I was talking to my friend at the gym today (by the way, did I mention I put up 265 lbs on bench on Tuesday?), and we began a short discussion about Arnold Schwarzenegger. I was trying to relay the idea that even though he’s made some cool movies, it doesn’t mean he should be running any kind of political office. He’s been quoted as saying that growing up he dreamed of being a dictator. Nice. Anyway, my friend made a comment that I got a hearty chuckle out of even though I don’t necessarily agree with it. But that’s humor for you. It was particularly funny what he said and the way he said it, and I’m sure I won’t do it quite the comical justice it deserves, since I will paraphrase it to the best of my memory. He said the reason that not everyone is a liberal is because deep down they know that most people are f’n morons.
This comment is basically saying that most people couldn’t handle getting money or power because they wouldn’t know what to do with it or would misuse the opportunity. Like giving an alcoholic on the street $200 for support and watching him step into the liquor store. I understand what the statement meant, and it’s a harmless joke if seen in the correct light. I think that people are stupid sometimes and they are dumbed-down and they are rendered powerless. Frankly, sometimes they are like walking zombies. Compassion says that these people have been manipulated and purposefully disempowered. Responsibility says that these people played a hand in their own delusion and they alone have the power to wake up. That said, feeling superior and wanting to control others is cold-hearted, regardless if you think it’s for their own good. It’s more likely that those in control seek power as an end in itself. Truth is, no matter if you’re liberal or conservative, we’re all in this together. There is never a need to take away a person’s human rights and dignity, no matter how ignorant she/he is.
The system the way it operates today isn’t just. There is no right to abuse people if they are ‘morons’, whether or not they brought it on themselves or they were brainwashed into submission. Oh, and Mr. President, no matter what John Yoo (co author of the Patriot Act) says, you do NOT have the power to authorize the raping of children in front of their parents as a ‘pressure’ technique.ÂÂ
P.S. I just had the idea that thinking others around you are stupid and need to be told what to do, may make you more likely to enjoy when the invisible (and visible) prison falls down around you. How about supporting people’s need to be involved in socio-political life, instead of taking away their decision-making power until they become complacent witnesses and then blaming them for their passivity?
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