Learning, by Sarawut Intarob
The American elections continue, with reactionaries on the left and right, worse on the right. Everyone has fallen on the right, except for Trump, who runs on a campaign of divisiveness and scapegoating. The educated, the ones with options, don’t seem to understand why he’s still around, still a force. The language he uses in “debates” consistently register at the fourth grade level, the “solutions” he offers are the equivalent of trying to fix a broken garburator by hitting it with a hammer. How can this man, who seems like a parody of himself, like a satirical rendition of a concept too awful to look straight in the face, be relevant? But that seems the crux of it; options. It’s easy, when you have them, to be blind to the desperation of those who don’t.
You can convince yourself anything is fine if you don’t think you have any other options.
And America’s narrative of money and power? It’s fading, and failing, and sad. Even the tech bubble seems to be slowly deflating. Meanwhile, headlines are painting a larger, bleaker picture. “World’s carbon dioxide concentration teetering on the point of no return; future in which global concentration of CO2 is permanently above 400 parts per million looms.”
Yet this is the same world in which Google’s AI is writing post-modern poetry, there is less crime than ever known, and extraordinary art is being created everywhere people go. The world which provided the above photo, which I find tirelessly inspiring. It displays a glimpse of the world I want, a mix of contrasts, varied and rich in experience, with education and tools for all and everyone, no matter their circumstances. Education, tools, and options.
So, wild ones, when you try to talk with those who hold opposing viewpoints, especially those who accept the scapegoat as truth, maybe point them over here: It’s Okay To Be Gray, by GlitchedPuppet and Siderea’s three part explanation and take-down of what’s going on with Trump’s campaign, which I consider essential and file unequivocally under REQUIRED READING – The Two Moral Modes: Part One, The Two Moral Modes: Part Two, The Two Moral Modes: Part Three.
