Today, many, if not most, Americans are so
bedazzled by the leadership and numerous challenges we face in the economy, the
environment, government inanity, and such that we have become bystanders
instead of participants. Each new Alinski crisis is used to the fullest to
divert our attention from what is really going on.
We have become inured to the things about
which we could actually make a difference in if we only stood up and spoke out.
The Roman satirical poet, Juvenal coined the
Latin phrase, panem et circenses (bread
and circuses), to identify the only remaining cares of a Roman populace which no
longer cared for its historical birthright of political involvement. Juvenal,
used the phrase to decry the selfishness of common people and their neglect of
wider concerns.
Today, we are being entertained with “bread
and circuses” to divert our attention from the world situation. Bread in the form of government handouts
and entitlements requiring little or no work on our part. Circuses in the form of mindless, so-called, entertainment in video
games, TV sitcoms, game shows, and sports events.
As a society, we are spectators and not
participants. We have become “Life Lurkers.”
A “lurker” is one who stands alongside the pathway
of life and just watches the traffic go by. In the cyber world, a lurker logs
on, but does not participate in the many conversations and debates and
definitely does not want to stand out as having a reasoned response to the
rhetoric that passes for critical thinking today. If truth be known, cognitive activity
is considered obsolete by many who have allowed themselves to be lulled into
passivity.
A “life lurker” is one who is content to
accept the handouts of big government (as long as they don’t require the lurker
to actually earn those handouts).
A lurker is most often heard to say things
like, “Whatever . . .,” “I don’t care,” “What difference does it make anyway,” “I
don’t know . . .”, or such things.
Obama has created an office to actually form
the opinions that he wants the sheeple of this country to espouse. A recent
article in Politico highlighted the
administration’s plan to “nudge” Americans to do what he wants:
The president officially adopted the idea last year when
he launched the White House’s Social and Behavioral Science Team (SBST), a
cross-agency effort to bring behavioral science research into the policymaking
process. . . .
The team’s projects were definitely a form of
prodding—giving people little pokes to improve their behavior in some way. But
the more muscular form of “nudge” involves what experts call changing the
“choice architecture”—automatically enrolling employees in an optional 401(k),
for instance, or making organ donors opt out.
Just as a shepherd or
cattle drover prods the herd to move in the direction desired, so the Obama
administration is prodding the “sheeple” of this once-great nation to do his bidding.
Sometimes all it takes if a gentle prod. Other times something more dramatic is
required. On example might be; If we can’t take guns from the obviously “rabid”
gun owners, then will have to confiscate them by other means. Like requiring registration
of ammunition or guns before we drum up some bogus reason citing “community
safety.”
Public schools and
colleges have educated activism out of our children and young adults. Common
Core is an uncommon bore and a travesty!
We are not sheep! Stand
up! Speak out! Get involved!
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