Fairness

There’s a saying that “life isn’t fair.” Okay, in a Darwinian sense, that’s very true. It’s true because of chance and circumstance. However, humans try very hard to make things fairer…for themselves…and vehemently object to being treated unfairly by others. This objection to unfairness brought those. such as the Calvinites, who were persecuted for their beliefs in Europe and Britain to the “New World” in search of religious freedom for themselves…and went on to institute the very same, and, in some cases, more violent, persecutions against others who did not embrace their religious doctrine. Wanting fairness for themselves, they were willing to deny fairness to others. Don’t you find that hypocritical? I do (though, I don’t find it surprising.)

In Israel, the Jews, victims of genocidal persecution, in turn now persecute the Palestinians, including invidious methods of genocide– denying water, livelihood, and shelter. The Jews wanted fairness, but refuse to, themselves, be fair.

In the U.S. today, I see a great deal of this kind of hypocrisy embraced–the “I’ve got mine, and I’ll deny you yours” mentality. I find this level of unfairness based in intolerance unacceptable, yet the socio-political direction most evident through the media, in the workplace, and in interaction between people online and off demonstrates to me that we, having been purposely factionalized by power brokers playing us for pawns for their own agenda, are evermore embracing unfairness, intolerance, and injustice. I think we really need to pull ourselves up and take a keen look at who we are becoming.

No, I Won’t. Don’t Expect It.

I belong to a number of organizations which focus on varied causes, from preserving our wildlife and wilderness and stopping starvation, deprivation, and/or cruelty to preserving our Constitution and Bill of Rights.  I sign petitions, write my congressional representatives and senators, and generally participate in the socio-political process, a “process” I find fundamentally flawed and tedious, but, nevertheless, necessary until and unless a better system is implemented (something I also work toward).

More and more, I find that, instead of email campaigns and petitions, I’m asked to spend time, effort, and money to “call” my congressional reps and senators–state, local, and federal.  This is asking way too much, and the answer is “no.”  Don’t expect me to add more to my to-do list, and, if you persist in hounding me to do so, you’ll lose my support.

Sleight of Tongue, an essay

This was written in December, 1991, but I think it is just as appropriate, maybe more so, now…or, at least, maybe it shows my consummate discouragement of Americans and America even then.  What most disturbs me is that this was the direction twenty years ago, and, despite all my efforts to the contrary, this malaise has become the standard.

SleightOfTongue_1991_2011

Characteristics of a Right Wing Social Conservative – the short list

They love:

* violent sports
* war
* cruelty
* watching others suffer
* hurting others
* reaping rewards at the expense of others

They hate:

* fairness
* equality
* anyone not of their particular faith
* anyone who has a different socio-political viewpoint
* anyone who has a lifestyle different than their own
* anyone not of their race
* kindness
* generosity
* peace
* tolerance
* anyone to prosper except themselves and their select circle

This, of course, isn’t a comprehensive list.  Do feel free to contribute.