Are we just tired of talking about it all?

[Frank Underwood]

Those who screech the loudest about the supposed demise of democracy are often the ones most eager to projectile-defecate all over its essential pillars.

A political opponent is no longer simply wrong — they must be evil.

Hence the social media and all cable news induced inability to stomach a genuine debate based on argument. Instead, they walk away — because the other is supposedly evil, or stupid at best.

In the most extreme cases, as earlier this week, some even resort to violence, convinced in their perverted minds that they’re saving the world with their vile act.

They see themselves as morally superior — an übermensch of sorts. The irony? The anti-fascist fascist (as Snarky put it, which I’m stealing).

Democracy does not mean our choice — and ours alone — must prevail at every turn. It means accepting, however begrudgingly, the temporary victory of those we disagree with.

Yes, there's a lot of vilifying going on. One can be upset at certain personalities or with the results of an election. One can even complain about it, but ultimately, one has to accept it in a democracy. Those that refuse to accept it and resort to violence undermine whatever it is they claim to believe in. Hence the "anti-fascist fascist" Kirk shooter.

So we’re tired of it all? Sure we are. But not of the noise — we’re tired of not getting our own immaculate way.

I'm tired of both, to be honest. I'm an American that supports social democracy, so I've never "gotten my own immaculate way."

I've bitched and moaned about it for years, I've decried the two-party system scam, and I've lamented the mainstream media being nothing more than the propaganda arm of the US government. And yet I've never once supported taking up arms against the people I vehemently disagree with ideologically. I've just become increasingly resigned to the fact that there will never be a savoir and that electoral politics is a dead-end street. I've been called a cynic and a defeatist for my attitude, and yet I see more and more people adopting it as time goes by. I just think the best you're going to get out of life is what you can get out of it on a personal level. Find distractions such as comedy, listen to good music, and enjoy the company of friends and family. Because if you only pay attention to what happens on a national and global scale, you will be perpetually depressed by it all.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Hence the "anti-fascist fascist" Kirk shooter.

Although we'll never know what was really behind it. There's always a "lone crazed killer" arrested.

've bitched and moaned about it for years, I've decried the two-party system scam, and I've lamented the mainstream media being nothing more than the propaganda arm of the US government. And yet I've never once supported taking up arms against the people I vehemently disagree with ideologically. I've just become increasingly resigned to the fact that there will never be a savoir and that electoral politics is a dead-end street. I've been called a cynic and a defeatist for my attitude, and yet I see more and more people adopting it as time goes by. I just think the best you're going to get out of life is what you can get out of it on a personal level. Find distractions such as comedy, listen to good music, and enjoy the company of friends and family. Because if you only pay attention to what happens on a national and global scale, you will be perpetually depressed by it all.

The Bible says -- somewhere -- to be aware of what's going on, but to not be consumed by it.

That's a hard balance to strike.

 

[Frank Underwood]

Although we'll never know what was really behind it. There's always a "lone crazed killer" arrested.

Yes, it's quite neatly packaged. We're fed a steady diet of bs, which makes it hard to know what's true and what's fabricated.

Say what you will about Kirk, but this is something he also realized.

The Bible says -- somewhere -- to be aware of what's going on, but to not be consumed by it.

That's a hard balance to strike.

Yes, that can be tricky.

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

The one thing that remained in Pandora's Box was Hope.

Yes, these times can be difficult
However, there was never a Golden Age
We all just do the best we can

If we lose all Hope, what is the point?

I am not trying to sound like an overly optimistic ...whatever.
I am only saying that there is still a lot of good that is worth appreciating

 

[Jock Ewing Fan]

Point well-taken. But some of us are, in fact, tired of the noise.

But Grandpa's old. And I just can't keep up my exercise routine, or my carbohydrates down, with any consistency.

I'd like a nice, long nap -- and yet I just got up from one.

My psychic once told me that I was going live longer than I probably wanted to. But I wonder if I've reached that point already -- not that I'm in any way depressed; I'm just sleepy. And if I reduce my caffeine, I'll just get sleepier.

Not to make this all about me or anything.

Just to be clear. You consult a psychic?
Curious.
What makes this psychic reliable?
How does this psychic influence your perspective/opinions and decision-making?

Unless you are being facetious -hard to tell

Also to be clear, I am not judging whether this is valid or not.
I just never understood the phenomenon.

 

[Snarky Oracle!]

Just to be clear. You consult a psychic?
Curious.
What makes this psychic reliable?
How does this psychic influence your perspective/opinions and decision-making?

Unless you are being facetious -hard to tell

Also to be clear, I am not judging whether this is valid or not.
I just never understood the phenomenon.

I have little-to-no faith is psychics. I just went to one (okay, two) years and years ago.

I cannot in good faith recommend it. But it's interesting, if one has a few bucks to flush down the toilet.

There will always be quotes you'll remember -- even if it's bullshit (which I tend to assume).

What's odd is both psychics described the exact same long-term prospects for me, too detailed to be generalizations -- especially the same details. Which was an weird coincidence.

But I'm getting a bit long-in-the-tooth. So, heh...

 

[CeeCee72]

Bringing back this thread because of a major personal change that proves that, I at least, am tired of talking about it all.

For the last 8 years, my career has been political writer and analyst. I focused mostly on local issues and was damn good at my job.

Over the last year or so, my mental health began to suffer. I was constantly depressed or angry or downright despondent. For about the last three months, the realization of how deeply national politics has infected our local politics finally drove me over the edge. None of our local officials are talking about issues or trying to solve our community problems. They're all screaming MAGA or Pride or whatever else. I couldn't take it anymore.

I quit my job and accepted a position writing about the history and cultural impact of country music of all things. My life is a lot less stressful since making that decision. It's so much more pleasant praising Miranda Lambert or maligning Florida Georgia Line than having to pay attention to politics everyday just to pay the mortgage.

 

[Laurie!]

Congratulations @CeeCee72

Though, country music tends to be one of the most political genres of music so it may not be easy to ignore that aspect of it.

On a sidenote...Did you see the awards show where Shaboozey rolled his eyes when it was said the Carter family invented country music? Essentially ignoring real history and Lesley Riddle, etc? That also tends to happen a lot with country.

 

[CeeCee72]

Congratulations @CeeCee72

Though, country music tends to be one of the most political genres of music so it may not be easy to ignore that aspect of it.

On a sidenote...Did you see the awards show where Shaboozey rolled his eyes when it was said the Carter family invented country music? Essentially ignoring real history and Lesley Riddle, etc? That also tends to happen a lot with country.

I saw. That's actually a lot of what I will be writing about. I love country music, but damn it it so racist and sexist.

 

[Frank Underwood]

I've always focused more on issue-based policies myself. Until the last year or so, those were the main political discussions I engaged in. It was often polarizing (politics always are), but it's definitely gotten more cult-like as we've moved from issue-based politics to cultural and identity-based politics. You see this with both MAGA (the remaining of which are basically Israel loyalists), and the woke left (the ones who only care about gender and sexual identity issues). I've gotten sucked into these discussions in recent years, but I've always preferred the more substantive issues such as foreign policy and economic issues. The problem is that their inflammatory nature takes its toll after a while.

 

[Frank Underwood]

As for country music, I've been a fan for as long as I can remember. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, so I've always had a love for the neotraditional country music that came about in that era. I also discovered and came to love many of the artists that came before. Although country music artists have a reputation for being politically conservative, I'd consider most of the country songs I love to be politically neutral. The 9/11 attacks certainly changed that, and while I appreciated introspective songs like Alan Jackson's "Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning," there were some heavily jingoistic tunes from that era as well. That said, they reflected the mindset of the country at that time. Of course, it's not as if other genres have shied away from politics. Artists like Brue Springsteen and John Melencamp wear their politics on their sleeve. Many pop artists in general seem to favor the Democratic Party because it makes them feel good, but I doubt many of these pampered stars hold them accountable for inhumane policies.

Like all art, country music is a mixed bag. It was shameful that Charley Pride's record label wouldn't show his image because they didn't think audiences would accept a black country singer. Now he's considered a legend in country music, and rightly so. As for Megan Moroney saying that the Carter Family "basically invented country music," the first point to note is that she was reading off of a teleprompter. Secondly, do we know if the people who wrote it were intentionally being racist, or were they regurgitating the legend many country music fans had heard over the decades? I was admittedly ignorant when it comes to the roll black people had in the early days of country music until just recently. Anyhow, while I can see why Shaboozey would be upset by that oversight, his music certainly leans more towards the pop side of "country" that many fans have been lamenting for years. I'm sure some will say country audiences don't accept him because he's black, even though he's not part of the neotraditional resurgence such as artists like Zach Top. The hullabaloo surrounding Beyonce's "country" record was also manufactured nonsense meant to drive record sales while accusing country music of racism.

When it comes to sexism, much of that comes from the "bro country" abomination. Of course, I think a lot of that pales to the kind of sexism you find in hip hop. Bro country views women as arm charms and "beer holders," but even they didn't call them "bitches and hos." I'm not a fan of the genre myself, but I also recall Eminem not getting a warm reception. Many people claimed he was seen as an interloper because he was white. Rock and roll has a sordid history as well when it comes to groupies and drug fueled destruction of hotel rooms. The phrase "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" says it all. Many people also accuse rock musicians of being racist towards black pioneers of the genre.

The point is you can find the politically dubious, racists, sexists, and every other monstrosity in just about every art form there is. I believe the art itself should matter most.

 

[CeeCee72]

First off, I wholeheartedly agree bro-country is an abomination.

My comment about country music being racist and sexist has let to do with the artists themselves or the music and lyrics as it does with the machine of the industry.

In the 70s, 80s, and 90s, country music was almost downright progressive in the way that the industry treated women. We had numerous female super stars who were just as celebrated and promoted as their male counterparts. Sometime in the early 2000s, the industry as a whole decided we could only have one or two "girl singers" in the spotlight. Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood were crowned and other, equally talented women were shunned and actually oppressed by the industry. Then a few years ago, the industry crowned Lainey Wilson as queen and other women were pushed to the side. Thankfully, that does seem to be changing a bit with the massive success of Ella Langley and Meghan Mulroney and other female artists.

As for the racist part, yeah, again, it's the industry. For years, we had Darius Rucker as a token black artist while others were basically held down.

Toby Keith can sing about boots in asses all day and David Alan Coe can be a racist pig, but that's their right. It's when the machine of the industry conspires to crown a chosen few as tokens and deliberately hold down others that I get testy. That just seems to be more of a problem in country music than in other genres.