Land Of The Free

People are disengaged, distracted. There are no real support networks, none that really matter. And this bleeds into mainstream society.

You see it in airports. I confess to watching hours of airport meltdowns. I’ve traveled the world, and I’ve never seen people act the way they do in these videos. Maybe it’s fake (always a possibility), but there’s some kind of social disconnection.

It’s easy to blame Trump. He certainly doesn’t help things, and he sets the stage for numerous weak-minded people to behave horribly. But he’s not the cause. People have lost whatever narrative exists. People scratch at meaning, yet it never comes back. It’s no wonder we live in the world we do.

Of course there are exceptions. It’s the law of percentages, and I’ll go anywhere the love is. But I can’t say I’m hopeful. To paraphrase the late, great Bill Hicks, I’m available for parties.

Jon Stewart already covered this, but I must add my two cents. NRA reactionaries siding with the state in Minneapolis has to be one of the sickest displays of hypocrisy in recent times. I always knew it. When the shit hits the bloody road, these “patriots” run and hide. They’ll never take a bullet for their sacred Second Amendment.

I remember at some family holiday dinner, a relative who owned several handguns talked about how he was ready should the government ever invade his space. I laughed at him.

“Seriously? Do you honestly believe that your little arsenal will stave off SWAT?”

“If I have to.”

“Are you familiar with the Branch Davidians? They were heavily armed, and guess what happened to them?”

He fell silent and ate his mashed potatoes.

A minor victory. Pointless, really. We finished our meal and watched football.