Reply #9: Good Post! [View All]

[Javaman]

I share your sentiments.

I'm currently putting together a book. At the moment, it's loosely titled, "Embracing Stupid". While the title suggests a sort of tongue in cheek look at our current situation, in regards to society, I'm seeking a sort of velvet hammer approach in my opinions.

With the recent pronouncement by perry stating, "I'm anti-intellectual", to me, has such far reaching implications that it scares the hell out of me.

While he makes his business with ridiculous rhetoric, those mouth breathing constituents that he's speaking to, believe this.

I'm currently reading a book on the "Reign of Terror" in France after their revolution. A particular group of people called "The Jacobian's", they made their bread and butter seeking out the royals and the wealthy and killing them, but some where a long the way, their "cause" becomes completely bastardized. They no longer just killed the royals and the wealthy, they began including, in their blood wrath, the educated, the merchants and anyone and all that shows any level of gain in society. Whether it's a trader who has done well on a recent exchange of goods or a farmer who suddenly had a bumper crop. They are all suspect.

Fast forward to the 1970's and you get a modern day version of The Jacobian's in the form of the khmer rouge. A group of dystopia zealots whose whole means to an end was killing any and all intellectual or any and all who gave the appearance of being an "intellectual" (killing people who wore glasses). All for the stated goal of returning to a completely agrarian society.

Are we experiencing that here today? Not by a long shot. However, while I don't like many of the policies the Obama has stood for, I am voting for him because, frankly, I honestly fear what a perry presidency will unleash. I won't be anything that he "brings to the table", it will be because the seeds are there, planted by one ridiculous reactionary repub candidate after another, they just need to be allowed to grow. If perry gets in, they will flourish.

And as a result, there will be a wave of "Jacobian-ism" here in the states that will target, liberals, intellects, etc.

I see a dismantling of the dept of education, a complete de-funding of science and research and the quixotic rush for "getting off foreign oil" by drilling our nation to death.

Sadly, nothing will be fixed until 1)corporations are held accountable 2) corporate money removed from political donations.

But like many times in history, we are no different, and I fear that we will have to get down the hell hole pretty far before the people of this nation realized just how screwed up things have gotten.

I think of that scene in the movie, "The Bridge Over The River Kwai". When Alec Guinness finally realizes how far his ego got out of hand and says, "what have I done?".