Friday, February 24, 2017
The Danger of Trashing the Media
I find it outrageous that Donald
Trump’s outmoded ideas, limited-and-exaggerated use of language, and
non-policy-specific plans that, a month in, have done nothing but spew out at
top speed so that people hardly know what to address and object to first. But
his attack on the media is particularly atrocious, untrue, and a slippery slope
to actual dictatorship. The news – major
newspapers, cable news networks (except Fox News and right-wing talk radio, of
course), broadcast network news divisions, and A-List Internet news sites – are
all fake, they’re all lying? And they are “the enemy of the people?” Really? And Trump’s “going to
do something about it.” Really! Besides having the obnoxious Sean Spicer ban
half of the major media from news briefings, and shame on him for following his
master’s directives, what, exactly, is the chief executive going to do to stop
the free American press? Maybe his pal Vladimir can show him how to kill
publishers, editors, and reporters, as well as knock sites off the Internet.
It’s always so helpful to have friends who can help you rule without dissent, especially by “paid, professional protesters.”
Without question, the
media has its problems and its faults. Few people read printed newspapers anymore;
hundreds of excellent papers have been forced out of business thanks to a
combination of low readership and even lower advertising. The online versions
of remaining major papers have their own problems – including the fact that
readers want them for free instead of paying minor amounts for subscriptions. From
coast to coast, news staffs have been decimated, in print and online, because
publishers [say they can’t] afford them. The combined pressure of the 24-hour
news cycle and diminished news staffs have seriously compromised the optimum
functioning of all forms of news outlets. But they fight like hell and work
very hard despite these limitations to tell full, truthful stories. About
everything. Including Trump.
All news outlets sometimes
make mistakes or bad coverage choices (like CNN’s endless coverage of a missing
airplane a while back; they spent months
waiting to hear pings). But American
journalism is honest and truthful and fact-based. I personally know that for a
fact because as a p.r. professional I had a lot of media contact for decades. The
media not only deserves the freedom and protection provided by the First
Amendment, we the people urgently need
the information it provides. We would be screwed without it. The press
could do a better job in some ways (hiring back proofreaders would be a good
start, since even the best reportage is undermined by typos). But if the
American people allow themselves to be convinced that journalism is inherently
dishonest, that is going to create even more chaos than the president is
already deliberately creating.
Donald Trump is worse than
inexperienced, uninformed, and a liar by commission and omission. He’s a bad
man. He’s self-serving and will say or do anything to try to deflect any kind
of criticism and all reportage about him and his staff/advisors' inappropriate
and illegal behavior. He doesn’t want examination/investigation of all his
Russia-related dealings. He doesn’t want to explain concrete solutions for the
problems he cites, because he doesn’t have any. And since he doesn’t have
President Obama to kick around anymore, he had to find a new “enemy” that his
base can focus on. He doesn’t care what the rest of us think or feel or believe,
because he’s already dismissed us as over-rated (in our numbers) and phony –
because protesters are basically mercenaries. So the media was a perfect choice
for his political vitriol. It reminds me of Richard Pryor’s great comedic line
about talking to his wife about his marital indiscretions: “Who you gonna
believe: me or your lyin’ eyes?”
Posted by MizB at 11:46 PM 0 comments
Monday, February 20, 2017
Yes, He Is My President
What I did not find
reassuring were the many substantial demonstrations proclaiming that “Trump Is
Not My President.” I strongly disagree with this sentiment. He’s not the
candidate I voted for, and I genuinely believe he is extremely incompetent and
potentially very dangerous for our country and the world. I don’t know whether
or not he won by honest means and that, along with much else, should be
investigated. But good or bad, right or wrong, the reality is: Donald J. Trump
is the 45th President of the United States. And because I’m an
American, he is my president. That,
unfortunately, is the plain, simple fact. And we cannot afford to indulge in “alternative
facts” as he does.
We who find
Trump’s presidency unacceptable and downright insane are not wrong. And
continued protest is good. With great difficulty, I made it to the January
Women’s March (in NYC) – the first protest in which I’ve participated in
decades. I was on my mobility scooter in the middle of the crowd, so I was
about four-feet tall and couldn’t see much of what was going on around me.
Plus I was cold, I don’t like being in crowds; I don’t like being outdoors very
much. But I was thrilled to be there, to see not only all kinds of women but
also all kinds of men. Kids too. I had done something difficult for me to be
part of something important to me and I was proud of myself and the millions of
comrades worldwide who came out to shout and chant and object to the sheer
madness that is Donald Trump.
We should continue to
protest – whether it’s difficult, inconvenient or not. But our protests must be
against what Trump says and does – not the mere fact of him. We also cannot
restrict ourselves to the collective comfort of street marches. We have to do
the sometimes lonely, tedious desk-work of proactive citizenship.
Write/phone/email, whatever, your local, state and national representatives –
repeatedly – about your specific objections and concerns. Contact Republicans,
whether one is your representative or not, and tell them to man up and
fight/reject the mad clown they didn’t want either. Go to Town Hall meetings. Write
to newspapers and magazines, news channels and Internet sites. Join or form an organization that is working
to address your issues and work with them. Talk to family and friends who
aren’t activists and encourage them to act. Use your social media and make your
voice heard by your virtual “friends.” Make financial contributions – however
small they may be – to organizations whose work you value. Be polite. Be calm.
Express yourself clearly and well. And VOTE in every election that comes your
way.
Be active and be hopeful.
Trump may self-destruct; he’s certainly headed that way. Let’s hope he can do
so without destroying anything/everything else beyond repair. Meanwhile, accept
the reality that Trump is the president – and fight him and his minions in
every legal, non-violent way possible. Do it for Presidents Washington and
Lincoln, the leaders today was intended to honor. Do the right thing. And do it
smart.
Posted by MizB at 10:50 PM 2 comments
Friday, February 17, 2017
This Emperor is Butt Naked
Okay, I’m calmer now; I
can write without foaming at the mouth. I’m still appalled that this sick,
ignorant, pathological/delusional liar is actually president of this country,
surrounded by a small brood of relatives, sycophants, a racist/anti-Semitic senior advisor, and nameless staffers
who are bold enough to leak about the West Wing chaos, but not strong enough to
quit and speak out publicly.
I’m still disturbed that
the Democrats can’t seem to unite and fight back in a stronger, more cohesive
manner. I’m even more upset that the Republicans, who managed to get together
and thwart President Obama at every turn, in every way, from Day One of his
first term – but don’t have the balls and real concern about this country to
stand up and say “We were right during the primaries: Trump is dangerously
unqualified and ‘Republican’ or not, we must join, we must lead, the fight to get his dumb ass out of the White House.”
I won’t blather on about
Trump’s amazing cabinet and other top-job choices, so inappropriate it would
make a great satire if it weren’t such a terrible reality. Nor will I add my
two tarnished cents (in any detail) to the Russia/Putin dynamic that runs so
deep and varied that it’s like one of those nested Russian dolls, where one big
one unfolds to many increasing smaller ones. And I won’t dwell on President
Tweet’s hateful, counter-productive, genuinely dangerous immigrant ban, or the
fact that his words/manner regarding the media are equally hateful,
counter-productive, and genuinely dangerous. And the astounded media must get a
grip and take this bully down. This ain’t business as usual. Forget being
polite and respectful. Nail him!
Those of us who still have
all or most of our marbles know what’s going on in all these areas and others.
Therefore I prefer to focus on the encouraging, massive, grassroots dissent,
here and abroad, that is increasing in both size and organization. I know Trump
thinks this a) isn’t really happening; b) if it is, it’s a Democratic plot personally
organized by Hillary Clinton; c) isn’t as large as the fake news media would
have us believe; and d) it is he, in fact, who is the inspiration and leader of
a real political movement for change.
Trump change isn’t needed by anyone – except Trump
I don’t think Trump’s
supporters, for the most part, are stupid or even mean-spirited. I think
they’re weary of their difficult lives and feel that both parties, traditional
politicians in general, have either ignored them or let them down. Trump is a
very shrewd, effective marketer. And thanks to a cowardly and irresponsible
Electoral College, Trump brilliantly rallied his way into the White House. The
problem is, now that he’s there, he doesn’t know what to do or how to do it.
Because running a country is not like
running a business, being a celebrity is not
the same as being a leader, and doing the job is not nearly as much fun as
running for it – which is why he’s still campaigning and holding rallies and
complaining about the election. He’s freaked out. And it shows.
But the lemonade coming
out of this lemon is, thankfully, reminding millions of Americans that
citizenship isn’t just a matter of birth (or legal immigration). It comes with
civic, secular responsibility and an ongoing call to political action. We’re
furious that the popular vote doesn’t determine the winner – a situation, I
believe, that makes half of eligible voters not bother to vote. The Founding
Fathers so constantly lauded established the Electoral College to deliberately
keep the favored in power. They did not believe The People were smart enough to
elect the president.
And the Constitution,
still enormously important, needs some serious freshening up. It has been in
the past; that’s why there are many amendments. It is ridiculous to interpret
the Constitution the way some people interpret the Bible: literally,
fundamentally, and as something sacred. The world and America have changed a
little over the past nearly-300 years. It’s up to us to unite, fight for our
rights, fight against the wrongs, and keep government working and sane. The
Constitution is a sound platform, not the last word.
We’re the only ones who
can throw a blanket over our naked Emperor, escort him out of the palace, put
him on one of his own planes, and take him to a large, comfortable, padded room
on his Florida estate. Please keep him and his family out of New York. They’re
snarling up traffic.
Posted by MizB at 6:12 PM 0 comments
Saturday, November 26, 2016
Happy Holidays
I don’t plan on posting
again for a while – until I'm in a better frame of mind.
Meanwhile, I hope ya’ll
had a pleasant Thanksgiving
and I wish all of you a continued wonderful holiday season.
Merry Christmas
Happy Chanukah
Festive Interfaith
Joyous Kwanza
Happy New Year
And a lovely Sugar Plum
Munchkin Day
(that’s from an old Robert
Klein joke…)
May 2017 be a good,
healthy, happy year for us all and not
live up to my worst fears!
Fondly,
MizB
Posted by MizB at 2:05 PM 0 comments
Monday, November 21, 2016
Seeking The How of Now
Tomorrow will be just two
weeks since the country turned upside down like the ocean liner in The Poseidon Adventure and we’re hanging
desperately from the floor that just became the ceiling. Only two weeks and so
much has happened. I was personally going through a difficult period before all
this, and I still am. Maybe that’s why I can’t figure out what to do now. Or
maybe it’s a separate response to the election on one hand and the tragic death
of Gwen Ifill on the other, as well as all the turmoil, nastiness, and
unimaginable weirdness. Maybe it’s a combination of the two. I don’t know; my
feelings, like those of so many others, are bruised and confused.
For a week before the
election, while the pollsters told us Hillary had it in the bag, my intuition
told me that by some maniacal miracle Trump would win – which he did, thanks to
the outmoded, exclusionary-by-design Electoral College. (Can you picture the “This
system is rigged!” tantrum Trump would have had if he lost despite getting 1.5 million
more popular votes than Clinton?) In addition, on several occasions I got a
vague mental image of Hillary Clinton dressed
in purple, making a speech.
Under the circumstances,
these confirmations that my ability as an Intuitive is still functioning even though
my heart and mind are off-kilter, were of no comfort. And no new veils are
dropping, except – and of course
we’ll never know if this happens – I have the feeling Trump will secretly turn
to Clinton for advice on certain matters. I also have visions of the Electoral
College reversing the decision, but that’s not a premonition, just a delightful
fantasy that sometimes cheers me up.
Basically, I’m on the
proverbial horns of a dilemma. All my life, given what I am and how I was
raised, I’ve had strong feelings about politics and the social/cultural issues
that have a life-altering impact on them – and vice versa. Always alert and
concerned and active in whatever way I could be, on many fronts. I believed the
few drops I added to the social bucket would make a difference and perhaps they
did. In my professional endeavors too: I know I’ve done high-quality,
worthwhile work in some of my projects as a business writer, and as a Tarot
reader/ordained spiritual counselor. I know I’ve been a good, supportive,
useful friend to a lot of people. Despite my personal insecurities, past and present, I know I’m a
good person and have functioned as a good citizen. But I fear something
fundamental in me has snapped. I’m completely deflated. I still care, but I
don’t believe caring makes a difference now, even though I recognize that concern
and action are needed now more than ever.
Almost everything of
collective importance has changed for the worse since the 21st
Century started with the Y2K scare. That
turned out to be nothing. What actually has happened in less than 20 years,
worldwide, is real, and mostly really bad. In addition to the violence and
oppression that have killed/displaced millions around the world, we have a bunch
of other appalling problems. The globalization we thought would unite and
enrich the world is actually dividing us instead. Economic inequity is creating
desperation and craziness. The insanity of terrorism is in some ways succeeding,
breeding a true sense of terror and irrational responses. Old hates, prejudices,
and their accompanying brutality and injustice have rejuvenated. Plus, the
communications technology and social media most people live by have taken a
dark, dangerous turn that’s only now being noticed – barely – thanks to fake
news and hateful cyber incivility. I
could detail all the issues and recent incidents, but you know what they are.
In the face of this
real-life horror movie/political satire, I don’t know where to find the
strength to move forward, keep hanging tough from the new floor-ceiling. I feel
like a sick, hardly-mobile, old woman – which I am. I feel disconnected and
isolated – which I am. Since the start of 2000, I haven’t been able to
acclimate myself to the aspects of the New Normal I despise. I was happy about
the social progress made during the past few years. But I didn’t trust it,
because I knew it could be reversed in the blink of a conservative eye – and
now I’m afraid some or all of it might be. There are several categories of
people I’m very frightened for.
I’ve been reading
insightful columnists and watching the news, press conferences, and discussions
among smart, right-thinking (in my opinion) people: artists, writers, activists
et al, speaking with positive determination about the urgency of fully
populated, well organized, peaceful/legal civic action. They’re sad and scared
too, but unwavering about being vigilant, uniting, and fighting against anything
Trump tries to do to Make America Mayberry Again. I want to emulate their hope
and courage. I want to be who I’ve always been. But I can’t muster my usual fortitude.
Maybe as time warps along and we have a better understanding of what’s really
happening, maybe after this unprecedented, muddled, shocking,
conflict-of-interest-ridden transition becomes an actual administration with a
definite stated agenda, I’ll have more clarity and be able to marshal greater
energy. I hope so.
I apologize for being in
bummer mode instead of posting here as an encouraging cheerleader. And you? How
are you coping? What are you doing? What’s keeping you going? If it’s the
future for your kids and/or grandkids, don’t tell me: I get that obvious drive.
Love, family, and community are what generally keep people forging ahead. But I
don’t have that, and feel socially obsolete and estranged as well. So where is the
motivation supposed to come from? I’d much rather be a civic soldier than a heartsick
sad sack but I’m losing my grip on the floor-ceiling. And I just heard on the
news that a massive earthquake nearly turned Japan upside down.
Posted by MizB at 7:53 PM 1 comments
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