Another fine mess: Laurel and Hardy did it this time

There aren't many who didn't find Laurel & Hardy knee-slapping funny. Yes, their humor was mostly visual. And yes, they were a couple of sad sacks who never had a plan to achieve their ends, in fact it was clear from the start they'd most likely never even get started. But, we loved them in spite of all their innate shortcomings, for they never hurt anyone, not even themselves.

Oh, how different in the farce of epic proportions that just played out on the British Isles.

When I see Boris Johnson and Niall Farange, I can't help but think of the famous hapless duo, but the hard-hitting reality of it is: they are willing to exact any cost to serve their own ends, and before it's all over millions of us are going to have to pay for it, in more ways than one. Oh, don't get me wrong, as the old saw goes, "the people have spoken" ... or at least they think they have. For all the ranting, raving, ravaging, and in the end, death, that was perpetrated on all of us, it's pretty the same, old, same-old. Except for the nice mess you've put all of us in.

Even if you draw a personal analogy and look at Great Britain and the EU as old married couple, you realize that it's hard to live too long with an abusive partner: one who's in he marriage, but not really; one who declares his fidelity, but within limits; one who loves it when things go well, but tries to blame you for his own shortcomings; one who always wants more than he gives, well, because he always gives you the feeling that he's somehow better than you and deserves just a little more.

Divorce papers have been filed, and now 40 years of almost togetherness has to be unraveled. If that's not a fine mess, I don't know what it. On the Continent, we all knew that's what's coming. My reaction from taking in the news from several sources in several countries is that this was apparently not so clear to the British electorate. The number of Google searches regarding "what happens next" after the Brexit more than tripled. You'd think you'd have worked that out ahead of time.

Of course, Mr. I'll-give-you-a-referendum Cameron, who is typical British-EU style was for leaving then staying then letting everyone else decide and then staying again, it politically cowardly fashion didn't resign as promised, he decided to postpone it till October. Why? What's still to decide? Everyone knows what needs to be done now, but Cameron doesn't appear to be the one who wants to do it.

What is more, our Stan & Ollie stand-ins are claiming there's no need to rush into exit negotiations. I might not have liked them before, but should this turn out to be true, it will only confirm my suspicions that they just might be what I took them for before: snake-oil salesmen. The farther to the right you go on the old political spectrum, the more oily they become. You wanted out. The people said "out", so get on board and see that you go. That's how it's supposed to work. But, I can't say I can see a real plan at work there, but it would be hard to make out amongst all the posturing the supposed winners. Not a word of substance from a one of them. But I didn't expect any.

The result of the referendum was fairly close overall, but the regional distribution of in-and-out votes was revealing. England, except for London voted out; Gibraltar, Scotland and Northern Ireland voted in. In other words, the referendum showed the rest of us quite clearly just how unified the United Kingdom is at heart, namely not at all, and that is going to bring us yet more time-consuming trouble before the exit negotiations even begin, if they ever do.

The most crucial knock-on issue of this whole debacle, of course, is Scotland. The vote had hardly been tallied with the Scottish prime minister let us all know that her country's independence referendum is back on the table. They'll probably even get busy about it and push it through again. (Rumor, not unexpectedly, had it Northern Ireland was considering its options in this regard as well.) To top everything off, they'll likely vote to leave Great Britain. And then? What then? The EU can't in good conscience take them in. It's not just that all the agreements which now need to be unraveled have been agreed to with a third party and therefore cannot be legally binding, and it's not just that there is no rulebook for parts of a whole doing anything.

I don't know if it's clear to everyone that for the past two years, the United States, in particular, but the EU (against its own best interests and suffering under the undue neoliberal pressure being exerted by -- you guessed it -- the UK) have been trying to sanction Russia into submission for doing precisely that: accepting the vote of a quasi-autonomous region and taking them into their fold. Over there it was a violation of human rights and international law; over here, it's going to be what? Democracy? I don't see that the EU can do a damn thing for anyone in the UK any more and the integrity of the UK itself has been threatened.

And then there's my favorite side effect that not a single politician, talking head, or journalist on either side of the Channel even mentioned during the last month, but it should have been on everyone's mind: NATO. The UK voted to leave the EU, that is true, but they aren't leaving NATO, that's for sure. They, like their across-the-pond heroes, love waging war too much to even consider that. The crisis within the EU has become a potential military crisis. Should the exit negotiations get too difficult -- in common parlance, if the divorce should get too messy -- there are always ways to get everyone rallying around the flag. NATO should know, it's what they do best, and so now, at this very critical juncture in history (and the Brexit isn't the biggest issue), when the USA and NATO are so openly provoking Russia that even American and toe-the-line European politicians and journalists are starting questioning their true motives this biggest of all side shows had to take place. They say that in comedy, timing is everything, and right now, I don't hear anybody laughing.

Great Britain will now have the dubious distinction of electing what will without a doubt be the most far-right national government in Europe. Yes, yes, we have practiced having ultra-right factions in supposedly democratic governments ever since the coup in Kiev, and we're more comfortable with the idea now, but it's much easier to shrug off a second or third-world country, is it not? It's something we've very good at in the West, and now all the rest of those self-seeking, self-serving, militaristic crypto- and neo-fascist elements have found the legitimacy they have long sought but never deserved. They will feel energized and, worst of all, legitimized, so that's yet another major factor that the rest of us are going to have to deal with in the near future as well. Well, perhaps we should be thankful for the fact that we can now address the issues that need to be addressed to preclude this nonsense from spreading ... if we're wise enough to see the opportunity we've been given. (But of course we can't get to that as long as the Leavers are hanging around and why aren't they now so keen on leaving?) Oh well.

Politically, socially, economically, militarily: what a fine mess we have.

When are my fellow countrypeople going to get over themselves?

The older I get, the easier my mind gets boggled. Sometimes I wonder just which planet I'm actually living on. It's becoming increasingly clear to me that it's not the same planet as my fellow countrypeople.

The most recent case? The lunacy surrounding the Obama administration reaching a nuclear deal with Iran. As one who lives outside the borders of the good ol' USA, I can tell you: all you're doing is making life difficult for the rest of us.

Just in case you don't know: there has been "trouble" (and I don't care how you define it) in the Middle East ever since the West got over-involved and decided that establishing the State of Israel and ignoring the Palestinians was a good idea. It was wrong then, and it's still wrong today.

And before all you think-you-know-it-alls start condemning me: I'm all for a State of Israel. I'm neither anti-Semitic nor anti-Jewish, but I am anti-stupidity and anti-blindness. Both characteristics you're showing everyone else. One of these days you have to grow up and realize that

1. Israel is a secular state; it is a nation, like France or China or even the USA. It's just a country.
2. Most Israelis may be Jews, but not all Jews are Israelis. There is a difference between ethnicity and citizenship and between either of those and religious affiliation.
3. There are more people who adhere to Judaism than are actually Jews. Judaism is a religion, not a nationality or even an ethnic distinction.

Now, I realize that I lost most of my readers in that list. The reason is that the phenomenon is more complex than many minds would like to accept. Be that as it may, we have to differentiate between secular, national interests and other interests.

For more than 40 years (very biblical, in and of itself), we've been agonizing over the Iranians. Those screeching the loudest now had no problems then, when their beloved St. Ronnie was illegally supplying them with both technology and weapons because we disliked Saddam even more. When we kissed Saddam and made up, it was the evil Iranians all over again. I know that most of you, in your innate and misguided sense of right and righteousness, believe that a whole people should be punished because of what their government does ... unless, of course, the rest of the world should want to punish all of the US because of what their government has done. In that case, of course, everyone would be screeching even more ... as hypocritical as that may be.

And just what, pray tell, are our "interests" in this part of the world -- other than oil, that is -- and why do we think we, as Americans, have any right to enforce them to begin with?

We now have the opportunity to "take it all down a notch", but that could possibly, conceivably, potentially mean that the USA blinked. And we all know, we can't have that. Whatever deal may have been reached, to the majority of my American friends, it was a sign of weakness, and you may never, ever show anyone, anywhere even the slightest indication of weakness. Our whole sense of self-worth would be destroyed.

Yes, that's how most adolescents think. Young people, not yet matured, not having found themselves all think just like that, and the intellectual adolescents of America are having their tantrum, again. It's time to grow up. It's time to not only think like an adult, it's time to start acting like adults.

If you all wanted to remain adolescent amongst yourselves, I'm not sure I would care, but what you do has a real impact on my life, but like most adolescents, you don't realize that your actions have big effects on others.

Just one final thought ...

... at least for the moment.

Apart from all the nonsense, the confrontational approach to "discussion", the truly adolescent desire to win rather than to find out what makes sense, the refusal to budge from a position because you'll be perceived as weak, the blatant disregard for facts and the apparent (at least to me) cry-baby attitude toward being disagreed with, yes, apart from all of that, what disturbs me most and disturbs me most deeply is just how violent my home country has become. I'm sure most folks living in the USA don't see it, but it is pretty obvious to everyone else.

Way back when, I became an English major because I held (and still do hold) a deep respect for language and how it is so closely intertwined with culture. Following on the Beat Generation and Hippies, I have experienced a lot of shifts in what may and may not be said and most certainly in how things are expressed. I am fully aware that language is ever-changing and dynamic and I have not the least problem with that, from a linguistic perspective, but I do recommend all my fellow countrypeople to take a step back and give another thought to how things are being said.

Something as everyday and pervasive as marketing, is couched exclusively in military and war-waging terms and notions; we once had a national pasttime, but now (American, not real) football has become the national obsession where opponents need to be killed, crushed, demolished, slaughtered, and if necessary (which apparently it always is, if possible) humiliated. The vocabulary has slopped over into other sports as well. But just about every other area of life has been infected as well.

Politics is the worst, of course, at all levels, and I'm including not just the politicians, but all those wonderfully unbiased newscasters and experts and talk-show hosts Facebook and forum commentators, not to mention that ubiquitous symbol of American Freedom, the gun, carried openly or covertly, it doesn't matter. But it is, for better or worse, correctly or incorrectly, t-h-e symbol of violence without challenger.

Don't get me wrong, I have long and ardently argued for and supported the age-old adage: abusus non tollit usus. It's never the things, it's always the people, but when you've got a populace as uneducated, egoistic, self-centered, self-serving as you've got and you live in a culture that not only celebrates but for all intents and purposes worships violence, well, in my small mind, you're asking for trouble, and that's just what you've got.

I, personally, for a wide range of reasons don't get back to visit very often, but I know more than a few people here who would like to visit but are reluctant to for the simple reason that they don't feel safe there, and when I'm there, neither do I. It's not the number of guns that's the problem, and it's not the types of guns that's the issue (though some reasonable rethinking wouldn't be all that bad, but as I said above, that's no longer possible). No, it's the people, pure and simple.

There was a time when the Ugly American was the one visiting other countries and forcing his own way of life on others. These days, the kind, friendly, willing-to-help American is being obscured by the hate-spewing, loud-railing, brash, bullying, ideologue. I know most of my fellow countrypeople could care less what anyone else in the world thinks of them, but it's just that attitude that allows Ugly to happen.

And, oh, by the way ...

Just one more thing.

I wouldn't be dwelling on this if about half my readers weren't from the States, because I think the Europeans and Asians get what I'm getting at. At least that's been my experience. It's my fellow countrypeople who appear be the last one for whom the other shoe falls.

Just about everybody knows the glorious and noble outline of American history and the revolutionary (in the positive sense of the word, not in the military sense, though that played a (as it turns out, most likely unnecessary) role as well. There was a time, it was an event, there was an important and deep-seated factum that arose in 1776. Now, I know that this may be a bit difficult to follow, but a key element of the break between GB and the USA lies in the idea that there was the universal, political, outright expression of the notion that there is such as thing as unjust laws.

This wasn't pointed out to me in history class back in school, but it has been pointed out to be in the meantime. "No taxation without representation" is a statement that challenges the legitimacy of a properly instituted law. King George had it in his power, and his parliament seconded the idea that the tea tax could be levied. It was the law of the land, and consequently, of the colonies as well. Nobody asked the colonies, however, and it was expected, as was wont at the time, that they obey the law, as it was expected of them. But there such things as unjust laws. And it was this that our forebears chose as the turning point for their dissatisfaction. Just because something is legal doesn't make it right by a long shot, but this -- in my mind -- defining moment of American history has been (apparently) swept under the carpet in the meantime, because as we know, if you disobey the law, you can't expect anyone to feel sorry for you.

If you don't believe me, ask anyone in a demonstration who doesn't follow the orders of a policeman, or anyone who challenges a policeman in any way, or who chooses to demonstrate in a public place only to be told they have to find another public place, or who feeds the homeless in spite of a law, or ... the list truly goes on and on. And, there are brave souls who are willing to challenge this blind obedience to law and order, but at the same time there are others who openly declare their opposition to judicial rulings (even if we know they'll rightfully calm down before too long).

The key issue here is not the mere existence of a law, but its "justice value". Was the greater portion of the colonial citizenry disadvantaged because of the King's tea tax (which was more a not-so-discreet corporate subsidy)? Yes. Was a very slim minority advantaged at the expense of the majority? Yes. Does the fact that same-sex couples can now marry in any way restrict the majority's right to marry as they see fit? No. Does the provision of affordable healthcare to the majority restrict the minority's access to healthcare at all? No. Does your right to own, carry, and flash around any weapon you damn well please infringe upon my right to a safe and secure existence, free from personal lapses of judgement? Not really. Is it in all our interests that anybody can get a gun, but not everybody can get a vote? No. I think you get the point (or at least you should).

There are unjust laws. There were unjust laws then, and there are unjust laws now. To insist, when it suits you, that laws must be obeyed, is disrespectful of all those who fought and died that injustice should be challenged. Think about it.

But while I'm at it ...

No, this isn't a cheap shot at my fellow country-people. It is simply that there are things I experience that give me pause to wonder, so while I was wondering about why these same folks think they're better than everybody else, I also began to wonder about their herd-like instincts.

For a people who likes to think they're all free-wheeling, free-thinking, well, simply free individuals, I think one of the best nicknames for the USA would be The Land of Conformity. I've had the wonderful privilege to live in and experience first-hand and intensively cultures other than my native one, and what has always struck me hardest is how much more tolerant these foreign cultures are of non-conformity, of individuality.

As any child or developmental psychologist worth his or her salt and s/he'll tell you that the most insidious and nefarious violence we know of is peer pressure. It's is quite often, and is always potentially, devastating to those towards whom it is directed. I have friends who yearn for the "good old days" of their youth, but in mine, peer pressure was writ large. It was demanded, expected, and resistance was futile, if you weren't willing to -- literally -- take a beating.

Americans, it should be said, have always been good at hiding such things. They'll talk about school spirit, our team, our school, our college, our colors, and I'm not even talking about gangs. I've never lived anywhere where trends, fashion, and fads have been so important. It's not just the clothes, or the hairstyle, or the manner of speech, it's the whole package. Whoever is not in is definitely out and will be continually and constantly reminded of such, even if the in-crowd has to resort to bullying to enforce its standards.

You can be a lot of things in America, just don't be different ... well, unless you happen to make a helluva lot of money by being different. That's the only real way to find respect, even if it's phony respect. Look at Steve Jobs and Donald Trump.

But whatever you do, don't think differently than your neighbors, you become suspicious. Don't "play the game", and everyone will wonder what's wrong. Question America's symbols, don't sing the national anthem at the baseball game, don't say the pledge of allegiance (the mere phrase reeks of conformity) at the school-board meeting, don't be a staunch alumni, criticize the police for being too harsh, question the legitimacy of America's foreign (and domestic) policy, ask out loud why the incarceration rate in America is higher than the Axis of Evil's, wonder out loud where one gets the right to simply change definitions of words (like torture) and you'll find out faster than speeding bullet (which just might be the reaction) just how you don't "fit in" in the Land of Individualism, but not Individuality.

Don't get me wrong ... I don't expect everyone to be consistent in their beliefs and actions all the time. It would be nice, that's for sure, but I'm afraid it's just too much to expect of anyone. What I can expect, though, is that perhaps we be just a little more restrained in our criticisms of others and in our hardoverness towards those who don't see the world as we do, who don't conform.

This has nothing to do with so-called political correctness, but it has everything to do with a modicum of tolerance and respect.

I didn't want to, but I couldn't help myself

There is a certain segments of my "friends" that is not going to be happy about this post. I'm not writing it to aggravate them, that's for sure, and I want to think that they in some way expect it from me. But, as we know, in just two short days, the USA is going to celebrate their 239th "birthday" and as I know from my youth, this is always a fairly big deal, even if the holiday won't be observed till next Monday. After all, in a land without vacations, you've got to create power-weekends where you can. The masses need a modicum of circuses, otherwise who knows what they might do?

Now, don't get me wrong: I think the idea behind the United States is a good one. I think it is noble, and admirable, and worth striving for. I'm a bit bothered by the fact that it has never been what it has asserted itself to be, regardless of how blindly so many speak of its Exceptionalism, its uniqueness, and its superiority. It is/was one of those grand ideas that somehow just never really got put into practice. It's not a tragedy (well, I'm sure there are a lot of dead people who have a different opinion on that), but it is sad that we Americans never really did live up to the goals we set for ourselves.

When the loudest purveyor of "peace" in the world has been at war for almost 95% of its history, I don't think it's all that odd to question both its intentions and its credibility. When those who claim the moral high ground of justice and equality presents to the world the reality of the highest incarceration rate in the world which is then populated by a disproportionate portion of people of color, I don't think it's all that odd to question its asserted values. When the so-called Land of Opportunity breeds the most dishonest and nefarious banking system the world has ever seen, I don't think it's all that odd to doubt the American Dream. And, when the richest country in the world can't find the least bit of empathy for its poorest and most downtrodden citizens, I don't think it's all that odd to question their integrity.

Oh, I've been told -- more than once -- that you simply can't compare the USA to any other country in the world. My response has always been the same: bullshit. Of course you can. What every country on the face of this planet has in common is that it is populated by people, and people -- better, human beings -- have a whole lot in common. What you decide to do with yourself and how you decide to act however you do is undoubtedly influenced by a whole lot of extraneous circumstances and conditions, no doubt about it. So, following that logic, if we apply an even slightly higher standard of behavior to Americans, because they are who they are and because of the position they (claim to) have in the world, well, then, that's simply the price you have to pay for being the (self-proclaimed) best. It simply goes with the territory.

So, for the weekend, I sincerely wish my fellow countrypeople all the best. Party hearty, for the end of your illusory betterness may be nearer than you think. It is also only fair to tell you: you are your own worst enemies.

As countries go, the USA is just an adolescent, and it is obvious to the rest of the world that this is how it most often behaves. Yes, all I want is that my country grows up. We're celebrating another birthday this weekend, and my most earnest wish for them is that they stop acting like children. I don't think it's too much to wish for, though it may be too much to ask.