Iconic Anomalies

[Stinky The Clown]

Think about it. Maybe this is why we are where we are these days.

Iconic Anomalies. Those really quite rare people and circumstances that cause us to brand everything its category with the same broad brush.

Here are a few:

"Welfare queens driving Cadillacs". There were one or two such people discovered many years ago (the 1970s?) in a welfare fraud investigation in New York City. One that made the evening news was an obese black woman driving, indeed, a Cadillac. She had even gone so far in her fraudulent claims to use other people's kids as actors to play her own children so that the case worker would grant her a greater monthly stipend. She became the public face of the anti-welfare people. Sure there was fraud. There always was and there always will be. This egregious example was, however, an Iconic Anomaly. A rare case that, to this day, colors rational thought on the topic of society's obligations in caring for the least of us.

"Revolving Door Prisons". Willie Horton. Need I say more? His case is probably less rare than the one above, but it is, still, the rare exception.

"The Popularity Of The Tea Party". Agreeing with these corporate funded opinion makers on an issue or two does not a movement make. For example, I know real birthers who favor gay marriage and single payer health care. Go figure. There are most likely very few people who are really as politically .... what's the best term? .... ill informed? ..... as the media makes the movement out to be.

"Job Creating Rich People". This one is a real hoot. Corporations create jobs. Even tiny little businesses are most likely corporations, LLCs, PCs, or some other form of legal entity that is not a person (their legal status as such notwithstanding). Rich people crate very few jobs. Maids, maybe. Tennis instructors. Yacht builders. Maybe even a few sales clerks in the marble countertop department at Home Depot. But significant numbers of jobs? Nope.

There are lots more. What others occur to you?

[freshwest]

1. All examples of a meme. But I like the iconic anomalies. Points out tthe exception is not the rule.

But also leads to the disquieting fact that the media is selling an emotion or prejudice that agrees with a certain philosophy, for the purpose of those who mean us no good.

Some people are unwilling to let go of those con jobs because it creates their sense of place in the world, their status, their right to continue on as they have. The rightwingers exploit that endlessly.

On our side, other forces we have yet to understand some who may be playing with us as well. Everyone has their sacred cows and we all wear blinders from time to time. It's the results that matter more than anything, and it's from the destruction of a vision we suffer.

Our past leaders were the loving creation of our communities, our love and determination, made into focal points. They have been murdered for generations by the other side, impoverishing our spirits, leaving us without a face and voice to speak our concerns.

We need associations, like unions, to change the game, look at things simultaneously as a whole and as individuals, but I can't think of a way to sell that. It is truly a grassroots thing, and the corporate stampede is destroying the field.

[Stinky The Clown]

2. You bring back to the media

I completely agree with that.

[JohnnyRingo]

3. Welfare Cadillacs

I had to suffer through some of that misguided logic when I was campaigning for Obama in 2008. My quip was that 17 million new Cadillacs would save both GM and the economy. Dumbasses.

Another, that black people routinely obtain abortions actually led one racist ex-coworker who shared TeaParty "values" to donate to right to choose organizations. I'm serious here. I found out from other friends that he actually wrote checks because he thought he was helping in some sort of vigilante genocide program. Why explain the truth to him when his money was doing so much good?

I have a new game I play with the right (and a surprising number of others). I ask them what they think the percentage of black people in the country is. Most grossly overstate the representation up to one who actually guessed 50%. I had to ask her if she knew the meaning of the word "minority". Most think it's about 30%. Try it yourself and see what otherwise intelligent people respond, then watch their eyebrows when you inform them it's less than 13%.