Politics

What is it about politics that seems to attract a certain breed of people?

To be fair we should understand that there are a few people in the realms of government that are reasonable and bright but many are not—or apparently so!

We must not confuse people who are intelligent with people who are smart or clever. Some of the most intelligent people I know are exceptionally stupid. Why? Because they are so wrapped up in their own, possibly complex, thoughts that everything else in real life passes them by.

So it is with politicians although, that said, many of them could be excused from being labelled ‘intelligent’.

The thing here is that I was browsing through people’s comments about the candidates in some election or other that is about to be held in America—or, more specifically, the United States of America. We shall refer to it as ‘The US’, for ease on my fingers.

I have to confess that the US political scene is not something that I am easily attracted to by way of interest and so most of the comments would go over my head.

Indeed, even now, I am not familiar with most of the people vying for some post or other. I suspect, but cannot put my hand on my heart and say for sure, that this post is that of POTUS.

I have come to understand that ‘POTUS’ is an acronym for ‘President of the United States’. We are fond, are we not, of acronyms?

Donald Trump is familiar because he has a television show that I have observed parts of on rare occasions. I have also heard the name Hillary Clinton mentioned in association with her husband Bill Clinton who, certain predilections aside, appears to be a reasonably bright fellow.

Of course, the name ‘Bush’ fills most reasonable people with a form of revulsion because of his familial associations. Strange, it may be that he is not like the others and is a decent chap. Who knows? Hopefully we shall never know.

The rest? No idea.

Upon doing a little research there appears to be a miscellany of oddballs involved. One is called Ben Carson whose day job is exploring the contents of people’s heads. I think he should explore the contents of his own and leave politics alone!

Among this plethora of strange people there springs up one called Bernie Sanders.

I have no clue whom this Bernie Sanders might be. The last ‘Sanders’ of American origin that I remember played American Football with some success. If memory serves me right his first name was Deion, or something similar, and he played for the ‘49ers at one time. I seem to have a notion of putting him with Joe Montana and Gerry Rice.

(That last sentence should stun my American friends!)

Barry Sanders, on the other hand, leaves me a bit cold for information. So I looked him up and read the comments.

He appears, at first sight, to be one of those rarities in the political world. Someone who is not only smart but logical.

I should like to think that he will go far but the likelihood is that ‘The Establishment’ (whatever that is) will beat him down one way or the other to negate any chance he has of success.

Still, nothing ventured, as they say.

But let me back up a little way.

This is not just about American politics.

Politics worldwide is a messy business. We have governments working hand in glove with the most disreputable characters on Earth. Some of those characters are part of governments that we, in all honesty, should not be friendly with at all.

The problem for us, at what is called ‘The Grass Roots’ level, is that we have no control over it.

Worse, we are conditioned to think in ways that are suitable for those who are entrenched in their power base—however transitory it may appear to us.

The United Kingdom has, essentially, a two party system that would indicate a lack of power available to ‘The Opposition Party’. But this is not so. They all have some power available to them.

We, the people, do not.

There is a call, in many countries—Iraq for example, for democracy. Look what good it has done them now they have it.

Democracy is an illusion.

Politicians will tell you all sorts of lies to get themselves elected—some may resort to scurrilous deeds and bribery as is particularly notable (but not excluded to) several Third World countries.

Once they are elected then you, Joe Public, may now go into your corner and eat worms because the politician will do whatever he feels like doing without so much as a by-your-leave.

He will also do whatever his leader requires him to do because disobeying ‘The Leader’ is political suicide.

He will also obey the whims of corporations from whom funds flow in large quantities.

You, dear innocent soul, will be largely unaware of all this because the media will paint all sorts of grim pictures in order to twist your mind to ‘The Right Way Of Thinking’, i.e., their way—the politicos way.

Now we see it on the Internet. People with all sorts of strange ideas will post unproven ‘facts’ because it suits their mind-set to do so.

Not only that but they have the same ideas as politicians because this is a disease that spreads through the weak of mind; those that have been seduced by the sensational images in the media into ‘Belief’!

To what ideas do I refer? The main one is that it is always better to bring someone else down. Make someone else look stupid or bad in some way. It is not necessary for you to have ideas or to be a good person as long as you can convince everyone else that ‘This Person’ is an idiot; clearly, this will make you look smart and feel superior.

There are a lot of people like that.

It is always easier to drag someone down rather than promote your own ideas, if you have any.

There is a whole new litany of insulting epithets appearing on the Internet to suit this drive. I do not wish to repeat them here because they are all, without exception, unsuitable for a family audience.

What does this have to do with politics?

Politics exist everywhere. There are politics involved in the office, on ‘Facebook’, in your local club or watering hole.

Somewhere there is someone who is making you think like they want you to think.

This is not democracy, this is not consultative, this is brainwashing.

That is what is happening Globally now.

Think about it. Don’t just nod—think.

Sermon over.