Chapter 2
The Landscape: The
Perfect Time And Place To Sprout A New Religious Cult
The Decline In
Traditional Religion
Homo
sapiens is a religious species and for decades, formal religious
affiliation declined in America. A void was there to be filled and
The Cult of Obama became an overnight religious awakening.
Obamacism
could not have thrived in an era dominated by traditional religion.
Idolatry would not have taken root and the act of deliberately
cultivating worship would have been met with harsh disapproval. The
Obama Halo would have been recognized as blasphemous. The White
House's demand that Jesus's name be covered when the president spoke
at Georgetown--a demand the craven wafers granted without a
fuss--would have sunk every other politician's career. In another
era, celebrities would not refer to the president as lord and savior
and had there been a YouTube it would not feature videos of people
praying to a politician.
Why religion? It could be that we are genetically
programmed to believe in celestial affairs. As such, do we favor
religions that promote our survival and well being and shun those
that do not. Then again, maybe sociobiology doe not explain
everything.
Maybe a spiritual realm does indeed exist and religion
is our way of speculating on its nature while also safely harnessing
our spiritual exploration. Some, like the late Robert Anton Wilson,
are fortunate enough to “see God out of the corner of my eye.”
Some of us will experience a freakish moment where we blurt out the
lines of a TV show right before the character speaks his part. Most
of us witness just enough telepathy, clairvoyance and premonition to
make us say, “There is something more than the material realm.”
Why the decline in traditional formal religious worship?
When eggheads compile their list of most influential books or most
important books, they never include Raymond Moody's “Life After
Life.” Published in 1975, this book concerns case studies of what
would later be called near death experiences or NDE's. Never mind how
many copies were sold. This book opened the floodgates. Soon, so it
seemed, everyone's Aunt Zelda had seen the light.
It should be noted that NDE's became more common with
the advance of medical technology that allowed patients to come back
from a state of near death and tell all about their experiences. We
tend to think of technology as an opponent of spirituality but
defibrillators changed the ontological perspective of many a person.
Regardless of one's opinion of NDE's, they have shaped
popular belief and popular culture. No more physically rising from
the grave on Judgment Day. No more souls frozen in dormancy until
Kingdom Come. “Grandma saw the light right away. She reviewed her
whole life and it was a pleasant experience. She didn't want to come
back.”
A few people have undergone hellish NDE's, but most
comeback kids experience something unspeakably wonderful. It's not
just Lutherans or Protestants or Christians who experience the
conversations with deceased relatives, the journey through the
tunnel, the warm, comforting light and so on. Experiences did not
seem to vary between baptized and non-baptized, believer and infidel.
Why worship at The One True Faith if we all end up in
front of the light? Might as well sleep in on Sundays. There are many
roads to salvation. In the wake of the NDE phenomenon idiosyncratic
religions flourished. Traditional religions have not fared so well.
It is not just NDE's that have emptied the pews. Many of
us are critical of traditional religion for its focus on sexuality to
the exclusion of just about everything else. I would like to see
religions address public vs. private morality, property rights,
volition, voluntarism, temperance of plunder, cruelty for cruelty
sake and a boatload of other topics concerning the moral issues we
discuss on a daily basis. Religious leaders need not draw the same
conclusions I draw but they should at least mention the subjects.
More idealistic souls would like to see religious
leaders condemn war or at least submit guidelines as to when war is
moral and just. Other people would like to see environmental issues
addressed from the pulpit. Still others would like to see the clergy
at least examine issues of animal welfare. Unfortunately, the ethos
of the day is never on the menu.
I take evolutionary theory, or sociobiology as it was
originally called, with a grain of salt. It does not sufficiently
explain adoption of children genetically dissimilar to the parents.
It does not explain voluntary celibacy, voluntary sterilization,
homosexuality and other non-reproductive sexual practices. What
sociobiology does explain is how religions became obsessed with
matters below the waist.
In an era when venereal disease was rampant and there
were no cures and no means of prevention, sexual restraint was the
pinnacle of virtue. In an age when children of two parents were
unlikely to see adulthood and the fate of illegitimate children was
even worse, sexual mores defined the person. When larger battalions
were needed, sexual practices that did not produce future soldiers
were condemned.
Once more, technology challenges our morality. Condoms
and antibiotics make sexually transmitted diseases significantly less
threatening. Birth control options influence people's attitude
towards marriage. Universal access to indoor plumbing changes....it
changes a lot of things. One can shout “moral relativism” but
isn't moral relativism what the clergy endorse when they ignore the
previously mentioned hot button topics?
When a sect emphasizes sexual behavior as the gold
standard of morality, they will fill their pews with the timid more
than the virtuous. So too, the old, the feeble, the lonely, the
unwanted. They will reap a harvest of impoverished men and dowdy
women. Mostly, people who live a moral lifestyle by default.
Institutional religion has not weathered eclecticism
very well. In places like the rural South, rural Utah, the Middle
East and and Northern Africa, formal religion reigns supreme because
just about everyone is of the same faith. So too, traditional
religion does well in urban neighborhoods with tight ethnic
identities. This is especially true when those ethnic groups feel a
rivalry with people of a different faith. The Catholics of Belfast
unify around their perceived persecution by the British. The
Protestants of Belfast unify around their perceived persecution by
the Catholics of Belfast. Neither group seems influenced by
eclecticism.
Technology has not been kind to traditional religion.
Yes, we have televangelists and websites devoted to devotion but all
in all technology has been disruptive to worship as it was once
defined. The automobile might have given to the rise of the
megachurch but before doing so it gave rise to suburbs.
The deck got shuffled in the suburbs. When a kid grows
up in an Italian American Catholic neighborhood, he will probably
remain Catholic for the rest of his life. When an Italian American
grows up on a suburban street where the next door neighbor is Mormon
and his next door neighbor is Nada and his nest door neighbor is kind
of New Age and his next door neighbor grew up Catholic but then
married a Baptist but then married a Buddhist and then married
someone who is “deeply spiritual but not religious,” his
religious destiny is not so readily determined.
Spiritual values transcend time and place and
circumstance. How religions adapt to technology, mobility and
eclecticism remains to be seen. So far, religious leaders have not
figured it out. Religious trends are a fascinating subject but for
now, they are beyond the scope of our attention. Let us focus on the
decline of traditional religion and the spiritual void that is left
in its wake. For some people that spiritual void was filled by Barack
Obama.
American religions have slowly lost members, influence
and clout over the course of several decades. In 1948, Gallup
reported <via Yahoo. Linda D. Ross.> only 2% of the population
considered themselves unaffiliated with any religion. In 2008, that
number rose to 12%. This number taken by itself might not be so
alarming but the degree of involvement has decreased among the
“affiliated.”
Protestant and Roman Catholics have been hit hard.
Whereas the Mainstream Protestants have lost more members, the
Catholic Church has suffered sharper decreases in attendance and
participation. From Kenneth Jones' “Index of Leading Catholic
Indicators” :
Priests: From 27,000 in 1930 to 58,000 in 1965...
45,000 in 2002.
Ordinations: 1,575 in 1965...450 in 2002.
Priestless Parishes: 1% in 1965...15% in 2002.
Seminarians: 49,000 in 1965...4,700 in 2002.
Sisters: 180,000 in 1965...75,000 in 2002.
Parochial Grade School Students: 4.5 million in
1965...1.9 million in 2002.
The Sacraments: 45 million Catholic Americans and 1.3
million infant baptisms in 1965.
65 million
Catholic Americans and 1 million infant baptisms in 2002.
126,000 converts
in 1965...80,000 in 2002.
352 Catholic marriages in 1965...256,000 in 2002.
Sunday Mass Attendance: 74% in 1958 (Gallup.) 26.6% in
1994 (University of Notre Dame.)
Meanwhile the Protestants lost almost 5 million members
from 1990 to 2000.
This same period saw an almost 20% decline in all church
attendance.
In 2010, Southern Baptists reported four straight years
of declining membership. They also reported a 4.98% decline in
baptisms from 2009 <lifeway.com>
Every year more than 4000 churches close their doors
compared to just over 1000 new church starts.
<churchleadership.org>
We have focused only on Christians but Jews have also
grown more secularized. Estimates of non-practicing Jews range from
60 to 75%.
Near death phenomena, psychedelic drugs and pop culture
have spurred interest in the paranormal but the “other world” is
impossible to harness. One can do many things with paranormal
activity except institutionalize it. Spiritualist churches are
something like Lincoln's Ax, changing both congregation and meeting
place with such frequency as to question the institution's very
existence. Spiritualist churches do not have lifelong
multigenerational families. They usually rent space from function
halls to perform their rituals.
Americans had become Spiritualists in the sense that
they entertained fleeting, ephemeral interests in celestial matters
alongside their congregation of dilettantes. It was a perfect storm
of sorts. A religious species in a traditionally religious land,
spiritually stimulated but spiritually unanchored. Tinder awaiting a
spark. And out of the screen would pop this dashing figure who would
ask us only to “Believe.”
There is a free-floating assertion that the
non-religious are more rational, less easily duped, than the
religious. Unfortunately, not every atheist is Bertrand Russell, The
“Whatever” school prevails. Jesus is boring and God is like, old.
But Barack Obama is “The One.”
Religion can be a bit like eroticism. People return to
both activities because they enjoy them. In both pursuits, the object
of fascination is not always so easy to find. Barack Obama is to
religion what the Playboy centerfold is to eroticism. Finally, the
fickle are pleased.
America has always been a hotbed for religious cults.
Nascent religions were usually subjected to a period of scrutiny that
could last decades. The establishment was traditionally skeptical of
charismatic cult leaders who lined feathered their own nest at the
expense of the gullible. The faithful were usually unfriendly to cult
leaders who sought worship for themselves.
The critics fell silent for Barack Obama. Truth is, a
lot of ministers, such as the previously mentioned Andrew Greeley,
were mesmerized by Barack Obama. If they did not buy into his
divinity, they did not challenge it either. Sure, he cultivated his
own adoration but who are we to judge? Wasn't Christianity just a
dress rehearsal for Obamacism?
There is a new savior in town.
Taste Equals Opinion,
Opinion Equals Fact
We
live in an age of babble. We recognize words but they are so
frequently used in a manner inconsistent with their meaning, that we
might as well be speaking different languages. The word “opinion”
is used often but it is rarely used to convey the meaning it had a
few decades ago.
Frequently,
a presentation of facts is dismissed as opinion. “That's just your
opinion.” Not always. Some statements transcend opinion. Lassie is
a dog. Not an opinion. Lassie is a good or noble or smart or loving
dog. Opinions.
Some
people are unable to make the distinction between fact and opinion.
Theirs is a world of like and dislike, of agree and disagree. Like if
you agree.
Theirs
is largely a subjective world. Yes, they know if they jump off a
tall building, they will die. They know that if they drive too fast
at certain places at certain times, they will be caught. However, the
bulk of their mental processes is the selection of aesthetic
preferences. Ginger or Mary Ann? Betty or Wilma? It is all a matter
of taste.
Facts
and opinion are equated but so too, are taste and opinion. There is
the saying, “Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one.” Not
necessarily true. Everyone has a perspective. Everyone has a
viewpoint. Everyone has a preference. But opinion?
Opinion
involves at least a cursory examination of facts and at least a
minimum of mental toil. Reflex, impulse and preference do not
necessarily rise to a level of opinion. Opinion is not just choice,
it is conscious choice. If the option is Coke or Pepsi, taste is all
that matters. Ideally, opinion is paramount in the selection of
political and religious leaders. But back at Jonestown...
Taste
= Opinion
Opinion
= Fact
Ergo,
Taste = Fact
America
has selected a religious leader in much the same way an infant
selects an object to put in his mouth. That shiny quarter was just
so pretty.
We
sometimes hear the term “informed opinion.” That might not be a
flagrant redundancy but truth is, opinion requires information.
Without information, we have only our taste to guide us. Without,
information, we have Barack Obama. Without information, we have
Jonestown.
The Impact of Social
Media
Some
of us underestimated the power of social media, especially Facebook.
Some of us thought that there was nothing revolutionary about
Facebook. We were of the belief that the Internet was the Internet
and there was nothing to be said about Facebook that could not be
said about the Internet. Yes but...
Facebook
accelerated the spread of simplism. That was not always the case with
the Internet. Because of boundless storage space, should we decide to
do so, we could peruse the source notes of a given book. A big fat
non-fiction book might contain dozens of pages of footnotes. Reading
the source notes would require hoofing it to a high quality
university and a lot of legwork thereafter. Post-Internet sources
derived from say, a medical journal, could probably be read in one's
living room. That was the Information Superhighway.
Facebook
might be The Misinformation Superhighway. The selected audience
called followers or friends generally does not contest the veracity
of anything. Whereas we were dealing with information overload,
social media especially Facebook, solves the problem. Facebook is a
goldmine of slogans, cliches, half-truths, selective truth, quotes
out of context and outright silliness.
A
quick illustration of how misinformation is spread via Facebook.
Robert Reich, in conjunction with Movement produced “The Truth
About The Economy.” The video lasts two minutes and thirst seven
seconds and at this writing it has 1, 652, 790 views.
It is
considered impolite to call a public figure a “liar.” I get
annoyed at the Occupy Amazon/Occupy YouTube crowd who reflexively
call their rivals “liars” because they are either too lazy or too
stupid to refute anything. That is the Alinsky influence and if you
don't believe Saul Alinsky has damaged our country, think again. We
should respect other people's views. They might be reading from a
different cannon. They might be misinformed.
Having
said that, Robert Reich has once more crossed a line. For some wacky
reason we hold public figures to a lower standard of honesty. In a
less than perfect world, we would expect truth from a Secretary of
Labor or a college professor. Truth.
Robert
Reich is at the very least, guilty of intellectual dishonesty. Of
course he is also caught promoting “material discrepancies.”
Falsehood seems to inflict those who believe strongest in their moral
superiority.
The
Reich video for all its flaws teaches priceless lessons: Sadly, it
takes more verbiage, more time and more energy to refute a falsehood
than to promote a falsehood. At Post Obotomy Syndrome I posted two
videos that dismantle the Reich video. One is Robert Murphy's which
does a masterful job of not just refuting Reich but also exposing his
falsity. It took Murphy ten minutes and two seconds to present his
case. As of this writing this video has 72,097 views, less than 4% of
Reich's audience.
Lee
Doren also does an admirable job of crushing Reich's fairy tales. It
took him five minutes and to date his video has been viewed by 60,320
people.
The
Reich video was made popular by Facebook users. Two minutes. Just two
minutes. Who cares about all that truthy stuff? Just two minutes.
Mark Twain said “A lie can travel halfway around the world while
truth is putting its shoes on.” Twain was correct but in the
Facebook era the lie can fly around the world two thousand times
while truth is lacing them up.
Another
perspective on Facebook. To this day I do not understand Facebook's
appeal. A former co-worker insisted I get on Facebook. I did. It was
fun for a while. Kind of like everyone now has a blog. Got it. Of
course, not everyone has much to say and the minutia of their daily
lives soon grew tiring.
After
the 2012 election I jumped ship. Most of my FB friends guzzled the
Obama Kool-Aid. They did not care that we were a bankrupt nation. The
presidency was just one more season of “American Idol” and they
like Barack. Bye bye zombies.
Then
a relative developed a serious illness and decided to post status
updates on FB. I reactivated my status and I was back in the pool in
all of its myriad contents. Despite constantly reminding myself to
keep a low profile, I would ultimately get baited by a ridiculous
comment.
“I
think a man with a helmet defending his country should make more
money than a man with a helmet defending a football.”
That
is a pointless and inane statement but it attracted “Likes” and
several supportive comments. “Don't flame. Don't flame. Don't
flame,” the voice within roared. I posted a polite comment stating
the obvious. We can pay football players $2 million/year because
there are only about two thousand players in the NFL. If we paid all
1.3 million members of the Armed Forces in a likewise manner, it
would cost us approximately $2.5 trillion, roughly our entire
government revenue. That figure does not include reserve forces or
the National Guard.
It
was a left-brained, dispassionate comment. I did take a gentle jab at
the poster, K, a good guy who is not stupid but who is prone to
saying stupid things. I called the comment politically correct (which
it is) because K does not fancy himself even a little bit PC. I
kicketh the hornet's nest.
Heartless.
Tom Brady gets free medical care, our vets get zero. What does a
football player contribute to society? Valid points one and all but
let's get back to the numbers. More disapproval including a guy who
pasted an oversized thumb pointing downward in reference to my
commentary.
A
microcosm emerged and I was reminded of why one of the worst
presidents in US History was re-elected. The social medium is the
social message and Facebook's message is rampant stupidity. Facebook
was loaded with bumper sticker wisdom of the income as a function of
respective helmets variety. There was paraise for Obama and even more
scorn—and falsehood and smears and character assassination—for
all who challenged him. David Axelrod Alinsky would have mounted a
determined effort to spread lies about Mitt Romney's taxes, his
felonious white collar crime, his misogyny, his murdering of an
innocent woman using conventional methods. Facebook simply made his
job easier.
You
have to wonder if Jim Jones regrets that fatal glass of Kool-Aid. He
was born in 1931 so he would been seventy seven when America
officially became Jonestown. He would watch from the sidelines but I
suspect he would watch with an approving eye. The man who wrote the
book an the care and feeding of zombie followers would see his
playbook put into action on a scale once thought impossible. If Jim
Jones had Facebook, he might have been Barack Obama.
Sentiment Versus Reason
Since
the dawn of man, the head and heart have been at war. The no-rules,
feel good, go with the flow Eve persuaded Adam to perform the
ultimate irrational action, to displease their Creator. Then again,
one could say it was the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge—reason
itself—that got the first couple in trouble. Had they contented
themselves to live as their fellow animals forsaking knowledge
itself, had sentiment defeated reason, we would all be living in The
Garden of Eden.
Oy
vey. A narrative so simple and yet, so complex. It beautifully
illustrates the ongoing struggle between the yang of reason and the
yin of sentiment. Pathos vs. logos. Aphrodite vs. Apollo. The poet
vs. the engineer. Ultimately, sentiment points her warm, fluffy
finger at reason who in turn points his cold, steely digit at his
bubbly bride.
Sentiment
usually gets the best of reason. Reason requires effort. It can be
time consuming. Sentiment just seems to have a stronger grip on the
rope most of the time.
In
1774, Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe published “The Sorrows of Young
Werther,” a novel about a broken-hearted young man who ultimately
terminates his life with a pistol. Vital statistics were not what
they are today but it is widely believed that “Werther” set off a
string of copycat suicides throughout Europe and the novel was banned
in several countries.
Some
scholars believe “Werther” laid the foundation for the later
Romantic literary movement, a reaction to the strictures imposed by
the Enlightenment. Just as Thinking comes out of the shadows, Feeling
boots him squarely in his over-sized head.
There
was an industrial revolution, scientific and technological advances,
the institution of capitalism, representative democracy, cures for
diseases. Reason was doing OK until someone invented a moving picture
camera. Edison's toy could have been used to deliver academic
lectures to Peoria. Of course, Peoria would rather watch Vivien Leigh
get all fluttery over Clark Gable and get even fluttier over that
Ashley dude. Sentiment was back in business!
Then
came radio and the flowering of Madison Avenue. By the time
television arrived on the scene, the ad men were quick to apply their
skills to the tube. Fifty years later, they would play our hearts
like Fischer played kingside pawns.
A
quick note on bias, partisanship, unavoidable bias and universal
bias. Journalists, like people, bring a set of biases to their work.
Some biases are overt, others are cryptic, some others are sneaky and
some are almost impossible to avoid. The most influential ism of our
era might be simplism. Simplism does not simply
mean simple, it means overly simple. Simple bordering on the
ridiculous.
Newspapers,
the forefathers of American journalism were always, to one degree or
another, plagued by the burdens of simplism. Material costs limited
space and forced editors to embrace the doctrine of simplism, either
consciously or otherwise. Survival required short, snappy articles.
Hence, newspapers kowtowed to sentiment at the expense of reason.
Editors
often endorsed the prohibition of anything and everything because
“No” could be expressed in fewer sentences than an exploration of
unintended consequences, unintended costs, counterproductivity as
well as the problems arising from the emergence of an imperial
bureaucracy.
Newspapers
reflexively advocated that governments should “Do something
about______” because “Help” could be expressed in fewer
sentences than an exploration of unintended consequences, unintended
costs, counterproductivity as well as the problems arising from the
emergence of an imperial bureaucracy.
Broadsides
reflexively advocated for bureaucracy for bureaucracy sake because
“Regulate” could be expressed in fewer sentences than an
exploration of unintended consequences, unintended costs,
counterproductivity as well as the problems arising from the
emergence of an imperial bureaucracy.
Newspapers
usually favored positions to which opposition required excessive
verbiage. Simplism carries the day for sentiment. Radio and
television took the doctrine of simplism to a higher level. The
constraints of time are less yielding than the constraints of space.
Often simplistic became always simplistic.
Reason
was banned from broadcast studios. Through the lens of simplism it is
easier to view the hardship of the spending cut than the hardship
caused by the spending. Reason does not sit on the panels that
discuss debts and deficits, the solvency of public pensions, the
solvency of entitlements, or the value of our currency. We don't need
no stinkin facts.
To
the extent that reason is allowed the occasional chirp, simplism
quickly drowns him out. Thus:
We
hear more about “settled science” than we hear about objective
analysis of climate data.
Millions
of children grow up without fathers because of pathos-laden bromides
advocating the financial support of single mothers.
Tens
of millions of Americans face a lifetime of unemployment because the
peddlers of conspicuous compassion jack the minimum wage thereby
making it extremely difficult for unskilled people to find entry
level jobs.
We
have elevated tax rates far beyond the optimum rate of revenue
enhancement because higher rates satisfy a childish fixation with
“fairness.”
We
endure mindless prattle about the evil one per cent by people who are
in the 99th percentile of income on a global basis.
We
endure endless chatter about the one per cent of top earners from
passionate fools who fail to mention that composition of the economic
strata are constantly changing (except for those families who are
locked into the culture of dependency for generation after
generation.)
We
continue to increase funding to public schools that fail to teach
literacy, numeric competency, World History, American History,
civics, scientific reasoning, rudimentary economics or anything else
that might promote civilization but that do promote self esteem, self
delusion, an appreciation for “social justice” and the
celebration of all things politically correct. A generation emerges
with hypertrophied hearts and contempt for truth.
This
is an inexhaustible subject. Show me any topic and I will show you an
argument being fought and won with slogan, sound bite and poster
child. Reason be damned.
The
triumphant sentiment rains her spoils on all of us. Self esteem has
become the gold standard of pedagogy. Kids who can't add two numbers
without a calculator are confident of their mathematical proficiency.
Handicapped
kids are mainstreamed to make all of us feel good about inclusion as
we neglect their special needs. We forbid dodgeball and ruin the joy
of competition by pretending that no on keeps score. We have multiple
valedictorians and we have zero valedictorians. We have trophies and
awards for everyone including children who do not want and do not
strive for trophies and awards. Everyone is a champion for fifteen
minutes.
Unbridled
sentiment does not always bring smiles. We have witnessed the rise of
“offense culture.” Sports mascots offend the vocal and the
verbose. So too, do Nativity scenes. And crosses. And portraying
certain ethnic groups as criminals. And displaying beautiful women in
any context is “objectification.” And describing dark-skinned
residents of Caribbean Islands as “black” when they should be
described as “African-American,” even though they are neither
African nor American is now deemed as offensive. If you are not
profoundly offended by something, you simply are not making the
effort.
Jay
Leno's “Jay Walking” wherein the talk show host takes to the
street to ask common people questions like “Who fought World War
II?” So rich is the field of ignorance that Jay Walking has
inspired several imitators. Jesse Waters and Mark Dice will ask
people why we celebrate the 4th of July or what year the
Declaration of Independence was signed. They sometimes go to pricey
colleges to ask their questions. What is doubly discouraging is not
just the usual wrong answer to simple question but also the pride so
many of the queried display. They are content with their mental
vapidity, smugly celebrating their post-fact existence as they cruise
through life with uncluttered minds.
On
the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator just under 60% of people surveyed are
Feelers and the other 40% are Thinkers. Pop culture caters to
majority tastes. In the realm of what has been labeled entertainment,
sentiment does not just trounce reason, she spikes the ball in his
end zone. Smart people are portrayed as socially awkward, morally
challenged and always missing out on the folk wisdom that enriches
the lives of simpletons.
“Hazel”
taught us that maids know more about human nature than lawyers.
“Columbo” taught us that smart people are evil. “Law and Order”
continues the tradition of evil smart people but it also expands the
scope of evil to include all rich white folk.
In
movies and television children are wiser than adults. Woody and Carla
are privy to a certain sagacity that escapes Lilith and Frasier. And
let us never forget movements like Farm Aid where Sentiment rubs salt
into Reason's wounds. Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp tug at our
heartstrings to lobby for the expansion of corporate welfare and the
further enrichment of our landed gentry. In your logical face!
Barack
Obama makes voters feel even better about themselves. In their
non-thinking, high-feeling cores, people formulated the belief that
voting for “The One” would confirm the elector as an open-minded,
caring and concerned individual and the country would be better for
it. Did they have any concerns about Barack Obama's character, his
mysterious past, his limited political experience, his limited work
experience and his absence of any—as in zero. As in not even a
paper route or a shift manager at McDonald's—executive experience?
No.
Facts suck. Facts involve thinking and...what was that again? Just
feel it, man. Just feel it. Just feel it.
Superficiality
Over Substance
Usually
one refers to style over substance but superficiality includes all
things style related and it also includes those matters that are not
of human invention. If one wishes to assign preferential treatment to
physical characteristics, one is rewarding superficiality, not style.
We
also note that some of what is being said here overlaps with
Sentiment vs. Reason. The two struggles are neither synonymous nor
mutually exclusive. Sentiment favors superficiality and reason favors
substance—physical evidence, factual knowledge, rational discourse,
and logic.
I
was a small child, not sure what age, when I questioned the merits of
celebrity endorsements. Sure, it made some sense that baseball
players would endorse bats or gloves and Ted Williams, the consummate
angler, would also promote fishing rods. But even then I was not
willing to dismiss Zebco or Shakespeare or some off-brand lacking a
high-priced shill. Way back when, I preferred left brained methods of
persuasion.
Whereas
I advocate for substance in matters of import, I am not so style deaf
as to miss the advantages of securing the right product spokesman.
Jon Hamm is the perfect Mercedes-Benz voice-over. After all, Jon Hamm
IS Don Draper, television's version of Jay Gatsby in all of his
mysterious elegance. Would the Mercedes stockholders be better served
by a McCain supporter—Wilfred Brimley or Pat Boone or Chuck Norris?
I think not. Jon Hamm is the perfect pitchman and if I were Don
Draper I would probably support Barack Obama if only to keep up
appearances.
It
makes sense that Kim Kardashian is on a package of cosmetic items
because she knows a thing or two about looking good. It makes sense
that Jay-Z might endorse a telephone because he probably places a
premium on audio resolution and technical reliability. And Adam
Levine suffered and prevailed over the heartache of acne, so of
course his imprimatur is well worth considering. But when hordes of
celebrities endorse a political candidate based on the belief that he
is metaphysically different from the rest of humanity and roughly one
out of six adults are illiterate, we are on the fast track to
Jonestown.
Many
of us subscribe to a conspiracy of ignorance but we point our fingers
at different culprits. George Carlin famously blamed capitalists who
in his view had a vested interest in cultivating a stupid consumer
base. I disagree.
American
industry would love to have a strong native talent pool.
Unfortunately, WalMart does not run our public schools. We know who
runs the show and who has the vested interest in actively promoting
ignorance. They reaped the benefits in 2008 and again in 2012.
Let
me refer you to Wikipedia's Copyright Policy. Per their instructions
I am providing the pertinent URLs. At any rate, I should be covered
by fair use privilege as one cannot adequately discuss a snapshot
without displaying the snapshot in question.
The
usual caveats. Wikipedia is about ninety per cent accurate but we are
not performing brain surgery. In this case it's a hurricane and I
will leave it to the experts to name and categorize the storm. We
don't require a meteorologist to recognize the direction of the
turbulence. From Wikipedia's list of 2008 and 2012 Obama supporters,
one glaring inclusion is Bob Dylan, whom we will discuss shortly. For
our purposes the scale and scope of the discussion is served by
Wikipedia with whatever details they might have flubbed.
Before
we pass judgment on the Jonestown cheerleaders let us acknowledge
that some Obama supporters might be acting in their own rational self
interest. It might seem foolish (and reckless and counter to the very
best of American principles) to attend a $35,000/head Obama
fundraiser. To those who aspire to be one of the Beautiful People in
all of that group's perks and benefits, to have one's name swirled in
the crème de la crème of the overclass, it is a small price to pay.
Do
remember that Barack Obama is an enduring fashion accessory. In a
subculture that values pricey status symbols, there is no faster
route up the social staircase than an endorsement of “The One.”
Some
of the listed actors might have supported Barack Obama just to
preserve their livelihood. This was crucial for NBC employees.
General Electric, NBC's former parent company, had a long list for
Santa Claus. They wanted to continue their lucrative defense
contracts. They wanted to expand their wind turbine operations. They
didn't want to pay no stinkin taxes and they wanted the Department of
Justice to approve their sale of NBC Universal to Comcast.
That
last favor was the big ticket item. Comcast would ultimately shell
out in excess of $30 billion for NBC Universal. To curry favor with
the Obama Administration, NBC blended politics into the entertainment
mix. They committed all NBC news outlets to promoting a pro-Obama
agenda. In so doing, they ramped up the partisanship at MSNBC to
Pravda levels playing fast and loose with basic facts. For twenty
four hours a day MSNBC would relentlessly attack Obama's enemies, his
rivals, his critics and anyone who might slightly disagree with him.
In the Obama era I can only remember one NBC journalist—Rick
Santelli at CNBC—who broke ranks and he quickly toned it down.
$30
billion is a lot of clams and it was worth it to GE to promote a
poorly-rated cable channel that would please the administration. You
can bet NBC Entertainment got the memo. So let us not be too harsh on
Lorne Michaels or Jimmy Fallon or Tina Fey for their subservience.
Pimp Daddy Jeffrey Immelt ran a tight ship.
Wikipedia
lists 54 entertainers—actors, actresses, musicians, screenwriters
and directors—who endorsed John McCain in 2008. The same source
lists 195 actors and actresses alone who endorsed Barack Obama. But
what McCain lacked in quantity, he made up for with...no he didn't!
Let
us examine the busload of McCain supporters.
wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_John_McCain_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2008>
Entertainers[edit]
MarÃa
Conchita Alonso, actress[111]
Stephen
Baldwin, actor[112]
Pat
Boone, singer[113]
Powers
Boothe, actor[114]
Wilford
Brimley, actor[115]
Jerry
Bruckheimer, producer[113]
James
Caan, actor[113]
Dean
Cain, actor[113]
Adam
Carolla, comedian, television and radio host[116]
Lacey
Chabert, actress[116]
Jon
Cryer, actor[113]
Daddy
Yankee (Ramon Ayala), musician[117][118]
Charlie
Daniels, musician[119]
Robert
Davi, actor[120]
Robert
Duvall, actor[113]
Clint
Eastwood, actor and director[121]
Erik
Estrada, actor[122]
Joe
Eszterhas, screenwriter[123]
Lou
Ferrigno, actor and bodybuilder[124]
Kelsey
Grammer, actor[125]
Lee
Greenwood, musician, often performed "God Bless the USA" at
McCain/Palin rallies[126]
Angie
Harmon, actress[127]
Elisabeth
Hasselbeck, co-host of The View[128]
Patricia
Heaton, actress[113]
Victoria
Jackson, comedian[129]
Lorenzo
Lamas, actor[113]
Blackie
Lawless, musician[130]
Gerald
McRaney, actor[113]
Dennis
Miller, comedian[131]
Heidi
Montag, Hollywood figure[132]
Craig
T. Nelson, actor[113]
George
Newbern, actor[113]
Chuck
Norris, actor[133]
Ted
Nugent, hard rock guitarist[134]
Gail
O'Grady, actress[113]
John
Ondrasik, singer[135]
Joe
Perry, guitarist for Aerosmith[136]
John
Ratzenberger, actor[137]
John
Rich, musician[138]
Shauna
Sand, actress[139]
Tom
Selleck, actor[140]
Gary
Sinise, actor[113]
Kevin
Sorbo, actor[113]
Sylvester
Stallone, actor[141]
Connie
Stevens, actress[142]
Rip
Torn, actor[140]
Cowboy
Troy, musician[143]
Janine
Turner, actress and author[144]
Dick
Van Patten, actor[145]
Jon
Voight, actor[146]
Hank
Williams, Jr. musician, often performed at McCain/Palin
rallies[147]
Gretchen
Wilson, musician, often performed at McCain/Palin rallies[126]
James
Woods, actor[148]
David
Zucker, director[116]
There
is something to be said for getting Methuselah on one's side but when
you outlive your audience, it might limit your political clout.
Wilford Brimley played a geezer in the 1980's and there was a time
when he could have mustered the Depends crowd. So too, there was a
time when he could have parlayed his status as pitchman for Liberty
Medical to deliver the brittle diabetic vote but that was eons ago
and I am afraid the sun might have set on Wilford's power base.
Of
course, McCain got Pat Boone's endorsement. That's got to be five or
six votes right there. And Rip Torn, probably twice that number. Dick
Van Patten? Eight is close enough. And of course Chuck Norris fought
gallantly to capture the dimwit bloc, but Obama's stranglehold was
much too strong.
Now
let us turn our attention to the throngs of celebrity who endorsed
Barack Obama in 2008. The 195 actors and actresses, the 20 comedians,
the 24 directors, the 142 bands and recording artists as well as TV
and radio figures, ladies and gentlemen your 2008 Obama
Celebrities!!!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Barack_Obama_presidential_campaign_endorsements,_2008>
Entertainers
and Artists[edit]
Actors
and actresses[edit]
Ben
Affleck
Shohreh
Aghdashloo[536]
Jessica
Alba[537]
Jennifer
Aniston[538]
David
Arquette[539]
Penn
Badgley[540]
Alec
Baldwin[541]
Eric
Balfour[542]
Antonio
Banderas[543]
Elizabeth
Banks[544]
Drew
Barrymore[545]
Jason
Bateman
Jennifer
Beals[546]
Noah
Bean[547]
Kristen
Bell[548]
Maria
Bello[493]
Annette
Bening[549]
Halle
Berry[550][551]
Jessica
Biel[552]
Jack
Black[553]
Matthew
Broderick[554]
Adam
Brody[555]
Josh
Brolin[544][556]
Pierce
Brosnan[404]
Ellen
Burstyn[366]
Sophia
Bush[557]
Nick
Cannon[558]
Justin
Chambers[559]
Don
Cheadle[560]
Kristin
Chenoweth[561]
John
Cleese[562]
George
Clooney[563]
James
Corden[564]
Bill
Cosby[565]
Kevin
Costner[566]
Courteney
Cox-Arquette[539]
Daniel
Craig[567]
Cindy
Crawford[568]
Chris
Crocker[569]
James
Cromwell[570]
Alan
Cumming[571]
Jamie
Lee Curtis[404]
Tim
Daly[572]
Matt
Damon[573][574]
Ted
Danson[575]
Larry
David[576]
Rosario
Dawson[577]
Laura
Dern[578]
Robert
De Niro[579]
Zooey
Deschanel[580]
Danny
DeVito[581]
Cameron
Diaz[539]
Leonardo
DiCaprio
Taye
Diggs[552]
Fran
Drescher[582]
Kirsten
Dunst[583][584]
Megalyn
Echikunwoke[585]
Aaron
Eckhart[539]
Idris
Elba[586]
Tracee
Ellis Ross[587]
Isla
Fisher[588]
Kate
Flannery[589]
Jodie
Foster[404]
Jamie
Foxx[590]
Brendan
Fraser[591]
Morgan
Freeman[592]
Anna
Friel[560]
Jennifer
Garner[593]
Danny
Glover[594]
Joseph
Gordon-Levitt[595]
Topher
Grace[549]
Bryan
Greenberg[592]
Andre
Gregory[366]
Adrian
Grenier[596]
Andy
Griffith[597]
Melanie
Griffith[598]
Jasmine
Guy[587]
Luis
Guzmán[599]
Maggie
Gyllenhaal
Mark
Hamill[600]
Josh
Hamilton[601]
Tom
Hanks[602]
Hill
Harper[603]
Valerie
Harper[604]
Ed
Harris
Anne
Hathaway[577]
Dennis
Haysbert[536]
Dulé
Hill[605]
Gary
Holt [606][unreliable source?]
Dennis
Hopper[607]
Kelly
Hu[608]
Jennifer
Hudson[609]
Kate
Hudson[610]
Josh
Hutcherson[611]
Samuel
L. Jackson[542][612]
Scarlett
Johansson[613]
Angelina
Jolie[614]
Rashida
Jones[549]
Ashley
Judd[615][616]
Brendan
Kay[536]
Daniel
Dae Kim[187]
Regina
King[617]
Christopher
Knight[618]
Michael
Kostroff[619]
Ashton
Kutcher[620]
Ken
Leung[621]
Lucy
Liu[536]
Blake
Lively[540]
Lindsay
Lohan[622]
Nia
Long[623]
Eva
Longoria[624][625]
George
Lopez[626]
Julia
Louis-Dreyfus[627]
Josh
Lucas[549]
Tobey
Maguire[578]
James
Marsters[628]
Rue
McClanahan[629]
Anne
Meara[581]
Alyssa
Milano[630]
Demi
Moore[631]
Julianne
Moore[632]
Benjamin
McKenzie[626]
Enrique
Murciano[542]
Eddie
Murphy[633]
Mike
Ness[634]
Thandie
Newton[544]
Cynthia
Nixon[635]
Amaury
Nolasco[636]
Edward
Norton[573]
Ed
O'Neill[637]
Al
Pacino
Gwyneth
Paltrow[638]
Hayden
Panettiere[639][640]
Sarah
Jessica Parker[641]
Bill
Paxton[642]
Mario
Van Peebles[582]
Amanda
Peet[643]
Kal
Penn[585][644]
Sean
Penn[645]
Harold
Perrineau, Jr.[542]
Ryan
Phillippe[646]
Chris
Pine[647]
Jada
Pinkett Smith[648]
Brad
Pitt[649]
Jeremy
Piven[650]
Sidney
Poitier[651]
Ellen
Pompeo[652][653]
Natalie
Portman[654]
Jaime
Pressly[539]
Dennis
Quaid[568]
Queen
Latifah[655]
Zachary
Quinto[605]
Carl
Reiner[604]
Ryan
Reynolds[552]
Nicole
Richie[656]
Chris
Rock[657]
Adam
Rodriguez[658]
Brandon
Routh[659]
Paul
Rudd[660]
Susan
Sarandon[375]
Richard
Schiff[661]
Johnathon
Schaech[542]
Martin
Sheen[662]
Alicia
Silverstone[663]
Will
Smith[648][664]
Phil
Spector[665]
Lexington
Steele[666]
Mary
Steenburgen[667]
Ben
Stiller[538]
Jerry
Stiller[604]
Meryl
Streep[668]
Rider
Strong[669]
Donald
Sutherland[670]
Cary-Hiroyuki
Tagawa[187]
Charlize
Theron[671]
Marisa
Tomei[539]
Chris
Tucker[672]
Kathleen
Turner[673]
Wilmer
Valderrama[577]
Amber
Valletta[658]
Kate
Walsh[674]
Denzel
Washington[675]
Isaiah
Washington[582]
Kerry
Washington[672]
Wil
Wheaton[676]
Bradley
Whitford[677]
James
Whitmore[644]
Forest
Whitaker[678][679]
Olivia
Wilde[585][680]
Gene
Wilder
Debra
Winger
Henry
Winkler[681]
Alfre
Woodard[587]
Daniel
Wu[682]
Renée
Zellweger[683]
Comedians[edit]
Aziz
Ansari[684]
Russell
Brand[685]
Margaret
Cho[686]
Will
Ferrell[404]
Larry
Gelbart[581]
Kathy
Griffin[536]
Chelsea
Handler[687]
Steve
Harvey
John
Leguizamo[626]
Richard
Lewis[688]
Bill
Maher[689]
Tracy
Morgan[690]
Lorne
Michaels[691]
Eugene
Mirman[684]
Sarah
Silverman[404]
Hal
Sparks[692]
Stella (Michael
Ian Black, Michael Showalter, David Wain)[660]
Wanda
Sykes[693]
Lizz
Winstead, co-creator of The Daily Show[601]
Jon
Stewart, host of The Daily Show[601]
Directors[edit]
J.
J. Abrams[694]
Lexi
Alexander[695]
Woody
Allen[543]
David
Benioff[643]
Ken
Burns[696][697]
Eric
Byler[698]
Jesse
Dylan[699]
William
Friedkin[366]
Todd
Haynes[366]
Ron
Howard[404]
Callie
Khouri[700]
Spike
Lee[701]
George
Lucas[577][702]
David
Lynch[703]
James
Mangold[366]
Garry
Marshall[604]
Michael
Moore[704][705]
Rob
Reiner[568]
John
Sayles[366]
M.
Night Shyamalan[706]
Steven
Spielberg[404]
Oliver
Stone[544]
Quentin
Tarantino[549]
Boaz
Yakin[581]
Models[edit]
Christie
Brinkley[707]
Adrianne
Curry[618]
Heidi
Klum[708]
Musicians[edit]
50
Cent[709]
Arcade
Fire[710]
Burt
Bacharach[711]
Beastie
Boys[712]
Billie
Joe Armstrong[713]
Big
Kenny[714]
Andrew
Bird[715]
Biz
Markie[536]
The
Black Keys[712]
Black
Thought of The Roots[716]
The
Breeders[712]
Carrie
Brownstein, guitarist for Sleater-Kinney[717]
Melanie
Brown[536]
Jackson
Browne
Jimmy
Buffett[718]
Win
Butler[719]
Nick
Cannon[658]
Mariah
Carey[720]
Chris
Carrabba[721]
Clap
Your Hands Say Yeah[580]
Kelly
Clarkson[722]
Cold
War Kids[580]
Natalie
Cole[723]
Common[724]
Sean
Combs[725]
Harry
Connick, Jr.[568]
David
Crosby[713]
Sheryl
Crow[726][727]
The
Decemberists[728]
Tom
DeLonge[729]
Devo[712]
Dianogah[715]
Celine
Dion[730]
DJ
Z-Trip[731]
Bob
Dylan[732]
Eminem[733]
Melissa
Etheridge[734]
Donald
Fagen (Steely Dan)
Fergie[577]
The
Fiery Furnaces[601]
Flea of
the Red Hot Chili Peppers[735]
John
Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants[736]
David
Foster[568]
Jay
Jay French, guitarist for Twisted Sister[737]
Ben
Harper[578]
Ben
Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie[738]
Goo
Goo Dolls[644]
Kim
Gordon[739]
Macy
Gray[740]
Merle
Haggard[741]
Mickey
Hart, Phil Lesh and Bob Weir of the Grateful
Dead (Deadheads for Obama)[742]
Herbie
Hancock[658]
Faith
Hill[743]
Jennifer
Hudson[609]
Jim
James of My Morning Jacket[744]
Jay
Red Eagle[745]
Jay-Z[701]
Young
Jeezy
Stephan
Jenkins[746]
Jin[747]
Billy
Joel[748]
Alicia
Keys[725]
Carole
King[749]
Beyoncé
Knowles[701]
Glenn
Kotche of Wilco[750]
Ed
Kowalczyk[658]
Leo
Kremer[746]
Kris
Kristofferson[751]
Amel
Larrieux[752]
Cyndi
Lauper[753]
Annie
Lennox[754]
Les
Savy Fav[601]
Jenny
Lewis[580]
John
Legend[755]
Adam
Levine of Maroon 5[756]
Ludacris[757]
Joel
Madden of Good Charlotte[656]
Chris
Martin of Coldplay[758]
Dave
Matthews[746]
Master
P[747]
Michael
McDonald[577]
Tim
McGraw[759]
Katharine
McPhee
John
Mellencamp[713]
Mos
Def[760]
Nada
Surf[580]
Nas[761]
Graham
Nash[712]
Immortal
Technique
The
National[712]
Willie
Nelson
Joanna
Newsom[366]
Ne-Yo[644]
No
Age[762]
OK
Go[763]
Conor
Oberst[764]
Don
Omar[765]
Pearl
Jam[766]
Peter,
Paul, and Mary
Q-Tip[767]
Questlove of The
Roots[716]
R.E.M.[768]
Bonnie
Raitt
Johnathan
Rice[580]
Rise
Against
Samantha
Ronson[622]
Rhymefest[769]
Nile
Rodgers[366]
Pat
Sansone of Wilco[750]
Tom
Scholz, guitarist of Boston[770]
Patti
Scialfa[771]
Seal[568]
Shakira[772]
Shudder
to Think[763]
Silversun
Pickups[580]
Russell
Simmons[773]
Ashlee
Simpson[539]
Patti
Smith[774]
Jill
Sobule[746]
Regina
Spektor[775]
Bruce
Springsteen[776][777]
Mavis
Staples[778]
Michael
Stipe[779]
Barbra
Streisand[404][780]
Taboo[626]
James
Taylor[781]
Tenacious
D (Jack Black and Kyle Gass)[553]
Justin
Timberlake[782][783]
TV
on the Radio[784]
Jeff
Tweedy of Wilco[764]
Andres
Useche[785]
Usher[786]
Vampire
Weekend[712]
Chris
Walla of Death Cab for Cutie[713]
Tegan
and Sara[787]
Joan
Wasser[763]
Rufus
Wainwright[549]
Roger
Waters[788]
Pete
Wentz[789][790]
will.i.am[658]
Pharell
Williams[426]
Stevie
Wonder[791]
Television
& radio personalities[edit]
Perez
Hilton[792]
Star
Jones[577]
Kim
Kardashian[793]
Yul
Kwon[794]
Lisa
Ling[795]
Judith
Sheindlin[796]
Michael
Smerconish[797]
Howard
Stern[798]
Emme
Tomingbang[187]
Oprah
Winfrey[799]
Hold
the applause for a second. Wiki lists Bob Dylan as an Obama supporter
in 2008 and again in 2012.! Wrong! Besmirch someone else's artistic
integrity, if you must. Bob's idiot son, Jesse, endorsed Obama but
Bob is apolitical on principle. The last protest he attended was when
Martin Luther King delivered his infamous "I Have A Dream "
speech in 1963. Bob sat out all of the Vietnam protests and all the
orther civil rights marches ("Equality, I spoke their word as if
a wedding vowwowwow") and he even sat out the no-nukes fad.
Jimmy
Carter called Bob Dylan his friend but he never gort his endorsement.
In an interview that went absolutely weird, a "Rolling Stone"
hack badgered and harrassed the songwriter in an effort to muscle an
endorsement for Barack Hussein Obama. Bob refused.
The
interrogator pressed onward. He called Obama's opponents racist—that
is why they don't like Obama—and all but demanded Bob's sanction.
Bob Dylan, an artist of supreme integrity, refused.
I
can still listen to Bob, especially "Blonde on Blonde" and
"Blood on The Tracks." (If you are into Dark Side of The
Rainbow, synchronicity, try syncing up "Idiot Wind" to the
muted videos of "We Are The Ones" and "I Pledge
Allegiance To Obama" played back to back.) Bruce Springsteen is
another matter.
Bruce,
you don't owe me a thing. Nill. Nada. Zero. Zilch. But Barry Soetoro?
One
soft infested summer
Me
and Barry became friends
Trying
in vain to breathe
The
fire we born in
But
don't you have some obligation to me, to...to...to maintain some
standards? Some standards, Bruce?
Laying
here in the dark
You're
like an angel on my chest
Just
another tramp of hearts
Crying
tears of faithlessness
OK,
rub salt in my wounds. But we had memories, Bruce. Memories that no
one could spoil. No one. No one but you.
Hiding
on the backstreets
Hiding
on the backstreets...
Backstreets
my ass! You were jetting around Air Force 1 with your phony ass
charlatan. Rub it in my face! You don't see any irony that the guy
who gave us “Blinded By The Light,” a masterpiece that perfectly
encapsulated the religious cult phenomenon, would fall for the
sleaziest, cheesiest cult leader in the history of Planet Earth?
Barry
let me in, I wanna be your friend
I
want to guard your dreams and visions
I
forgave you for everything you did since “Nebraska.” Everything!
You could have left me with the memories. Just “Kitty's Back” and
“Spirits In The Night.” You had to ruin them too?
One
soft infested summer
Me
and Barry became friends...
SHUT
UP!!!
Oh
look! Wilco is here! Real artists with real integrity whoring out to
the biggest corporate whore America has ever produced.
Goldman
Sachs (donated $1,013,091)
JP
Morgan Chase ($847,895)
Google
Inc. ($814,540)
Microsoft
Corporation ($852,164)
General
Electric ($529,855)
Wilco
did fundraisers for Obama. Why not cut just rattle the cup for
Goldman Sachs? It's all going to the same place anyway.
<JP
Morgan is cited at opensecrets.org. Others are also listed at
thenewamerican.com>
Not
that I have anything against corporate whores or corporations or
“corporatism, “ but now that we are here in the land of the
corporate bashers I would like to point out that when you hire the
services of Lefty Celebrity, you usually hire the services of the
corporation that is Lefty Celebrity. Just a little side bar. Let's
get back to the Beautiful People who brought us to Jonestown.
Looking
back on my life, I came to realize that both the friends I chose and
the public figures I admired had one thing in common: They all had
active bullshit detectors. My friends did not grow up to become Hare
Krishnas or Moonies or LaRouchians. My friends have usually been the
antithesis of the Obama worshipper.
I
learned to read by reading “Mad” and that exercise nurtured a
certain skeptisicm. I would later expand my cultural horizons to
include “National Lampoon” and P. J. O'Rourke remains a hero. He
always seems to recharge his BS detector.
Howard
Stern led a vigilante movement against all things phony. You were my
hero, Howard. You ran away from the genius label but that term fit
you perfectly. Geniuses are not necessarily clever, they are honest.
You slammed every show biz convention. If the publicist told you,
“Don't ask them if they're gay,” you started the interview with,
“So are you guys gay, or what?'
You
Howard, exposed the humorlessness of humorous people. Remember Chevy
Chase's ongoing bout with PMS? Remember the time his wife got on the
phone and Chevy screamed for her to hang up but she kept on talking?
Didn't MTV ban you for life? Remember when you took over “The
Tonight Show” and NBC refused to air the segment?
Remember
Stuttering John interviewing Walter Cronkite and remember when he got
tossed out of The Ebony Awards at the request of David Bowie and when
he got punched by Sharon Stone's bodyguard? Remember when Captain
Janks pledged a half million dollars to the CP Telethon in Kathy Lee
Gifford's name? He didn't even sound like a woman and they swallowed
the bait!
It
was you against the world with tiny people like me cheering you on.
But when the biggest bullshit artist in history arrived on the scene,
you drank the Kool-Aid. Et tu, Howard?
When
the chips were down, you sold out. You are just one more Jay Conan
Imus. I will not follow you to satellite. Fortunately, your greatest
hits are still on YouTube.
And
you, Dave. Wiki did not list you as an Obamacist but you were in the
tank for him all the way. Giant sigh. Conan and Kimmel and Fallon
will never know what it was like to be David Letterman in the 80's.
For that matter, Jay Leno with all of his fabulous ratings will never
have the rabid following you had back then.
I
know of someone who landed a job because he was a Letterman fan. You
were a conversation starter. “Did you see Stupid Pet Tricks where
that dog...” “Did you see Stupid Human Tricks where that guy...”
”Did you see fish cleaning night?” Yours was the only cult I ever
joined.
You
were fearless. Remember when you disrupted Jane Pauley's interview
with a bullhorn? Remember when you pointed your cameras on the NBC
studio while the anchorman read the news? Remember your feud with
Bryant Gumbel?
Your
bullshit detector was spot on. If a guest sucked, you let them know
it. If they were plugging a silly movie or TV show, you let them know
how you felt about it, even when the show aired on NBC. No bullshit
got past Dave.
In
2008, the biggest con artist in history arrived on the scene and
David Letterman counted his money. You would be in good company.
There would be no levity in Jonestown.
The
one person who actually called Barack Hussein Obama on his bullshit
was Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin vintage 2008 was the closest thing alive
to Letterman vintage 1985. And of course, you loyally trashed Palin
and her family. It's sad when a comedian loses his courage. Welcome
to Jonestown, Dave.
I
go way back with you, Bill Maher. I can remember when you were funny.
I remember when “Politically Incorrect” was just that. You would
confront any and all purveyors of bullshit, be it a sloganeering
conservative or an angry feminist. Your humor was premised on brutal
honesty.
Somewhere
along the line, “Politically Incorrect” became the most
politically correct show on television. And you sang from the
Hollywood hymnal. You grew wealthy and angry and you spent all of
your time telling Americans just how stupid they all happened to be.
Then
Barack Hussein Obama arrived on the scene and you described him as a
really, really, really really (was it 3 reallys or 4 reallys?) smart
guy. Based on what, we will never find out. But your loyalty would
never waver and you tirelessly berated his critics. You even pledged
one million dollars to Obama's 2012 campaign.
It's
your money and your Kool-Aid and you have secured a comfortable place
in Jonestown, Bill. Bill Maher, the social critic too intellectual
for religion jumps head first into the world's hottest religious
cult. I wish the funny man would return.
Artists
are supposed to have superior insight into the human condition. But
if an artist falls for cheap propaganda, if he blindly follows
someone he knows nothing about, if he believes a politician is divine
because he has a halo photoshopped around his head, does he really
possess insight? Is he really an artist?
I
will always love “Pulp Fiction” and “Kill Bill” and
“Reservoir Dogs” were enjoyable but I doubt if I will ever see
any Tarantino movies after 2008. If he was duped by Mr. Hope and
Change, the bloom is off the rose. There will be films in Jonestown
but I won't be in the cinema. My love for movies fades to black. To
quote another Obamacist, Jackson Browne:
When
you see through love's illusions there lies the danger
When
your perfect lover just looks like a perfect fool
Hollywood
was my perfect lover but the popcorn will never taste the same. Oh
well. “Star Wars VII” will do fine without me.
There
is a corollary of Thorstein Veblen's conspicuous consumption
streaming through Jonestown. We can call it conspicuous immunity.
That is, one can advertise their success by showing indifference to
trivialities like the costs of housing or education or health care.
You got a house and you don't need no stinking degrees and you will
always have access to the best doctors no matter what plan might be
inflicted on the little people.
Conspicuous
immunity can be expressed by indifference to fuel costs. We don't
need a stinkin pipeline. We don't need no drilling. “My other car
is a Prius.” Let them fly coach.
You
need not concern yourself with how deficits endanger the stability of
public pensions, You are in a bulletproof industry so who needs a
vibrant economy? You have a few dollars in the bank. Why show concern
for prosperity? So declasse.
You
need not worry about the value of the dollar if you have diversified
overseas. Who cares about rising food prices? Let them eat tofu. You
can afford to support a politician who shares your indifference.
Among
these highly successful artists are many who concern themselves more
with relatitve wealth than absolute wealth. It is not enough that
they win, others must lose. Why aspire to a lifestyle of the rich and
famous if the middle class can match their opulence? The Uglies have
to be put in their place.
There
is a rivalry between the prosperous and those who yearn to prosper.
Hollywood honors the Warren Buffett Doctrine that those who have
ascended the ladder should saw off the rungs beneath them. Hollywood
loves Barack Obama. Nothing says “I got mine but I will share my
middle finger with you,” like a public allegiance to Barack Obama.
Not
all Obama supporters are posers but all posers are Obama supporters.
What a lovely assortment of dedicated Obamacists, the compulsively
stylish, the socially mobile, the seekers of status. There are a few
surprises listed above.
Devo?
Did “Freedom of Choice” mean nothing?
Eminem?
You mean Marshall acknowledged the existence of another human being
who was not all mean to him? That might be Barack Obama's most
amazing achievement.
Looks
like Cindy Crawford is the only celebrity who was pro-Obama in 2008
and pro-Romney in 2012. Cindy has a brain and a conscience to go
along with her other attributes.
Kelly
Clarkson? Oh why single her out for her lack of depth? Shallow and
superficial describes every Obama supporter. At least you are not
shallow by choice, Kelly.
Justin
Timberlake? Shedding that boy band image. JT, down for the struggle.
Adam
Levine? The vapid salutes the vacuous.
Ben
Affleck? Hate to break it to you, dude, but you'll never be half as
smug as Matt Damon. But keep doing those Obama fundraisers and you
will successfully cultivate a sense of superiority. You just have to
believe in yourself and your own native arrogance.
Larry
David? Did you know he owns a Prius? Hope your worship of Obama goes
better than your allegiance to Al Gore. Did you know Larry owns a
Prius?
Leonardo
DiCaprio? Someday the Beautiful People will let you in their
clubhouse, man. Keep jetting around the world screaming about carbon
outputs and they will come to love you. You just have to be a little
bit superficial, man.
Robert
Deniro? We got it, man. You are better than us. Don't hit us with
your wallet, Bobby!
Jamie
Foxx? A sincere Obamacist. “...our lord and savior, Barack Obama.”
Jimmie
Fallon? Really? You work for NBC and you support Obama? You sure hid
that one!
Kevin
Bacon? Oh man! We thought you were one of the people. Hope the caviar
tastes good.
Jeff
Bridges? Oh man! You seem so genuine. I guess you really are a great
actor.
Brian
Cranston? Oh man! You don't come across as a poser and you seem too
smart to fall for the corny stagecraft. You too are a great actor.
Matt
Damon? This should surprise no one. You are Good Will Hunting and
Good Will Hunting is Hollywood. Matt Will Hollywood is not just
smarter than everyone else, he is infinitely smarter than everyone
else. And he is smarter in all areas and all categories. He not only
solves the insolvable math problem, he crushes the pesky grad student
in a barroom debate and tells the NSA to stick it (so unlike your
deity, Barack Obama, who used the NSA to spy on all of us) because he
is too shrewd to be fooled by their trickery.
With
smarts, comes anger. Seething, frothing rage at the frustrations of
being so damn clever in a stupid world. Who can get past your
hostility? Not a minister or a scholar or a professor. Matt Will
Hollywood is too brilliant for them. A therapist, someone who wants
to talk about Matt and nothing but Matt, pierces his armor.
“Good
Will Hunting” was a portent of the rise of Barack Obama with Bill
Ayers subbing for Robin Williams in real life. Some of us will think
of “Team America: World Police” when your name is brought up but
the Beautiful People will always love Matt Will Hollywood. I could
see where you, and Hollywood as well, could see a lot of yourself in
Barack Obama.
Obama
added even more star power in 2012 as Mitt Romney picked up the
Osmonds and Kid Rock and Vanilla Ice as well as the surviving
Republicans who supported McCain in 2008. Superficiality would carry
the day once more in 2012. America in the Obama Era is England in the
60's 70's and 80's. Greatness had been fleeing Great Britain and she
would eventually lose out on shipbuilding, aircraft, automobiles and
other manufacturing. But through the fog, England had become Style
Central and the world could not get enough.
Yes,
there was a surplus of supreme musical talent that still boggles the
mind. The Beatles are still the only band I know of whose every
member could sing lead, play instruments and write songs. A producer
could toss out Lennon and McCartney, add a decent bass player and
come up with a group as good and as commercial as say, the Hollies.
And
there would be Clapton and Townsend and Page and Waters taking an
American art form and making it distinctly British. For all of those
heavyweights there was also a steady stream of Dave Clarks and
Vicious Sids and Boys George. The world's thirst was unquenchable.
Beatle
cuts and mod clothing and punk style and new wave fashion spread
globally. Ostentatiously British novels like R. F. Delderfield's “God
Is An Englishman,” The “Flashman” series, works by Dick Francis
and Barbara Cartland sold well wherever the Queen's language was
spoken. British cigarettes and knick knacks sold well, especially in
the former colonies. If you needed a logo, the Union Jack worked just
about everywhere it was used. British television series were a major
export and the success of the over the top Britisher-than-thou,
“Chariots of Fire” left a lot of marketing people scratching
their heads.
Fast
forward to the Obama Era and America is the trendsetting hot bed.
Yes, the Brits still have Adelle and Harry Potter and Cute Royals and
they can always find one more Susan Boyle but America is the
epicenter of style. Hip hop rules. No Led Zep or Stones have emerged
to reshape it in a distinctly Anglo style. Gangster, yoyo, rap and
hip pop have all spawned imitation from Korea to Brazil but the field
is still largely an American phenomenon.
For
a multitude of reasons, America has lost industry and commerce to the
BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China.) Technological innovation
is slipping away. The Internet is being hijacked in broad daylight.
But we still have movies and television and pop music. America has
style.
We
have gotten good at style because we work really hard at it. A more
superficial culture has never existed. American public schools might
be deficient in things like literacy, numerical proficiency,
geography, the life sciences, chemistry, physics, economics, history,
philosophy, etc., but they are mini-Spartas of style. From American
public schools will spring the next Tommy Hilfiger, the next Gwen
Stefani, the next Eminem and the next Dr. Dre. American hard science
and engineering and math programs will be dominated by foreign
students at the graduate level but those students will look to the
mavens of superficiality for guidance.
American
youth culture is no longer marked by the gulf between the cool and
the uncool. Now we have the stylish and the hyper-stylish and the
hyper-hyper-styilsh. From the christening with an aerosol first name
to their very first tattoo, every Troy and Madison will run a
gauntlet of trends. Feelings will get hurt but style will be better
for the pain.
I
used to wonder why people of means, people who could afford to
provide a quality education for their children, chose to send their
children to an American public school. What I learned is that
Americans send their children to public schools in the same spirit
that past generations sent their kids to military academies or
competitive prep schools. Yes, they will be challenged constantly and
the going might get tough but they will graduate with a sophisticated
sense of style. Little Harper will not be outtrended by anyone,
nosiree.
It
is not just style of dress or demeanor that is acquired. Sure, the
graduate should appreciate tasteful hip hop and resplendent tattoos
but they should also be provided with style of thought, whatever that
might happen to be. If social justice, economic justice, climate
disruption, advanced sensitivity and creative grievance are the
flavors of the day, little Justin's loving parents will make sure
their gifted son keeps pace with the other students.
One
might think that any number of books or government studies or
newspaper articles or TV news reports might do for American education
what “The Jungle” did for sausage. Nope. Journalists from Walter
Cronkite to John Stossel serve up documentaries that remind us just
how absurdly deficient our schools have become. Their cultural impact
is negligible at best.
There
is much to say about the decline of American education but people are
largely indifferent. If you can read just one book on the subject I
recommend Martin L. Gross's “The Conspiracy of Ignorance” I
hereby nominate Gross as the inaugural recipient of the Upton
Sinclair Award.
Gross
explains how education went off the tracks and what we can do about
it. I will skip most of that. Let's get right to the carnage.
Gross
recounts a math contest where American students finished last among
seven countries but first in self esteem and math confidence.
In
1998 American 12th graders
finished 19 out 21 countries in math proficiency.
David
Kearns, former CEO of XEROX, estimated that shortcomings of American
education cost US industry $50 billion/year.
Back
in the nineties, two of three American seventeen year olds, did not
know the meaning of The Emancipation Proclamation. About half
recognized Patrick Henry's “Give me liberty or give me death.”
The same students were unfamiliar with things like The War of 1812,
the Marshall Plan or the Great Society. Only 1 in 8 were judged
'adequate” in Analytical Writing and most could not identify
Southeast Asia on a map.
Gross
piles on. Throughout the 90's Americans scored poorly on standardized
tests against foreign students. About half of American 17 year olds
tested at junior high levels on math skills. 78 per cent of colleges
offer remedial reading and about 29 per cent of college freshmen take
a remedial class in college.
Historical
knowledge is abysmal. Factual knowledge is itself often dismissed as
rote learning.
40
Million Americans are illiterate. 1 in 7 college graduates is
illiterate.
We
are more concerned with the whats than the hows but it should be
noted that things have probably gotten worse since the book was
written in 1998. Educational achievement is inversely correlated with
educational spending and spending continues to rise. Unbridled
flattery is alive and well in the form of “gifted” programs,
advanced placement programs, grade inflation and self esteem
exercises. An overwhelming number of students perform “above
average” even though that is mathematically impossible.
We
mentioned Mark Dice and Jesse Watters and Jay Walking. That's the tip
of the iceberg. A British TV show asks Americans to name a country
that begins with “U.” Bzzz. They ask Americans how many sides a
traingle has. Bzzz. Where was the Berlin Wall? Bzzz.
What
starts as a bounty of chuckles soon grows depressing. The
aforementioned Howard Stern sent out correspondents to interview
Obama supporters prior to the 2012 election, repeating a theater of
the absurd standby from 2008. Two years after Bin Laden was killed
very few, if any, of the Obama supporters were aware that Bin Laden
was dead. “Do you think Obama will eventually find and kill Bin
Laden?” “Yes” was close to unanimous.
“Do
you dislike Romney because he is pro-choice? Because he's a Moslem?
Because he's black?”
“Do
you think Obama made a good choice selecting Paul Ryan as his running
mate? Do you think he picked Ryan because he is African-American or
because he is qualified.?” Even the ever-irreverent guy who laughs
at Captain Janks pranking newspeople in the aftermath of a plane
crash stopped laughing and in a rare moment of exasperation he
stated. “This is crazy.”
In
2008 John Ziegler asked Obama supporters a series of questions about
Obama, Biden, McCain and Palin. Their ignorance was predictable,
especially on questions related to Obama. To show that he had not
cherry picked his subjects, Ziegler hired Democratic pollster, Zogby
International to conduct a poll of Obama supporters. To say they were
ignorant is an understatement.
Ziegler
tried to get Zogby to conduct a comparable poll of McCain supporters
but John Zogby refused. He had experienced serious blowback from the
first poll on leftist blogs and was apparently concerned that he
might lose the patronage of key Democrats. Had McCain supporters been
queried I don't think the results would have surprised anyone nor do
I think they would have influenced future elections. Substance no
longer affects presidential elections.
One
point bears reiteration. In all the YouTube parade of idiots there is
rarely, if ever, any shame displayed by the ignorant. This is
especially true of Obamacists. They live in a post-factual world.
Their choices are based on superficialities and superficialities
alone. The only truth in Jonestown is what their leader declares
truthful. That is the fundamental change to America Barack Obama
promised.
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