The "Karen" Meme

I know for many these memes SEEM like they might be some form of Identity Politics or just another Internet comedy skit...but I think it signifies a BREAKTHROUGH in American Culture. Along with the videos of cops murdering blacks, and women breaking their silence about sexual violence...we, as a society, are learning to recognize Privilege. The "Karen" meme is special though...because it not only recognizes differences in Privilege, but also recognizes the deep problems with being self-interested. There is nothing more core to the problems with our culture than this selfishness...it drives our political tribalism, it drives our blindness to the deep flaws in our economic system, it allows us to ignore Climate Destabilization, it drives our anti-science movements...what these things have in common is they require the ability to ignore Reality and the Structural Construct of society and instead view everything through the distorted lens of "does it personally affect me, and what beliefs are convenient for me?" This is not a sane World View, it is a sign that we have become too complacent; we need meteoric changes in our Values and a much wider breadth of Understanding.

I hope a variety of "Karen" meme spin-offs are created to point out the other archetypal selfish personalities. The Internet has created echo chambers that teach us these bad habits...we must claw it back to teach each other HEALTHY and ACCURATE lessons. If we can laugh/cry AND LEARN with viral memes...there may yet be hope for us.

Corona Thoughts

We are now many months into this pandemic...and STILL COVID-19 is not being handled even half-way rationally, from a scientific standpoint...this means 2? 3? X? waves of outbreaks to come? This might very well be a year -or more- long crisis, not including the long-term damage to the health of our population and our economy. The Executive branch is doing NOTHING, and Congress is busy giving all our tax money to billionaires (hey a**holes, the problem is the virus, not the stock market!!!). Dumb Americans who say "I've talked to my family and we've decided we're going to live as if COVID-19 doesn't exist and 'come what may'"...are complete idiots and don't understand "public health" or have any consideration of how their actions might impact others. Unfortunately, moronic decisions don't only affect morons. I've long known that gross ignorance was going to hurt us, but the last few years have revealed just how amazingly stupid Americans are and it has completely demoralized me.

General thoughts on society:
I wouldn't mind spending all my time reasoning with people (if it were simply a matter of exposure and communicating ideas), but when people don't even have basic reasoning skills to come to common sense conclusions...this is a GENERATIONAL problem with education and culture...and our problems need IMMEDIATE action. Is it "all we can do" to outline a road-map for future generations and take baby first steps towards progress? How did we fall off the "shoulders of giants"? How was it that a majority of our nation emerged from a cave...tribal, religious, incurious, unable to reason, and scientifically illiterate?

2020 Presidential Race

The 2020 Presidential race has two oligarchic, old, white, men, with mental decline...so it's going to come down to one thing..."who can be perceived as more competent." That's it. Since they are both, in fact, incompetent...that might mean simply hiding from public appearances/comments. Sad, but that's the truth.

Climate Change Is Solvable

"Destroying your feeling that something can be done about Climate Change, is as effective a path to inaction as outright denial; and the polluting interests understand that. They welcome dispiriting polemics that portray this problem as Unsolvable."

- Michael Mann

The Fallacy Of Herd Immunity

It is estimated that between 5-20% of people could have developed a degree of immunity so far. Think of all the deaths and disruption that that small amount of infection has caused. It is estimated that between 70-90% of people require immunity to develop "herd immunity." Normally, that would be reached with vaccinations...but if you are talking about COVID-19, where no vaccine exists, you are saying that virtually everyone needs to actually be infected with the disease. That is an insane, suicide plan for a country to adopt. Herd Immunity is not a plan to fight a pandemic, it is a plan to protect a small minority of people who are immuno-compromised or allergic to a vaccine...please stop using this term as if it is actually a strategy to do anything but kill a lot of people.

Learn To Translate

During this pandemic, words/phrases are thrown around like "essential workers"...what they really mean by that is "we need slaves to continue to make the machine turn...who gives two f*cks if you die"...that's pretty much what "get the economy going again" means as well.

Big lesson here, you need to start training yourself to hear what politicians/people are ACTUALLY saying...not the literal words...but learning to parse the implications and intentions of everything. You can't understand reality until you do. The idea that we can tell people to their face "I don't care about your life and I'm going to sacrifice you to my 401K" (but with slightly obfuscated language)...is a testimony to the immense ignorance and callousness of our time.

Where Bernie Supporters Should Turn Their Focus

President of the U.S. is a powerful position, but it's far from the whole game. There are PLENTY of powerful positions yet to be claimed in Congress, Governorships, etc. One election in particular that is really important is Shahid Buttar vs Nancy Pelosi...we MUST vote Shahid in. Pelosi has sabotaged the Left movement, on behalf of corporate power, for too long. Congress writes the laws, and the Courts interpret those laws; if we don't have sane, objective, and scientifically literate people in those positions, our system will never be fixed.

https://shahidforchange.us/about-shahid-buttar-pelosis-leading-2020-challenger/

Wisdom From Isolation

"You spent your whole life believing you had no control, that you were a follower. Take whatever it gives you, and lead."

-Delores (Westworld)