THE FUTURE IS SO DIM, YOU'VE GOT TO WEAR SHADES
I just love me a little uprising. In fact, I just finished watching the documentary ‘Inside Job,’ (if you haven’t seen it, watch it, but be warned, it will make you angry) and I almost started a revolution in our living room. The amount of corruption and greed out there perpetuated by the top one percent of our population at the expense of the rest of us is enough to make me storm Parliament – it’s much closer than the White House. Sadly, at the moment, I can barely storm into the next room thanks to the two new teeth coming through the King’s gums. So my revolution will have to wait a few months.
In light of the contagious revolt going on in North Africa over the past few weeks it seems that I am not the only one thinking that a massive uprising is long overdue; Needless to say, what has been going on has been horrific to witness; any bloodshed in the name of politics and freedom is a depressing part of the quest for liberation, but damn do you have to hand it to the people of those countries for their sheer conviction. I suppose I am surprised it took them this long; nothing like a little domino effect of revolution to inspire the oppressed. “Hey they did it, why can’t we?!” When you think about a country being ruled by the same ruler for decades upon decades, it suddenly dawns on you how lucky you are to be in a democracy – or some version of one. Let’s not kid ourselves.
And you just know that democratic leaders around the world are thinking to themselves – in private of course – "okay, we’re all for the whole elective government thing, but staying in power that long is pretty damn impressive. Intimidation, mass fear and oppression….damn, why didn’t I think of that first?!" Can’t you just see the wheels turning in George Bush’s head – “I just led a country into an unnecessary war, just think what I could’ve done if I had thirty years! I could've been King of the wooooorld!”
As for Gadhafi, is it me or in his latest speech to his country (and the world of course) did he resemble a more ethnic Obi Wan Kenobi with a little disco crazed lunatic thrown in? In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a leader work the monochromatic color scheme and expensive shades like that man does; Even Bono must be in awe of his collection. Must be a necessary accessory when one is sipping from the crazy pool and bringing genocide upon his own people.
It makes one wonder – or me anyway - how fine the line is between leader and dictator? Where is that mark in the sand that suddenly turns a man's self-belief and egotism into flat out delusions of psychotic grandeur? I bet we’re talking about millimeters. Give a man (or woman I suppose, but I doubt it; we're perfect :-) some power and a platform, and ensure that they can have that platform for as long as they want it, and you’re bound to have one out of control monster by the end of it.
One thing for sure, the King is never going into politics, that boy's will scares the heck out of me.