of General Stupidity.
Still putting it all together, but with most precincts now closed in the East it looks like the wound is greatly self-inflicted. The thread running through the denial-shaped impulse to Green our way out of an increasingly disastrous set of consequences is the inclination toward stupid. We can, of course, attribute malevolence and run-of-the-mill skulduggery to the use of such tactics; but the acceptance of them is pure stupid.
This is strictly counter to the self-preservation mode of our tribal instincts. And it’s a potent combination – electing and re-electing people (especially in our humble state) who think so little of us that they can outright lie about any number of issues, knowing that a simple majority (no pun intended) will nod along all the way to the Diebold machine and back to their armchairs. That, plus the great pride taken in vilifying intelligence and sophistication as evil liberal attributes – these create the view to the straits we are in. I wanted to get out of the self-fulfilling prophecy business, but we can ask for no quarter where none is given… electing people to run the government who believe the government is incompetent… tasking people to deal with climate change who don’t believe it is real… following an education policy designed by those who do not believe evolutionary biology. Asking yourself to what degree people have internalized a staggering degree of absolute bullshit is beginning to resemble that question about who is the sucker in the room.
All this, and there is still a presidential candidate who believes he can win on the merits. Amazing.
Update: Oh. my. God.