#performance #action #change #StatusQuo #PublicPolicy #OpticalIllusions #vote
In golf, it’s “drive for show, putt for dough.”
In other activities, it’s “the show may be all that matters.”
Some politicians like to make things LOOK good, though they will have a bad result.
These folks are actually content creators for social and other media. But, as reporters and others dig deeper into what is going on, the activity becomes a charade.
At the same time, these same people are telling you NOT to believe what you see or hear. If they are doing something obviously bad, they will tell you that the activity is NOT what you are seeing or hearing.
Optical illusions exist, but when you see people being kidnapped, beaten or even shot, unless you KNOW you are watching a movie, it’s not an illusion.
So, when the illusion argument fails, they’ll tell you the activity was necessary for “public safety,” “national security” or that the people being attacked deserved to be.
That doesn’t fly, either. There are ways to subdue real threats, or to apprehend people who are truly evil, without violence. But, when cruelty is the point, or violence makes a better “show,” these same people will go full throttle.
Sometimes, witnesses or even protesters are not just caught in the crossfire. They are deliberately attacked. If you see that, as a news event is being filmed, it is real. The perpetrators WANT you to see that, to discourage you from doing the same.
These activities can turn what may have started as legitimate public policy into ugly performance with bad results.
Then, they will tell you either that it didn’t happen, or that it should have happened for the common good. Look upon these events and explanations with a skeptical eye.
Then, you may even witness obvious corruption. Open corruption isn’t less corrupt. It’s often more corrupt.
If all this makes one’s head spin, that’s the point. The perpetrators want the public so confused that they don’t know what to do. They want the public to think that changing the status quo will make things worse, and that the public must sacrifice current behavior to prevent worse behavior.
Again, treat such logic skeptically. Use common sense. Your own eyes and ears are NOT deceiving you. There really IS corruption, gratuitous violence and officials behaving badly in plain sight and earshot.
Knowing that, don’t let the exhaustion of it all confuse you. They are doing wrong in front of you. Vote for change. If the change is worse, vote it out, too.
Most of all, don’t be afraid to vote for change. In fact, don’t be afraid to campaign for change.
Don’t be afraid to protest for change.
If you are among the wrongdoers, your day of reckoning will come. If you are among the used, abused and injured, stand up for your rights and help others do the same.
If you don’t like what you see and hear, it is not inevitable. It can be purged. But, the governed must purge the governors – in large numbers.
Do your part. If you don’t like the way things are, if you haven’t already, vote to change them.
Peter