Danger!

If someone pointed a gun at me, I would probably feel threatened. It's likely most people would. Yet there are some people who feel threatened, not in the presence of a gun or other weapon, but simply because of the mere existence of another person. The color of a person's skin triggers a fear reaction in some people, so they believe they are justified in violently "defending" themselves from the threat.

Police who shoot Black people often claim they thought the victim was holding a weapon or making threatening moves. When they know their bodycams are running, why do they lie? I think it's possible the terror they feel at the sight of dark skin might actually make them hallucinate a weapon or threatening gesture. Would better training fix this? I don't know. Perhaps people who fear the sight of brown skin could use desensitization therapy, like phobia patients. Or perhaps they just shouldn't work in law enforcement.

 

Dangerous Things

Certain politicians love guns and fear books. But here's the problem. My neighbor could walk out to his driveway carrying an AR-15, aim it across the street at my kitchen window, and even if he wasn't a very good shot, he could do a lot of damage to the building as well as to whoever was unlucky enough to be standing at the sink.

The same guy could come out of the house with a stack of books and start throwing them. Even if he's got a powerful arm, I doubt any of those books would make it over to my house. He might dent a passing car.

And then if the same guy stood in his driveway and started screaming pronouns: "He! She! Them! You! It!" I probably wouldn't even hear him clearly enough to feel threatened.

Potty Training

Hubby and I spent nearly a year traveling throughout Europe. During that time, we encountered a lot of public restrooms. It wasn't at all unusual to find a restroom that was intended to be used by both men and women. In many cases, there would be a row of stalls for women on one side, and a row of stalls for men on the other side. The sinks, used by both sexes, were in the middle. In some cases, there were stalls marked for men and stalls marked for women, intermingled, with a few unmarked stalls, too. In some cases, stalls weren't labeled, and you just took your turn, regardless of sex. As far as I could tell, nobody suffered any ill effects from this. I only felt uncomfortable once. That happened when I used a traditional women's restroom that had attendants. Oddly, the attendants were all male. (I don't remember what country I was in at the time.)

The restrooms that were available to both sexes could have been used by people who were transgender, and nobody would have noticed. For most people, restrooms aren't places we go to report on who else is there.

Once in a diner in the U.S. I walked into the ladies' room and saw a man standing there. He had come in with his baby to use the changing table. I didn't feel threatened, but just went ahead and entered a stall.

Even in the U.S., where some people are hyper-aware of sexual division in public facilities, it is generally legal for a disabled person who needs assistance to be accompanied by an opposite-sex companion. After my accident, I was in a wheelchair for a while, and needed help in the bathroom. My husband went with me. Sometimes we used the women's room, sometimes the men's. We just rolled into the handicap stall and closed the door. Nobody fainted, nobody called the cops, nobody died. We both survived without permanent emotional trauma.

 

Them Books is Dangerous

My mother, staunchly conservative and a lifelong Republican, taught me that the reason we support public education is that everyone benefits from having an educated population. Today's Republicans, after shutting down the libraries and banning factual education, will be very unhappy 15-20 years from now when there is no one capable of developing new technology, or even repairing old technology; when they can't get lifesaving medical treatments because there wasn't anyone qualified to go to medical school; when TV shows are unable to entertain them because no one can write well; when even people in the most menial jobs drive them crazy by not understanding how things work. ^{@mrswest.bsky.social}

 

Breaking Up Is Hard To Do

I wrote this five years ago, but in light of current events, it seems relevant again.

Maybe it's really time to to divide the United States into two different countries. We’ll call them Trumpistan and, um... America! People will have a grace period of a couple of years to move to whichever country they prefer before the new rules take effect.

Trumpistan will be located in the old Confederacy States. Trump will be Supreme Ruler for Life. Instead of a cabinet, he’ll have a Council of Oligarchs, who will manage the various departments. Because the departments won’t actually do much, the Oligarchs will have plenty of time for cosmetic surgery and yachting.

Of course, people will still be allowed to vote -- for any candidate they like from the country’s only party, the Trumpicans.

Those opting to move to Trumpistan will give up Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid, and other government programs relating to health and welfare. Naturally, people will be able to buy health insurance. It won’t cover contraception – or really, anything, because sooner or later everyone has a pre-existing condition. Most people will pay for medical care and drugs out of pocket.

There will be no public education. Those who can’t afford a fancy private school can choose between a church school (where the history class will teach that Noah took dinosaurs on the Ark), homeschooling (rare, because most couples will have at least two full time jobs in order to afford health care), or simple day care (which will consist mostly of chain link fences).

There will be little need for publicly-funded infrastructure projects, like roads and bridges, since few people will have the time or money to go anywhere. Most national parks will be converted to coal mines and oil wells. The others will become Royal Hunting Grounds where the Oligarchs enjoy canned hunts.

In the meantime, back in America, we'll continue to use the U.S. Constitution, with a few small amendments. Gerrymandering will be made illegal, and the electoral college will no longer exist. Health care will be Medicare for All. Congresspersons will receive a salary based on the average income of citizens, and upon retirement they'll get the same Social Security benefits as everyone else. One idea from the Trump days will finally be carried out – we'll build The Wall – along the border with Trumpistan. ^@realrkwest

 

Not a Serious Candidate

Pat Paulson (1927-1997) was an Emmy-winning comedian who satirically ran for President several times. His campaigns received light-hearted press coverage; the reporters knew he wasn't a serious candidate. Even so, he did get votes in some primary elections (both Democratic and Republican), beating some of the real but minor candidates. In 1996, he received 921 votes in the New Hampshire primary, coming in second to Bill Clinton (76,754 votes).

Everyone in the media knew that Paulsen's campaigns were performances, and he was not viewed as a serious candidate. Years later, when game show host donald trump announced his candidacy, I expected the media would give him the Pat Paulsen treatment. Instead, the networks promoted him as vigorously as they could, catapulting a New York real estate conman into national office. It was even more of a disaster than most people predicted, leading to the emergence of a strange, fascististic cult.

Those People Are Dangerous

In the 1920s and 30s, there was a special propaganda technique used in Germany to make people hate and fear Jews and other minorities. If a Jew committed a crime, the news headline would state, "Jew convicted of theft", or "Jew murders neighbor", or whatever it was. They would often include a very unflattering photo, intended to reinforce racist stereotypes. If questioned (which rarely happened), they could point out that it was a true story, the Jew really did do that crime. But they never published headlines like, "Lutheran man accused of rape", or "Blonde Aryan girl caught shoplifting". The goal was to use this kind of repetition to make people feel that Jews were a class of criminals, responsible for most bad things. It worked pretty well, along with other tactics, and few German gentiles complained much when their Jewish neighbors were rounded up and "deported".

We see something similar here. The news site that proclaims, "Illegal immigrant robs Quickie Mart", or "Transgender athlete beats up on girls" never tells us that "Natural-born citizen shoots 5 people" or "Biological female stabs classmate". They are building a narrative about how the Other is bad and dangerous, even though this isn't supported by statistics.



Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

Ending Social Security

If you are retired or soon to retire, and you think the Republican plan to end Social Security and Medicare makes sense, think again. Ask your doctor's office how much an office visit costs an uninsured person. Ask your pharmacist for the full retail price of the medication you take.

Do you have a 401k or other retirement account? Will it be enough to pay your bills and allow for some occasional fun?

Do you think you can just move in with your adult children or grandchildren? If so, are you sure they would welcome you? Do they have room in their home? Who would you share a bathroom with? Would they expect you to be an on-call babysitter for small children? Do you and they like the same kind of food? How much money can you contribute toward groceries, rent/mortgage and other household expenses? Do you approve of the way they clean house, or the way they cook? Do you approve of the way they are raising their children? Do they perceive your helpful suggestions and comments as interference? Do you believe they'll be able to support your needs if you become disabled or if you require full-time care? If you become incontinent (like over half of older people), do you want them to have to change your underwear?

If you'd rather keep your Social Security and Medicare, the time has come to vote for Democrats, all the way down the ballot.



Image by Besno Pile from Pixabay