Only You Can Set You Free...

Normally I would put a classic (at least to me) song on my arts blog (www.bollzillaswordsonmusic.blogspot.com), but there's a deeper cultural and political message here.

One thing I have noticed and thought about over the last few weeks in my sojourns through my Facebook feed, is how so much of our political discourse, especially around election time, is spent on the building up and tearing down of public images, and the establishments of "personality cults."   This dynamic occurs no matter what side a given candidate is on, and a few became especially adept at this art.  People like Reagan, Bill Clinton, and Obama are prime examples of how personality and public image are marketed and manipulated for the purposes of electioneering.   Obama build up an entire brand around himself - "Change We Can Believe In", "Yes We Can", and his face on those countless posters seen everywhere, matched with his affable, hip nature, drove him to the Presidency over old war horse John McCain, and won him Advertiser of the Year in one of the large advertising associations.   Indeed - those are like the first things that pops in the mind when his very name is mentioned.   Remember Ronald Reagan?  Affable.  All-American.  Folksy.  Cowboys and the "old west" aspects of America.   How bout Bill Clinton? Affable.  Accomplished.  Sax playing.  Relatable.  Slick.   The one-word traits of how we remember these men. 

Even those who don't ultimately win the Big Prize can succeed.   What are the first things one thinks of when the name Bernie Sanders comes up? Probably words and terms like old-and-wise, fighting, caring, progressive, etc.   The same kind of thing is being done for people like Nina Turner and Tulsi Gabbard - whether they intend to or not.     

But it can backfire.  One of the biggest reasons Hillary Clinton lost the 2016 Election is because she did not master the art of the personality cult to her advantage.   What are some of the first things one thinks of when her name is mentioned?  There were two distinct memes: one was that of the feminist trailblazer who possessed one of the most enviable resumes in history.   The other is that of the corrupt, dishonest, warmongering insider.   The latter meme has been trumpeted for over a quarter century, in large part because of Newt Gingrich's own mastery of public relations, but also in part because of Hillary's own doing. Unfortunately, there is objective evidence which shows her to be an unfair player, to say the least.   Then, there was the sense of entitlement, as seen in her ill-advised slogan, "I'm With Her."   The negative memes ultimately won out, sullying any attempts to build her image back up.  

The point to all of this is - personality cults serve as distractions to the goals we say we wish to attain as a society.   They do this by shifting the focus away from the person's actions (which really have an effect on our everyday lives), and towards the person himself or herself.   An image of a person is just that - an image.   An illusion with no real substance.   It's in the actions of these people where the substance really lies.

The mainstream media, which serves a product based on sonic and aural images, finds the building of these cults necessary as they provide marketable sound and sight bites which attract eyes and ears, and ultimately, advertiser dollars.    Obama was about the hope and change, but what really changed in his watch - at least from the economic and foreign policy standpoints?  Bill Clinton claimed to have balanced the budget - but he was also the beneficiary of the tech bubble (which was NOT of his doing) which brought in the extra revenues which were in part necessary to make that balancing a reality.   Don't get me started about Ronald Reagan.

So let's not allow ourselves to become distracted by the sonic and aural images of people who look and sound real good.   Let's look at their actions, and if those actions match up with their words.   One of the lyrics in Living Colour's song is "Only You Can Set You Free".   Well, this is how we can start setting ourselves and our minds free.  

(NOTE: the copyright for the above video is held by Sony Music Entertainment.   I share it here purely for educational/editorial purposes and no infringement is intended.   Upon request, I'll remove the link.)

Quibbles and Bits, Messages Without Bottles edition

More chewy and crunchy morsels, sans the gravy...

--> Since the election, I have noticed that many online outlets, especially those affiliated with the MSM like Newsweek and The Daily Beast, seem to go out of the their way to remind people that Bernie Sanders lost the 2016 primary.   They talk of his "failed" candidacy, that he "lost", and more like-sounding tropes.   This phrasing is not an accident: many of  these organizations supported Clinton in the primaries and the General Election, and are doing everything they can to bury the well-founded idea that the 2016 DNC primaries were rigged.   They want the readers to think that the primaries were conducted fairly and squarely (see New York, Nevada, Arizona, and California, to start with). They are also, as part of the political establishment, attempting to hold sway in the Democratic Party, and thwart the insurgence of Berniecrats who have sworn to primary several establishment Democratic politicians.   I find it interesting how the politics hasn't seemed to slow down after the election and "normal life" returns as it does post-most election years - because life isn't normal after this last election.  

--> There has been much discussion about the possibility of T-Rump leaving the presidency, by either impeachment or resignation.    Here's my take: at this stage, politically, it's best to leave him in the Oval Office.   The Republicans now have no excuse whatsoever:  they own him and his administration now.   He's at historic lows for approval rating at this stage in his Presidency, and the more he twists in the political winds, the more the Republicans won't be able to back away from him in 2018 and 2020.   Make them OWN him, and then the Dems might have a chance.  Besides, lose T-Rump, and who do you have? Bible-beater Pence, followed by Ayn Rand fanboy Paul Ryan, followed by other Repub monsters.   Now, if the Dems can get a spine...

--> There is an opportunity here for third parties to make a dent, in no small part due to the #DemExit movement.   The Democratic Party membership number has declined precipitously since the 2016 Primaries, and with the right people, message and strategy, we might see the Greens put up a congressman or two in 2018, as well as make strides at the local levels.  

More later... 

Subdivisions

Yes, yes, I know that the 2016 Election is four months decided, and we've had about six weeks to sample the governmental strains of T-Rump.   In elections past, the red side and blue side would take sides, and after the dust settled from Election Day, we (more or less) would come back together.  

Not this time.   Not in my just-under-50 years on this planet have I seen the nation so divided, so partitioned, so divvied up by ideology.   T-Rump talks about fences to enclose the country - but our nation already has these build around ourselves.   Fences more like moats, keeping out all of the "undesirable" news, information, and people so that we all live in our own protective bubbles.   

Separated - just how those that really run things in the world want us to be.

 And the fractures are being seen at the personal level in a way I've never seen before.   We all know and have some familiarity with how family gatherings, especially around dinner tables, can be awkward experiences when you're dealing with people who are equally opinionated about their polar-opposite view from one's own.  Yet, I didn't hear much of families being permanently torn apart by political issues. 

I've seen, and heard, a far different story this time out.  

I remember turning on the radio to listen to some talk, and on more than a few occasions, I've heard of friendships breaking up due to the issues surrounding the election.   I will venture a guess that more than a few marriages split up as a result, as well.   The Facebook memes seemed to take a darker, separationist turn.  One such meme told of a Trump supporter who stated that a vote for him doesn't mean the end - that "we can be adults", right?   But the answer to that meme was, "No, I can't call you a friend when you vote for somebody who is so completely against everything I believe in, and on a core level".  

What does this mean?   The more I think about it, the more questions I have rather than answers to give.   Is this yet another symptom of a collapsing empire?  It looks to me like America can't come to a consensus on what is even means to be an American at all.  Without that, what else do you have?  Without knowing what it means, you have a Nation-In-Name-Only - an empty shell with no substance.   Other nations can see it - but when will we agree to look at our own reflection in the mirror or reflecting pool and see what it is we've become?

Divided?  Our nation is subdivided. 

And if we don't find a consensus on a common set of values, our nation will crumble.