An article last week in the Arkansas Times titled I Want My Faith Back stirred to life in me the political animal – sheep, by the way – once again.
I think that my most rabid reaction to the election is the indignity of being treated like a stupid sheep by the political process.
The pols didn’t trust me or you or any of our fellow voters to be able to understand complex issues. They treated us like we were voting on the outcome of an episode of “Survivor.”
We didn’t get presidential debates; we got sound bytes.
We didn’t get a platform; we got platitudes.
We didn’t really get candidates. We just got candy.
While it may be true that we’re not a nation of Einsteins – hence the state of network programming as its entropy increases today – it’s also true that people tend to live up to expectations of them, especially when they’re positive expectations.
Looking back, I wish I (and my fellow voters) had been less like sheep and had stood up and loudly protested our presumed ignorance; had roared like lions “We may be innocent as doves but we’re as wise as serpents!”; had bellowed right along with Peter Finch in the movie Network: “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore!”
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Well, I’m blogging out until Wednesday; flying to Indiana to celebrate my mom’s 80th with our family. Talk amongst yourselves; I’m verklempt.
Just don’t bleat. And if you can find it within in you, sign up.
Blog In My Own Eye 
Keith, have a great trip……and give your mom our warmest B-day wishes! That is AWESOME!
BTW, you cracked me up on Cope’s blog today with the “Discerning the body” comment.
Holla when you get back!
DU
OK…I lost it when I read your comment on Cope’s sight.
Keith, I think what you are seeing and reacting to (the sound bytes, being treated like sheep) is more a result of the news source having to compete for viewers than it is a statement that they don’t think we are able to understand the message. When your revenues are determined by raw numbers, you have to treat people like a herd of sheep. Try putting on a real discourse about the issues, and you have PBS, which is interesting, but does not command a large market share.
Or, they may really think we’re sheep.
By the way, my motto this election cycle was “friends don’t let friends vote democrat”. (I just included that to bug you).
don
I can’t really say I’m a Democrat … though I’ve been known to vote that way from time to time. I’d be proud to support Richard Lugar if he’d run. I’d be proud to support ANYONE of character and influence who would erect a do-able platform of fairness to all and just a few other Christian principles.
Will Rogers once said, “I’m not a member of any organized political party. I’m a Democrat.”
That doesn’t bug me, either!