#201 Reliving Archie Bunker (Part 2)

29 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Education Issues, Societal Issues

First-time readers, this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Each entry assumes there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1. List and general description of entries to date. Annual assessment whether Revolution plausible.

Note: most characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations. Profile of characters. You’ll catch on quickly. Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

Scene: Coffee shop near Jordan’s office in Washington, DC. Jordan meeting with JC, a long-time friend. They have been discussing a range of topics about the causes of the Revenge Revolution, one of which was the polarization caused by various laws. More about North Carolina law referenced, entry #200.

Person Sitting at Next Table: “Excuse me. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. And, you know what? You’re dead wrong.”

JC: “And you are?”

Person: “My name is Jack O’Brien. Most people call me Jacko.”

JC: “Was that Jacko or Wacko?”

Jordan: “Careful, JC.”

Jacko: “Trying to be funny, lady? I think you and your buddy here are wackos. You got it all wrong.”

JC: “OK, Jacko, what’s ‘it’ and what do we have wrong?”

Jacko: “That bill in North Carolina that protects people from those predators. Why can’t you support it? Seems like common sense to me.”

JC: “What predators?”

Jacko: “Those cross dressers, the gays. All those BLT’s or whatever they call ‘em.”

JC: “Do you mean LGBT’s?”

Jacko: “I guess so. What does BLT stand for again?”

JC: “It’s LGBT and it stands for lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender.”

Jacko: “What’s wrong with those folks? They’re all weird. I stay away from those people.”

Jordan: “Jacko, you know anyone who’s gay or transgender?”

Jacko: “Just one as far as I know. My nephew claims to be gay but I don’t believe him.”

JC: “You don’t believe him or you don’t want to believe him?”

Jacko: “He just shouldn’t be like that.”

JC: “Like what?”

Jacko: “Like claiming he’s in love with some other guy. I don’t get it.”

Jordan: “This conversation is beginning to remind me of an old Archie Bunker show.”

Jacko: “Whadda mean? I liked Archie Bunker.”

Jordan: “OK, you liked Archie Bunker. Do you like your nephew?”

Jacko: “He was a good kid until he said he was…was gay.”

JC: “And what changed about him when he said he was gay? Did he look different? Did he act different?”

Jacko: “Nothing else changed. I guess he’s the same person he was before.”

Jordan: “Now, let’s suppose he said rather than being gay he wanted to become a woman?”

JC: “Yeah, he said that all his life he felt as if he was a woman inside a man’s body. How would you react then?”

Jacko: “I don’t know. That all seems so goofy to me. I don’t get it.”

Jordan: “I’m sure there are things about you that seem goofy to him.”

Jacko: “OK, so he wants to become a woman. But does that give him the right to go in the women’s restroom? Or, even worse, into the women’s locker room?”

JC: “Wanna know what I think?”

Jacko: “Tell me what’s your name again?”

JC: “Never told you. I’m JC and he’s Jordan.”

Jacko: “OK, JC, what do you think?”

JC: “I think there’s no simple solution. Both sides have some valid points. A lot of life is not black and white, but gray. And a lot of laws are gray.”

Jacko: “Laws are pretty clear to me.”

JC: “Some laws are clear. Other laws include such phrases as ‘reasonable man…or reasonable person.’ So let’s take the bathroom and locker room situation and see what’s reasonable.”

Jacko: “I’ll tell you what’s reasonable. I don’t want some pervert guy dressed as a woman in the restroom with my granddaughter.”

JC: “I agree. But go to your comment about common sense. Parents should not let younger children be alone in public restrooms, period.”

Jordan: “Let me chime in. There are laws already on the books to prosecute child molesters.”

Jacko: “Those laws don’t stop molesters.”

Jordan: “I agree and that’s my point. Now, think about some high-profile cases of child molestation from just a few years ago. But these cases were not against children of the opposite sex…but molestation of the same sex. The coach at Penn State…forgot his name…”

Jacko: “…Jerry Sandusky…”

Jordan: “Sandusky, right. How many young men did he molest? And then there was Dennis Hastert. He was a wrestling coach in high school, then ran for Congress and a few years later became Speaker of the House. How many boys did he molest?”

Jacko: “What about men in women’s locker rooms?”

Jordan: “Do you recall locker rooms in high school? Might be different today but I doubt it.”

Jacko: “I remember those days. Several guys I knew were embarrassed to take showers in front of other guys. Some even skipped showers.”

JC: “Where is this conversation headed? Before you answer, I need a break. Excuse me, please.”

(Continued)

#200 US Microcosm: Raleigh Republicans Render Revenge (Part 1)

22 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Back Asswards Thinking, Causes of the Revolution, Gov't Policy, Societal Issues, Stupid Is as Stupid Does

≈ 3 Comments

First-time readers, this blog is set in the future (sometime after the year 2020). Most entries assume there has been a 5th revolution in the US — the Revenge Revolution. More about Revenge Revolution and author, Entry #1. List and general description of entries to date. Annual assessment whether Revolution plausible.

Note: most entries are constructed as a dialogue between the main character, Jordan Abel, and variety of colleagues, friends and random acquaintances. Characters appear in a number of entries, with many entries building on previous conversations. Profile of characters. You’ll catch on quickly. Thanks for your time and interest…and comments.

This entry breaks with the traditional format. Regular readers might be wondering why all the entries about NC legislators. I’d like to let go and move on to another topic. However, just when I think the legislators are beginning to act rationally, they manage to continue to do something potentially harmful to the state.

The actions in Raleigh seem to be a microcosm of what’s happening in Washington. Two sides seemingly unwilling to compromise, even if one of the positions is considered so extreme that no compromise is possible. Further, the irrational actions often continue even when continuing could cause consider harm to a wide swatch of society.

For NC legislators, the most recent action is a threat to withhold a limitation on the amount of sales tax on jet fuel paid by American Airlines. While I believe that incentives are not the most effective way to attract and grow businesses, incentives do seem appropriate in some cases…and this is one.

Charlotte is a major airline hub (Initially USAir which was acquired by American). The airport itself is not a major economic driver, but having a major airline hub is a major economic driver. Numerous companies, especially companies with HQ outside the US, have cited an important reason for locating in and around Charlotte is easy access to international flights.

So why does the legislature want to eliminate the incentives? Not because of opposition to incentives. But because American Airlines supported repealing HB2 (the bill that among other things forces transgenders to use the bathroom of the sex listed on their birth certificate). And American is not alone is supporting repeal of HB2. Many large employers in North Carolina have urged the governor and legislators to repeal of the law.

So, how do the governor and legislators respond? Like 2-year olds. The legislator and the governor appear willing to bring economic harm to many citizens in NC because someone told them their legislation was stupid. And, like a whiny 2-year old, the legislators and the governor blamed someone else – in this case the mayor of Charlotte.

What did the Charlotte mayor do? Lead the effort to pass the ordinance allowing transgenders to select their restroom. The ordinance, which applies only in the City of Charlotte, is admittedly controversial. However, before the ordinance took effect and before the residents of Charlotte had an opportunity to overturn the ordinance – city-wide referendum, recalling the mayor and council, etc. – the state legislators stepped in to “save Charlotte from itself.”

So here we have legislators from throughout the state, many of whom probably have never been in Charlotte, telling the residents of Charlotte what’s good for them. And oh, yes, Charlotte residents, we’re going to take away your right to address issues that affect only your city. Why? Because, we, the Republicans in Raleigh, know best. A little bit of overreach here?

Then what happens? With the overreach the NC legislators poked the big dog in Washington…and, oops, the dog bit back. Department of Justice filed a suit against the state. Then the Department of Education issued a directive mandating that schools comply with regulations that are similar to the Charlotte ordinance.

The NC 2-year olds claimed overreach by the Federal government and harden their stance. The result was to inflict more economic damage on the state as companies began to drop NC from consideration for relocating or expanding operations. The economic damage affected Charlotte, even though the City has made considerable effort to attract a more diverse workforce and attract more high-tech industries.

The legislators apparently offered to repeal HB2 if Charlotte repealed its ordinance. The Charlotte mayor and some council members…and many citizens…responded by asking “‘why agree to something the other side had no business getting involved in the first place?” The current resolution of the issue is weaving its way through the courts, which could take years.

A better step, I think, is let the people of Charlotte decide if they want to support the ordinance. Let residents debate the plusses and minuses, possibly reach a reasonably palatable solution to all sides.

Voters in the City of Houston rejected a similar ordinance. Other cities have ordinances similar to the one passed by Charlotte. But let the residents of the area affected decide. If Charlotte wants to be labeled as “too liberal” by some others in NC, so be it. Those same people will likely not go to New York, San Francisco or many other locations.

The irony, from my perspective, is transgenders have been using the bathroom of choice for many years with no apparent incidents. Now that the City of Charlotte formalizes the choice, Republicans in Raleigh believe there is an issue. Uh, your reaction couldn’t be merely political could it?

And thus, the suggestion that NC is a microcosm of the US. Every decision in Raleigh and Washington seems to have become so politicized that compromise and reasonable solutions are impossible. Further the seeming insistence on seeking revenge and inflicting pain on those who have a different view reinforces my concern the US is headed for a 5^th revolution, the Revenge Revolution.

The next few entries will center on NC HB2 bill. Then we’ll move on. Jordan Abel

#199 Bullying, Blame and Blasphemy (Part 9 of 9)

15 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Stupid Is as Stupid Does

≈ Leave a comment

Scene: Jordan’s office in Washington. Jordan meeting with JC, who has agreed to propose causes of the Revenge Revolution for Greenie, a mutual friend, who is an author. Greenie is recovering from short-term illness. Conversation started #191.

JC: “Back from my break. We’ve got one more topic for Greenie’s articles.”

Jordan: “OK, but let’s go to the coffee shop and sit outside. It’s a Chamber-of-Commerce day and we should enjoy it.”

(Now outside at the coffee shop.)

JC: “Here’s an idea as a cause for the Revenge Revolution – bullying, blaming and blasphemy?”

Jordan: “Sounds like a headline from some tabloid. Tell me more. Start with bullying.”

JC: “Seems to me that many people just got tired of politicians trying to bully each other, bully the media and bully the public.”

Jordan: “Such as…”

JC: “I keep ratcheting back to the 2016 presidential campaign. That set a new standard for bullying. Simple example, conservative Republicans ranting and raving that news clips on Facebook were biased against Republicans. C’mon. As if the news clips on Fox aren’t biased? Look who’s calling the kettle black?”

Jordan: “OK, the bias claim has long been a standard line of the radio talking heads. I guess because of its popularity, Facebook qualified as ‘drive-by’ media. What else?”

JC: “What else is this. People who tried to bully Facebook should be glad I wasn’t in charge. I would have told them to shove it. Zuckerberg was far too diplomatic.”

Jordan: “A more relevant example, please.”

JC: “Your great state of North Carolina. I know it’s not really your state but you do live there. The legislators…and governor what’s his name…tried to become world-class at bullying and blaming.”

Jordan: “You talking about HB2 – the transgender law? And by the way, the governor in 2016 was Pat McCrory.”

JC: “See if I have the sequencing right. The City of Charlotte passed a law that provided certain rights to LGBT’s. The law applied only to the city and nowhere else. Right?”

Jordan: “Right so far.”

JC: “Then the Republican state legislators passed some law in a special session with no discussion. The law applied to the entire state, not just the City of Charlotte. Moreover, the language read like an old Jim Crow law with ‘LGBT’ inserted for blacks.’ Then puppet Pat signed the bill the same day.”

Jordan: “Why do you classify that as bullying?”

JC: “Why did the Republican legislators feel compelled to pass a law for the entire state when the ordinance covered only Charlotte? Bullies want people to think they’re powerful. So the yahoos from rural North Carolina, who would never step foot in Charlotte anyway – too many of ‘those people’ and too many Yankee liberals – passed a law for the entire state. Bullying pure and simple.”

Jordan: “OK, where’s the blame come in?”

JC: “The yahoos then blamed the mayor of Charlotte for causing the problem and forcing the legislators to act. Excuse me. No one twisted the legislators arm to act.”

Jordan: “Are you implying some pattern for blaming?”

JC: “Yes, there is a pattern…at least there was a pattern then. If one listens closely to Republicans, then and even now – and I’m not talking just North Carolina but nationally – the mantra seems to be that whatever the issue, someone else is to blame for causing the problem. Republicans never, ever seem to own up to being at fault.”

Jordan: “JC, You seem to be letting your liberal side get out of control. You really believe there’s a pattern?”

JC: “Start listening more carefully to the wording of statements. You’ll see the pattern. Sometimes its blatant but most of the time it’s more subtle.”

Jordan: “Let’s go back to the NC law for a few more minutes.”

JC: “OK, remember right after Puppet Pat signed HB2, PayPal cancelled an operations center in Charlotte with how many jobs?”

Jordan: “400 minimum.”

JC: “What does the Puppet say? PayPal was bad because they did business in countries that discriminate against gays and other LGBT’s. Well, Patty Boy, if PayPal was such a bad company, then why did you slobber all over yourself and take credit for ‘economic development’ when PayPal announced the call center? Using Patty’s logic, PayPal was at fault for cancelling the call center, not actions by the legislators or the governor.”

Jordan: “Keep going.”

JC: “Not long after PayPal bailed, the Feds got involved. They threatened to without funds for schools and roads because HB2 conflicted with some Federal statutes. The Feds gave the state a chance to overturn the law or at least stop enforcement. And how do Patty Boy and the legislators react?”

Jordan: “They blamed the Feds for not giving them enough time to overturn the law.”

JC: “Now you’re getting the picture. In less than one day, the legislators passed the law and Patty signed it. But then the same fast-draw Republicans screamed and blamed the Feds that five days wasn’t enough time to respond. See my point?”

Jordan: “There’s a pattern.”

JC: “Then talk about stupid is as stupid does. The state sued the Feds claiming, really blaming overreaching. Did anyone ever teach those yahoos not to poke a sleeping dog with a stick, especially a really big dog?”

Jordan: “Apparently not. Just to be fair and balanced…”

JC: “Please, Jordan, don’t make me throw up over fair and balanced.”

Jordan: “You’re not suggesting that Democrats are completely clean on bullying and blaming are you?”

JC: “No, but the scale seems to be heavily weighted toward Republicans. Look who the Republicans nominated in 2016, the Donald.”

Jordan: “I don’t think I ever heard him take responsibility for anything going wrong. It was always someone else’s fault. And he was clearly a master bullier.”

JC: “And a master bull…oops, I forgot we’re outside. A master BSer.”

Jordan: “We’ve covered bullying and blaming. What’s the blasphemy part?”

JC: “The religious right kept claiming they were exempt from certain laws because the laws conflicted with their religious beliefs. And any challenge to their argument was considered blasphemous. Sometimes I thought we were in Iran, not the US.”

Jordan: “You must think the US Constitution includes some kind of clause about separation of church and state? Where’d you ever get an idea like that?”

JC: “My apologies for such a stupid thought. Seriously, the claims by many fundamentalists they should be excluded from certain laws created extreme resentment among many people.”

Jordan: “I agree. The constant finger-pointing and the attitude ‘I’m right, you’re wrong’ and the ‘law doesn’t apply to me’ really added fuel to the fire.”

JC: “As we talked earlier, the pot of water boiling over lead to the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan: “You think we’ve been too one-sided in our topics for Greenie? Most seem to fall in the Republican camp.”

JC: “No one’s claiming Democrats are faultless. But if one evaluates objectively where society got out of whack, I think the Republicans hard shift to the right along with the bullying, blaming and blasphemy made governing nearly impossible. So the pot boils over and we have a revolution.”

Jordan: “Think the country can recover?”

JC: “I don’t know. You and I are old enough to have lived through the last revolution. The country was in turmoil for more than a decade.”

Jordan: “And it wasn’t any fun. Let’s hope this recovery doesn’t take as long.”

JC: “I agree. Maybe Greenie’s articles will help heal the wounds more quickly. I’ll let her know what we came up with.”

(End of the series about articles for Greenie)

#198 Lessons from Feeling the Bern and the Donald (Part 8)

08 Sunday May 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution, Societal Issues

≈ Leave a comment

Jordan: “Greenie asked if we could come up with 9-10 possible causes of the Revenge Revolution.”

JC: “We need a couple more. I had the last idea, your turn.”

Jordan: “Not sure of the answer but the question could be a good topic.”

JC: “OK, what’s the question?”

Jordan: “Go back to 2016. What were the causes of such wide-spread support for Bernie Sanders and The Donald?”

JC: “Interesting question. Both sets of followers seemed to the antithesis of the candidate.”

Jordan: “There’s Bernie, an old Jewish guy from Brooklyn transplanted to Vermont. And what does he do? Attract huge crowds of Millennials.”

JC: “Feeling the Bern was like voting for your crusty old grandfather. You’d expect the Millennials to gravitate to some dynamic Millennial-like candidate.”

Jordan: “And exactly the opposite happened. The Millennials support an old, sort of frumpy guy.”

JC: “The same with supporters of the Donald. Here’s a NY real estate guy with lots of money and a high life-style. And who are his primary supporters?”

Jordan: “Lower-income, middle-age white guys. Most of them probably had never been to NY, let alone shop on 5^th Avenue near Trump Tower.”

JC: “Or been to Palm Beach and shopped on Worth Avenue.”

Jordan: “You’d think the Millennials would be attracted to Trump and the middle-age guys would be attracted to Bernie.”

JC: “But just the opposite happened. The attraction must have been the message.”

Jordan: “What about the messenger, which seems to be a big concern in politics?”

JC: “Well, Bernie and the Donald proved that looks are unimportant. Bernie in his rumpled suits. And the Donald who looks like a cartoon character.”

Jordan: “Plus, the delivery was not extraordinary either. Neither could match the delivery of JFK or Reagan…or even Bill Clinton.”

JC: “While the Donald was a bit of a flame thrower, he was anything but eloquent.”

Jordan: “So, she says, the key must have been the content of the message. But do you think people actually listened to the message?”

JC: “Yes. Both Bernie and the Donald realized the message from mainstream politicians was ‘broken.’ So, they took a different tact. Throw out the sugar-coating and the euphemisms. Bring in straight talk.”

Jordan: “Both talked about problems and issues that mainstream politicians sidestepped. You might say Bernie talked about the donkey in the room and the Donald talked about the elephant in the room.”

JC: “Both were effective, although I must say the Donald was less than tactful much of the time. Clearly Millennials and future generations faced a set of circumstances that needed to be addressed, which Bernie tried to do. And middle-aged people…white and black…faced a problem of no longer having decent-paying factory jobs. And that problem needed to be addressed.”

Jordan: “To show you how the job market has changed…and how old I am…when I got out of undergrad, I had 10 job offers. Not all great but 10 offers.”

JC: “10 offers? You? You fooled that many companies?”

Jordan: “Thanks for the vote of confidence. When Bernie and the Donald were campaigning, for a college grad to get a couple of decent job offers, let alone 10 offers, was more like a pipe dream. A fairly high percentage of college graduates were getting no credible offers.”

JC: “At the same time, a high percentage of middle-aged people had been in a job that was eliminated and then could only find a job that paid significantly less. In a way, it was the same dilemma that recent college graduates faced.”

Jordan: “So the lesson for Greenie is message is more important than the appearance of the messenger.”

JC: “Yes. I’d add one other lesson from the Bern and the Donald – fund raising.”

Jordan: “They both broke the traditional model of who fed the piggy-bank. Neither Bernie nor the Donald had support of any PAC and both started with virtually no field organization. Bernie had no appreciable financial assets but still managed to raise millions of dollars from small donors. Raised money like Obama but took it to another level.”

JC: “The Donald spent his own money and then leveraged the media better than anyone before him. Think about all the free coverage he got.”

Jordan: “OK, lesson #2. Traditional funding and traditional field organizations are not required to gain wide-spread support.”

JC: “Here’s what I’m still having trouble with. The last topic we gave Greenie – the effect of internet myopia – and this topic – lessons from the Bern and the Donald – did these factors really contribute to the Revenge Revolution, or were they merely side issues?”

Jordan: “I think Greenie is going to find the Revenge Revolution is like most revolutions. There is no single cause. Revolutions follow an accumulation of many events and frustrations. I agree that at some point the pot boils over and there is a revolution. But the cause of the pot boiling over is not the last few minutes before it boils over but the build-up of heat over a much longer period. Consider all the events we’re outlining as throwing wood on the fire. With more wood the fire keeps getting hotter and hotter…”

JC: “…until the water boils over. Then we have a revolution. And speaking of water about ready to spill from the container, I need a break.”

#197 Internet Myopia: More Information, Less Understanding (Part 7)

04 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by Jordan Abel in Causes of the Revolution

≈ Leave a comment

Scene: Jordan’s office in Washington. Jordan meeting with JC, who has agreed to get storylines about causes of the Revenge Revolution for Greenie, a mutual friend. Greenie is recovering from short-term illness. Conversation started #191.

Jordan: “OK, JC, you’ve had your break? Feeling better?”

JC: “Much better, thanks. By the way, do you have any chocolate in the office?”

Jordan: “I think Gelly has a stash somewhere.”

Gelly: “Did I hear my name called?”

JC: “Yes. Do you have any chocolate, please? I’m dying for something sweet.”

Gelly: “Been talking too long to Mr. Sourpuss here?”

Jordan: “Why do you guys always pick on me?”

JC: “You’re such an easy target. And it’s fun.”

Gelly: “I’ll get the chocolate. You want some coffee?”

JC and Jordan (in unison): “Yes, please. Thanks.”

Jordan: “OK, back to work. We need a few more topics for Greenie’s articles.”

JC: “Before the beak you said tax policy contributed to the decline in such cities as Flint. And the decline was a factor in the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan: “Yes. Now have you got a topic for Greenie?”

JC: “Yep, the internet.”

Jordan: “Why the internet?”

JC: “The internet is a great tool for certain things, such as ordering certain products, checking out restaurant menus, getting answers to trivia questions…and a bunch of other stuff.”

Jordan: “So what’s the problem with the internet?”

JC: “Like a lot of things, sometimes what is good in one situation turns out to be bad in another situation.”

Jordan: “You need to be more specific, please.”

JC: “While the internet is great for looking up…whatever, the internet is awful for providing the entire picture.”

Jordan: “Why do you say that? You have a lot more information at your fingertips than ever before.”

JC: “True, but, like I said, most people don’t take time to get the entire picture. For example, some news websites allow viewers…really encourage viewers to tailor information to suit their tastes. Tailoring eliminates some or all of the story.”

Jordan: “So, your concern is people are not getting exposed to an array of info, but rather just what they want to see, or read. Call it ‘internet myopia’. It’s as if people are looking at the world through a telescope.”

JC: “Everything is magnified but the field of vision is narrow. Without tailoring, the news websites would be more like newspapers. Think about looking at a hard-copy newspaper. You might not read an article but you read the headline to decide whether to read the article. Just by reading the headline, you got some information, whether or not you want additional info.”

Jordan: “I guess the same logic applies to newscasts. Viewers or listeners are exposed to an array of stories, whether or not they would have selected the stories.”

JC: “People using the internet as a primary source for news and then tailoring the stories really narrows what they are exposed to — just like the telescope. On the website, many viewers just get information that reinforces their opinion or perception. Many of the internet-only news folks are not exposed to few new ideas and not exposed to opposing views.”

Jordan: “Back to your hard-copy newspaper or newscast — do you think anyone actually changed their opinion?”

JC: “Far more likely than anyone in the internet-only group changing their opinion.”

Jordan: “The internet seems to have created a paradox. Although information is more accessible, with tailoring many people are being exposed to less information and have less understanding.”

JC: “And a lot of people seem to be thinking less. Sounds crazy but it’s as if the internet and the smart-phone didn’t make people smarter, but made them dumber.”

Jordan: “I like calling it ‘internet myopia’ but aren’t you stretching the idea of the internet as contributing to the Revenge Revolution?”

JC: “The problem with internet info is unless one accesses a highly credible website, there is no way of knowing how good the info is.”

Jordan: “I agree a large portion of the younger population has never been taught how to research information properly, how to read a newspaper, or how to listen to two sides of an argument.”

JC: “And a lot of older folks seem to have forgotten, or just become lazy. Some people will chastise me but the internet seems to have diminished society’s ability to think critically. People seem to react without thinking.”

Jordan: “Interesting comment and I think you’re on to something.”

JC: “When one stops thinking critically, it’s easy to fall for slogans and other BS. I know it’s a few years ago, but look at what happened in the 2016 presidential race.

Jordan: “During that campaign a very smart guy and long-time friend asked me when the US economy was going to come out of the 2008 recession. Somehow he didn’t know, or maybe want to know, the economy had been expanding for 7 years with no recession in site.”

JC: “He must have some reason for his claim. Did he have his head in the wrong part of his anatomy?”

Jordan: “I think foremost, he’s a Republican who can’t stand Obama. But his argument about the economy was based on median income not increasing…which is true. But what he failed to understand is where the income went. He failed to understand how tax cuts and other policies had shifted income to upper quintiles.”

JC: “How’d he react when you filled him in?”

Jordan: “He was surprised and said he felt as if he had egg on his face. He knew I spent a lot of time studying economic data. But my frustration is this guy is not alone. He’s typical of many people, and it seems especially true of right-wing Republicans.”

JC: “Maybe you should rephrase that to former right-wing Republicans. A lot of those former Republicans became part of the Revenge Revolution.”

Jordan: “What’s your take why the participated.”

JC: “Something easy to understand. Lack of cash. A whole bunch of middle-class people kept working but few of them got ahead. They kept hearing promises from Republicans that tax cuts were the answer but those tax cuts never helped the little guy.”

Jordan: “And the little guy kept looking in his wallet and rather than dollars, he saw moths flying out. The middle-class family was out of cash and wanted a change…and they nominated The Donald.”

JC: “Then a few years later they started the Revolution. OK, but how does Greenie weave together, or maybe link together the internet, less critical thinking and economic inequality?”

Jordan: “My view? If a person tailors information received they are very likely not to understand what is really happening…and why. For many people, especially younger, the internet replaced traditional media forms. As a result, there was less exposure to differing view and certainly less critical thinking. That continued until…”

JC: “…people got tired of moths in the wallet instead of dollars. They felt screwed. Then many people, including a high percentage of lower-income Republicans, got jolted into reality.”

Jordan: “And voila, the Revenge Revolution.”

usrevolution5

~ USA Headed for a 5th Revolution! Why?

Monthly Archives: May 2016

#201 Reliving Archie Bunker (Part 2)

#200 US Microcosm: Raleigh Republicans Render Revenge (Part 1)

#199 Bullying, Blame and Blasphemy (Part 9 of 9)

#198 Lessons from Feeling the Bern and the Donald (Part 8)

#197 Internet Myopia: More Information, Less Understanding (Part 7)