Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Poison

Let all the poisons that lurk in the mud hatch out -- Robert Graves, "I, Claudius"

And boy are the poisons hatching out. They're lying on the surface rotting. What a whirled.

One of the mantras of the neoLibCon rule we've suffered from for decades is "Never let a crisis go to waste." Indeed, precipitating crises for the benefit of the Overclass has become an art form. We've been subjected to one shock after another after another and another.  And every time, the wealth and power of Our Rulers is enhanced at the expense of everyone else.

So it has been, so it is now.

Mythology of the Trump Regime got going long before the (s)election. A commonly held myth (at least on the internet) is that Trump and his crony capitalists will end the rule of neoLibCons, once and for all. Their failed ideology will be consigned to the dustbin of history.

It must be comforting to believe that; it doesn't make sense, but it makes some folks feel good to think so.

It's part of the extensive list of rationalizations, apologetics, and defenses that Trump loyalists have developed over the course of the campaign and since the (s)election.

The talking points are practically Iron Law now. They are repeated over and over and over again, even when Himself contradicts something he said or promised or indicated previously. The talking points are adjusted to accommodate the "new information" but the core of the propaganda and defense of Trump continues unabated.

And the poisons continue to  hatch out of the mud.

Another internet shibboleth has to do with "taking off the masks" and "pulling back the curtain."

Trumpology is very similar to Kremlinology in that one has to infer from personnel and actions what policies may be in play. As far as the Trump loyalists are concerned, the masks remain firmly on, the curtain carefully conceals what's behind.

For the rest of us... it's something else again. We see with clear eyes and ultimate horror what is going on and what lies in store for the Rabble at home and abroad.

The old rules, which were cruel rules, have been suspended while the robbers, destroyers and madmen plunder and pillage at will.

We, the Rabble, are left defenseless to squabble among ourselves over what is going on and what to do about it. Or not.

That is a key to understanding just how poisonous this situation is. Without defenders, we lash out against all and sundry, blindly blaming and scapegoating whoever/whatever is the most convenient target for our rage and wrath.

The poisons of racism and white supremacy are spreading out from their hiding places. The poison of cruel disinterest in the well-being of others has reached the boiling point. The poison of scapegoating has nearly overwhelmed common sense and rational understanding. The poison of externalizing fear and hatred and targeting designated Others -- be they Muslims, Mexicans, Russians, Chinese, or whomever, wherever -- pervades both "sides" of the political spectrum. Anyone or any group can become a target at any time.

His minions can't wait to do his bidding.

The poisons are hatching out, festering, rotting, stinking up the place.

[I realize that this post is disjointed and less inclusive than I meant it to be. Maybe something more is on the way. We'll see.]

2 comments:

  1. It's going to be bad.

    I have nothing else to say, as it turns out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yah.

      There's not a lot we, the Rabble can do under the circumstances. Clearly we have no defenders.

      I've been reading a lot of social justice literature from the turn of the 20th century when things were much worse for many (most?) Americans than they are now. Something had to be done and it was, though not without plenty of resistance from the Overclass. What's striking to me is that so many members of the Overclass were active advocates on behalf of the downtrodden.

      Not so now.

      Delete