Maybe More Of Us Need To Be Asking The Tough Questions?

[omega minimo]

Who ARE These People?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=322348&mesg_id=322348


What Kind Of Big Bloated Turd Is This?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=322279&mesg_id=322279


WTF?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=322277&mesg_id=322277


How Could This Happen?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZTbJH6BNaU


What's Goin On/What's Happening Brother/Sister?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9KC7uhMY9s


"Hey man I just don't understand what's goin on across this land." Marvin Gaye

[RandomThoughts]

1. The easiest way to explain it is reality versus perspective.

There have also been some acts of violence recently that are terrible, besides the people overreacting from positions of power you mentioned, a few nuts are being seen as being more then they are, they are just a few nuts.

When thinking about 'whats going on' I am appalled and sickened by both acts of selfishness, and incidents of violence that not only cost lives, but sadden many good people around the world.

Individual acts of violence like the disgusting Holocaust Museum shooting, or the shooting of Tiller, or other bad events that happen, like the tasering events you showed, make the world seem to be a scary place.

But in truth, all of the things you posted, and even if you add the recent acts of violence that have occurred, encompass at most 20 people out of 6 billion. Even if you include people in radio, news, tv, politics, or with a megaphone, that spout distortions or try to deceive people, you still only have maybe 1000 out of 6 billion people.

The shooter of Tiller, and at the museum and people that advocate violence, are far fewer then people think, but that is what is seen on TV. And people that are crude or overreact when they have authority, are also fewer in real life, then we see on TV. There are good people on TV also, but when the ratio of good to bad on tv is compared to real life, it is out of perspective.

Back in the 1900's in a small prairie town in the Midwest, you could go years without ever seeing a person in a fight, you might go your entire life without seeing someone die from violence. Your perspective of life was 90% the experiences of people around you, and 10% from news, books, discussions, or sermons on events that occurred outside your experiences.

Today if one person gets attacked by a shark swimming in the ocean, every person that goes to the beach thinks about it like their are sharks in the waters off their own beach.

It is out of perspective.

Crazies, loons, racists, haters, extremists, people trapped in delusion and despair, exist, and they should be confined and if possible helped while at the same time protecting society from them. Just like events occur where some people in power overreact, or go over the line when dealing with criminals, but again this is out of perspective of the millions of interactions between authority and people.

The biggest problem I see is people unable to break the fact that when they see something on TV, their mind thinks it happened 5 feet away from them, and is a big part of their lives. If you watch all the bad things that occur day in and day out on TV, that is your world, even though the real world has far fewer of those things then shown in the image laden world of TV that leans to depravity and violence.

This does not mean we should not be informed, it means just like when a smear takes 30 seconds of a speech and tries to define an entire person by that 30 seconds. We should not let a few violent people, or a few bad decisions, define all people in society. We have to stop and force our minds to put it in perspective.

The sick twisted souls that do bad things, are not the majority, or even close to the majority in society, so we should not give them the majority of perspective when we think on society.

There are far more people working for justice, peace, love, and to alleviate suffering, then there are people that are bad. And as most people work for the better things, they also honor those of good, and better things that are done, while refusing to honor those that are bad.

Thinking society is bad can lead to despair, and can lead people to then justifying their own actions that are not what they think is best. And out of perspective views of society can make people think society is not as good as it is.

[MadMaddie]

2. Your explanation is exactly why the Republicans are

so vehemently against, "Hope, Insipiration, Empathy"!! They know these simple things can help turn the tide into a succesful Democratic Administration.

The Republicans have thrived over the last 30 years on fear of blacks,hispanics, gays, mixed-marriages, liberals, feminists, Muslims, atheist......and America is at the tail end of this ride...America is exhausted, America is tired of the game.

We are going to go through some turbulant times over the next few years but I think we are going to see a refreshed America. That's just my thoughts...

[omega minimo]

3. good points

:toast:

[omega minimo]

4. Wonderful post, could be an OP

Great points, I agree with you.

If you watch all the bad things that occur day in and day out on TV, that is your world, even though the real world has far fewer of those things then shown in the image laden world of TV that leans to depravity and violence.
*
The sick twisted souls that do bad things, are not the majority, or even close to the majority in society, so we should not give them the majority of perspective when we think on society.

There are far more people working for justice, peace, love, and to alleviate suffering, then there are people that are bad. And as most people work for the better things, they also honor those of good, and better things that are done, while refusing to honor those that are bad.
*
Thinking society is bad can lead to despair, and can lead people to then justifying their own actions that are not what they think is best. And out of perspective views of society can make people think society is not as good as it is.


What intrigued me about this set of events is the sense of an overview that is beyond us, beyond our individual focus; indiviual foaus which you point out is very powerful.

Rep. Dennis Kucicnich asks us to pause and back up and really consider "Who are these" overlords, who determine much more than what's on between the commercials.

Howard Stern comfortable in his own skin and media slot, comes off as any relaxed and mega-empowered citizen might, asking "What kind of bloated turd is this;" questioning the megaverse of media that affects us -- even if we don't pay attention to it -- by the damage inflicted on all (including armed forces via government media).

Bizarre encounter in Texas of all places where "grandmother" doesn't like going with the program that law enforcement under "Homeland Security" considers normal. She rightfully and obnoxiously expressed that the treatment he gave her was over the top and inhumane. Welcome to 2009.

The shooting in Oakland: the court recently decided to try the officer for murder. He claims he thought he was using his taser, not his gun. That piece goes again to the bigger picture of what our culture has become: black youth treated/viewed differently than anyone, maybe for good reason, maybe not; skinhead cops in a culture where "accidental" deaths have gotten extreme; an era when trainriders and everybody have video cameras; times when black men face down, subdued, compliant, outnumbered, are still seen as a threat by police, TASED for no reason, let alone shot in the back..........

It all comes down to the overview. The skinhead cops, paranoid and trained in the current overkill of enforcement; the lone legislator pointing to the overview of WHO THE FUCK IS IN CHARGE HERE?; Stern pointing out that Big Brother Limbaugh is a giant turd; Grandma protesting being roughed up and tased for driving 60 in a 45 while the tape shows cars whizzing by at 70.

And Marvin Gaye. To cleanse the palette. This many decades later, his question still rings. The images in the video provide hints of what black life is and was and why those kids and cops still don't trust each other.

In the overview, I don't agree that it's individuals only. There are organizations and movements behind Dr. Tiller's assassination and the bombing of the Holocaust Museum. There are entrenched systems that still keep African Americans segregated and impoverished in the U.S. that even a pudding pop and clear enunciation will not resolve.

That big picture is why I put that series together and why I thought of Marvin.

I love that you posted. Thank you so much.