One Upsmanship?

I know the pain – the American Presidential 2016 election campaign is underway. What a royal bore. We are about to have dumped on us tons of dribble and fact-less talking points without any redeeming value. It will amount to a lot of noise.

This routine visits us every four years. Unfortunately, the ideologues think we need to have a long training period to warm up to the campaign. Like two years worth of early noise. So, the 2016 campaign begins in 2014 (check!) and gets into it in earnest in 2015 (check!) and so it goes. Every newspaper, magazine, special interest publication, TV newscast, radio newscast and cable network will be alive with sound bites regarding the approaching election.

We cannot avoid it unless we unplug the TV and listen to arts-only radio with few ads. Or maybe satellite radio without any ads. Of course, avoiding the noise will extend to internet, email and Facebook where we will need to be vigilant about turning off the sound and quickly skimming past the graphic election images.

The conservative wingnuts are spouting their dribble but that is only normal. They do so continually anyway, and have been doing it nonstop without regard to election schedules. Theirs is not an election behavior; it is an ideological behavior focused on losing their marbles and votes.

Alert voters already know this. It is part of the entertainment value that has accrued to political conversation. Like the palms waving in a southern California landscape, one accepts that the wingnuts will be spouting in the background of nearly every cultural landscape these days in America. Hopefully other nations don’t have to put up with this nonsense, but I would not know about that. Right now it is about poor us!

Yes, we have conservatives who claim a vote for Hillary is a vote to return to the 1950’s. That assertion is odd given the fact that the 1950’s has been owned for decades by the wingnuts of the republican party here in America. They want the two cars, husband breadwinner, home based mother not working outside the home, single story ranch house with super green lawn and one dog and two kids in the picture. The church is right down the street where the family worships weekly on Sunday. The newspaper is seen on the lawn early in the morning so the family can catch up on the news. No drugs are evident in this picture perfect scene. And no abortion clinics, of course.

What the picture doesn't show is a growing diversity of our nation with tens of millions of new residents born here and immigrating here annually. New faces, cultures, educations and religions are blending in with the existing culture. Two-income homes is the norm now. So is advanced education – college degrees, masters and even more PhD's – so the new technology is both invented and acculturated properly. The 1950’s gave way to the 60’s, 70’s, thank God the 80’s and 90’s. We are well settled in the 2000’s with 2020 approaching.

The only importance of the 2016 elections is that it is prelude to the 2020’s and 2030’s. It is the long term we are focused on. All issues of importance today are only short term concerns as we manage toward the 20-year future. Focusing on that will place today’s issues into perspective and free us up to solve what really is important.

World peace is one of those big issues. Social and cultural diversity is another biggie. Why is this so hard for people to accept?

The real issue is CHANGE and what it requires of each of us. Change is constant. It is always churning in our lives. It is not all bad. Most, in fact, is good. And the bad we can improve upon given fertile minds and a dash of creativity.

I believe that mankind can and will make the best of times. All it takes is a commitment to reach out and help each other as we all experience change. A good sense of humor will help the process!

Life is not meant to be lived in a cocoon. Nor is it meant to be lived in fear. Just the opposite is intended. Now isn't that exciting?

Perhaps if we focus on these issues the noise of 2016 will pass us by without any bruises or damage. Well maybe that’s a bit much to hope for; perhaps developing some good laugh lines will help?

April 16, 2016