In the Age of Trump, Look Hard for the Light
“There are cracks in everything, that’s how the light gets in.”
— Leonard Cohen
Things we care far too much about and do not need to...
- Assessing Blame
- The Lives of Celebrities
- Trying to Impress People
- Televised Politics
- Being Outraged
Instead of attacking and reforming a System that allows murderous, racist thugs to wear police uniforms and kill without consequences, we attack "police."
Instead of finding better ways to communicate about the perilous rape culture in our patriarchal society, we attack Nate Parker
Instead of simply boycotting businesses that do not provide a living wage to employees, we rally our attention and energies around the meaningless fight between Apple and Samsung and Google.
The ugliness and juvenile nature of the current (and blessedly soon to fucking end) presidential race is a distraction. The coming consequences of a coming historic loss will seem like the most important thing in the world but it isn't.
In order to change the course of the giant ship known as Society, having a tiny portion of the population comprehend the problems that need solving and the true sources of these problems is not even remotely close to enough. It is the buy-in from the masses who think that we aren't wearing enough hats that is required. And those masses WANT to be DISTRACTED. We love it. We actively seek out distraction like cocaine addicts ready to snort anything that resembles white powder.
These are the cracks in the paint or the porcelain. These are the fractures in the character of humanity.
But the cracks let in the light. Sometimes the light comes in the form of a Netflix superhero who transcends the genre and promotes a truly progressive agenda amidst the thrills. Sometimes it comes in the form of a person fighting for a Food Bank in the middle of Nowhere. A poet creating beauty in the face of apathetic consumerism. An activist telling bullied kids that it will get better.
Look for the light.
