Humpty Dumptyish

The decline of civilizations and democracies starts slowly and does not seem particularly onerous

Here’s a phrase that describes how a majority of citizens in the U.S. see their country now: down is up, paralysis is progress, enmity is harmony, stupid is smart, villain is victim, disgrace is honor, plutocracy is populism. Irrational citizensare sure this is a good thing. They, of course, don’t perceive themselves as irrational but justifiably angry about what has happened to their country and their lives. When presented with information that they don’t want, they prefer to dismiss it as fake and thus not real.

Being on the “winning side” has become their touchstone, justifying all that is reversed. And yet, there is an obvious cost to this that they fail to perceive…beyond the fact that “winning” doesn’t mean either a majority or permanence but rather an alarm to those citizens who allowed this to happen. The resistance that has come into being is a direct result of many realizing that things can only get worse before they get better…and they really, really must get better for many good reasons.

Winning can easily become losing for those who angrily voted for chaos and disruption. By definition, chaos and disruption represent the absence of predictability and a loss of control. What if, for example, “draining the swamp” actually turns out to be permanent tax cuts for the elite establishment yet eventual increases for many in the working and middle classes. And what about a loss of affordable health insurance if a way can be found to end it for millions.

Is it possible that those who believe they are on the winning side but have no ideological interest in these changes will have actually facilitated them? Unintended consequences are precisely the result of not paying wider attention to what chaos and disruption might mean.

One wouldn’t have to be a lifelong pragmatist to perceive that those with strong ideological persuasions could and would use chaos and disruption to move their agendas forward with the help of a president who mistakes brain activity for intelligence and wisdom. Angry white rural voters didn’t plan on this when they voted for him. This means that environmental regulations affecting health — such as clean drinking water and air — can be weakened or removed. Policies making internet services a utility for the greater good and network neutrality for open access to all can be reversed for no compelling reason, consigning those living outside of urban/suburban areas to permanently slow internet and higher costs.

Once there is inertia, chaos and disruption take on a life of their own. This is why it seems that even sexual harassment and assault of various kinds — including with those who are under age, may not be sufficient to change the minds of those who should and do know better. Right and wrong have been swapped by some who would not personally tolerate these behaviors themselves or with family and friends. Even those who are deeply religious seem able to hold both views simultaneously without regret.

The decline of civilizations and democracies starts slowly and does not seem particularly onerous. But over time the accumulation of the decay of democracy, the rise of economic inequity and the diminishing of the greater good, combined with the rise of plutocrats and an oligarchic class, become evident. The reversal of what is considered normal and abnormal, the rise of propaganda and the disdain for a free and open press by those outside the mainstream aid in this.

Unlike Humpty Dumpty, what is needed is not all the king’s horses and men — neither kings nor autocrats are friends of pragmatic moderates. What is necessary are large, sustained push-backs by the majority that demonstrate a refusal to allow those who know the least and have more anger than wisdom to destroy what we consider normality and civility. Extremism, nationalism and hate have to be soundly rejected. Real and fake cannot be allowed to be turned upside down.

America cannot be great by trying to turn back time. We can fix what has gone wrong by making mainstream values matter, and insisting that tolerance and free speech can coexist. The tyranny of the political minority must end. This isn’t idealistic…it’s pragmatic.