For some time I wondered about what a sorry ass country we have become.

[KlatooBNikto]

That feeling was heightened when I heard a plainspeaking Briton, George Galloway, who was able to speak in plain intelligible English and call things by their proper names. A lie was a lie, not a misstatement of facts. A hoax was a hoax not a misunderstanding of events.A smear was a smear not an inadvertent slip of the tongue.

Why have we in this country become incapable of speaking plainly like George Galloway? Apathy does not explain it.Lack of education does not explain it. My explanation for the momemnt is that our lives have become so complicated and dependent on external forces like corporate power way beyond our control that we have no choice but to become docile and subservient to these unseen masters.The more we see the evisceration of our jobs, the collapse of our industrial icons and the struggle all of us have to wage for feeding and clothing and housing our children, that struggle consumes all of our energies and we simply have nothing left to wage any other battles. That suits our masters just fine.

[orpupilofnature57]

1. Progressives on our side giving way to neo-con wacko's, Liberals

need a big come back, though it will take courage.Cooperating with this bunch is suicidal.

[dbt]

2. In a word: Consultants.

I learned to loathe these leeches many years ago, in the radio business. Therein, the first thing they do is "homogenize" a station, removing any rough edges, pulling all playlist songs that "don't test well," which is to say all songs that don't sound like they came from the same pop-chart, cookie-cutter assembly line. Anything that hasn't already been played to death doesn't stand a chance.

The next step is rein in all the DJ's except for the morning shows. Anybody else in any other daypart gets to read "positioning statements" and is heavily discouraged from doing anything original.

This is all done under the guise of "minimizing tuneouts." The end result is a station that's safe, bland and boring--with all the food value of a pork rind.

Does this remind you of your average, well-consulted politician?

[Paul Dlugokencky]

3. Consultants only as influential as allowed to be

Whether in business or politics, if someone is fearful enough of failing and lacks conviction in their own venture, they are doomed to be picked off by others who pose as though they have all the answers and can guarantee success.



http://www.cafepress.com/kickindemocrats

[orpupilofnature57]

4. Thats why J.F.K was going to break up the c.i.a, loathed expertise

Consultants are only culpable in the mob, the unprotected one I mean.

[orpupilofnature57]

6. KKKarl Rove, thats the harm a consultant can do,even Shrub looks smart

with the right consultation.

[Ruffhowse]

5. This country has gotten soft on material excess. Too much TV,

junk food, SUV penis envy, etc. This is not a literate country anymore. Very few people read, especially books and articles of substance. It's become more important to watch people eat bugs on Fear Factor. And corporate America takes full advantage of this mental sloth, manipulating us with a MSM blitz that most people are unprepared to defend themselves from. I fear the future will be one where most of America lives like a third world nation, with the corporate elite of our country living like kings.

[KlatooBNikto]

7. Although I agree with your basic premise of sloth and intellectual

laziness, I think our real problem is that we lack the time for contemplation because our entire population now lives on a treadmill with most of our time being spent on survival in this dog eat dog world of ours. We buy things we don't really need and we pay exorbitant sums to do it. We simply live beyond our means and do not have a way out of the trap we have set for ourselves.

[orpupilofnature57]

12. I call it " narcissistic fibrosis"

[mwb970]

8. That's the plan. (n/t)

[mopaul]

9. i guess people assume it's supposed to be this way

like when they tell you britney spears is great music, and millions go out and by it automatically.

people seem to think this is all perfectly normal.

[sweetheart]

10. Plain speaking scots

There is something about the culture of scotland, that wooly bullshit
does not float. The culture is plain speaking, and not violent,
expecially in the rural highlands. I find it to be one of the last
bastions of decent society in a world gone bonkers on commercial TV.

I know its impossible to do, but were americans able to impose a
television tax of 1000 dollars per TV, it would clean up the culture
radically, as those who are most debilitated by the tube could not be
in a position to afford it... resulting in a return to plain boring
life itself. Its too late, however, as pulling out the cable TV plug
is like taking away a heroin supply from an addict.

[chelsea0011]

11. British Parliament is always out there for criticism

You give a speech in Parliament and you get grumbling and noise from the opposition. That would never happen here. It's "my great friend from the great state" stuff and any noise gets a gavel. And for all Blairs faults, unlike Bush, he is willing to mingle among all the people. I was struck by an outing he was at and one of the guests standing next to him turned to another and said plainly pointing to Blair, "he has blood on his hands, did you know that", to another who shook Blairs hand. That would never get a chance to happen with Bush. Even during all Clinton's trumped up charges he would stop his motorcade in Boston and just get out to talk to people. All the people.

[Carni]

13. bush and his reich wingers are a symptom not the cause

I don't know what's going on but Americans really have become a bunch of jerks IMO.

There is nothing held sacred in this country that hasn't been marketed to us.

I am not talking about family values, or religious values (that's all marketed and prepackaged as well these days...and half of the people are just using those forums to network IMO)

I am saying that in general... all people seem to be interested in, in this country, is the illusion of *what life should be like*
that is presented to them in TV commercials.

[yella_dawg]

14. I disagree about causality.

Bush and TV ads have the same ultimate source. The whole thing is a single entity with numerous tentacles.