Friday 11 June 2010

FREAK OUT AND BE COOL


There is nothing that can send my blood pressure from 0 to 60 faster than politics (obviously if my blood pressure were in these ranges I’d be dead, but you get the point). Okay, that’s not exactly true; overall human ignorance and stupidity are in hot contention for this prize, but politics for its sheer hypocritical pointlessness can send me round the bend pretty quickly.

I just read an article in which the intellectual giants of the news media postulated on why President Obama could not (and should not) be the ‘angry black man.’ Before I launch into my tirade – as you know I love to do – the mere fact the news media feels compelled to address this ‘issue’ (theirs, not mine) makes me a bit ill. But of course as much as we all pretend race is not a factor in this man’s presidency, it of course shall always be. SNORE. Rome was clearly not built in a day. In this case, it’s going on about 300 years of construction.

So, in short, there are critics – as there always are – who are saying that Obama is not showing enough anger when it comes to the epic disaster that is occurring in the gulf thanks to the idiots at BP (it has now been revealed that safety measures for the rig workers were not always enforced and the amount spilling into the ocean was much more than once reported; so in my book, they’re idiots). Fine, it was an ‘accident,’ but seriously if we’re going to have pipelines in the ocean should we not have some serious contingency plans in place for when screw ups like this happen? Anyway, these critics in America want to see Obama exhibit rage, hot blooded emotion…in short, they want him to momentarily lose his shit, throw his arms into the air and holler ‘damn you BP, you’re going to pay!’ as he dramatically grabs Rahm Emmanuel by the throat in an impromptu show of – whoever is standing next to me is going to feel my wrath!

Of course, the article is quick to counter that there are of course those on the opposing side of this argument that do NOT want to see Obama be the angry black man, in fact it would be detrimental to his presidency. They want the docile intellectual that went to the Ivy League school, the black man they can handle and not feel threatened by, you know, the black man with no baggage. Seriously, I feel ill even writing this. And furthermore, if they had seen the black man with anger issues and bitterness that even hinted that he harbored resentment at the history of his ancestors, well he wouldn’t have gotten their vote. Cause gosh, god forbid the man has emotions and feelings about being a black man in America – a society that wants to essentially erase its egregious wrongdoings in history.

How about, our President, no matter what bloody color he is, should keep a clear head no matter what the issue. How about, if our President lost his shit over every issue, I’d worry the man or woman was unstable and wouldn't want him leading our country! And moreover, whether he gets angry, or does not get angry, he’s still going to make someone else very angry somewhere around the world…..Are you confused – yet highly amused yet?? In short, unless he walked around like Jekyll and Hyde on crack bouncing from emotion to emotion, it does not seem anyone is satisfied.

But this is the joy and lunacy of politics; there are simply too many people to please. Over on this side of the world, the Brits are complaining that Obama has come down too hard on BP  – which in their eyes reflects on Britain of course - and well, how bloody dare he tarnish the name of a company that has ruined our oceans. [In short, get angry, but not THAT angry, and certainly beware of where you direct it!]. "It’s bad economics; it was an accident they cry! Leave poor behemoth BP alone!!"…..Spare me. Oil companies are the last places I’m putting my sympathy, and those pensioners they’re trotting out for public sympathy would be the first sold and drained of all their money – by those in power of course - if it was a different situation. More importantly, I’ve yet to hear who should get the blame in all this from those trying to deflect the blame from BP. How about we start there?! Wait, why don't we ask the fish choking on globs of oil who they want to blame, they might have something useful to say?

And herein lies the irony – politics by definition (mine anyway) means you can’t please everyone, in fact, you can just give up cause there will always be a corner of wankers - oops, sorry; I meant to say pundits and opposing party members - who gripe and moan and say that whoever is in power is doing an awful job and should be acting instead as they would in the same situation – cause they are such paradigms of moral rectitude and knowledge. You see what I mean, utterly pointless.

Guess that’s the joy of being a normal, everyday citizen. I can get angry – or not – and no one really cares. Well my partner thinks it’s kind of amusing – and at times exhausting - when I get all riled up.

I think Mel Brooks had it all wrong. It kind of sucks to be the king.
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