As IF Times

As we’re now in the thick of election season in North America, including regionally in Canada, an old joke comes to mind which classically described the difference between Canadians and Americans.

It seems that someone was having a tour of a restaurant and in the kitchen he noticed two large pots of boiling water; one with a lid and the other without.  When asked, the restauranteur revealed that the pots contained lobsters.  When asked why one had a lid and not the other, the owner conveyed that the one with a lid contained American lobsters and the one without were the Canadian kind.  He explained that the Canadian ones didn’t need a lid because if one tried to climb out, the other ones would pull him back in.

This little anecdote was quite true for a long time, but really, it hasn’t aged very well.  With the passage of time, the stark difference in mindset reflected by that old anecdote has lost its edge.  When you look at the platforms and values propagated by the dominant political factions on both sides of the border, one side clearly favors the collective over the individual.  This may not be so surprising in Canada, but for this mindset to take root in the United States is astounding.

The very foundation of the US nation was premised upon the rights and liberties of the individual over the collective.  In fact, it was started by some brave individuals who decided that living under the arbitrary decrees of a detached monarch in England wasn’t for them.  So, they started the tradition of doing their own thing, which became a hallmark of being an American.  From this beginning, the greatest free civilization in history was born. To this day, this notion of freedom and independence is enshrined in the minds of most Americans and of course, in their constitution. This is true even in the minds of those who only think about the characteristics of Americans.  This legacy is quite different in Canada since it continued to be tied to the old empire for over a century after declaring itself a nation, thus Canadians don’t have that same reputation.

We can observe clearly that the fine edge of freedom and individualism has been blunted over successive generations in the U.S.  As we all know, rights and freedoms once considered sacrosanct have slowly but surely been chipped away by all kinds of interest groups so that now, rights and freedoms still exist….but only if you follow specific rules.  So the illusion exists, but not the reality.  It reminds me of accountants and dentists who ride Harley Davidsons in full outlaw gear.  They’re individual….in a me too kind of way.  These rough-hewn images are cultivated in popular films which depict the heroic struggle of individuals versus a societal machine.

It is only in American culture that this brand of rugged individualism is glorified and celebrated.  It is rare to find this kind of theme in the majority of foreign films ( at least in my experience ).  In America, not only is the protagonist in films a hero, he is often an anti-hero by imposing his strength of will and character upon an oppressive antagonist.  Oddly, even in despotic nations, films with this theme sell very well.  I seem to recall that Kim Jong Un is a big Rambo fan.

But the reality of the American experience has deviated substantially from the original plan.  The mythical rugged individual is fading into distant memory and nowadays, is often demonized.  For those that do any construction work, we know that measurements over long distances can be greatly impacted by only a small variance at the outset. Being off by only a few degrees over 3 feet can mean 3 inches over 20.

This is the case today.  Half of the dominant political parties actively push the notion of the collective versus the individual and they no longer feel the need to obscure their message.  Their platforms clearly state that the interests of the state supersede any individual initiative.  They require  citizens to conform to an ideal which only they are allowed to define.  This may sound familiar to those born 350 years ago.  Seemingly minor curbs on freedoms and activities have morphed into outright curtailment of all kinds of heretofore free movements, which extends even into the realm of thought. The allegorical piece of wood we’ve been cutting has deviated to become an 180 degree cut.

As bizarre as it appears, Marxist and leftist ideologies, anathema to the very core of the American experience, is widely embraced by a frighteningly large segment of the population.  While this may not be surprising in most other nations since few have the history that the Americans have of fighting an actual war of independence, to have this mindset creeping into mainstream American consciousness is shocking.  What’s particularly frightening is that, unlike those plucky individuals who gave the English king the finger and started their own country over 350 years ago, there aren’t too many places to go today to do the same thing.

And of course, the worst part of it may be that films that depict subjects conforming to the state dictates and edicts probably won’t do well at the box office.

link Occupy Wall Street veteran gears up for Occupy Sacramento – KansasCity.com.

Nobody wants to miss out on a good street event.  At any given time, there is always some issue to protest somewhere in the world.  Sometimes it’s legitimate bread and butter issues, ie: they don’t have any, or it’s social issues such as gay or animal rights concerns.  In some parts of the world, it can even be about losing a hockey or soccer game.  Some are professional rioters who go from town to town looking to participate at the behest of organizers.  I’m sure there’s a Facebook page for protesters whereby participants can pick the ones that sound amusing.  Some just love a good riot and want to be part of the scene.  The clue is when some people bring their kids like it was the Macy’s parade.

The recent so called “Wall Street Occupation” is a prime example of a protest about nothing.  While ostensibly, it’s about lack of jobs and opportunity and the increasing gulf between regular people and the Wall Street fat cats, the actual message is lost on the majority of the participants.  They incoherently try to frame the issue as some kind of righteous entitlement protest, when in reality, they are a mob with nothing better to do.

When asked what they want, they essentially want those ‘fat cats’ at the top to share their wealth with them.  In other words, they want what someone else has.  How original.  Sometimes they claim that they want jobs.  That’s rather unlikely since if they needed jobs, they’d be out looking for them rather than standing around waving signs and causing public disruption.  Where are they staying?  How do they pay for lunch?  More importantly, where do they wash and pee?  There’s no denying that for years, “Wall Street” financial heads have reaped out-sized rewards for their dubious roles as captains of finance.  There’s no doubt that much of that stemmed from political influence bought and paid for, from both sides of the political fence.  Therefore the roots of the current malaise lie as much with politicians as with greedy bankers.

Unfortunately, the mob have no real endgame solutions other than just to cause disruption.  When you have an avowed communist like Van Jones exhorting the “people” to revolt and stand up for America, we know it’s a complete farce.  The kind of policies people like Jones are pushing are in fact blatantly anti-American.  They are completely at odds with the founding principles of the nation.  There is nothing in the founding tenets of the constitution that refer to any kind of statism, collectivism and certainly not socialism.  Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is clearly mentioned.  Nothing about being owed a job.  Or a minimum wage.  Or 4 paid weeks off every year.

In the old days, when people felt oppressed and deprived of opportunities, they left a country for greener pastures.  This factor is likely high on the list of reasons for why people emigrate.  How do you think America got started in the first place? Immigrants from all parts of the world converged on the U.S. precisely because its policies were diametrically opposite to the countries they were leaving.  From this immigrant pool was built indisputably, the greatest nation the world has ever seen.  Now, it seems, many don’t like the way things are.

If you go to a football game and you don’t like the product, is it logical to change the rules to more closely resemble those of soccer?  Why not just go to a soccer game?  This is the curious circumstance we see today.  “Thousands of protesters”, which actually means hundreds when you discount the media hyperbole, are protesting that the U.S. does not embrace policies that are essentially… socialist!  Breaking news, the U.S. is not a socialist nation, at least not by origin even though the neo socialists want to make it so.  There are plenty of high tax, socialist nations in existence today.   Think Sweden, or Denmark or Great Britain or France, although in France, the winds are a-changing.  These are nations that have embraced the socialist philosophy in their governing policies.  Why wouldn’t these nations be beacons of attraction for the oppressed masses here who are tired of that damn capitalism?

It’s one thing if the ‘mob’ were coherent about inequitable government policies; it’s another to say that the entire system of government sucks.  Strangely there aren’t long conga lines of people heading for Cuba or Venezuela.   These places have widely advertised their socialist/Marxist charms.  Plus, the weather is generally nicer than New York or Michigan.  Somebody should post that on Facebook.