The real enemy

[taratata]

The real enemy

For the last month liberals have been looking for scapegoats and excuses to explain what has happened to this poor country.

 

It was the fundamentalists. It was Karl Rove. It was the young people. It was the media.

 

All these explanations are wrong.

 

The fault does not lie in our stars. It lies in ourselves.

 

I'm not saying we didn't work hard enough, or give enough money to the cause. The answer lies deeper.

Battles can be lost, and when we lose a battle, being human, we may often come to believe we have lost the war. So we seek recovery from that defeat, we retreat, look for help. And we may come to find, when the help comes, just how high a price may be asked.

 

Give me your soul, says the preacher. There's your enemy, over there.

 

Give me your vote, says the politician. There's your enemy, over there.

 

Let me lift your burden. Let me carry it. The problem isn't in you, it's in the Other. Get rid of the other and your problems will be over.

 

Isn't that what Bush sold? Isn't that what Rove sold? The Muslims, the Liberals, the Secularists, the Other. Us, not U.S. but us. If they can just get rid of us, what we say, what we believe in, what we stand for, then all their problems will be solved.

 

It's what George Lucas meant in his movies when he talked about The Dark Side. It's what every good preacher tells us, it's the basic truth we know in our hearts. Fight the other and you lose. Fight to make yourself better and you are guaranteed victory.

I found this article to be interesting, so here it is.

Oh, and before writing stupid comments, read the article, not just the quote I gave.

[Agozer]

I'd say that the articles writer has a very strong point and i tend to agree with him. It's funny how some people blindly trust and follow the crurch and politicians... No thanks.

[Gryph]

Definitely a good essay. I agree with it too, people need to start improving themselves and not let themselves be bought so easily. It would also be nice if more people read this essay and shared their thoughts about it.

[Wizard]

I should print it and send it to everyone.

[Daeval]

His point is rather obvious, but it's interesting to me that it is missed on such a grand scale that there needs to be essays about it.

 

In my city, our community colleges are increasing fees and cancelling classes left and right for lack of funding, but we just got a new multi-million dollar ballpark because the guys we pay millions of dollars a year to play baseball didn't like sharing with the guys who get even more to play football. Look over there! The fundamentalists are doing something stupid again!

 

Obviously, I agree with him. Now, if only his attitude was the one that made tv ratings, it might reach the people who need to hear it most.

Edited January 30, 2005 by Daeval