Tales from the future undoing of america - Laugh Track optional
Narrator: Everyone all across the country was watching the telethon. From what was left of New York, to the first all-gay state, North Dakota. All eyes were glued to their sets...
[shot of men at stand-up urinals watching television]
Narrator: ...which in some cases, ruined a lot of good shoes.
America is still in a rut, a kicking an ole’ can down rain water run off channels in a deserted train yard blues. Yeah, we in a heap trouble people.
While reading about what would happen if the US defaulted on its loans by failing to raise the debt ceiling it suddenly hit me. After I got myself off the floor and cleaned up the spilt beer it hit me again, but this time I was ready for the idea and stood my ground. The idea is that I have already seen this movie- years ago during the early days of HBO late, late at night. I will admit to being just a bit afraid of the fact that we are living through the basic script of ‘Americathon!”
If you are not familiar with the 1979 movie starring Jon Ritter, Harvey Korman and a special appearance by Meatloaf - yes that Mr. Loaf- the movie is a comedy about the governments attempts to prevent its creditors from foreclosing on it. The country is in dire straights with the new Indian (Native Americans, this was 1979 after all), nation rising to an economic powerhouse ala Walmart as owners of N.I.K.E (now , National Indian Knitting Enterprise) to whom the country owes a billion dollars to. The Answer? a Telethon, no an Americathon! to raise the funds needed to avoid foreclosure. Sound familiar? Perhaps not as the film appears to be, sadly, out of print.
The movie also predicted several other salient items as part of the story line, namely (via Wikipedia entry)
- The People's Republic of China embracing capitalism and becoming a global economic superpower.
- Cliques of Native Americans becoming wealthy (although in reality much of their wealth would come from the gaming industry, mostly from tribal casinos).
- Nike becoming a huge multinational conglomerate (In 1979, their "Tailwind" running shoe was just starting to gain popularity).
- Vietnam becoming a major tourist attraction among Asia's wealthy and powerful
- The continued existence and popularity of The Beach Boys in 1998.
- The collapse of the USSR.
- The depletion of US crude oil production, which, according to Hubbert's Peak theory, was already underway for several years at the time the film was made (Hubbert estimated in 1956 that the year of peak oil extraction in the United States would be 1970.).
- Jogging suits becoming fashionable as "casual wear".
- Reality television reaching absurd limits. (The telethon includes a boxing match between a mother and son. The son is played by Jay Leno.).
- An America with a devalued dollar and heavily in debt to foreign lenders.
- The United Kingdom relying heavily on tourism for income (In the film, England is the 57th state with London turned into a theme park named "Limeyland" and 10 Downing Street turned into a discothèque).
- Network television dealing with previously taboo subjects accepted as normal. (Monty Rushmore stars in the sit-com, "Both Father and Mother", and plays a cross-dressing single father in the titular role. The film's narrative also mentions "The Schlong Show", a game show where contestants are judged by their reproductive organs.)
- Smoking being banned.
- A great increase in homelessness (Homelessness began to greatly increase in major U.S. cities during the recession of 1982 and the simultaneous cutting of the Section 8 program by the Reagan Administration).
Not bad for a bunch of yuksters, no?
The bigger question is just why can we not get ourselves out of this mess. The answer, not surprisingly, is politics. “United we stand, divided we fall” so goes the song lyric and baby are we a divided nation. I am not revealing any new truth here but it does seem to me that the gap of polarization has almost become insurmountable. All too often disagreements on social or economic topics degenerate into ad hominem attacks and accusations of being the agent of some disruptive outside force (commie, socialist, the devil, fascist, feudalist). Whatever happened to the days of our fore-fathers who could argue vehemently and passionately for an ideal, curse the man across the aisle only to buy him a beer and carouse till 2am after the sessions had ended. Perhaps I am having wistful memories of things that never happened, believing the fairy tales of third grade civics class. Maybe we have really always been a divided country, our perceptions exacerbated by social media and our recent ability to filter the news down to a granular level of personal taste.
Today we can basically ignore any other opinion than our own by actively choosing to read only the news outlets, blogs or friends with whom we agree, dissenting voices are ignored or worse- censored/ blocked. A few keystrokes inside your news aggregator or social platform and your cone of silence is complete.
At the birth of the ‘new partisan politic’ when the new conservative movement and the old school social liberals began having skirmishes over ‘Reaganomics’ leaders like Tip O’neal and Ronald Regan considered themselves ‘friends after 6PM and would meet each other for drinks to swap stories and work out compromises. Today politicians fear being seen being even mildly civil to one another for fear that their party associates or constituents would see them as being not conservative/Liberal enough and thereby be shunned and voted out. The number of incidences where a the party construct actually goes after its own members - even seeking to deny them re-election - for the slightest infraction to the party line are dramatically rising. we have truly entered the era of cutting off the nose to spite the face- consequences be dammed.
I may be labeled a radical moderate for dreaming of a return to a time when partisan regimentation faded as one exited the halls of government yet, as John Lennon sang - I am not the only one. Conservative commentator and former George W. Bush speechwriter David Frum has issues with the divide as well. In a recent Marketplace article he bemoans the fact that legislators no longer live or take residence in the DC area with their family. This simple act insured that political opponents encountered each other in more social settings, their kids would go to school together and spouses mingled in shared social circles. Today, Frum argues, legislators rush home and meet with constituents - a good thing one would think. Mr. Frum questions just which constituents make it to these “Town Halls”:
Members hear from retirees, from the hyper-partisan, and from the affluent. But they don't hear from everybody. Mothers of young children tend not to go to town halls. Anxious 20-somethings are seldom seen. - Building Trust in Congress, Marketplace 6.8.11
Alright, you may say, this IS an issue but the true dysfunction and hyperbole is limited to the large national governing apparatus dealing with the giant issues of the day - local politics, one may argue, is different these folks are actual neighbors. If you are still living under this utopian pipe-dream I suggest that you sit down for this next part, your heart may not be able to take the shock.. WBEZ’s ‘This American Life’ recently broadcast a show of three acts under the title ‘House Divided”. Act one- titled “WAR OF NORTHERN AGGRESSION” details one Wisconsin district in the midst of a recall election. Neighbor turns against neighbor, friend against friend and family against family. The story is a shocking and sad example of the toll our current extreme politics has taken. Listen to the radio show for I cannot do justice to it here.
Earlier I called myself out as a ‘Radical Moderate’ yet I have been guilty of the same reactionary vitriol. Why? I once described my outbursts as only logical response of the bleeding heart who would no longer turn the other cheek. I thought that i was declaring war, a righteous war fueled by the political social messages of hardcore punk and the blood being spilled in the streets. I now realize that this was misguided. Not message nor the sentiment but the belief that violence whether physical or intellectual can and should be brought to the political debate. Having been the victim of egregious bullying during my youth I knew full well that striking out in a full and unrepentant manner can be effective - at least for a time. The error is in believing that it is a long term answer. Yes, it may be necessary at times but when the thrill of the fight become tantamount to the greater good it becomes a death match with no survivors.
I am trying to change my ways, not roll over or ever give the other cheek again but to strive for a middle ground where relationships work toward a functioning society. Can we do this before the next civil war truly tears us apart?
