The Observation Post

 I don't know why I expect people to act like rational humans, not brainless jackals...in fact, jackals have a lot more discernment than some people, but I digress... The constant barrage of idiocy, hatred, bullshit, lies, propaganda, fear mongering, and manipulation that I see in this so-called 'civilized' country S TILL makes my neck muscles tense. We have to develop a different way to cope. We can't all pull the blankets over our heads, 'forget' to vote or throw up our hands and say 'what good will it do?". Here's a beginning of a plan- 1- lower our expectations- that others are as rational or intelligent as we are, or that they actually WANT to learn. 2- be aware that there are people who are pre-disposed to follow the herd, to revere the biggest, loudest or meanest; because on a primitive level, maybe thousands of years ago (or at war), he might have helped protect the tribe. Know when you're seeing or talking to one of those tribal ty

We are pack animals; tribal. We pick sides easily because it's in our genes- a survival trait from thousand of years of evolution. BUT it doesn't serve us when we are not in a do-or-die situation and we can't discern, or separate individuals from the pack. It's laziness. If you throw someone in a box, you already have the labels on the outside and don't have to think about it, but you also don't get to learn about the individual. I had someone jump at me once, saying 'what the fuck do you know about prejudice, whitey?" But he didn't get to hear about how I was in fights when I was little for having dark skin and got called 'n**r' plenty of times, including by my own father. I had a young kid tell me that Italians were 'mud people'.... The fright wing media makes a living at separating us into packs so that their corporate overlords can keep us weak and un-focused. That's how they get away with all the looting and pillaging they