicans and no Democrats smart enough to see that situation coming, and plan better how to share both the advantages and the disadvantages of globalization's early stages?  A politician's responsibility is to look to the future, see the big picture.  When they don't look any further than the end of their own noses, it's time to vote them out.


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