The elites in government, politics and media appear to have a very low opinion of the people of our nation. They may refer to us as lemmings, sheeple or other less flattering terms. They view us a collection of unthinking mobs that are one misstep away from neanderthalism. We are the drones, the worker bees and the “bots” of the American political landscape. Some of us are characterized as knuckle dragging right wing extremist weirdoes. If they thought that we thought, they would accuse us of brain-dead group thought. But they don’t think we think so they think that we are collectively and coincidentally stupid.
With advent of the Tea Party and related movements public awareness of government and political matters has increased dramatically. Distrust for the reigning political power elites has grown substantially as people become skeptical of their government and the media that reports about government action. To a lesser degree the citizens have become wary of the two primary parties….the Republicans and the Democrats. They have controlled national power for a century and half often appearing to act in collusion to deny the rights of people and their property while expanding the overarching role of government in the everyday lives of individuals. The “stupid” masses are catching on. They see the avarice and greed, the lust for power, and the disdain the power elite projects when toying with citizens’ lives. They get it.
The people who pay the taxes and do the heavy lifting in the nation are beginning to understand who the true “sheeple” are….who it is that follows the herd mentality. Everyday citizens do not have “talking points” or “media narratives.” We see, we ponder and we react. Powerful elites react but often fail to see, and even more rarely ponder. Their behavior reminds me of that old joke….ready, shoot, aim. If you follow the political news as closely as I do for this column and the radio show, you will note that many career politicians and mass media types use similar descriptive phrasing. If they like the idea, it’s “innovative, creative or new.” If they find the idea repulsive, they call it “extreme, strange or controversial.” Objective observers and true journalists could escape the herd by using terms such as “unique, different or thought-provoking.” They do not, so they join the mass of other non-thinkers who condemn what they do not understand. Their lack of understanding springs from their dearth of curiosity, shortage of intellect and fear of being ostracized by the herd.
When discussing policies or other political personalities, if all the power elite and the media drones were in the same room, their repetitive mantras could be taken for chants. Same words, same inferences, same assumptions govern their public discourse. It’s as if all were reading from the same teleprompter. Their echoing is described as the “dominant narrative.” The view that all the ‘right” people accept as correct. Their approach is very similar to a group of pseudo-intellectuals who have all read a book review (but not the book) and sit around discussing the nuance of the plot and the author’s true intent. Their approach has no basis in reality, but it is tethered to the statements and pronouncements of others in their circle of uninformed jerks.
The members of the circle are aghast when someone deviates from the narrative. The heresy could topple their illogical house of unreasonable cards. They react, therefore, with passion and fury to denounce the violator of the silent compact to promote the dominant narrative. After all, lemmings do not enjoy an alternate route when racing toward the cliffs of delusionary self-destruction. The power elite and their tools the mass media operatives are somewhat flummoxed by the Tea Party/Patriot movement and Libertarians. The citizens study the Constitution of the United States, read legislative bills, and question candidates and proponents. They are skeptical of the dominant narrative. They seek alternate sources of information and confirmation. They ask troublesome questions and raise bothersome issues. While a “movement,” they are not a singular organization that can be dismissed or totally marginalized. And they (gasp, gasp) claim to want a smaller constitutional government that defends EVERYONE’S individual rights….not only those of the elite.
The elites and purveyors of the dominant narrative assume that a large nation of 310 million persons requires a massive number of laws to insure the social order and minimize chaos. Their response to the small-government proponents is to claim they are uninformed, unenlightened and unsophisticated. Any parent, group leader or organizational specialist can deflate the dominant narrative because larger more diverse groups require fewer rules to promote cohesion. A plethora of rules designed to address minor specific issues frustrate the larger group because broad applications are unworkable and often counterproductive. Frustrated individuals join with others with similar complaints and resist the arbitrary issuance and enforcement of arcane rules.
The slow-witted elites will someday discover that their dominant narrative is false….has always been false, and will cause them to be surprised when the people finally rise up and reject their paradigm. The people are discovering that the dominant narrative is fiction. The elites will learn that reality bites.
One final note: The dominant narrative is the enforcement arm of political correctness.
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