The Broken America, in Real-Time
America, we got a problem.
We know the drill, it usually ain’t a secret who comes in that red hat, but lately, it’s not so black and white. Who knew some of our neighbors or loved ones were secret patriots, waving their flag of outrage against a backdrop of sick grandparents while demanding Super Cuts get back open because they’re looking a little shaggy? They’re not protesting for clean water or social injustice. No, it’s because they can’t wait to park their ass inside Applebees for a few crispy Bud Lights and southwestern egg rolls. This is the America we’re stuck inside.
Our leaders are flawed and when we get the shot at a good one, it comes down to “electability” - y’all, have you seen Joe Biden?
Cosplay patriots are storming capitol steps, loaded for bear. And they’re let onto the property with security guards stepping aside while poorly made signs and angry men with bullhorns yell about rights. In any other country, they’d be terrorists. Some of them have flags reading, “Trump 2020, Fuck Your Feelings,” while others choose the Dixie flag, ole’ Stars and Bars, to symbolize where how they really feel. And in this case, its hate, not heritage.
They love to put on the caps, wear the tactical gear like to say “we support cops and the military,” unless we have to fight them. Which is it? You can’t be all “pro-industrialized governmental agency” but think you can keep it checked with your rifles and fantasies of a street revolution. Do these men really believe that Bill from the suburbs of Chicago can defeat the most powerful military in the world? I hate to break it to you, but they’ve got Tomahawk missiles along with people so well trained, every neckbeard with an Alex Jones sticker on his truck would be toast in seconds. Waco is trending on Netflix. Give that spin if you’re thinking a standoff is a capable mission.
If those protestors were brown, indigenous, or black, we already know how that narrative goes. It’s American exceptionalism at its finest. And guess what, they’re all the same make and model: middle-aged, white men. One of them cited that they were “like Rosa Parks” in their pursuit of personal liberty. Go ask Talib Kweli or Chuck D if that theory holds water.
We’ve got more bodies from this mess than the Vietnam war, but it doesn’t matter because it’s all about “freedom.”
Some people are so worried about the economy, they’re not asking why the government isn’t taking care of small businesses, why countless Americans are in the shadows thanks to not being able to get unemployment for whatever illogical reason. Families are relying on food pantries, restaurants offering a family meal for anyone hungry. The situation isn’t getting better.
Republican governors are racing to open their states back up. What good is a 25% capacity for a restaurant worker? They’re getting by on unemployment right now. By opening back up, this will push those people off the program and into poverty. What kind of tips do you expect when no one wants to sit inside a restaurant? No one wants to strut around in a facemask. These kinds of policies only hurt the working class. There are tight margins, which restaurants run on, bills that, at such a limited capacity, can’t really create that much income.
It’s like people don’t care, they just want to enjoy a McDouble from a plastic bench inside the Golden Arches at any cost. Fuck those old dudes that hang out inside their local McDonald’s every morning at the crack of dawn, talking about nothing. If they die, they die.
When soldiers came back from WWII, a massive infrastructure bill was passed. What does communal progress look like in 2020? We could certainly use another bill today to fix our crumbling bridges and tunnels. We could legalize weed nationally that would get taxes in the coffers. A lot of new jobs would be created. We weren’t struggling before, but what will moving forward look like? 2020 is the worst zombie flick.
We bailed out the banks. Why aren’t they taking our house notes and putting them on the back end? Why aren’t our representative bodies demanding action? Because Wall Street owns this country. Where are the fighters getting in the ring and demanding we pay back what we owe down the line? We aren’t the banks suspending everything so people can survive with the little money they’re getting from unemployment? It’s all crooked. We should demand better. Money needs to get out of politics because we’re seeing the industry’s influence right here, right now.
In 2020, it shouldn’t be just about who can beat Donald Trump. Every politician should have a target on their back for accountability. Did you believe in people or profits? Did you race to open the government for the sake of your base or for corporate donors? The choice is yours.
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