 Ed Garren, ex-Wehoan and commentarist. By Ryan Gierach. |
The votes are counted, it has finally happened. After the malaise of the last sixteen years, Americans have awakened from the stupor of being hung over with fear and false morality.
It's the sound of fecal matter hitting the fan in the Republican party. The party which billed itself as being "moral", committed to efficiency in government, of being honest and hard working has finally been exposed. It is none of those things. It is cronyism, secrets and scandals, has spent more than any administration in history to create and support a big lie and a horrific war, and lastly, it has demonstrated it's derision for hard work by rewarding greed and sloth and punishing people who actually work for a living.
Thank God, thank Democrats, who seem to have finally found our own moral center, a backbone.
All the spin will start, and in the midst of it, some real work will take place.
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A friend was ranting about politics and the election. He said, "It was never meant to be a career. They were supposed to go, do a good job, and then return to the real world and work in it like the rest of us." He went on to say a few choice words about the detriment of having too many lawyers in public office.
 Photo by Mikel Gerle. |
Because I actually have some friends who are lawyers, I was tempted to offer a defense, but the conversation moved on, and I was left to contemplate on my own.
We have become a highly specialized society. One of the detriments of urbanization, each of us learns how to do a few things well, and we leave the rest to someone else to do. One of the downsides of that lifestyle is that too many Americans have relinquished the responsibility of running the country to "specialists" who are often if not usually lawyers.
It's a "suit" thing. It's the standard business suit, and the people who wear them. Subconsciously, we don't take anyone seriously unless that person wears one.
The problem is, people who wear suits, or moreover uniforms, rarely have a creative bone in their body. But we have been sold an illusion that only someone wearing a suit is competent, intelligent, educated, capable of leadership.
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The women's movement was supposed to bring dignity to women's lives and those things that are traditionally "feminine" such as nurture, building community, paying attention to those less fortunate. What has happened instead is that women are now allowed in traditionally male occupations, but traditionally female occupations continue to go underpaid, and held in even greater derision than they were forty years ago.
 Photo by Mikel Gerle. |
The TV show "Judging Amy" was a classic example of this. Daughter Amy has a serious job, as a judge, with assistants helping her, and her judgments have significance in people's lives. Her mother, the Children's Social Worker, who has as much education, more experience and work "in the trenches" is stuck in those trenches for much less money, begging judges to listen to her recommendations, with no assistants or stature.
Amy wears a suit, her mom does not.
How many Social Workers do we encourage to run for office? How much do we take a "neighborhood activist" seriously when that person decides to run for office? Occasionally it happens and one will win. But it's usually a fluke, because we don't think anyone with passion is safe for office. Look at what happened to Howard Dean?
So one of the ways we got duped was falling for the "suit" and voting for the guy (or woman) dressed in one.
I joked with a friend about the Republican mold for candidacy. It is sort of Dan Quayle revisited, affable "boy (or girl) next door" looks, a relatively easy professional life (business, finance or law) and an actual IQ of about 90.
Years ago, I figured out how and why people like George Bush, Arnold, Pete Wilson and such were so seemingly popular. Consider the American electorate and it makes perfect sense. After decades of working in mental health and addiction, the numbers sort of fall out like this. 10% of the population is alcoholic, another 10% is on street drugs. At least 15% is on prescribed psycho-tropic medications (anti-depressants, tranquilizers, anti-anxiety medications and such. About 10% (much more in states where evangelical Christianity is prevalent) are compulsive overeaters, using food as medication, pleasure, and to socialize. Lastly figure in the 15% or 20% of the population which has an IQ of less than 100. Add up all those numbers and you have slightly over half of the population that just wants pain relief. "Don't make me think, just make me feel good." is their basic political position.
 Photo by Mikel Gerle. |
And they are all mad as hell, feel powerless over their own destiny, and are naturally drawn to anyone who emulates strength and confidence. Gill Scott Heron said it best in "B Movie," "You go give those liberals hell Ronnie. First one want's freedom, then the whole damn world wants freedom. Nostalgia, that's what we want."
The Republicans figured this out about 27 years ago and ran Ronald Reagan (the ultimate "feel good" guy) and a succession of candidates who fit the "Make me feel good, go fix it for me" model of campaigning.
It has worked for a long time. We Democrats, paralyzed in our analysis and discourses about "issues" and other ideology have been peddling snow cones in the middle of winter, trying to get people (that we often held in quiet contempt) to do something that they never learned how to do, THINK !
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So now that we are witnessing the dawn of something fresh and new, how will this spill over into West Hollywood? Will the voters in West Hollywood notice the ever growing disparity between what the city promises versus what it actually delivers?
Will the city actually start doing some creative things with regard to housing and other issues?
It might if we get rid of "the suits." Let's retire the folks that are stuck in the business as usual paradigm and replace them with some people who actually can foster and encourage creativity, not thwart it.
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There are times when regular politics will not do, and this is one of those times. -- Molly Ivins
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Edward
"Ed" Garren, MFT is a Family Therapist, justice activist, former West
Hollywood City Council candidate, writer and sojourner.
Ed Garren can be reached, even in hie North Western haunts, at