I'm a comic nerd. I'm a political junkie. I am a soda addict. What do these three things have in common? Binary loyalties. Marvel or DC; Democrat or Republican; Coke or Pepsi. Each side claims ideological purity while convinced the other side is pure evil at worst, or just plain wrong at best. It helps ensure product loyalty and is a model we have seen these group further refine and limit.
We now see Republicans eat their own and Democrats eat their own; we see Captain America vs Ironman and Superman vs Batman. It is only a matter of time before Coke and Diet Coke heads find themselves at full scale war as well I bet.
What of Dark Horse Comics? What of Royal Crown Cola? What of the Independent parties? Non-factors the lot of them. Each is simply something people who obviously don't care indulge in; or are fringe-sitters trying to show they are free thinkers; or maybe are just anarchists mocking us all,right?
Coke would dominate if it weren't for RC Cola diminishing their market control. Marvel, with the backing of Disney, should just crush DC already, so why does DC keep ruining the market? It is the Republican's fault we don't like the Democrat candidate, right? It is surprising how easy it is to overlook one's own shortcomings when they can focus their hate and blame on something else.
People don't realize the popularity of things like Trump, Sanders, Deadpool, etc are that they are not par for the course...a course we are all sick of playing. These are fresh options: not remakes, reboots, or prequels. They are, for better or worse, evolution of old concepts..even cliches of them in many ways really. Sanders is a return to the old FDR Democratic values for better or worse. Trump is a return to the Know-Nothing Isolationist America First crowd. Both were responses to a dissatisfaction with the status quo and each transformed politics.
I'm a Marvel guy, but I dig DC. Joker is my favorite comic character and he isn't a Marvel character. I am a Left leaner, but am not a Democrat and have voted Republican in the past. I love Diet Coke only and that the flaw in my point, but the rest of it all stands: we need to look outside the box because the box was created by those eager to keep us limited in our choices.
If you limit your choices to only "left" or "right," you will miss moving forward.
7 comments:
You are right on this. I am thinking outside the box. I am not voting for prez. I like superman better then batman. Which is marvel and which DC? You make me wonder where I fit. As I never even know the label of what indo like. I am so glad you are writing again
For what it's worth, I read a lot of political commentary and I think you captured something here. Great use of humor and metaphor in order to make a serious statement about human nature. Mel Brooks, in my opinion, was a genius at this; marrying style with substance; and it's something that seems to come quite naturally to you. Very nice! Especially the point about how people blame others in order to avoid looking at themselves and their own shortcomings. That's a book in itself . . . .
I hope it's ok to comment further; It's taking me some time to digest the insights of your last post. I think you found your voice on this one. I wish we could all move forward and not take refuge in false ideological narratives that demean/delegitimize the perspective of the other side. Until we choose to let go of blame and hate and begin to examine our own biases we will always be on the inside looking out.
"Stepping out of the Box" is a lot like Richard Bach's stories in Johnathan's Living Seagull and the Tales of a Relucant Messiah. Many are not willing to concede or even admit there's another reality beyond what they already know; the existence of a place outside the box they inhabit. According to some of your posts of past it appears you've already encountered that on some level with other political forums. Even in Richard Bach's stories the transcending figures themselves, in the end, become despised and the object of blame and hate from those unwilling to change. It's ok, like some say here, we are stronger than we think; we can take it . . .
You know I like Lynard Skynard (Sweet Home Alabama) but I'm a Neil Young guy (Southern Man). I appreciate your call to ask us all to "step out of the box" and hope others hear you and follow the wisdom of your words. Thank you once more. Peace and Love
Of course it is. And you remind me of a song by the Drive-By Truckers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrG5_2-OH8c
"Now, Ronnie Van Zant wasn't from Alabama, he was from Florida, he was a huge Neil Young fan but in the tradition of Merle Haggard writing Okie From Muskogee to tell his dad's point of view on the hippies in Vietnam, Ronnie felt that the other side of the story should be told. Neil Young always claimed that Sweet Home Alabama was one of his favorite songs and legend has it that he was an honorary pallbearer at Ronnie's funeral, such as the duality of the southern thing. "
Drive-By Truckers
NO SHIT, REALLY? Love it!
I love it.
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