"One thing I have found, there are just two ways to go.
It all comes down to livin' fast or dyin' slow." "Dreadful Selfish Crime" Robert Earl Keen
I remember being in college and getting into heated political discussions with friends or strangers. Once in fact, it was with a group of British students at the NATO headquarters. Ronald Reagan was president, and Europe, in this case the British, was concerned. His rhetoric toward the then-Soviet Union was clear, and the line was drawn. Unfortunately, that line was Europe which was divided into East and West. His rhetoric concerned them greatly.
So, they took us on and laid us open for being from the country that elected Reagan. We shot back. It went on for about an hour. Then, guess what we did? We adjourned for the day and went to a bar and drank with them. Beer as a diplomatic tool to bring peace. I'd solve the world's problems in a week over beer I'd been brewing or the White House staff was brewing with me as I brought in world leaders one country at a time if I were president.
Would the event with the British happen today in the era of social media?
Those days seem to be gone. Disagreement became "agree to disagree" (never understood that garbage myself - "No, we just disagree") which became if you disagree with me, you cross a moral line, and if you stand on the other side of that moral line in disagreement with me, then you are potentially evil - evil on purpose or due to your ignorance. The "cast the naysayer as evil" way of thinking knows no partisan distinction. No side can claim to take the high road and be above the fray. You are either with me, or you're an idiot. It doesn't matter what stripe you choose, someone is going to think that choice is bad, wrong, evil. Like on many college campuses today, they may even try to inhibit your ability to even articulate the heinous thought.
This makes me grumpy as hell. Disagreement becomes a matter of moral, ethical, or educated behavior. It finds itself into every argument. Yeah, so I chose to buy and drive a truck that gets 13.5 MPG translates into "you don't care about the environment." No, I just can't pull an RV to go enjoy nature at parks and such with a hybrid 4-cylinder that could serve as a golf cart on Sunday if I needed it.
We hear it in all facets of life; every facet of our lives is placed into a moral dilemma. "Excuse me sir, do you want paper or plastic?" Dear God, I spend more time worrying about the damage to our environment in today's contextualized culture because it isn't simply a matter of which serves you better. I need a PhD in "Environmental Science" just to answer. I could opt for a reusable bag, but then I read the damage that can cause to environment and learn it could promote poor health due to the germs they carry. I'll go with paper, but then I read that paper requires much more heat to create and energy to be created and kills trees. That can't be good. Well, let's do plastic, then you hear audible gasps from the enlightened crowd because they don't biodegrade. Let's flip a coin and choose then, but the coin only has two sides.
I'll tell you what, I'll escape to sports. Yet this argument finds its way into those choices because modern athletes use their status to speak profoundly on a host of issues these days. Babe Ruth was asked to weigh in on the presidential salary when he negotiated a contract that paid more than the president. Is that right? he was asked, to which he said, "What the hell does Hoover have to do with it? Anyway, I had a better year than he did." Now? Wear a ribbon, put a logo on the helmet, show how much we care about issues by changing colors of the uniform... I can't escape it. It just manifested itself from joy of the game to arguing about the same crap, different day while watching a game. Hey, I just wanted to drink a beer and watch a game. Call me simple minded, but I'd rather argue balls and strikes, or whether the Astros cheating actual bought them a title. Or, whether or not on any given day the Cowboys losing is a good thing.
This line of thinking now finds its way into our life choices during the pandemic. To say I'd rather accept the risks that life offers translates into "care more about money than people's health," "don't care about the vulnerable," "are ignorant of what the experts say," and host of other things. The "don't care" is the siren's song of the enlightened and is the first flare being fired as an advanced warning indicating a moral line has been drawn. They could at least be honest in their "compassion fascism" as PJ O'Rourke once called it. They are scared shitless and don't want to die or a loved one around them to who is vulnerable to COVID 19, the flu, a common cold and other maladies around. It would be a refreshing refrain from the "my concern is about others."
That's what takes me to Robert Earl Keen. Life is a full-risk sport when you step out of the womb. So, do you accept the risks and all life has to offer, up to and including the fact that you'll die one day? If you are ready to bust out of this prison cell, then that's cool. I don't by the proposition of "as long as it doesn't hurt anyone" because I'm not convinced this being holed up is good for us either. If you think we should be on full lockdown, great. Lockdown. Stay inside. Just know that as for me and my house, "it all comes down to livin' fast or dyin' slow." My choice is life. And that should be cool too. Not evil.
It all comes down to livin' fast or dyin' slow." "Dreadful Selfish Crime" Robert Earl Keen
I remember being in college and getting into heated political discussions with friends or strangers. Once in fact, it was with a group of British students at the NATO headquarters. Ronald Reagan was president, and Europe, in this case the British, was concerned. His rhetoric toward the then-Soviet Union was clear, and the line was drawn. Unfortunately, that line was Europe which was divided into East and West. His rhetoric concerned them greatly.
So, they took us on and laid us open for being from the country that elected Reagan. We shot back. It went on for about an hour. Then, guess what we did? We adjourned for the day and went to a bar and drank with them. Beer as a diplomatic tool to bring peace. I'd solve the world's problems in a week over beer I'd been brewing or the White House staff was brewing with me as I brought in world leaders one country at a time if I were president.
Would the event with the British happen today in the era of social media?
Those days seem to be gone. Disagreement became "agree to disagree" (never understood that garbage myself - "No, we just disagree") which became if you disagree with me, you cross a moral line, and if you stand on the other side of that moral line in disagreement with me, then you are potentially evil - evil on purpose or due to your ignorance. The "cast the naysayer as evil" way of thinking knows no partisan distinction. No side can claim to take the high road and be above the fray. You are either with me, or you're an idiot. It doesn't matter what stripe you choose, someone is going to think that choice is bad, wrong, evil. Like on many college campuses today, they may even try to inhibit your ability to even articulate the heinous thought.
This makes me grumpy as hell. Disagreement becomes a matter of moral, ethical, or educated behavior. It finds itself into every argument. Yeah, so I chose to buy and drive a truck that gets 13.5 MPG translates into "you don't care about the environment." No, I just can't pull an RV to go enjoy nature at parks and such with a hybrid 4-cylinder that could serve as a golf cart on Sunday if I needed it.
We hear it in all facets of life; every facet of our lives is placed into a moral dilemma. "Excuse me sir, do you want paper or plastic?" Dear God, I spend more time worrying about the damage to our environment in today's contextualized culture because it isn't simply a matter of which serves you better. I need a PhD in "Environmental Science" just to answer. I could opt for a reusable bag, but then I read the damage that can cause to environment and learn it could promote poor health due to the germs they carry. I'll go with paper, but then I read that paper requires much more heat to create and energy to be created and kills trees. That can't be good. Well, let's do plastic, then you hear audible gasps from the enlightened crowd because they don't biodegrade. Let's flip a coin and choose then, but the coin only has two sides.
I'll tell you what, I'll escape to sports. Yet this argument finds its way into those choices because modern athletes use their status to speak profoundly on a host of issues these days. Babe Ruth was asked to weigh in on the presidential salary when he negotiated a contract that paid more than the president. Is that right? he was asked, to which he said, "What the hell does Hoover have to do with it? Anyway, I had a better year than he did." Now? Wear a ribbon, put a logo on the helmet, show how much we care about issues by changing colors of the uniform... I can't escape it. It just manifested itself from joy of the game to arguing about the same crap, different day while watching a game. Hey, I just wanted to drink a beer and watch a game. Call me simple minded, but I'd rather argue balls and strikes, or whether the Astros cheating actual bought them a title. Or, whether or not on any given day the Cowboys losing is a good thing.
This line of thinking now finds its way into our life choices during the pandemic. To say I'd rather accept the risks that life offers translates into "care more about money than people's health," "don't care about the vulnerable," "are ignorant of what the experts say," and host of other things. The "don't care" is the siren's song of the enlightened and is the first flare being fired as an advanced warning indicating a moral line has been drawn. They could at least be honest in their "compassion fascism" as PJ O'Rourke once called it. They are scared shitless and don't want to die or a loved one around them to who is vulnerable to COVID 19, the flu, a common cold and other maladies around. It would be a refreshing refrain from the "my concern is about others."
That's what takes me to Robert Earl Keen. Life is a full-risk sport when you step out of the womb. So, do you accept the risks and all life has to offer, up to and including the fact that you'll die one day? If you are ready to bust out of this prison cell, then that's cool. I don't by the proposition of "as long as it doesn't hurt anyone" because I'm not convinced this being holed up is good for us either. If you think we should be on full lockdown, great. Lockdown. Stay inside. Just know that as for me and my house, "it all comes down to livin' fast or dyin' slow." My choice is life. And that should be cool too. Not evil.
Stay in touch with your inner grump.
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