solipsism (sol-uhp-siz-uhm)
n. Philosophy.
1. The theory that the self is the only thing that can be known and verified.
2. The belief that all reality is just one's own imagining of reality, and that one's self is the only thing that exists.
Although I didn't know the word for it, I've been a solipsist since I was old enough to know that I was, well…me. Insecure and full of social anxiety, I'm still my biggest fan.
More and more, it seems I'm not alone. There's a lot of "me" thinking going around these days. Solipsism is like a bad winter flu…it's everywhere and it's contagious.
The Democrats reek of it. Bill Clinton seems even more affected by it than his wife…if that's possible. And, as a flag waiving Democrat, I can promise you this: more and more it looks like the entire Democratic party is suffering from a terrible case of "me first" disorder. Have you ever seem so many folks who are ostensibly on the same side act so poorly, so maliciously, so self interested as many Democrats are right now? It's like Survivor for the liberal set.
When power is at stake, especially such intoxicating power as the Presidency, we over me, group think, goes right out the window.
"Ask not what your country can do for you…" Remember that one? Granted President Kennedy had the luxury of speaking from the comfort of his inauguration speech. He wasn't running for anything. He'd already won. Graciousness is easier after the game rather than during a tough competition. I get it. But still…come on. Isn't anyone else out there—regardless of their politics—just tired of watching the entire Democratic party act so catty?
I'm strongly in the Obama camp. So what?
I'm embarrassed by both Candidates, if not the candidates themselves, than their minions. I'm disappointed in all the folks who claim to be looking out for the best interest of the party as they swipe and belittle the other candidate. We are our own worst enemy.
Before I decided to make a living with a pen and my sense of humor, I used to manage dozens of people in the lottery lump sum business. I was Senior Vice President of Sales for a company that did nothing but buy and sell money. It's easy to dismiss the industry as a bunch of gonifs. You'd have a point. Still, the business side, the everyday management side, was as complex and hands on as in any other business. There were successes, and also our fair share of gaffs, missteps, and blown opportunities. And, like any senior manager, a lot of my time was spent fixing what others had broken. But guess what…if they worked for me, if they represented my company, an employees mistake was my mistake. To coin another presidential phrase, the buck stopped with me.
A lot of my book, Money for Nothing, examines the relationship people have with money and power—or the perception of power. As with power, money helps a lot of weak minded folks lose their way. It definitely did so for me. I think that a lot of Democrats working for these campaigns are so wrapped up in winning, in beating the other candidate, in getting a shot at the Presidency, they've fully forgotten why they're trying to win in the first place.
Why then are Clinton and Obama willing to let so many others say things which may indeed strike blood with their opponents but on a macro level, cause real bodily harm to their own party? Is it any better for Senator Clinton's campaign if Geraldine Ferraro makes an insensitive racial remark about Senator Obama? Does it do the Obama campaign real value for his side to call Hillary a monster? Forget about all the touchy feely stuff. I'm no angel. I can take a punch as well as the next guy and better than most. I can throw a punch too. But, why aren't both Democratic candidates demanding that ANYTHING said by their people be directly attributed to the candidates themselves? Want to see the campaign representatives watch their tongues a little more? Have the candidates start taking full responsibility for what their people say.
The Democrats have my vote. But if they want my respect and admiration, they need to take ownership for what happens on their watch.
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Comments: 69
I'm curious about your book and I think it will probably be an interesting slice of life. You always think things are going to be so much better if you can just win a large amount of money but as you revealed, it's not always that way.
Let me know what you think.
Ed
Cheers.
This is a good example of how our current Media Mogals are failing the public.
I'm a recent convert from decline to state to registered Democrat and this will be my last year in that catagory. I didn't think it was funny when some columnist wrote that Democrats were good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. Now I know. And this long, loooonnnnnggg campaign can take some of the blame. Nobody can hold up the mask of perfection for this length of time without it slipping.
Good article Ed.
Your politics, however, stink.
It's a bit of human nature. Let's not feel too bad on our journey to the gutter, it has been like this for thousands of years. It's called short term thinking in a long term world.
Could it be that the problem is not them but us?
Are we judging politicians by an unreal standard, discounting their chances of succeeding if they own up to their mistakes? Are we measuring them by an impossible standard by scrutinizing their every move so intently? Are we tuned out from real, serious discussion of complex problems and the necessarily complicated solutions to them because it is too much work and interfere with our time watching Survivor, the Super Bowl or drinking a few cold brews?
We want someone who will make us feel good, who doesn't demand too much from us in terms of grappling with society's problems, who is pure as the driven snow, who is experienced and wise without ever having earned those qualities in the school of hard knocks where losing and being wrong are what teach you how to be better later, we want someone who will command our attention without having to cater to our endless appetite for sleeze and gossip.
They don't exist. So the real candidates twist themselves into knots trying to pretend at being the inhuman leadership-droids we've imagined. Then when they are exposed as merely human after all we savage them for failing to beat a rigged game.
It's sad really.
In the absence of an informed electorate (and becoming informed requires effort) democracy is doomed to failure.
(But it's a whole lot different when it's just the tv or the radio and myself!)
..
U
Erik: The funniest comment I've seen. Thank you for not turning on me just b/c we're on different sides of the aisle. Kind of refreshing, no?
Devin: I hear you but I think no one in the party is exactly winning any points for great behavior these days. I'm not so naive as to think that candidates or their minions should be selfless...just a bit more focused on getting us out of a very complicated and potentially bad situation. Anyway, thanks for the comments.
Susan B: You're right, it was "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." I watched them both and I confused my shows. My wife was about to kill me yesterday. But, it was my birthday and I wanted to watch my politics...so there.
Rory: Nice comments. Depressing, but true.
Ron&Buddy: So true. so sad. It's happening again, no?
Some people are more susceptible to corruption, than others, obviously. This always has been true, and always will be. We shouldn't be surprised when some of them seek public office.
Hugs Glitters
Who was the guy who watched the Twin Towers fall, declared war and told everybody to "go shopping"! Read the papers lately Ed. Seen the Wall Street debacle Ed? Bear Stearns remind you a tinsy bit of Enron Ed??? On whose watch did this all happen to occur ED????
Welcome aboard. Now what? My anger at the democrats doesn't mean I'm not fully in their camp. I just want them to rise above their current level of bickering etc.
thanks for the comments, and have a great day.
And I'm in a weird place with the Clintons. I've always been a big fan of Bill, never a fan of Hillary. Recently, they both have done nothing but turn me off.
As the Queen of La La land, why not go crazy this fall and give Obama some hug glitters too? C'mon....please....
Cheers.
Cheers.
As someone who has not had a centrist to vote for in 28 years, I believe Obama could be described with both terms.
Still holding out hope for Hillary, but have McCain as a backup.
Cheers!!
I think Rory said it all with "Could it be that the problem is not them but us?"
We create the politicians we love to hate, then reward their pandering by reelecting them over and over. We, the people, need to take some responsibility.
A change is needed, and we have to have the courage to make that change.
I keep asking myself: Do people want Hilary because she IS Bill, or because she IS a female? Does anyone really want her because she IS Hilary. I mean, come on, she's crude and rude and pushy, and it's always been about HER career. She pushed Bill to the Presidency. Bill's own words, "I just wanted to go back to Arkansas and be a country lawyer." I have to wonder, with her character, would she be even more of a I/me power-monger than Dubya?
Did people vote for her because Obama was virtually an unknown? And hey, what exactly is wrong with a fresh face in DC? Why do we have 90 year olds in our Congress? What's wrong with putting a new generation in and take a risk?
Did we really want to go back to the 90's because the money was good?
Or is it that we just want a Democrat so bad that WE'LL do anything to get that? Makes us sound just like Hilary.
Yeah, We are our own worst enemy.
But, you are right,,,sad and funny.
...we do not bath, because if we stink, we know that we are.
"Have you ever seem so many folks who are ostensibly on the same side act so poorly, so maliciously, so self interested as many Democrats are right now?"
Yup. I've been watching Republican politicians and office holders for several decades. Their behavior has been so abominable in this same regard recently that the majority of their centrists crawled off to corners, hoping, praying and waiting for better days.
"Isn't anyone else out there--regardless of their politics--just tired of watching the entire Democratic party act so catty?"
Yeah, sort of. And yet the Democrats have not been as catty with each other as the Republicans are with each other. I find hope in Obama's audacity to not flinch, cower or viciously retaliate when smearing attacks are made. He continues to be unflappable, humble and ingratiating.
Hillary is kind of vetting him for us.
I've been reading reviews; your book sounds fascinating.
Good article.
The Democratic party is the party that is, and constantly takes heat for, the party that cares about everyone concerned. Universal health care, social programs, balancing and effectively using a budget, equal rights for everyone, and ending wars are not ME ME I I wishes. They are YOU YOU EVERYONE.
"a candidate could actually transcend all this biz as usual." The only one with any real understanding was trashed by the media...no surprise there. Conservatively, I bet less than 2% of the US population have any clue why the Federal Reserve was originally created and even fewer yet know why the economy is actually crashing (The topic that should be headlines). Talking and debating things that are convenient (What's on TV) appears to be the desired addiction.
And, I'm sure you know what is unique about a pelican, no?
Best.
I hope you give the book a shot.
Ed
And "a gambler is a gambler is a gambler" is the quote I will remember from your book! My review is up/submitted...
By the way...are you working these days? (Just had to ask...)
Thanks for writing your intriguing and open book!
Loaded answer for loaded question:
The most common and media promoted reasons the Federal Reserves creation in 1913, was to act as an economic stabilizer, following an era of financial panics and economic depressions. However, what isn't commonly known is that it is a private, for profit bank, and believed to be owned mostly by foreigners.
There is way too much about the whole subject to go into here, but several years ago, a video broadcast in Canada broke it all down in probably one of the most comprehensive videos on the subject I've seen. Just because of the 'secretive' nature of the subject, there is some speculation and assumptions...but all and all it gives an outstanding understanding of economics and politics.
The only problem with it is that it's long and boring for people that don't have a real interest in knowing history. And for that reason alone is why we are in so much trouble today. You can see the video here if you like:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-515319560256183936
Thanks for your thoughts.
And, to answer your question re: my employment status these days. I write full time. I'm working on my second book. I write for The Huffington Post as a resident blogger, and I write freelance feature articles in magazines too. I should be announcing the edetails of my second book very soon.
Again....thank you and stay in good touch!!
I liked the way he handled himself. Interestingly, I taped the speech and watched it as I read the speech transcript that someone here on Gather had sent along. So, I really got a chance to absorb it. man o man. He kills me, this guy. Again, I'm so jaded and yet I find myself like butter in him hands. I know a lot of folks will roll their eyes but, it's true. I believe in him. I want his words to be correct. i want it not to be too late for us, for America.
What did you think?
My bottom line is; as long as he and/or his wife are members of the Council on Foreign Relations, I would not give too much value to anything he says. I have trust issues... :-)
I wrote a similar piece entitled: What Is With All The Childish Behavior?:
"I just don't understand why campaigning has to be so ugly, so disgusting, and, in my eyes, so embarassing for all Americans. Do they think we will only respond to negativity? Are we really that motivated by drama? Is that what the candidates think of us? Whatever happened to, "My name is Bob and I want to be your President because I want our country to remain great. While I am President I want to extend healthcare to every legal American citizen through a Universal Healthcare Plan funded by the multi-state Powerball Lottery. I hope you will support me."? This is, of course, an exmaple of an introduction followed by a goal followed by a smaller part of that goal followed by the proposed means to reach that goal WITHOUT insults, in case you'd forgotten what that sounds like. I think most middle schoolers do pretty well during their Student Body Elections, yet in the grander scale of our presidential nomination campaigns, our candidates can't seem to do it without all manor of ridiculous mud-slinging."
Cheers.
Obammie's gettin' screwed with the whole jeremy wright thing, and the clinton machine isn't going to flinch when they use it as an excuse to try and give her the nomination.
Just stopping by to tell you that I noticed this article is featured on Gather's homepage right now!
Here's a 10 rating & have a nice day. :o)
I can't believe, that I'm agreeing with stutterin' jack. All but the subtle attempt at racism. If you judge someone by what someone else says, that they don't agree with, then mcbu$h and clinton aren't qualified either. mcbu$h didn't even denounce the preacher that trashed catholicism, and clinton, of course "Barack Obama isn't a Muslin, that I know of". I heard a talking head ask yesterday, "who should move aside and let the other one win to unite the democrat party." That's easy, the one that's ahead. should win. Step aside Hillary.
"obammie" is a title of endearment. I'm down with the brother, fool.
I support him for one reason only. Hillary and mcbu$h are both so entrenched into the Washington establishment that drove this country into the ditch we are in. He is the only hope for a "new" attitude in DC.
He kinda disappointed me for not standing up for his preacher, though. When I heard those clips. I didn't hear him lie about anything. But I don't really thing it says God damn America in the Bible. At least not specifically.
Linda, Obama's persona isn't Holier than thou, it's more like "i'll stand here and watch you two wallow in the muck. As far as the GE, I can't wait either. If you think the left won't go after mcbu$h, wrong. They'll bring up everything from his gaff about Iran training al Qaeda to send back to Iraq, to the confessions he signed in VN. Yea, the right will bring out their "you'd sign it too, if you were being tortured like he was". But rest assured, if that was a leftie that signed a confession. Traitor, look, >he's a traitor.
And of course, if you were disqualified because you know a convicted felon, we'd have to clear Washington out.
This is a tough political year. Good to see this article up and I'm reading what I can, from every part of the political spectrum, trying to stay informed.
told Clinton, according to the senator's office.
Cheers.
besides, he already has an insurmountable lead in number of states, number of delegates, and the popular vote, only the so called "super" delegates can save hillary now.
as a republican, I can only pray the democrats are stupid enough to make that move.