Canning the "Cancel Culture"

Tyrants and totalitarian regimes down through history have sought to leave their mark on society. Many start off with good intentions, but power, as they say, tends to corrupt. They often find that they are always in need of more power in order to root out and destroy all the evil they find. There is never quite enough of it--power---or the time they need to accomplish their goals.

One of the most common ways tyrants---whether they be rich Oligarchs, fascists, or someone "from the people"---has been to rid society of the outward signs of corruption as they see it. Typically this is in the form of books, art, statues, and even names. In ancient societies, for instance, certain names fell out of favor since they hearken back to a time and regime which were seen as symbolic of evil.

During the Protestant Revolution as an example, people stopped naming their children after popes or saints. Instead, they named them after many of the Old Testament patriarchs.  During World War I, names were often changed to make them sound less German.

The British Royal family, which had deep and recent German roots, changed their surname to Mountbatten-Windsor from the much more Germanic sounding Saxe-Coburg-Gotha.   Many a "Johan" or "Karl" became "John" and "Charles". During World War II, the Nazis questioned anyone with a "Jewish" sounding name, names were changed again. After the war, you couldn't find an "Adolf"!

Throughout history, statues and artwork representing the opposing side were destroyed. In ancient Egypt, they priesthood of Ra not only destroy the statues of the so-called "heretic" pharaoh, Akhenaten and his beautiful wife, Nefertiti, they destroy the entire city of Amnara and used much of it as fill work  on newer projects. What wasn't used, was left for the desert to bury.

The reason was that Akhenaten had introduced a new religion in Egypt which focused on worshipping a single god---the Aten or sun, thus replacing the old religion and its priestly caste with its many gods. He moved the political and religious capitol (which had been Thebes) to a new city, Amnara, at great expense (most of it coming from the treasury and granaries of the former priestly caste).

With his death, the old priestly caste (with the support of the military) made a quick return, forcing Akhenaten's son, Tutankhaten, to restore the old priesthood and return the capital to Thebes. They even forced him to change his name, dropping the "Aten"  and becoming Tutankhamen.  The priests and supporters of Aten were largely murdered or forced to flee for their lives in exile (one theory says this was the basis of the Exodus story and Moses).

The Nazis destroyed statues, pictures, and books of not just Jews, but anyone they viewed as a threat. The infamous book burnings of the 1930's were conducted by the pro-Nazi German Student Union. The first books to be tossed into the flames were those written by Karl Marx, Vladimir Lenin, Rosa Luxemburg, and Karl Kautsky, but later included people like Freud, Einstein, Thomas Mann, and any books pertaining to socialism, Communism, pacifism, or were viewed as "liberal".

Other books consigned to fire and ash which promoted homosexuality, the "Jewishness" of Jesus or the his Apostles. The Nazis also added philosophy books by Heine, Kafka, Hesse, and Brecht. Expressionist art was banned, as was jazz music, and plays which included gays, Jews, or gypsies. Anything which didn't celebrate the "Aryan" ideal was viewed as unacceptable. They created a blacklist of writers, artists, playwrights, sculptors, actors, and musicians who were denied not just work, but even payment for work already completed.

No longer could Jewish actors find work. Studios (especially the giant movie studio Ufa) were forbidden to hire them and fellow actors were not allowed to either work or socialize with them. Radio shows who employed non-Aryans had to either cancel programs or find replacement actors. Needless, to say, Jews, gays, and gypsies from every sector of society were strongly "encouraged" to leave the country.

Nazi Germany, as terrible as it was, wasn't the only place where this happened. It happened elsewhere, such as Italy and Spain, and to other groups in other countries like Romania and Hungary. It also happened in Stalin's Russia, where people were literally "erased" from pictures, just as they were erased from history books. 

 Movies were re-edited to reflect Stalin's viewpoint, and this continued not just throughout Stalin's reign, but for decades afterwards. Many of the innocent "offenders" were either murdered or worked to death in the brutal gulags of Siberia. 

"Cancel Culture" has long existed, and has been known by many names. It's been used by the Right as much as the Left and just as effectively. Like with the Nazis and Communists before, people are being denied the opportunity to freely express themselves. They've been shouted down. They've been physically attacked. They've had their works vandalized or destroyed. Order succumbs to chaos. 

They are censored or shadow blocked, which I consider to be the coward's form censorship, and has affected numerous articles, vlogs, and blogs (including this one). Anything which challenges their fixed mindset is seen as a threat and must be eliminated overtly or covertly. But hiding behind "fact checkers" or "community standards" doesn't change it from what it is--- an attempt at intimidation to enforce conformity.   

Today, we're seeing statues of our Founding Fathers vandalized because, two hundred years ago, they owned slaves (or perhaps not). We ignore the fact that these individuals were constricted by the morals and laws of their time, yet we judge and convict them through the morals and laws of our present time. This goes for those who supported the Confederacy as well, who are now socially persona non-grata. 

It wasn't enough. Perhaps only a fool would have thought it would be. As a result, we engaged in the most brutal and costly war in our country's history. Not solely over the single issue of slavery as some want you to believe, but over many issues, mostly economic, which ultimately came back to the issue of equality of all. It wasn't long after that women were included in that equality with the right to vote, to work, to own property, and who to marry (or divorce). Revolutions often devour their own children.

The "Cancel Culture" of today seeks to deny us our voice; of expressing ourselves openly and freely without fear of ridicule or attack. They attempt to create division by promoting what separates us rather than what unites us, yet calling anyone who disagrees with them "fascist", "Nazis", or "racist".  It's an old lesson of tyranny, to accuse your opponent of what it is that you're doing. 

We are seeing the absurdity of the Cancel Culture unfold before us as they seek to eliminate cartoon characters like "Pepe La Pew" and "Speedy Gonzales" from popular culture. Why? Because Pepe (who was based in part on French actor Maurice Chevalier) was somehow promoting "sexual harassment".  As a result, the animated character has been removed from a kiddie movie, "Space Jam 2". I'm sure he'll disappear from the usual morning cartoon lineup too.  I wonder if they'll remove Augie Doggie because he's a straight single dad?

They claim Speedy Gonzales is a negative stereotype of Mexicans (and by extension, Hispanics) and yet he always comes out on top against "el gatito" every time. I suppose they'll go after "Porky Pig" next because he stutters! They've already tried to eliminate Elmer Fudd because he carries a gun (they allege he encourages violence). Have they never seen video games like "Call of Duty", "Mortal Kombat" or "Grand Theft Auto"? How about the violence in movies or music videos and songs? Talk about violence!

Perhaps they should consider Yogi Bear for stealing picnic baskets or Penelope Pitstop for being the perpetual "damsel in distress". or"Jonny Quest" for being "white privileged". Of course, you had Fred Flintstone not only holding a job, but working at quarry (obviously blue collar). That should offend everyone who doesn't want to work!  We can't forget "Hector Heathcote",  that Revolutionary-era patriot of all things American! He's is the anathema of the Cancel Culture. I can imagine they would never want kids to see that cartoon! Of course, we can't forget their efforts in removing Dr. Seuss! 

Although not consigned to the bonfires (yet), movies like "Gone With the Wind", "Blazing Saddles", "Breakfast at Tiffany's", Animal House, Airplane, and a host of others could never be made today. This is especially true of movies made during Hollywood's "Golden Era'.  Books like "Tom Sawyer" and  "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" aren't considered "PC". Neither is "Little House on the Prairie", "Peter Pan", "Catcher in the Rye", or "Indian in the Cupboard" among dozens of others. We need diversity of thought, even (or especially) if we don't agree with it. 

Crayola has announced they were dropping "white" from their color crayon line up (rumor have it that the color will remain, but the name changed to "plain"). The color "Flesh" is now "Peach". The VP of Marketing at Crayola, Charles Weston, said that they originally viewed the color "white" to be used for "coloring clouds, snowballs, and Republican Senators". He also stated that Crayola would no longer be including the white crayon in the hopes that "enable more coloring and less whitening, unlike American history classes".

So, where does that leave us? There's so much more we can discuss, but space here prevents it. We've all become accustomed to the usual flag burning or trampling which is aimed solely at provoking a response, or at the very least, gaining some attention. "Taking a knee" at sporting events failed to galvanize a nation. Instead, it enraged us, and as a result, cost the sports entertainment industry millions of fans and billions of dollars. What was moral is now reviled. Lies are truth from another perspective. Strength is seen as weakness. Up is down.

The Cancel Culture is about "cancelling" our culture as Americans, and that includes are collective values and traditions. It's little different from the Stalin or any of the other tyrants of the past except that it's here in America and it's happening now. They are political zombies bent on destruction. It includes not just our ability to live together, but to work out our problems peacefully. 

Cancel Culture is no different from the tyranny of the past. They seek to erase all that they fear by creating fear in us. Their aim is to convince us that we have no power to stop them, when, in fact, we hold all the power. We just need to speak out. 

Nazi Book Burning

 

Progressive! Crayola finally acknowledges the white crayonis useless

HBO Disarmed Elmer Fudd!

Speedy Gonzales Is the Latest Cartoon to be Accused of Perpetuating

 

 

What Was the Second Impeachment Suppose to Accomplish?

What was the purpose of the second impeachment; the real purpose? To answer that question, we first need to ask what's the purpose of an impeachment in the first place? The Constitution says it's to remove anyone found guilty of "high crimes and misdemeanors", but what does that mean?

Simply put, high crimes and misdemeanors are any crimes, regardless of the scale or type committed by an elected officer, whether is simply a matter of conduct, morals, or actual crimes such as thief of public funds, physical assault. Trump was accused of sedition because of text messages taken out of context, which ultimately proved to be a red herring.  So, was there an ulterior motive?

The purpose of the second impeachment was simply not just to remove Trump from office, but to ensure that Trump could never run for office again. They also have to destroy his character so that not just was his reputation ruined, but so was his credibility. Lastly, he had to be destroyed financially. They will keep Trump tied up in court on charges ranging from serious to petty, but all fictitious. Donald Trump has to be not just rendered a spent force, never to rise again, but also held up for all the world to see as a warning. 

As an aside, care to guess what the impeachment cost taxpayers? According to Yahoo Finance, the first impeachment cost about $11.5 million. As for the second impeachment, we simply don't know. Estimates range from 1.83 million up to $33 million.  The investigation and impeachment trial of Bill Clinton in 1994 cost approximately $80 million dollars. I suspect there's an estimate of the cost of the second impeachment out there...somewhere, but they just don't want us to know about it. 

Trump saw himself as a reformer; a crusader. Someone who was going to expose the corruption of the Beltway Mafia. A lot of politicians promote themselves as a reformer, but the truth is that they never are. They always claim that they are going to "stand up" to the villain de jure or that they are going to tell Congress, the State Legislature, or City Hall that we aren't going to take it anymore.

The truth is that no single individual is capable of doing a damn thing. Not even a small group of well intentioned crusaders can affect much change. The fact of the matter is, despite their intentions, they will either conform to the corruption, or they'll be isolated and removed.   As former Speaker of House, Sam Rayburn (D-TX) once famously said, "to get along you have to go along".

Once you're elected, your time and energy are directed to committees (especially fundraising for the party and committee chairs). The dirtier your hands get, the more you're trusted, the better the committee assignments and the higher you rise on the greased poll of seniority.  You stay so preoccupied, you have no time for actual reform other than, perhaps, superficial changes. "Window dressing" is always popular to sooth the unruly mob out in "flyover country".

 If you don't "go along", you'll be kept off important committees like the Ways and Means, Education, Appropriations, Budget, or Labor, and cut off from any campaign financial support. When reelection rolls around, the party bosses will find an "opponent" for you and you'll find few, if any friends, among your associates. some might give you words of encouragement but no actual support.

Their loyalties are to the committee chairs and to the party. They dare not risk "offending" the hand that feeds them.  If you manage to survive your contested election, consider yourself warned. You might not be so lucky the next time around. That's how politics is played.

Trump was elected to drain the swamp that is Washington. Instead, he found himself waist deep in a swamp filled with all sorts of nasty creepy crawlies. Every one of them has multiple heads with at least two faces. Trump was isolated. He had few he could trust or confide in that had any real clout.  We was cut off from his base.

Trump is now viewed as a warning to all current and future reformers by the Status Quo. There may be some typical cosmetic changes, but nothing of substance will be changed.  Power is never willingly surrendered. The elites on both sides of the aisle will take steps to ensure no one like Donald Trump will happen again while making it appear that all things are now possible.

That isn't to say that change can't or won't happen. It will when we start realizing that we have more in common than not and that we aren't each other's enemy regardless of race, gender, or any other artificial barrier leveled against us by those who seek to keep us divided.

The real enemy is a system which seeks to control and subjugate us for its own benefit; which has substituted our democratic Constitutional Republic with a Corporatocracy managed by a handful of super wealthy Oligarchs. It has gradually replace freedom with politically correct "right think" to quote from George Orwell's book, "1984".

We've become a surveillance state on our way to becoming a police state. Is that what we want for ourselves? Our children or their children? It will be, after all, the legacy we bequeath to them if we continue to do nothing.

The second impeachment attempt of Donald Trump was a more than a symbolic warning shot across the bow of our country. It was intended to let us know that any further attempt at resistance won't be tolerated. Our compliance is no longer being politely requested by the Status Quo. It's to be expected. Speak out and you'll be silenced. Resist and you'll be "cancelled". Act out and you'll be demonized, ridiculed...or worse.  

So, what will we do? Will we meekly return to our daily existence, perhaps muttering something formerly patriotic to ourselves as we shuffle along? Will we resort to acts of passive resistance like tearing off bumper stickers, wishing someone a "Happy Fourth of July", a "Merry Christmas", or flying the American flag?  Maybe we'll quietly cheer on someone who bravely and openly supports the Second Amendment or perhaps we'll discreetly read a non-conformist political blog!

Resistance is never futile. Nothing is too small. Every act, however insignificant it seems, is important. The Status Quo must never feel it's fully in control. It can never be comfortable with its power. It must always question itself and its decision.

Some people dislike Trump. Some were even happy with his impeachment. That's understandable. He can be abrasive, argumentative, and petty. He has flaws, just like the rest of us, but on a bigger scale because he occupies a bigger stage than the rest of us. The spotlight magnifies the man--warts and all---especially when it's his enemies behind the spotlight.

Nevertheless, we must look beyond the man to what he represented. Trump was seen as the embodiment of the "ordinary American"; as someone who loves this country and what it stands for, and has come to despise what it has become. We wanted Trump to "drain the swamp", and try as he might, the swamp, with its creatures on the Left and Right, was too wide and too deep. It stunned us. We were devastated to see who fought against him, and to what extent they would go to destroy him.

They weren't ultimately intimidated by Trump because they weren't afraid of the American People. The system was so corrupt that it insulated them from those they were supposedly elected to serve. We saw who they really represented, and it wasn't us. The mask had more than merely slipped. It was dropped and we saw the grotesqueness of what our once proud Republic had become.  

Now, we're back to business as usual. The Status Quo is back in charge. Of course, there will be some changes.  Both parties will make sure no one like Trump will again threaten to deprive them of their control and power. Challenges to the Status Quo will no longer be tolerated.

We're already seeing it on social media, TV, and even with our cultural icons like Dr. Seuss, Bug Bunny, John Wayne, and so on.  What was once seen as a threat will now be dismissed or ridiculed at best or demonized at its worse. Compliance will be made to be seen as traditional and rational.

Trump supporters are portrayed as buffoons or racists just as those who looted, rioted, committed vandalism and arson in 2020 are now labeled as "peaceful protesters". They may even be honored with the Nobel Peace Prize, which has long lost its sheen. Education seeks to install a distorted view of America. Colleges and universities discourage critical thinking and the open critique of ideas.

A timid society must be made timid from the beginning and kept timid. It must be reinforced by the media and incorporated into entertainment in order to be seen as normal and acceptable. That is how to gain and maintain control. It's happening. It's been happening.  The question is whether or not we will allow that to continue?

How much will the Trump impeachment trial cost?

Fact check: No evidence to support online claims impeachment cost $33 million