REVISITING THE NEW NOW
(NOW THAT NORMAL IS DEAD AND BURIED)
In the book of manifestos and poetical essays we published several years ago, The New Now, Manifestos, Reinventions & Declarations (Updated & Expanded), I talked about the New Now as where we were as a culture and a people, as in, there wasn’t going to be a New Normal.
Since nothing was normal anymore, it was time to focus on the New Now, and take time to be creative, healthy, and aware beings alive in the New Now we found ourselves in.
This was a while ago. Before this new, New Now.
Now, we’re in an exceedingly dangerous New Now. This is a historical period that can’t even remotely be called Normal.
Over the past decade – due to one man and one political party, horrid behavior has been normalized. Women-hating has been normalized. Racism, and all forms of intolerance has been normalized. Treating veterans and police officers with open disdain has been normalized. Breaking the law and getting away with it has become normalized. A nonstop barrage of lying about, well, everything – has become normalized.
This new administration is against the rule of law. Who voted for lawlessness and chaos? Within our democratic form of government?
None of these forms of behavior in a presidential candidate, or someone who wanted to seek the highest office in the land should ever have been normalized. By the press, by his party, by TV show moderators.
Anyone who gave their stamp of approval to this dangerously divisive rhetoric is responsible for where we are at this moment.
We are at a crossroads. We can either choose repairing and healing, or to fall deeper into hateful delusions, and a deep societal soul sickness.
The damage being done to the United States government, its people, its checks and balances, will have to be undone.
Our standing in the world’s eyes is the worst it’s ever been in the history of America.
To struggle alone in a state of constant chaos and mayhem isn’t good for our country, or the world.
To have basic Climate Change (Climate Emergency, Climate Crisis) information wiped off of government computers makes living in our country more dangerous.
To have an unchecked, unelected, unvetted person and his team of tech bros accessing our sensitive data from the Treasury Department, Medicare, and Medicaid is insane.
There’s no upside to having vengeful, grievance-filled people in (or adjacent to) the White House, as has been made abundantly clear within a three-week period of time.
There’s no neutrality during this moment in American or world history. History has shown us where neutrality, doing nothing, or considering this a time period to act like a centrist leads. We aren’t living in those kinds of times.
Warning bells are ringing. Citizens are marching in the streets from coast to coast.
By the end of week two, voices were already calling out for his third impeachment.
Will members of the Supreme Court reconsider their “anything is legal if the president does it” ruling? Can they shrug off all of the societal damage we’ve experienced in less than a month, and that’ll continue if this out-of-control administration goes unchecked? Will the Supreme Court justices step up do their part in saving America, during these dire days?
None of this should be normalized by We the People, by elected officials on either side of the aisle, or by what’s left of a free press.
I hope a lot of people discover you and read your writing for the past two years. What may have seemed edgy then with the never-normal you described now reads like the children's Golden Books. Our current situation is more difficult because America's citizens are not all trained for the heavy combat of daily attacks on citizens by our President plus we are not prepared for the PTSD that will follow for so many. Especially hard on people who trusted the President and he tried to take everything from them and then tell them they are happy in an abusive situation.
Most excellent, Russell. Thank you for continuing to be a strong voice for reason and sanity in these times of purposefully corrupt, divisive, and cruel assaults on the framework and customs of our historic form of governance.