Our primal, primitive, & nasty tendencies.
I never write about politics... but DAMN! I'm watching our democracy dissolve and my fellow humans behaving badly. Get a grip, people.
New subscribers are my lifeblood! Thank you for joining our conversations at Susan Speaks! After the loss of a major client, Substack and photography (See my portfolio at SusanNiemann.smugmug.com) are helping me pay the rent. Become a paying subscriber or buy me a coffee! Either way, I’m GRATEFUL you’re here!
I don’t write about politics because there are people way above my pay grade doing it. I value their deep knowledge of current events and trust them far more than I do most corporate media (Walter Cronkite, we miss you.) So, if you’re not reading these folks, you should: Jeff, Jay, Earl, Joyce, Scott, Lucian, and Mary to name a few. But in light of recent events, like the disastrous immunity ruling by SCOTUS, I’m compelled to share some thoughts.
My “political” past
In 1972, I was a junior in high school when the Democratic National Committee headquarters was burglarized at the Watergate office complex in Washington, DC. Watergate had a profound effect on me. A 17 year old in a middle sized Midwestern town with her own problems, I remember being shocked and unnerved. I read every news article, thought Woodward and Bernstein were heroes, read the book, watched the movie… I was mesmerized by this scandal.
How could this be happening in OUR government? This is AMERICA!!
So I was naive, OK? 🤷🏼♀️
People are behaving badly
I’m not so arrogant that I think I can solve the issues America is facing today. I mean, social media is a crammed with opinions and know-it-alls. Suddenly:
Everyone is a foreign policy expert.
Everyone has a solution for inflation.
Everyone knows how to handle immigration.
People, usually not knowing a damn thing, speak with strong conviction. They seem SO SURE they have the answer and that they alone are right. The level of vitriol and stupidity (and in many cases, silence), name calling, accusations, and outright lying I’m witnessing is very disturbing. It shakes my faith in humanity. Where is the decency in people? What happened to “the greater good”? I’m seeing a mentality and attitude that is selfish and hateful, complacent and angry.
Our primitive tendencies
I use the word primitive to describe our society today because we’re evolving backwards, not forward. For all the great technical advancements we’ve made, our humanity is NOT advancing. We have ZERO empathy.
“I’ve got mine, so fuck you.” “BOTH sides are equally wrong.” “I don’t do politics.” “I can’t do anything about it”. “I don’t know anything about it.”
Is this the kind of society I want to live in? Where we can’t be good to each other, come together and solve our differences... to find compromise?
This is from 7 years ago and John Cena is brilliant. Have you seen it?
We ARE a nation of beautiful diversity. And it should be embraced, not buried.
You probably can guess how my political philosophy leans, OK? It’s no secret. I think our government should do what’s best for ALL people and that means ALL. I want our elected officials to answer to us, provide an environment of safety, laws, and learning, protect our assets, and be a good global neighbor.
(I know… you think I’m being naive. Well, I don’t care.)
Instead, our politics is poisoning our humanity with a two party system that creates an ‘us versus them’ mentality, eroding trust and inviting corruption by allowing money into the system. (When I’m queen, that money in politics thing will end… so will littering. 😂)
I often wonder what the history books will write about this current time. It’s embarrassing we’re at this place. It’s obvious that the Republican party has imploded. (I still don’t know exactly what it means to be a “conservative”.) With them it seems to be: “my way or the highway”. They don’t seem to care about doing what’s best for ALL people… just the wealthiest and whitest. (I’ve actually asked people, what have Republicans done to benefit us? I genuinely want to know… and I have yet to get an answer.) Give them credit, though, because they have played the long game very, very well. It’s taken them years to get here. They’ve diligently frothed people up into a frenzy of anger, distrust, and frustration. And it’s working.
Shame on us for allowing it to happen.
Politics brings out an arrogance in people and a misplaced confidence. The current effort to transform American democracy into authoritarianism scares the hell out of me… and it should scare you, too. I believe we each have a duty as a citizen to protect each other and protect our freedom in America.
Read Project 2025. Is this the kind of America you want to live in?
But I’m also worried about how we’re treating one another. I believe the lack of education (low information voters) and a constant stream of propaganda is responsible for shaping attitudes that bring out the very worst in us.
Like racism. Who told us to hate a person with skin a different color from our own? That’s utter bullshit. And religion. If you must have religion in your life, then show me in your sacred text where it says to not love your neighbor? Women’s rights? The environment? The list goes on.
A friend of mine used to say, “we get the government we deserve”. But if we’re to have the government we want, then we need to act like it. We can start by making the time to get involved with our government (for some that’s a big ask, I know), asking questions, listening to each other, being more selective in who we elect and demanding more from them. American democracy requires nurturing and care in order to continue. It’s time to wise up, show decency and kindness, and be part of the solution.
We should want better… for ourselves and our kids.
That John Cena video is awesome. Free Speech TV runs it from time to time. Here lies the downside of our technological connectivity. We seem to be drowning in "experts". The problem is, many of these don't know what they're talking about. Between the idiot trolls and media pundits, we are constantly ducking the shit that these nasty monkeys sling. Selfishness is the root of the problem. Listen more, bloveate less.
I just forwarded your Sustack to my son-in-law as he thinks he makes more money under Trump and he plans to retire next year. I want him to read project 2025 and think about his daughter in law, a teacher and his grand kids future. Hope it sinks in.