Saturday, January 4, 2014

I Don't Get It



The clock has struck midnight, and here we are in the year 1984. My apologies, 2014. So much happened in 2013. Things were done and things were said. Now, I know I didn’t attend an Ivy League university or a top 25 institution even though, as a kid growing up bouncing between Rhode Island and Virginia, Brown University and the University of Virginia were in my backyards, but there were a few things my family and friends did or said that sprung up in 2013 that just didn’t make sense to me.

The first thing that didn’t make sense to me was the call for sanctions against Iran. The sanctions mean Iran cannot conduct global trade. It’s meant to punish them. The same people who called for these sanctions also called to “buy American” to help strengthen our economy. If buying locally strengthens an economy, then why are we helping Iran strengthen their economy with sanctions?

The next thing that baffled me was military members that were upset when ordinary people criticized them, the government, or the country, but mostly when the criticism was directed towards them. They would say things like, “Because of me, you have freedom speech; if you don’t like it, leave the country!” Some would even call for the destruction of the criticizer’s livelihood. Now, if you fight for and defend freedom of speech, why are you upset when it’s used? If you fight for and defend freedom of speech, do you get to control who says what? And if you do, then doesn’t that mean you control speech, therefore eliminating free speech? Do these military members, who stood with Phil Robertson, see the irony?

Finally, I was perplexed when I was called an isolationist. The ones who cast that word on me believe in “buy local” and border control. I’m for free trade and open borders; how am I the isolationist?

As you can see, I’m just sitting around scratching my head. I know shit won’t be easier in 1984, sorry, 2014, because more things will spring up. I guess I have to deal with it.

No comments:

Post a Comment