Two Americas

One for science

Believes in climate change

One for coal

And holding on to the old.

One for vaccines

One for freedom to choose

Unless it is about babies.

One for masks

And being their brother’s keeper

One for liberty

And the right to cough unimpeded

One believing in ozone depletion

One believing in celestial beings

And Jehovah of old.

One believing in basic income

For those on hard times

One in tax breaks for the wealthy

And corporations of all kinds.

One believes in the green new deal,

And building back better

One for holding on to the old

and subsidies for oil and pharma.

One believes in the American dream for all immigrants

And that all are immigrants

One believes in maintaining white power

And English for all.

One believes in the right of safety for all

And licenses for cars and guns

One believes in good men with guns to shoot back

in schoolyards and churches

At deviants with assault weapons.

One gets Black Lives Matter,

And could be sold on Hispanic Lives Matter

Or Even Native Lives Matter

One sees All Lives Matter

When power and influence fail.

One sees the right of protesters,

On the street or during the star-spangled banner

One only in peaceful, licensed marches

Unless the protesters are mostly white on January 6th

Or some good people in the Klu Klux Klan.

One believes in one vote for all

And access to prolific polls

One in gerrymandering

And fewer polls for blacks and Hispanics.

One believes in democracy

And love for all

One believes in power,

And victory at any cost.

.

In which America do you believe?

Roe

October 2021

Dystopia Context

This podcast is just an introduction to the subject of whether or not The United States should be considered a dystopia. Next podcasts will come back with some standards and assumptions to approach this subject as objectively as possible.  

I am considering calling Denmark as a working definition of Utopia and Mexico as a working definition of a dystopia ... although I am still thinking about those assumptions. 

It is not just a battle to win an election; it is to win an election fairly and supporting the idea of one person, one vote, as much as possible. 

Republicans have been more successful with gerrymandering; that does not necessarily mean democrats are more moral, perhaps they are just more ineffective. 

We like to believe that humans, including us, are logical creatures.  We want to believe the actions we take are based on facts and logic, but that would require us to ignore the evidence all around us.  And of course, we want to believe that we are the exception and that we are not largely governed by emotional responses to the circumstances that happen in front of us. 

The Making Sense Podcast with Sam Harris has a podcast on Belief and Identity which takes a very scientific view of beliefs.  However, I think what Sam said and what I say is reasonably consistent. 

How does wealth inequality impact how you think about your fellow man?   How does it impact your humanity?

Let's look at different situations where we invoke the argument: "it's my body".  

1. Taking the vaccine for covid.

2. Abortions.

3. Your fist.

Bennett in Israel is proposing a one-state solution:  do you think he means democracy for all?