As IF Times

source:  https://www.foxnews.com/us/oregon-politician-racist-letter-himself

The narrative of institutionalized racism is again at the fore of the news.  Come to think of it, it hasn’t been off the fore of the news in over 50 years.  Once in a while, the new existential crisis of the moment, whether Global Warming, Global Cooling, world hunger, AIDS, Covid etcetera,  pushes racism off from the leading headlines, but racism narratives are always there, like the dependable putter that golfers always rely on to work.

If racism was a brand, it would be right up there with Coke and Pepsi for commercial sustainability.  Like the two beverage brands, there will always be a market for racism, or its close cousin, discrimination.  We’ll refer to this product as R&D, which are very significant products for those able to understand and harness them.  This is not to be confused with the process of R&D, research and development, a legitimate process essential to business enterprises,  Whereas process R&D costs money, product R&D makes money.

Despite what many may vehemently, claim, the product R&D is not quite as common as Coke or Pepsi.  While it may have been widely available at the beginning of the last century, in modern times, the genuine thing is hard to find.  That explains why when someone claims to have found the real article, people get all excited as if it were one of the golden tickets from the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory children’s story.  The real thing is so hard to find that people even feel the need to fabricate it in order to draw attention to themselves.

A year ago, a small time actor named Jussie Smollet claimed that he had found some R&D on the supposed mean streets of Chicago.  Immediately, the bugles sounded and the world converged on Smollett and Chicago to get a glimpse of an actual R&D event. Chests were beaten and righteous speeches written to hail the discovery of a genuine R&D sighting.   Tears from sympathizers flowed like Slurpee refills at 7 Eleven as the world focused on poor Jussie.  Alas, it was just another Loch Ness type sighting as it was revealed that Smollett had hired a couple of guys, black guys at that, from Nigeria to create an R&D.  So in effect, R&D is so rare, Smollett had to import it.

R&D sightings have appeared in the sports world as well.  NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace claimed to have found one at the garage where drivers parked their race cars.  Wallace managed to lever this sighting into a much bigger commercial event than Smollett was able to.   The entire sports world prostrated themselves before him as they rushed to his side in sympathy.  Even as investigations determined that the rope ‘noose’ found in his garage was present in every garage and was a common means of pulling a door closed, Wallace was not willing to apologize for the 5 alarm false narrative.

In another recent case of an R&D sighting, a woman claims to have had  racist notes placed on the windshield of her car; cue the violins.  Like flies to carrion the Texas A&M university rushed to the scene to offer money and resources in support of the finding.  Alas it was just another Ogopogo scare.  Lucy pulls the football away from Charlie Brown yet again.

In Vancouver recently, a rainbow painted sidewalk crossing was defaced by, of all things, tire marks…black tire marks, a clear instance of bigoted intolerance and of course, bullying and discrimination (B&D, a sub-brand of R&D).   With apologies to our sensitive readers, we displayed the picture above in its full gruesomeness for all to witness.

In our final example, the linked story above tells of an actual lawmaker who tried to pass off an R&D sighting, only to have to admit that he had made it up.  It’s becoming clear that the real thing is so rare, it may only exist in the demented minds of those who are living in the past.  While there is always money to be made from claims of a real sighting, actual sightings have not occurred since the days of Jackie Robinson.  The underlying point that the politician was presumably trying to fabricate was to show how intolerant society is.  The fact that this ‘lawmaker’ has not been removed from office and placed in a 5 by 5 holding cell demonstrates that society is in fact quite tolerant….probably too tolerant.

We’re living in odd times. There doesn’t seem to be any parallel time in history for the bizarre things observed in culture and politics today.  The tumult wreaking havoc through the country causes many to wonder about the efficacy of laws and perhaps even the foundations of society.  

Lots of virtual ink has been spilt pontificating on the roots of this tumult with all manner of expert pundits wading in with their socio, psycho mumbo jumbo explanations.  Like most things in life, the best explanation is typically the simplest. 

I have a theory on what ails us.  The root cause of much of the disorder affecting society today is...bad math skills.  Simple arithmetic and advanced mathematics are the essential skills separating humans from every other life form on the planet.  Whereas other animals depend on natural instinct or conditioned behavior to navigate through life, humans have been uniquely endowed with the capacity to reason logically.  Whereas languages may differ between people, there is only one language of reason and logic and that is mathematics.  Logic is generally (but not always) the foundation for the laws that govern a society.  People observe and obey laws if they make sense and are rationally enforced. Hence, rational people obey acceptable laws in a civilized society.

In order for man to control his environment rather than be controlled by it, he had to create inventions and applications in order to do so.  Without being able to measure cause and effect, progress through inventions would not have been possible.  Math and reasoning skills are key in the progress of humankind.  As most probably know, math skills have been on the decline in many education curriculae today,  being eclipsed instead by nebulous studies of social sciences.  This is ground zero for many of the problems we see today in society and culture.

To be exposed to math concepts is not about finding the right quotient per se, it’s more about the logical process of reasoning that allows you to come to a rational conclusion.  If A=B and B=C, then logically, A=C. This most elementary bit of logic should be as widely accepted by all humans as the reality that if you jump off a 10 storey building, you will die.   And yet, for so many people who have influence on our every day lives, this logic is alien to them.   Politicians and those in the media seem to be particularly afflicted with bad math skills because logic is seriously AWOL in their public utterances.   

We know that professional politicians today are strong on their demagoguery skills but almost absent of any logic skills.  Since they are likely to reflect the values of their constituents, who are as likely math challenged, these politicos are allowed to hold high office, effectively proving the narrative of the tallest midget.  You don’t have to make a rational argument if no one understands it.

For their part, the majority of the media plays a big part in the dumbing down of society by ignoring logic in their reportage.  Taking but one issue as an example, we can see how they’ve tied themselves up in a Gordian knot while reconciling the related issues of gay and transgender rights, women’s rights and transgenders in women’s sports.  

Let’s also point out the illogical pleas to save black lives from police violence when statistics don’t support this narrative at all.  In fact, the recent violent and destructive demonstrations have caused more grief to the black community than all police issues to date this year.  Apparently only certain black lives matter. We can also point out the pleas for amnesty for the children of tens of millions of illegal aliens who are in the U.S. because of their parents’ actions.  Children are not responsible to pay for their parents’ actions is the logic.  Compare this with the logic being forwarded that reparations should be paid by whites whose great great ancestors may have owned slaves.  

The tragedy cum comedy of Global warming is still doing its dance on the illogical high wire but that issue is being replaced by the hysteria surrounding another more imminent threat, the Covid-19 pandemic, or for us regular folk, the ‘flu.  The flip flopping on the wearing of masks has brought to stark clarity the lack of logic involved in policy implementation by hysterical authorities left in charge.  At least they’re no longer hoarding toilet paper.  There are so many ‘experts’ pushing their views that it’s hard for a lay person to determine the veracity of any of them.  If masks work, why do we need quarantine and isolation?  If they don’t work, why wear them? Let’s hope they don’t propose virgin sacrifices as a possible cure. 

Most of the cult like hysteria that periodically grips societies should have been eliminated or reduced by access to education.  In the 21st century, people aren’t supposed to be naive rubes every time someone concocts a new existential threat.  This rampant naivete is rooted solely from the neglect of a sound math education.  If the basic foundations of logic were imprinted on all students at an early age, we would not allow politicians and media people to perpetrate the laughable leaps of logic they foist upon us today.  My suggestion is that a minimum test of math and logic be administered to anyone seeking public office or those seeking to be in the news racket.  I’m not talking advanced differential equations; just simple ones like adding 2 digit numbers without removing their shoes.  Now if we could apply this retroactively….