Consequences Matter

That the state of our national politics is a bit chaotic would be an Olympic-medal-worthy understatement. The loudest voices count on the great majority of Americans paying little if any attention to the critically important nuances and details regarding policies and directives. Truth and integrity were early casualties. The foundation for what now divides us: verbal potshots; unsettling catch phrases; assorted political stunts … that’s what most of us remember. Benefits? Difficult to find.

Our politics are now routinely defined by too many distractions featuring partisan nonsense and a glaring lack of honesty, integrity, and good faith. If only more of us understood the intent behind those efforts. Seemingly benign offerings may tell a story. They do not tell those that matter.

How are the cultural tensions (which Donald Trump is so maniacally focused on sustaining and deepening), of any benefit to us beyond the moment at hand? Unfounded/hyper-exaggerated fears encouraged by Trump, and the assorted levels of cultural foolishness required of all participants to keep those fires burning, are useless if addressing legitimate problems matter at all. Appeasing those who draw perverse satisfaction from a return to awful chapters from the past should not be anyone’s priority.

What happens if the manufactured tensions, baseless provocations, purposely incendiary language, and not-so-veiled threats continue to escalate in intensity? It should come as no surprise that certain leaders and their elite cohorts are the only ones safe…