A Confederacy of Pundits
There are experts and pundits to cover every industry, calamity or celebrity. Regardless of a viewpoint, there will be some hack that supports that notion. There is substantial truth in the adage, opinions are like…
And speaking of opinions, part time actor and full-time political pundit Gov. Jesse Ventura has decided to weigh in on the controversy surrounding the continued, inexplicable display of the confederate flag.
“For these people that believe the Confederate flag is part of history and should be displayed, they’re correct. In the Museum, it does not belong being endorsed today by any government inside the USA, be it local, state or federal. We have to look at our past so we can learn from it, but we don’t need to flaunt it.”
It is very difficult to not agree with those words and the sentiment behind them. He succinctly stated a socially acceptable solution to the obscenity known as the confederate flag.
The flag is a horrific symbol of hateful rhetoric. No question. Everyone, well not everyone, can get behind the notion (there’s that word again) that the confederate flag should be remembered for what it represented, the despicable era in American history that found the enslavement and subjugation of human beings to be acceptable.
That’s exactly why we are now talking about the flag instead of the actual problem. The role of the political pundits in society is to sway opinion. Spin the story. Shape impressionable minds. In this respect, the politicos that deem it safe to tromp the Stars and Bars are in full spin mode.
Race, guns and social inequity are all difficult political topics. It’s very hard to take a stand without raising the ire of some portion of the electorate. Consequently, politicians and special interest groups use pundits to rapidly mitigate divisive issues with carefully crafted alternative narratives. These are really just verbal sleight of hand. Look at the shiny object!
Here’s the real story. It’s not just the flag that belongs in a museum.
The tragedy in Charleston is the direct result of current racism. Not something that happened 150 years ago.
As a society, as human beings, we can no longer tolerate any form of racism. It is not acceptable by any recognizable standard. There is no difference between this type of speech and yelling fire in a theater. Both are deplorable and completely lacking in merit.
Politicians should take a real stand. How about something like this…
The boy wasn’t born a racist. He was taught to be one. Somewhere in his past, someone failed.
Why are the people that taught the boy to hate any less culpable than the bartender that serves one too many drinks or the prison matron that aids and abets a prison escape?
Simply, they aren’t.
Here’s a notion.
The people that taught the boy to hate are just as guilty of murder. They should be tried, convicted and punished as accessories.
I wonder if I could find a pundit to support that opinion? Any takers? Jesse? Mitt? Cooter?
Pundits and politicians flapping their gums about something that everyone already agrees on isn’t powerful. Even worse, it stymies the conversation that could actually prevent another senseless tragedy. Don’t get distracted.
So, in summation, the adage needs to be updated.
Racists are a-holes. Don’t be one. Or a pundit. Instead, be the change.
