Words Are Cheap
Not just mine.
Over the last decade, writers used all the best words in an effort to stem the tide of right-wing insanity sweeping the globe.
Look where we are.
Words are cheap. Words are easy. Words matter, except when they don’t.
Our laws are nothing but words and they’ve been cheapened, demeaned and ignored by those who now have enough ‘fuck you, money’ to even tell governments to fuck off.
One of the soon-to-be trillionaires has more monetary assets than all but 40 something of the world’s nations. Our government and our money helped birth this parasitic monster and now he has the ear of the most powerful person on the planet.
Who knew this could happen?
Create a system — not unlike a gargantuan Ponzi scheme — allow human nature to run wild and see what happens.
Here’s what happens:
Billionaires, trillionaires-in-waiting, with more assets and monetary means than most of the nations on earth, without a scruple to their name and with only one guiding principle — make as much money as possible — will call the shots. They want to bypass the government and control everything. There is nothing — in their minds — that cannot or should not be privatized and given over to them.
You think roads are bad now.
You think health care is fucked up now.
You think groceries are expensive now.
Just wait until your only solution to debt or poverty or mental illness is to hope the Jesuits or Catholics or some sect you’ve never heard of decides to take you under their wings. We will all be at risk of being dependent on charity and charitable organizations to meet our daily needs.
There will be no “system” of any kind. It will be a Mad Max-like free-for-all for services and survival.
We’ve lost our countervailing forces. I know government is not the answer to everything. I also know privatization has its limits and is also not the answer to every problem. We need balance.
But it is difficult to find balance when prominent members of our society (like Reagan, Gingrich, et al) constantly denigrate the benefits of good government. It’s twice as difficult when unscrupulous members of our society (and some who are not citizens of our country) actively and fervently undermine one side of the equation.
Of our two capitalist parties, at least the Democrats want to keep the balance in place and try and “lift all boats”. Republicans seem to believe the pie is not big enough. They fear not being able to become morbidly rich. Spectacularly rich is not good enough for dour-faced conservatives.
For Republicans, enough is never enough.
For Republicans, everything is for sale. Including their scruples.
For Republicans, governing is too hard. They excel at stasis, regression and destruction.
For Republicans, it’s party before country. It’s their own sad sack selves before anyone else. Looking out for yourself first is fine under emergency situations (on a plane going down, a raft flipping over) but it’s a disastrous attitude for public servants.
My Substack words are cheap. It costs me practically nothing to throw them out into the world. But I am convinced that words are not so cheap in numbers and when they are directed to the right recipients.
For that reason, I am imploring — once again — for citizens who care to continually engage with those who gather in Washington, D.C. or state capitols. Be the squeaky wheels. Be one of their many daily reminders that they work for the people. Phone, fax, email, text. Be heard.
The billionaires have bought our government, but I still cling to the hope that with enough ‘noise’ from engaged citizens we can motivate our public servants to advocate for us. Some of them — believe it or not — actually do want to serve the public.
Like most of you, I am struck by the anemic response by the members of our society (who I presumed had some kind of access to the levers of power) to the soft coup we have just witnessed. I am struck by their impotence. Tens of millions of ‘good people’ have been sidetracked, railroaded and emotionally bludgeoned into impotence. Not silence, impotence. It’s the most head-scratching puzzle I — and all of the wordsmiths in the universe — have ever encountered.
The words that make up our laws, the words that make up the Bill of Rights, the words that make up the Constitution, the words found in our Bibles, Korans, Books of Mormon, the words of powerful, influential orators have all fallen short.
It feels as if the Seven Deadly Sins have won the day. Somehow greed, gluttony, pride, wrath, lust, envy and sloth (though — admittedly — I believe sloth is getting a bad rap being associated with the other six) are ascendant. Somehow there are otherwise level-headed people choosing to worship the sins above the virtues.
It’s a country I do not recognize — yet — even though I can’t see words making any difference, I’m not going to be silenced.
The wildfires sweeping across southern California are horrific. I salute all of the brave fire fighters from Canada, Mexico, Ukraine and other states for their herculean efforts to stop the fires spread. I came across the Google Sheets list of the plethora of GoFundMes posted since the fires began.
Also, Sarah Kendzior responds to Q&A about what we can expect from our current administration. Read if you want to hear what an expert on authoritarian states has to say.
She also has a book out about a road trip she took with her kids across America. I read that her purpose for doing so was to show her young children an America you do not hear much about in our endless news cycles and algorythmic-riddled social media. The book is titled The Last American Road Trip. I have not read it but she is a fantastic writer and conveyor of ideas.
Thank you for reading — and, in the spirit of the times — “may the odds be ever in your favor”. - JLM
