I really Should Know Better

Here’s whey the establishment is losing the goodwill of the people.

I responded to a post from a Facebook “Friend” – Kenneth who had suggested that Brexit was “the longest train crash in history.”
I spar with Kenneth regularly.  It’s fair to say that I respect his views but don’t see the world the same way as him.  That’s OK – it’s great to see different perspectives and I see a lot.  I want a complete picture so I tend to subscribe to and listen to a range of opinions from the far right to the far left.  I don’t agree with any particular political persuasion but  I like to know what people think.  It helps to draw characters for my fiction work, if nothing else.  Anyway back to Kenneth’s post.  I though his statement was a bit of a stretch.

World War 1, World War 2, the collapse of many empires, the Holocaust, Pol Pot or many other major events in history that were a)longer and b) caused more damage could have been mentioned.

I chose to suggest another event happening right now  that has potentially much greater consequences for the entire world.

A Facebook Exchange Based On Incorrect Assumptions

This map of the radiation spread from Fukushima gives you some idea of why I think this is a tad important.

 

Apparently my point of view was upsetting to a friend of Kenneth’s who immediately labelled me a “quitter”

I don’t know who this guy is but it’s worth noting two things.  He labelled me and made an incorrect assumption and b/ He denigrated me because why? I didn’t think Brexit was the biggest train crash in history?  or that I said that nearly half the people of Britain disagreed with Kenneth?  I don’t know.  But I responded, it has to be said quite impetuously.

I don’t actually think Brexit is hilarious but I do think the reactions of people like David and to a lesser extent, Kenneth are.  I understand that they are fearful of what will happen, but I don’t think lecturing and name calling are going to solve anything – on the contrary they only serve to alienate people and polarise opinion.  This strategy worked oh so well for the Clinton campaign as they first alienated Bernie supporters and then labelled Trump voters “deplorables.”

You can think you are superior.  You can tell yourself that you are better, but if you don’t listen to and engage with people whose circumstances are different to yours, then you live in a bubble…..and bubbles burst.

Anyway my new acquaintance was just getting warmed up.

Getting Warmed Up

Oh dear – capital letters.  Besides his obvious distress he plucks a few scorched earth numbers from the air and continues to attempt to belittle me.  Red Rag to a bull I’m afraid.

That didn’t placate him and he drew on his vast reserves of sarcasm borne undoubtedly from his superior knowledge and education.

By this stage I had grown tired of the game and simply supplied him with a Wikipedia listing for Neo- Liberal.  Maybe I could have said simply someone who puts profits and corporations ahead of people, but I didn’t.  When you get into these debates, there’s only so many fronts you can fight on.  I could have also said the opposite would be exactly the same because when you get to the extreme edges of the political spectrum the results for the ordinary person are the same.

I didn’t get into debating the  Saudi thing.  The point that the outrage over Brexit is misplaced compared to real human rights abuses occurring on a daily basis doesn’t need a lot of debate I would have thought.

David belittled my use of Wikipedia and again assumed I was a cretin.

I asked him what his point was and if he was incapable of reading. That’s when things got really interesting.

Obviously David seems to believe I’m an idiot who has never had a job of note, can’t string two words together and hasn’t had a positive impact upon society at all.  I must be a loser.

Or maybe….just maybe people like David have a serious problem.  They are so impressed with themselves and their station in life that they have lost sight of what really matters.

Mr Munroe seems to think of himself as part of the establishment solution.  Maybe I’m wrong about him, but his attacks on me are par for the course with establishment progressives or conservatives(progressives not to be confused with greens, socialists or Bernie supporters all of whom can engage in intelligent debate).  I’ve had far better conversations with people from the “alt right” then I have had from  establishment “progressives”.  We disagree but we can have a conversation.

Former Australian treasurer Wayne Swan sensed the mood of the masses some time ago and said that there has to be real change and it has to happen soon or the bonfires will be lit and the pitchforks will be brought out.

Wayne Swan saw it.

Sadly most of the establishment refuse to see it.  They keep calling Trump and Brexit “aberrations.” The people’s views apparently do not matter.  The establishment no longer understands.  They just lecture, ridicule and label and in doing so have become the very thing they claim to despise.

They are alienating people daily.

That’s why the establishment is losing.

Now, where’s my pitchfork?

I’m angry today.

Part of it is because of this story that I’ve become aware of this morning about the story of the woman who was stabbed to death in broad daylight by her estranged partner in front of her teenage son

Part of it is because I became aware yesterday of the abuse that a friend of mine from a long time ago was subjected to.

But most of it is directed at this sick perverse society that we live in that glorifies the objectification of women and then wrings its hands when something abhorrent happens.

There are calls this morning  for greater stricter controls to be imposed by the courts on dangerous estranged men.  Its a knee jerk reaction to a problem much greater than supervision.

The problem goes deep – right to the basis of how our society views and normalizes relationships between men and women.

What does to be a man mean?

What does to be a woman mean?

What is a relationship?

What is respect?

What is love?

I’m not qualified to answer any of those questions, I’m just a man.

I can tell you what I’m told by the barrage of media images  “To be a man” means.

We live in a society where success is measured by power, money, and sexual prowess.  All three seem to be inextricably entwined.  “To be a man” according to society you need to be in control.  You need to possess everything.

To share, to treat others equally, to not really care how others see you in the pecking order, to acknowledge that you might just be human after all – well that’s just plain weird.

There’s an advertising maxim.  “Sex sells.”

In essence what it really means is to cheapen an act of love to a base function.  Boys from an early age have access to photos of airbrushed models in erotic poses and performing sexual acts.  The message is clear to be a man is to own or possess a woman, preferably one that meets a certain standard of physical appearance (so you can brag about your conquests to your mates).
I’m not a prude.  I don’t think you can outlaw pornography, it probably has its place.

But I’m not talking about pornography I’m talking about objectification – the  dehumanization  of women to the point of possessions – a means of gratification and an affirmation that you the man has the power.

Is it any wonder that when relationships break down, that some men see it as a total loss of face and that they resort to acts of violence.  Its almost like they’re conditioned to react accordingly.

When was the last time you saw a movie where the love interest of the all conquering action hero was of “average” appearance or dare I say it, overweight.  It just wouldn’t be right – he’s a hero – he deserves a babe – never mind the fact that she can’t string two words together and the last coherent thought she had was in 2010.  Its appearances  that count.

Name the ad that appeals to a man’s intellect.

Name the product that does not use a very attractive model to promote itself.

The objectification of women also impacts upon the females psyche.

A little while ago, my youngest daughter got involved in a classroom debate about Stephen Milne, a footballer who has been charged with rape.  Its a messy case, but let’s say it revolves around the simple concept of consent.

My daughter was horrified to find that the attitude of many girls in the room was that the victim had agreed to have sex with another footballer, therefore she shouldn’t complain if another player wanted a bit as well.  When my daughter took an opposite point of view she was howled down.  One girl said that she needed to learn her place.

I find that terrifying.

Nothing reflects the attitude of society more so than our youth.  They are mirror images of how society sees itself.

I think we’re in deep shit.

For what its worth, I think to be a man means that you can rise above all the noise, and be comfortable in your own skin.  You can treat others with dignity and respect and that you value your relationships with love. To be a man means that you acknowledge the rights of others to be.

To be a man is to dare to love.