Saturday, April 05, 2014

The Loss Of Individuality

It's getting to be an awfully lonely world out there. Especially if the way you think is not the norm for where you are.  Individuality is no longer tolerated.  Opinion something to be disparaged.

In some cases this may be just, but if the opinion comes from information well studied it should be praised and considered, not condemned.

I look at the president of Mozilla who resigned after a mere two months in office.  His crime?  Several years ago he signed a petition in support of prop 8 in California.  The prop that was for the ban of gay marriage.

Being his personal opinion and long before his current stint at Mozilla he had every right to do so, but no.  Not in today's climate.  Then there is the group of Dartmouth students making ridiculous demands of the university, like spelling 'women' 'womyn' on rest room doors, and rather than telling them to take a hike, those in charge dithered.

Just like our President dithers on foreign policy, never having the courage to take a stand in fear of repercussions. If he had the courage we expect of our presidents he would have held firm on his red lines, but no.  It's easier to hide behind what everyone else is doing. Nothing.

It may be 19th century, but the individual Mr. Putin is accomplishing his goals.  Now North Korea has drawn a red line regarding their interpretation of aggression from the south.  That too may be pretty 19th century but knowing from past experience I'd take them at their word.  They have no use for this 21st century ideology only we seem to be following.  They, as with the Russians, ascribe to good old fashioned getting it done rather than talking it to death.

The world is being talked to death with no positive outcomes.  John Kerry is running around the world talking and talking and getting shunned every place he lands.  He no longer has the stature a Secretary of State once would have had.  He's just another man in diplomatic clothing running around talking.

It's sad.  Once we were a country made up of stunning individuals of great accomplishment.  Now we're just another country of people just trying to make their way led by a dysfunctional government.

If we can't find within our own ranks to get beyond our isolationist ways of thinking, declaring all who disagree an enemy, then we'll just be another state of junk waiting for the strong man to decide what to do with us.

Right now that strong man is Putin.  There is a reason why he keeps his ties with the likes of Syria and Iran. He knows our ties are all like us.  Weak, unsure, lacking conviction and bound together with the clones of 21st century thinking.

It gives a different meaning to the good old days, doesn't it?

1 comment:

Word Tosser said...

it works internally as well.. when in your memory has so many of the minimum ruled the mass? Every little group who is offended by something us older citizen took to be true.. is thrown away to satisfy the smaller group who is offended by what ever.. and it seems the majority is afraid to stand up, because it might cause them harm in one way or another..