Days of Whine and Poseures

Posted on February 1, 2021 by jharrin4
2021. One month old, here on its last day in January. Following 2020’s historically rotten, lousy, enervating, aggravating and more than anything, chaotic 12 months, many figured things had to get better with its passing. Has it? Uh, it’s a matter of opinion, for sure, but there are clear markers that have made January a jumble of ups and downs.****************************************** First a short overview: Just knowing that 2020 was finished, permitted a modicum of relief in and of itself. It was a loooonnng year. Good riddance. A symbolic sigh of relief. Totally just so damn finished with 2020! The year of frightful thinking. Wishful whimsy about literally adding a digit to the 21st century’s age was indeed in order.************************************************************* Clearly the ongoing pandemic dominated 2020, and it was early in January of the year when the moniker Covid-19 started its insipient emergence into the daily lexicon of our lives. There was “novel coronavirus” as a festering term as well. and by the time January 2020 ran its course, the virus had gotten a ride from Wuhan, China to the U.S. The infections increased. The pandemic was announced by the World Health Organization on February 11. Then, when the National Basketball Association abruptly cancelled the rest of its season on March 11, the dominos started to fall far, fast and wide. Shut down for most of the country was in place by St. Patrick’s Day. Sure, for most everyone the events of 2020 now represent the most wearily old, stale, funky tale ever—in spite of being barely a year old! That’s how bad 2020 was. Again, adios you worthless waste of a calendar year******************************************************* As for 2021? Let’s take a look. On the 5th of this month, run-off elections for two Senate seats took place. To many, it was rather surprising that both Democrats won. The result was the Senate now being controlled 51-50 by the Donkeys, owing to VP Harris having the tie-breaking vote, need be. For millions this made January a feel good in its fifth day. Hooray for that side! The System has a new master.**************************************************** Then came the 6th of January. Insurrection at the Capitol. Egged on by the (former) Commando-in-Chief. Angst, anger, revulsion, disbelief. Shock waves throughout the world. The 5th of January? Never mind. What was made clear is that the supposed greatest democracy on the planet was in shambles. The shake-out from that disgraceful, horrific event is ongoing. Major damage has been done to the U.S.’s world status. And worst of all, it was aided and abetted by factions of the U.S. Congress. However, other than some of the insurrectionists having been arrested, dozens and dozens of Republicans refuse to turn on their now-civilian former boss. In fact, while the Senate was awarded to the Democrats on the 5th of January, back on the 3rd of November,2020, someone was elected to the House of Representatives, ironically, from Georgia, where those two Dems squeaked out their victories. This new member of the House is rather symptomatic of the mindset of the backers of their out-of-office oracle from The Apprentice. She has stated–are you ready?–that the 2018 California wildfires were ignited by a space laser controlled by a corporate cabal of Jews. She also claims the Parkland High School massacre was a hoax. There’s more but that is enough.********************************************** You. Cannot. Make. This. Shit. Up.************************************************ So, that’s enough about the insurrectionists, both elected or civilian. On the 6th of January. Let us move ahead.********************************************* On the 20th of January a new President was sworn in (while 25,000 troops stood watch). So, 2020 was gone and so, too, the guy who made 2020 his most dysfunctionally grotesque year of his term. Whew! However, as I noted, dozens of his party’s members still infest congress unwilling to bolt from their willingly, obsequiously shackling themselves to a madman–with that gal from Georgia who is seemingly crazier than a shit-house rat–refusing to hold him to account for inspiring the Capitol invasion. Such a reality serves as a clear iteration of a twisted politically viral mindedness that holds sway in D.C., as well as many of their acolytes in the general population. Hold not your breath waiting for the guilty–or crazy–to be taken to task. We live in a deeply troubled country. It is a Systemic infirmity************************************************ So, not the most auspicious start for 2021. However, then came the 27th of January. And GameStop. Long story short–pun intended–Main Street crushed Wall Street. Comprised mostly of Millennials who grew up playing the kind of video games sold at GameStop, they noticed the big hedge fund operators trying to “short” GameStop’s stock. Hoping it would tank, the hedgers bought the stock at about $20 a share. The company, they figured, was going under. So, like vultures awaiting the feast of the deceased, they make a profit when G.S. expires. The young turks of on-line stock trading stepped in and bought GameStop stocks and sent their shares skyrocketing in valuation, to the utter dismay and disapproval of the insiders. You may want to look up “selling short” to understand this story. Alas, I cannot explain it sensibly here. It is a complex System. But it works. Until it doesn’t. And Main St made it not work.*************************************************** Thus, the rigged System that is Wall St was played by the street, where most of us live, and they had their phony game played on themselves. Oh, how they cried foul! And in doing so, pulled back the curtain on the rotten soul of how the monied and powerful feel is their birthright to have all the advantages. How dare these peasants barge in our game! We demand Daddy make this right. And daddy is–the System. The corporate bankers. The corporations. The government itself. Yeah, including the government. Our new Big Cheese keeps babbling about “healing the nation”. About bi-partisan political sausage making. You don’t concede anything to fascists, Joe. And leave the Wall St insurrectionists alone!, ***************************************************** Right now, that same sinister System is at work. Still now. Doing next to nothing in response to a singular crisis across the country in urgent need of economic and healthcare lifelines. Let them eat crumbs since the end of June? Still no sweeping assistance policies? Maybe by March? WTF? Work with the Elephants? Who coddle their bloated sociopath and his kin, like the Jews and the laser beam conspiracy whacko. Really? WTF?!**********************************************************  What…ever, huh? But huge props to the appropriate insurrectionists who irreverently crashed the Wall St casino and laughed at its haughty elites. Well done. As 2021 inches on, with no reason to feel that optimistic given what passes for governance right now (oh, but at least he’s not that other guy) the 99%-ers will always have the satisying story of The System that serves the 1% mooned by the Millennials. Billions of dollars lost. Rapaciousness as a two-way street. For the moment. Alas, the casino can afford it. And rest assured The System will, as it always has the last 40+ years, bail them out*************************************************** The System. The curtain pulled back. Eyeballs seeing reality. Wanting better. But there’s not a lot of being held to account these early days of 2021. Or for decades and decades, either. Holding to account of the elite, that is. You? Me? Pay that goddam parking ticket or you will pay ever more in fines. The rule of law. Rack up huge debt on a card charging 29% interest. While waiting for help from The System. That isn’t coming. Use the Payday lenders because you have no credit anymore? And pay 300% interest. That’s the System. Default on student loans? Here come the The System’s muscle, to hound the hapless deadbeats all the way to hell if need be. And when the accused are cornered down there, the late fees will still be carefully adjusted upward. The System.

About jharrin4

mass communication/speech instructor at College of DuPage and Triton College in suburban Chicago. Army veteran of the Viet Nam era.
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