Out of Sight, Out of Mind...Literally

The Philadelphia Eagles just signed a player who ran into and possibly knocked over a 66-year-old woman in a wheelchair last year after the Super Bowl as he ran to join his brother on the field.  This made the news because he has been indicted on the charge of something like "endangering a senior citizen" or "endangering a disabled person." 

I suspect few of us, even those of us who are disabled know such laws even exist. That is, not if we note how our environment is set up to be only marginally friendly to able-bodied let alone disabled  and elderly people, (unless you have a car). Check it out in your town. 

- When it snows, how easy is it for you to navigate on foot if you're a fully able-bodied person? What percentage of the sidewalks are cleared? How easy is it to get to the street from the possibly shoveled sidewalks?

- If you are walking along a sidewalk, how many obstacles do you encounter or rather, would you encounter if you could not nimbly avoid them? (bushes and tree limbs that hang over the walkway, trash cans and toys left in the path, cars parked on sidewalks, etc.)

- How helpful are traffic lights?  If they have a button to push to cross, how long does it take for the light to change, if it changes at all?  How much time do you have to get across?  Can you make it without running or walking very quickly?  If you couldn't see, could you tell when the light actually changed?

- How easy is it for you, able-bodied to navigate public buildings?  Are directions to where you want to go clear?

If we are honest, we will admit we do not do particularly well preparing for and interacting with disabled and older people.  For the most part, members of these groups are not seen.  There are a few tokens in TV shows, even sometimes in significant roles.  But often these roles are played by able-bodied actors or young performers in make-up.  That was true when I was a kid 50 years ago and it is only a little less true today.

It takes a little while for a bus driver to help a wheelchair user to get on and off a bus, so for many these riders are a nuisance.  An automobile  driver sees a blind person or cane or wheelchair user and will either speed up to get past before the person starts to cross or will stop short so the offender knows full well the driver is being inconvenienced.  

I am not totally defending the action of the new Eagles signee, but I can understand.  In his enthusiasm, he didn't see the woman who was already invisible, the recipient of the largess of special parking, seating, and other benefits people are not sure are deserved or needed.

Maybe this case will help disabled and older persons become more visible, but I don't count on it.  Unemployment rates for disabled persons are high.  Many older workers find work only as greeters or baggers.  I've lived with these challenges all my life.  Those I have sympathy for are those who did not know they could be on the receiving end of thoughtless snow plowers, poorly synchronized traffic signals, hazardous sidewalks.  They will feel the blows.  I just hope they are angry enough to get something done for the rest of us whose efforts are generally dismissed as "just call Uber or Lyft."  

MASS HYPNOSIS

by Ruth A. Sheets

Like most Americans, I was an observer of the 2016 Presidential campaign.  I was disturbed by the usual suspects, the lying, particularly on the part of the Trump campaign, the uneven coverage of the candidates by the media, and the hysteria of the crowds at Mr. Trump's rallies.

I know Mr. Trump used a lot of trial balloons, comments thrown out to see how the audience would react.  Words or lines that got a laugh or cheers were added to Mr. Trump's repertoire.  These could be used and enhanced in future speeches. 

I noticed that two years and more after the campaign, and Mr. Trump is now president, these words not only work to inspire nearly insane responses on the part of Mr. Trump's audiences, but those responses are immediate and louder than ever, even though many have been proven untrue.  What is going on?

In the past weeks and months, we have been slowly learning about a whole collection of players who cheated on behalf of the Trump campaign.  Facebook gave up mounds of data that was used to target voters in ways that are ethically questionable, all done without the consent of the Facebook users.  Russia sent bots to interfere in our election.

The targeted voters were those who were most likely to support Mr. Trump (or one of the other Republican candidates in the race), ultimately, Mr. Trump alone.  Mr. Trump's rallies were open pretty much only to supporters.  Anyone who protested might be ejected or in some other way abused by the crowd.  Mr. Trump's handlers took care of all of this, but is hard to believe Mr. Trump was unaware of it.  He certainly did use it.

If a significant proportion of voters are primed to respond reflexively, wildly to words like wall, Crooked Hillary, immigrants, coal, Mexicans, fake news, they can be induced to believe Mr. Trump is the one who will take care of their fears and anger related to these.  And, as a white male, he will not be Obama, the person Mr. Trump implies destroyed their precious country.

All of these trigger words involve lies on the part of Mr. Trump.  His wall would be built by Mexico.  Hillary Clinton has done something, supposedly related to emails or Ben Gazi, that is indictable.  Mexicans are rapists, and immigrants are criminals.  Good coal jobs are coming back.  The mainstream media produces fake news; only those sources that like Mr. Trump are producing real news.  And, Mr. Trump thinks he invented the term "fake news." 

It does not take much effort to identify the lies, so why don't the "believers" check it out?  I suspect it is a kind of mass hypnosis.  This can happen when one is in a crowd where everyone seems to share a world view.  Everyone yells and cheers at the same words and phrases, and everyone has a common enemy or target.  It is possible that every time the word is spoken, the response is immediate, and a pleasure hormone is released which helps to fix the connection between the speaker, the word, and the good feeling.  Logic/reason has no place here.  Those affected may also associate the good feeling with the voice.  Whenever they hear Mr. Trump speaking, the associated feelings are aroused again.  And, the media certainly does broadcast his voice a lot.

It is hard to counter this effect because even the lies can be manipulated to seem true.  We'll build the wall and pay for it, but through trade, we'll make Mexico pay.  We'll subsidize a few coal companies to keep a few jobs so it will look like coal is coming back, then, we'll cut assistance for renewable energy so there will be a bigger demand for coal.   

When people are hypnotized, they don't stop to consider their responses because their actions just must be right.  Right?

To help these sufferers, the mainstream media must step up.  When Mr. Trump or any of his surrogates lies, the lies must be identified as such, not just occasionally, but all the time.  They can use terms like not true. false, untrue, unfounded to mix it up a bit.  The identification of a statement as a lie must be clear whatever word is used.  And, when Mr. Trump or his surrogates call someone else's words a lie, the statement must be quickly checked.  If the claim is true, that must be called too.  If it is a lie about someone else's true statement or act, that must be forcefully identified as a lie.

Then, social media need to step up and police their services.  Manipulative bots need to be shut down and reports from users about these bots need to be taken seriously and addressed.  Human beings are susceptible to manipulation because we are often not prepared for the level of lying and deceit out there.  We all need to value truth over the lies no matter where it leads.  This can be a threat to those in power, but so what.  They chose to hold power, so they need to be held accountable, something we citizens have not done for a long time.

Mass hypnosis is not good for anyone, no matter the political leaning, but right now, conservatives are most vulnerable.  They need an intervention.

WHAT'S IN A NAME - THOUGHTS ON ANTONYMS

I read an article recently about a bill being proposed by Republicans in the House of Representatives.  The bill is designed to restrict student loans, increase money that can be borrowed for students attending for-profit schools (which have a history of discrimination, low graduation rates, and other financial problems), and change the way student loans are paid back.  Of course, the bill is called Promoting Real Opportunity, Success, and Prosperity through Education Reform (PROSPER) Act.  Hmmm!  This is an interesting title for an act that would do exactly opposite of its claim.

This seems to be a pattern within Republican circles lately.  I am not sure how long this has been going on, but I suspect a pretty long time.  It is the modus operandi for Republicans. 

It seems the purpose is to deliberately misdirect citizens and legislators as to the purpose of the bill.  The hope is that people will read the name of the bill and skip reading the contents.  Doesn't the title tell everything you need to know?

I noticed this when I learned that state legislators voted to destroy unions and called the bills "Right to Work."  They should have been called "Right to Wreck" but such a name would not win many friends, even Republicans, so can't have that.  We know the result.  Workers' pay has remained mostly static for 40 years.  It is unions that cause wages to rise and workplace conditions to improve.

Then, in the early 2000's, the Bush Administration passed "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB)  The design of the law emphasized underfunded testing and other education-related factors that ended up leaving a lot of children behind, particularly those in poor, disadvantaged communities.  Schools were labelled on the basis of the results from tests designed by representatives from privileged districts and others who knew little about how education works.  In this case, one might imagine that Congress wanted to help, but their lack of knowledge of schools and the education system let them believe this would work. Maybe . . .

So, if you really want to know what Republican bills are actually about, think, "what is the opposite of what the bill's title claims?"  That will be it.  So much for truth in advertising. 

This continues today.  For example, The Religious Restoration Acts are proposed in many states where Republicans have a majority in the legislature.  This act allows "religious" people to refuse service to folks they do not agree with religiously.  Another bill is the Tax Cuts and Jobs Bill which became the 2017 tax cut mostly for the wealthiest individuals and corporations.  These entities already informed us that they were going to use their big tax break to buy up their stocks.  Jobs were not on their agenda, neither were higher wages. 

Watch the news source you depend on and you'll see plenty more of these.  If a Republican or conservative proposes the bill, check the title and think, "opposite."

Outrage Fatigue

by Ruth A. Sheets

The other day, in passing, I heard a term I instantly knew could be applied to me.  The term, Outrage Fatigue.  Wow, that's it!  That's what I have!  I have been hoping for a diagnosis, but nothing I could name fit better what I am experiencing.

It started almost 3 years ago when Donald Trump slid down an escalator into the 2016 presidential campaign.  He rose from reality TV star to media darling.  They covered every action, every word as though he were a major cult leader or movie star of the past.  He said and did things that by any standards should have been seen as appalling, unacceptable, but were applauded and shared. 

When Mr. Trump was challenged on any of his actions, he turned on and insulted those who called him out.  The media loved it all.  It was theatre and they gave enormous time and effort on Mr. Trump's behalf.  Many other candidates opposed Mr. Trump, but they were barely heard and seldom seen.  During debates, Mr. Trump was permitted to insult, step on other candidates' time, and not answer questions.  No brakes were placed on anything he said or did and the media claimed people loved it all.

When the election came down to just two candidates, Mr. Trump and Ms. Clinton, Mr. Trump's shenanigans were often the opening news story.  For the purposes of equal coverage (which of course, was never equal), listeners and viewers had to be reminded of either Ben Gazi or missing emails on the part of Ms. Clinton despite the fact that both had been investigated and set aside.
Since the election, Mr. Trump has appointed people to offices for which they are completely unqualified.  Many actively try to bring down the department they were approved of to serve.
 
Anything Mr. Obama got done during his 8 years in office must be overturned by Mr. Trump.  He put his racist self and team on the task and forced changes that did not need to be made.  The Senate rolled over and approved his appointees and stood up to none of the moves, even when they were designed to harm the people living in this country. 

Mr. Trump lies with impunity on a daily basis.  He insults anyone who opposes his actions.  He changes his mind depending on who he speaks with last.  He puts us on the brink of nuclear war and insults a military family, and the military unless he is getting them to plan a parade he can watch while orgasmicly smiling at missiles and tanks riding by. (what are we celebrating, Mr. Trump, of course)

Drilling in our coastal waters and National Parks, purging voter rolls to eliminate non-Republican supporters, imposing travel bans for people from mostly Muslim countries, attempting to end the DACA (Dreamers) program, ending net neutrality, increasing restrictions on abortion rights, eliminating clean air and water standards, suing states that don't want to abuse undocumented immigrants, Giving massive tax breaks to the wealthiest among us, levying tariffs on steel and aluminum, and on and on,.

The point is, there is little or no evidence that any of these moves make America safer or more prosperous.  But, alas, that does not matter.  It is about wielding power.  The Trump campaign helped Russia mess in our elections and yet, little has been done beyond appointing a Special Counsel who is always at risk of being fired if he gets too close to what really happened.  In any other time, this would have been treason, or at least a "high crime or misdemeanor."

The problem, this insanity never ends.  Every day, with every news broadcast the media opens with a Trump story, isn't he the only story?  He isn't and we need to stop acting as though he is.  Each time he is at the center, Mr. Trump gets a hit of ego boosting hormones.  He is clearly addicted and the media and Mr. Trump's followers keep supplying the drug, their adulation. 

And so, I have outrage fatigue.  I am outraged at the ways my country is being undermined by the current president with the support of Republicans in Congress.  I sign petitions, have made phone calls, attended marches, and watch the comedy that lampoons this insanity.  These used to help, but lately, not so much. 

Mr. Trump has surrounded himself with too many bad actors.  Nearly everyone in the highest positions in our government has chosen not to act on behalf of the American people, but for the benefit of large corporations, sources of big money for Mr. Trump, his businesses and his wealthy supporters.  This gang is making destructive pronouncements on a daily basis.  It is impossible to keep track of all of them.  The Congress passes midnight laws with only Republican votes, no hearings, few if any Democratic contributions.  These laws have profound, potentially disastrous impacts, but They are, nonetheless, victories for Mr. Trump and that's what counts. 

How can one feel anything but outrage?  I am trying to figure out how to keep my head on straight through this dark time.  I am looking for the energy to keep up with it all, and  to continue my protests.  Ah, isn't outrage fatigue on the part of opponents what Mr. Trump wants (that is if he  had any idea of what he really wanted) outside of getting his ego massaged. 

Yes, I will commit to keep fighting because that's what I must do, but it won't be easy.  Instead of fund-begging candidates and petitions that go nowhere, I need direction, support, and a coherent message from candidates toward a just and peaceful future.