What We Did Forget

 

"Never Forget" has long been a battle cry in the United States and after September 11, 2001 it became cemented in our minds. After the 9/11 attacks Americans and even our politicians set differences aside. We all came together in support of first responders, New Yorkers, the people lost at The Pentagon, the families of those lost on Flight 93. We ( us non-New Yorkers) didn't hate the Yankees that year. Most of the country could cheer for the New England Patriots in a Super Bowl. The U.S. flag was flying everywhere you turned. We cared a little more about our neighbors. 

We were willing to let the government take away a little bit of our freedom in the name of fighting terrorism. We sent care packages to troops who were sent off to fight "the war on terror." We gave donations for any fundraiser in the name of first responders. Through the horrible events of 9/11, as the dust cleared we learned of amazing stories of bravery, sacrifice, compassion. Strangers helping strangers. Strangers rallying together on hijacked plane, to not let what happened three times already, happen a fourth time. Evil arrived and it brought out the best in us.

But it didn't last. Yes, every year on 9/11 we post pics and write "Never Forget," but our every day actions show the rest of the year show differently. 

As time went on we all drifted back to a regular day to day. We and our politicians dug back into our political trenches. First in ways like withholding military funding and money for the First Responders Survivors Fund, as a way of grandstanding and playing politics with people's lives. Then, as we were struck with another test of our resiliency and humanity, a large portion of our country, who have pumped full of lies from Trump, Republican politicians, Fox News, Alex Jones and and other right wing media outlets, refused to come together to fight off COVID. They were willing to give up freedoms with "The Patriot Act" but wearing a mask is a bridge too far. They want Trump's name on the COVID Vaccine, but they refuse to get the vaccine.

"Never forget! Never forget! NEVER FORGET!"

Yet 650,000 Americans have died in the last couple years since COVID hit, with more every day and most people forgot them seconds after they passed. The number of COVID deaths is equal to 9/11 happening 217 times. Why is it so easy to forget the lives lost from COVID?

Americans yelled "Never Forget" after the Sandy Hook school shooting, but nothing legitimate was done by our leaders to prevent it from happening again. School shootings and mass shooting continue and many forgot all about the young children from Sandy Hook who would have been starting high school this year.

Americans seem to have no problem forgetting. Forgetting loss, forgetting facts, forgetting science, forgetting history. What we forgot most was our decency, compassion, humanity, our togetherness.

So when you post your yearly "Never Forget" bullshit, think about how much you really have forgotten.

Bruce Springsteen Fools America

 Bruce Springsteen, Rock & Roll icon and foolishly, a hero for the Blue Collar-Working Class. Democrats love to prop him up as one of theirs and how he speaks for the little guy. Republicans have tried to latch onto his music and themes to try and co-opt that "we support the blue collar Americans" bullshit. But the fact is, all he has ever known of hard working, blue collar Americans he either read about or was told, and then he turned it into his storytelling lyrics. He grew up middle class, his mother worked at law firm, his dad was a bus driver, he had a Grandfather that was lawyer. He didn't spend years working in steel mills or building cars on an assembly line or digging in coal mines. 

So let's just begin this all with he played everyone. He's not Johnny Blue Collar. He's a millionaire that writes stories about Johnny Blue Collar. Then we have his nickname, "The Boss." So he goes by "the Boss" but average Americans bought into the myth that he's one of us and speaks for us. Last I checked, the vast majority of us blue collar folks hate our boss, because while the average working class Joe or Jane bust their ass just to scrape by, the boss coasts by and gets nice bonuses based of Joe and Jane's hard work. Seriously America, this guy played the whole damn country.

Then we get into some of his lyrics. No I'm not talking about "Born In the USA." I'm talking about some classics the ladies all seem to love, but he doesn't write the ladies in a very nice light. 

From Secret Garden:

 "She'll let you in her house

If you come knockin' late at night

She'll let you in her mouth

If the words you say are right

If you pay the price

She'll let you deep inside"

But that was in "Jerry MaQuire" so it was so sweet right?

Let's get into the classic, "Thunder Road" here are some of his not so loving, but 'I want to fuck you' words to Mary.

Early on we get: 

"Don't run back inside

Darling, you know just what I'm here for"

Leading us to :

"Show a little faith there's magic in the night
You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright
Oh and that's alright with me"

Progressing to;

"We got one last chance to make it real
To trade in these wings on some wheels
Climb in back
Heaven's waiting down on the tracks"

And then:

"From your front porch to my front seat

The door's open but the ride ain't free

And I know you're lonely"

In "Born to Run" run he's talking to Wendy with a bunch of car metaphors:

"Wendy, let me in, I wanna be your friend
I wanna guard your dreams and visions
Just wrap your legs 'round these velvet rims
And strap your hands 'cross my engines"

Then we have the songs, "The River," "Candy's Room" and "Tunnel of Love" where all three titles are used as vaginal metaphors, made plenty clear by the stories these songs tell.

Then we have the hit song "Fire" that many women call sexy and back in the day was always on "Sexist Song" lists. But you read the lyrics and it doesn't seem sexy. Seems kind of date rapey.

"I'm driving in my car

I turn on the radio

I'm pulling you close

You just say no

You say you don't like it

But girl I know you're a liar

'Cause when we kiss

Ooooh, Fire

Late at night

I'm takin' you home

I say I wanna stay

You say you wanna be alone

You say you don't love me

Girl you can't hide your desire

'Cause when we kiss

Oh, Fire

Fire

You had a hold on me

Right from the start

A grip so tight

I couldn't tear it apart

My nerves all jumpin'

Actin' like a fool

Well your kisses they burn

But your heart stays cool

Romeo and Juliet

Samson and Delilah

Baby you can bet

Their love they didn't deny

Your words say split

But your words they lie

'Cause when we kiss

Mmmmmm, Fire

Fire

Burnin in my soul

It's outta control"

The last example I'll give is "Red Headed Woman." It was written in the early 90's about his second wife. So while the lyrics seem like they were written by a high school sophomore, they were written by a 40 year old male songwriter, who clearly could never get out of his high school boy view of women.

"Well brunettes are fine man
And blondes are fun
But when it comes to getting the dirty job done

I'll take a red headed woman
A red headed woman
It takes a red headed woman
To get a dirty job done

Well listen up stud
Your life's been wasted
'Til you've got down on your knees and tasted

A red headed woman
A red headed woman
It takes a red headed woman
To get a dirty job done

Tight skirt, strawberry hair
Tell me what you've got baby, waiting under there
Big green eyes that look like, son
They can see every cheap thing that you ever done

Well I don't care how many girls you've dated, man
But you ain't lived 'til you've had your tires rotated

By a red headed woman
A red headed woman
It takes a red headed woman
To get a dirty job done"

Listen, I'm not here to say we should cancel Bruce Springsteen...I don't speak for everyone, I speak for myself. I cancelled him from my musical preferences years ago, because I saw the bullshit, con-man he was. I often joked about the "You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright" line because its gotta be in the top 5 shittiest ways to tell someone you want to fuck them. But I find it odd how females pick and choose who they will tolerate what from, and Springsteen is one of those that baffles me. Dude is a fake and a scumbag.

Farewell 2020, Hello 2021, More of the Same

 

It's New Year's Eve and it seems like a lot of people are hanging their hats on 2021 being a better year. Kind of hard to do worse right? I don't know folks. 

The U.S. is sitting at 344,000 COVID deaths and the infection rate and death rate are not slowing down. The Trump administration talked a big game about have 20 million people vaccinated by now but we're only at 2 million. We may be stepping into 2021 but the vast majority of things won't get better tonight or tomorrow or next week. If we are lucky we are months and months away from things getting better COVID-wise. 

Politically it's still going to be a mess. We have assholes like JOSH HAWLEY to deal with. This dipshit says he’s standing up for the 74 million Trump voters. He’s doing so by saying us 82 million who voted for Biden don’t count. This is treason. This is leading to authoritarianism and from his past history, it’s subtle but not too subtle racism. Hawley, just say what you mean: 'Those minorities that voted for Biden shouldn't count. As a matter of fact I view all of you 82 million people as niggers.'

 Besides Hawley we have to deal with that prick Mitch McConnell and closet case Lindsey Graham. Today it was reported that a couple House republicans expect at least 140 of their colleagues to object to the Election results. I get that people say this is just a show and no big deal because it's all procedural bullshit, but the fact is, it's damaging to Democracy and how people, not just citizens here, but around the world, view free and fair elections. 140 House Republicans are traitors to the oath they took, The Constitution, Democracy and the people. The GOP is full of traitors and have made it clear they are not the Patriots they claim to be and excepting of a Trump Authoritarian rule.

Democracy is under attack, Thanks to Trump and his Trumpism cult.

So flipping the calendar isn't going to fix that.

-

2020 has gotten the blame for every bad thing that has happened. Ruth Bader Ginsburg died, 2020 got the blame instead of cancer and old age. Eddie Van Halen died and instead of Cancer and a stroke, 2020 took the bullet. Kobe Bryant and his daughter died. 2020 got the blame instead of the helicopter/weather and whatever else. Countless other died and people lazily blamed the year instead of the illness or violence.

Wildfires in the U.S. and Australia destroyed, lives and property and wildlife. 2020 got the blame, even while scientists and a young girl tried telling us, that shit is our fault.

Life is all fucked up and lots of shitty things happened and we blamed the year instead taking a long, hard look in the mirror.

Shitty things happen every year.

-

In 2020 My oldest daughter did not get to have her traditional Senior year of high school. No graduation, no Prom, none of that. Then she lost out on going away to college as she is forced to do the first year online, from home. My son is doing high school from home and he has a focus on art classes which is a bitch from home, not getting the full hands on teaching and doing things in a proper environment. My youngest daughter is doing school from home as well. Fourth grade, and they have made it clear the focus is on Math and English. There is going to be a whole generation of kids lagging behind when it comes to science, social studies, art, music and physical education.

 2020 lead to an increase of depression, frustration and alienation. It's also shown the true colors of many. It's clear now, there is a frightening number of Americans that don't care about others. Wearing a mask to protect themselves and others, including loved ones, is too damn inconvenient and is part of 'a hoax to control us all.' Americans love to talk about how tough we are and we can do anything and deep down inside we're all Marines and can "Adapt and Overcome."

BULLSHIT!!! 2020 has shown us that far too many Americans are selfish. Far too many Americans are pussies. They can't handle staying home for a month, let alone a week. Too many aren't willing to do anything for the good of the country or humanity. Too many can't "Adapt and Overcome." They're just full of shit, selfish, pussies and they are part of the reason why there are 344,000 dead Americans and counting.

Americans have overrated themselves. The only way 2021 is better is if we start being better humans. Otherwise it's just going to be the same fucking shit-show we've been living in.

(Sorry, this post feels a little disjointed, but fuck it, it's 2020! Right?)

Happy New Year!