Lies and platitudes: Those we tell ourselves and those foist
upon us.
First a mom platitude: “There’s always room for Jello.”
No there’s not. Not “always.” Jello is just like any other
liquid and it’s just as filling. The people who make Jello would like you to
believe it is a magic, mass-less, flavor bomb, but it ain’t so. If it was, how
would the carrots and cabbage stay in suspension? And, since we’re on the
subject, I also find it difficult to imagine just how hungry the originator
must have been when he or she looked at orange Jello, looked at carrots and
said, “Hey! They’re both orange; I’ll bet these would be good together.” By
this logic a lime Jello and green tomato mix should be really yummy!
“MacDonald’s
is only about fast food.”
Technically, I suppose this is true, but conceptually,
McDonalds is also symbolic of bland, mundane, ordinary “for the masses” retailing,
much like most of what spews forth from one of the many Trump press hacks. I
mean, the shakes will barely even melt, rather deteriorating into a sort of
slimy, non-dairy, glop. Carried into other areas of American life, there are numerous
other non-food concepts which are “McDonalds.”
People
magazine, The National Inquirer, and in fact, every single type of checkout
line reading material is/are literary McDonalds. Most on-line quizzes touting
your “genius” status if you can answer more than half of the 5th grade
geography questions? McDonalds. Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat? All McDonald’s,
seeming to feed, but leaving you somehow unsatisfied. Jersey Shore, Real
Housewives of (your town here), Big Brother, Survivor? All vicarious mental
McDonald’s meals for those with no life. Worst of all? Fox News - claiming to
be journalism while sandwiching massive slabs of loathsome, unhealthy, pro-Trump
op-ed between very thin slices of actual factual reportage. On second thought,
strike that last. Even McDonald’s food is more digestible that Faux News .
“Good things
come to those who wait.”
Sometimes, possibly, but what this platitude
slides right past is really the crux of its intent. If what you are waiting for
is the result of planning, nurture and forethought, then many times
gratification ensues. If, however, the waiting you engage in is, for example,
the failure to address a medical issue, whether due to inability to pay, or “If
I don’t see a doctor, then I won’t have to think about it” fatalism, then it is
unlikely that your wait will result in anything good.
In like manner,
if the wait involves taking no responsibility to educate yourself, or learn
salable skills, then, like many in those towns in Kentucky and West Virginia
filled with “out of work” miners who refuse to retrain, the only thing good to
come is continued reliance on public assistance. The alternate version of this
platitude is “The Lord will provide,” also a sop to those, too lazy,
superstitious or stupid to act in their own behalf.
“Trump’s “Wall”
would stop most “illegal” immigration since Mexicans are the vast majority of
undocumented immigrants.”
This canard
remains a favorite of Trump sycophants who cling to a rapidly decreasing
list of things promised which may still be “on the table.” This faint hope dims
their view of the multitude of truly detestable actions and verbal attacks
levied in all directions by this most non-presidential of presidents. Without a
listing of the mountain of data available, there are several singularly
inarguable considerations which apply.
1)The states with the largest percentage increases in influx
of undocumented aliens as of 2016 were : Louisiana, Oregon, Virginia,
Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts. Last time I looked, none of these abuts the
northern Mexican border.
2) A significant portion of the current numbers of undocumented
aliens entering come by air. It had better be a really, really, tall wall!
3) In the absence of any wall, the Obama administration did
far more than any previous administration to reduce “illegal” immigration
across the Mexican border. I only mention this because Trump derides Obama at
every turn, discarding fact along the way.
4) When all immigrants are considered, several things jump
out. First, again as of 2016, and prior to Covid 19, India and China were the top sources of
“legal” immigration, with Mexico now third. Additionally, more of these
immigrants (30% more!) than native born Americans hold college degrees.
5) Not "wall" specific, but indicative of the
monumental ignorance of the man, Of the 1.4 million African immigrants who are
25 and older, 41% have a bachelor's degree, compared with 30% of all immigrants
of the same age range. (One recalls the "shithole" countries label
placed on African nations in general.) Of the 19,000 U.S. immigrants from
Norway — a country Trump told lawmakers is a "good" source of
immigrants — fewer (38%) have college educations.
And finally, placing the economy in the short term ahead of
public welfare and lying about it. There
is far too much data to repeat here, but the spectacle of an ignoramus
President refuting science and recommending quack cures should be burned into
the subconscious of every asshole who sees wearing a mask as some sort of plot
to steal their soul instead of simply common sense public health policy. Our governor shares this shame as well. As of
today, If Florida was a nation, we would have the fifth highest number of Covid
19 cases worldwide!
OK, now I’m bummed. Time for bed to sleep it off and start
over in the am.
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