Tag: Society

Opinion

Woke versus WAIC

Woke is defined as an active awareness of systematic injustices and prejudices, especially those related to civil and human rights. Many people claim to be woke these days with Trump followers claiming it is a scam. The radical right wing says there is no injustice in our society beyond that done to white people. WAIC persons are one description of the large subculture in our country that consists of White Americans with Inferiority or Insecurity Complex (WAIC). These Americans are fortunately a minority of White Americans, but there are more than anyone should be comfortable with. WAIC persons spread and believe lies that make them feel better about themselves. They blame others for their misfortune rather than taking responsibility, and those others are usually minorities to avoid a confrontation with self-deception. WAIC persons would rather support a conman and ridiculous conspiracies than risk confronting their insecurities or self-loathing. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said that ‘we will learn to live together as brothers, or we will die as fools.’ WAIC people are fine with foolishness, death, and destruction as long as they can keep pretending they are better than someone else. Ignorance, lies, death, and destruction for these wretched souls beats truth, equal treatment, or a society based on high moral ideals.

Opinion

Lies as a power play

We live in a time where one of our two major parties (the Republicans) lie with astonishing regularity and are not called on it. Why is this happening? Lies are a play for power and when we don’t call people on obvious lies that involve our lives; we are either complicit or cowering. As you observe news and events notice who is saying what, and whether liars are held accountable. In our society we have people called journalists, but they usually do not look at trends or past events (which should be in their journals); they just ask questions and accept answers. Every astute observer of news knows that when a “Fox News journalist” asks questions it is a lot different than most other networks. We are used to observing complicit persons and organizations participate in a propaganda campaigns in what we often call our culture wars. Academics and observers of our society say that we are in a cold civil war that can turn hot at any time. America is better than our politics, but we do get the government that we deserve. Pay attention and act so that what Lincoln called “the better angels of our nature” are more powerful than the demons.

Opinion

America on trial again

American racism and social dysfunction are on trial again this week. Police departments are thrown into the breach to solve problems that we refuse to commit resources to solve as a society, or act as a source of repression. The police have a range of tools to coerce people, but they will be the first to tell you that those tools don’t work well with hopeless, traumatized, or mentally unstable persons. We must all support public safety by re-thinking how we achieve it. Police officers should not have high suicide rates, or a constant drumbeat of killing unarmed Black men or others because they feel threatened. Police have a dangerous job that is made worse by our society’s cruelty and heartlessness using them to clean up the mess or maintain a broken status quo. Support all levels of government in planning and implementing improved public safety measures that reduce negative or coercive police interaction with the public.

Opinion

America degenerates

After four years of Trump we are deep in the sewer as a country, but trying to climb out. Numerous Trump officials likely committed multiple acts of corruption or criminality and have yet to face official accountability. We have numerous Republicans in the US Congress who will not say that an American election was free and fair; even though they cannot prove cheating that would have made a difference. State legislatures want to make it harder to vote, but have no evidence of a need for fewer voters beyond protecting their party. Asian Americans feel targeted by their countrymen as do many other ethnic groups after Trump’s assault on truth and decency. I have heard several people in media and elsewhere speak of being ready to fight to protect themselves. America is at a crossroads. If our leaders and representatives do not act decisively; the degeneration Trump and his followers started will metastasize into civil war. The rising insanity and evil that is perpetrated by those who feel entitled to act with impunity must be met with truth, compassion, and justice. Putin wanted Trump for president because he felt he was a tool for American decline and self-destruction in all areas. Putin has won all of the early rounds but the fight is not over. Research our history and current reality from verified sources. Be ready to make the important decisions made by citizens in a republic.

Opinion

Recognize Heroes

We need to recognize heroes regularly in America. We elect presidents and public officials who are contemptible and we expect our future to be good. We cannot have a good future when we hold up corrupt figures (like Donald Trump) as leaders of our society. We look at our politics and both sides shake their heads while one side (Republicans) consistently lies to uphold their viewpoint. America is in a moral valley of epic proportions. We will either break towards fascism and deep evil, or rise towards hope and saving our species from self-destruction. Heroes like the two white men in Portland who stood up on May 26, 2017 to defend minority women from threat by a crazed white supremacist and lost their lives. They should be recognized. Do you know their names? Talliesin Myrddin Namkai Meche, and Rick Best were killed protecting the lives of two Somali women on a light rail train. MIcah David-Cole Fletcher was wounded in the fight. These men are heroes and we should recognize their heroism regularly as a part of what decency means in modern America after the filth of Trump. It is not enough to label the evil and hold them accountable, we must recognize selflessness and what we should all strive to be.