Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

Think about it. Multi-national corporations already employ many of us; they influence our elected leaders via old boy networking (Halliburton), corporate lobbying and political contribution (Abramoff scandal anyone?); they sometimes rule us directly -- look no further than Italy's longest tenured leader Silvio Berlusconi and NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg (who I happen to like) -- and now they quite literally are going to own the 4th Estate as Well? That's not good news considering the Supreme Court is already in the hands of big business friendly "originalists" for the next 20 years or so.

Let me be clear here. In many ways I am quite conservative as socially liberal progressives go, insofar as I wholly support business, enterprise, innovation, hard work and fiscal responsibility; see merit in supply side tax incentives (to a point), am not against the freedom to bear arms (although Uzis for deer hunting? Please!), and understand the lack of individual agency a poorly audited social welfare net can engender.

That said, let me also be blunt. I believe we are incrementally edging ever closer towards a 1984 style dictatorship or even worse perhaps, a global conflict borne of pent up frustrations blithely underacknowledged or unacknowledged altogether by those with money and power, thus freedom not to notice or care about what is happening in the world.

Reminds me of something I came across wherein George W. Bush, a well meaning but wholly ineffectual and thus dangerous leader in my opinion, purportedly expressed distress at the prospect of having to govern poor people. Once-upon-a-forthright Dubya opined that he didn't know any poor people and had no idea how to understand them or talk to them. This perhaps might cast some light on Dubya's famous Katrina fly over? Support the case for "we are where we came from" assertions with a nod to former Texas Governor Anne Richard's "Poor George" silver spoon laugh line at the 1988 Democratic Convention and Mother Hen Bush's stunningly stupid throwaway observation that the New Orleans catastrophe had resulted in advanced quality of life for many flood (don't call us!) refugees?  

Let's not be too hard on these people however! They are not alone in their "Eyes Wide Shut" mentalities. I know this, not in theory, but for a fact because I know many such people -- beautiful, wonderful, talented, ethical people, albeit slightly less powerful than Family Bush -- on quite intimate terms. They look at me with incomprehension and express concern for my well-being at the mere mention of such notions as "the rules of the game" or "the system."

Who can blame them? Sipping wine at five star restaurants and jetting from country to country they simply never come across the types of frustrations I know exist not in theory but on an every day level. As an overeducated, underemployed member of Generation X, I am quite aware of the outcome of such  "Let them eat cake!" proclamations. Well, we know what happened to Marie Antionette, right? Right? I say let them eat Ramen!

Well, in any case, for any such members of the meritocratic, caring class who might come hence I suggest they read a few of my recent essays Eyes Yet Wide Shut? and Riven Hearts or What Did We Know & When Did We Know It. And if perchance my uncredentialed views fail to convince?

They also may wish to read (recalling all this from memory, so forgive an error or two...) Sydney Hersh's (?) New Yorker article, written during the run up to war wherein VP Dick Cheney is quoted as bragging condescendingly of the fact that the Bush "cabal" was already creating new realities even as the opposition (all of us?) were busy figuring out the old ones. They may wish to rent Brazil or Triumph of the Will, brush up on their Cold War history, pull out their dusty schoolish copies of Rise & Fall of The Third Reich, Coming of Age in Samoa or I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. If of a philosophical bent perhaps I might recommend they ruminate a bit over Nietzsche or Machiavelli?

Love to travel? Okay then! Let me suggest a visit to a wonderful little spy and dengue fever infested 5-star resort in Matopo, Zimbabwe that I know, or a drive through the sandy sun and fun of Sudan accompanied by your own personal brigade of guides. How about a visit to the German Expressionist wing of Berlin's modern art museum featuring all types of WWI fun, or -- not to be missed and just a country away! -- a lazy late afternoon stroll in Poland lolling about with your digital camera by the prayer shawl s**t-stained underwear and between the rustic brick-faced dormitories and ovens of Auschwitz, just a hop, skip and a jump away from the expansive plains of Birkenau and but one non-stop first class champagne ticket from the washboarded shores of our very own private Guantanamo.

Guantanamo? What's that? Now, now people, please! Haven't you been watching Fox News or reading the New York Times lately? I'm sure you can find lots and lots of news of it there. After all, one of my best friends (my mother) told me Fox News is "fair and balanced" and she never ever lies. I swear. You don't know her. She really doesn't. And the New York Times? Come on people! Any idiot in the world knows it's the absolute best paper on earth. Sundays wouldn't be Sunday anymore without it.