Going into the Doctor's for a follow-up. The first time today I feel better, so of course, the appointment is tomorrow when I will be back to normal. I have been very lazy watching the soap opera that disguises itself as a Senate hearing...resembling nothing I have seen in Law and Order but much like Days of Our Lives. Us elders can see the dust crumbling beneath the foundations of our Democracy. Others seem to think it is much ado about nothing and all "politics".
My son-in-law pointed out to me across the school gym a young mother that was wearing some slogan/protest T-shirt, perhaps Mom's against Guns. I was not paying too much attention except that son-in-law seemed to find it "quaint" that I was like her, one of those angry protestors for many causes. I wish I could find it quaint that he is unenlightened.
I have the premonition that there will be much violence ahead in the election year and many months after. Our President's own lawyer testified (before he went to jail) that change would only come via revolution.
China has a tightly controlled society. People are very well-behaved because they know the dangers of Chinese jails and the lack of fairness is not reasonable argument. There is no freedom of the press there. Their leader manipulated the bureaucracy so that he can be endlessly reinstated as a supreme leader. Crime is low and hidden and corruption is how things get done.
I read an article in The New Yorker that followed the probable history of the first diagnosis of a patient with coronavirus which began in Wuhan. (They guess it had to do with illegal live bat sales.) The writer in The New Yorker got her details from an article in a Hong Kong magazine since the investigative press is suppressed with death in mainland China. The bottom line is that everything is so controlled under a tight authoritarian regime that even public health officials could not step out of the procedure when they saw a disaster coming or at least questioned the danger. It took over 24 hours for the first sick man to get any help at all.
My Trump supporter acquaintance says that it is because China is a communist/socialist government and the government (some vague entity?) does not care about its citizens. "Let them die." I disagree, but will not argue. Authoritarian rule under the guise of socialism, communism, democracy, ecclesiastical , monarchy or whatever form of government is dangerous when only one voice and the following voices of its sycophants can be heard. Free speech, free press, arguing in the city hall is always a safer way for all citizens.
The photo above I probably posted before. It was taken from our boat that anchored in Wuhan before our trip up the river. Wuhan is a very large city. The city was all in lights because of the celebration of the 70th year of the formation of the PRC. Keep the citizens focused on the bright lights!
I share some of your fears. Revolution scared me in the late 1960s and early 1970s. After the last election, the deep intensity of the pro Clinton folks was as scary.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we should question more the manipulation electronically of Us than fake news and voting machines.
You and i might not share every opinion, but we do share this, we believe in free press and free speech and respectful discussion with those who disagree with us, in hopes of reaching agreement or a solution that works.
ReplyDeleteCount me in as "quaint" I guess. I suspect there are many of us and we are not all old. This is going to be a messy, vociferous year. We need to save our democracy.
ReplyDeleteI share you opinion. I'm afraid for our country in a way I've never been afraid before. I'm really scared I'm watching the end of democracy and dob't see a way out of it. I've marched, I've written letters, I've called. It all seems to no avail. It's hard not to despair.
ReplyDeleteI just came across a blog from Scotland this morning who has a similar ear problem.
ReplyDeleteAs far as China goes, it is totalitarianism that is the problem. Call it whatever else you like but that's what it is. And that's where Trump would like to go and is making some headway.
I think both parties have those who want to limit our freedoms in the name of 'good.' We have a very free press in that government does not dictate what it can print or say. yet, coincidentally, that free press seems to say the same thing about most of what happens. Is there some secret cabal that tells it what to say? lol I laugh but I've been interested in finding the names of the groups that do have secret memberships (at least hard to find the names online if you look and I've looked). Our 'relatively' free press could change if either side of the partisan divide got control. I read that Warren would like to make it criminal in (I think) social media if someone posts something untrue about a candidate-- except who decides what is true? Social media worries a lot of them as it's a truly alternate source-- like your blog, for people to hear how others think outside of restrictions.
ReplyDeleteI think most of the press philosophy is liberal but there are pleenty over very conservative articles out there on the same subjects if you look. The compicated issues may not report solutions, but that is not the role of journalists. I think slander is an imortant issue to control. That certainly happens on both sides. The only control on that is if a person is in power and has a bank of lawyers to sue. Slander should be followed up irregardless of wealth or power of the person.
DeleteReally sticky keys today...for some reason!
DeleteThe trouble with the media is that most of it is owned and controlled by Murdoch. So we are not getting a two sided opinion.
DeleteI had not seen those Wuhan pictures before. They are stunningly beautiful. I read and watch the news for one short hour every night (the PBS News Hour) and can barely force myself to watch the Senate circus. Looks like it will wrap up today. I am sad for my country.
ReplyDeleteI don’t know how much we can trust what the regime says about the viral infection. WHO has faith in them. I hope it is right.
ReplyDeleteI fear our democracy is done for. especially if Trump gets reelected and republicans keep the Senate. the damage he has done to this country is just three years is horrifying and now of course if/when the Senate acquits him he will just be emboldened.
ReplyDeleteI am so sick and tired of the world as it is now that I can easily see myself withdrawing completely.
ReplyDeleteLies, manipulations, cons, and the idiot class believe them all. There is no cure for stupid.
Here in Britain I think that our so called "free" press and media are not actually free any more, with a few notable exceptions. We don't quite know who's controlling it but it seems to be people on the far right. It seems to me the far right have succeeded because they've been clever and creatively used social media and modern communications to shape the whole narrative and won enough votes to get themselves *democratically* elected. If the peoples' democratically elected representatives want to acquit Trump that is democracy, however suspicious we (rightly) are of those almost-certainly-crooked representatives. Unfortunately liberal/ left wing representatives are also capable of being crooked. So let's forget the blame, the need is to be creative and determined, because a new and more realistic approach to winning over the majority of the people will take money, effort and research. I wish I could see more signs that this was happening.
ReplyDeleteFree press is somewhat easier these days even if buried in the grand roar of cable and network news. There are podcasts and newsletters that give me different or more granulated views, and I work to find them. Money drives the big networks, so news is only brought forward if it brings eyes to the screen. As long as people can write and say the truth I will support freedom of speech and free press and realized that everyone has an agenda and an opinion...but in dictatorships such as Russia, China and North Korea, they do not.
DeleteIn Britain we are also going down a similarly depressing path. I hope it's not just up to us old 'uns to protest.
ReplyDeleteIt is a troubling time in the world and democracy seems to be weakening but I'm optimistic that the younger generation will bring back real democracy.
ReplyDelete