“Of Chaos and Politics” was a piece expressing OneOldCop’s concerns about the direction in which the United States seemed headed. More recent pieces written in response to the chaos created by criminals and political dissidents posing as protestors support the concerns expressed in Chaos. While some may think this writer is being an alarmist, it seems clear the United States is on the edge of becoming a society and culture that accepts chaos as the norm.
“Of Chaos and Politics” opined that modern communication systems, including social media, might be leading to a culture in which the memory of trigger events does not fade. Not only do they not fade, they can be recycled because of a form of societal attention deficit disorder.
Instantaneous, twenty-four hour news changes focus and concerns constantly. Add that constantly changing focus to information overload, and many people will forget the horrible injustice of an incident yesterday until it resurfaces next week. Then they will be outraged again. The constant cycle of outrage seems to be causing the social equivalent of a chain reaction.
If that is not the case, how does one explain the recent barrage of airline related horror stories? The airline industry has a less than stellar reputation in the customer service area for many reasons. It is likely one passenger or another is mistreated, misled or simply ignored daily somewhere, if not more often. Yet, one horrible appearing incident of a man being dragged from a plane makes the news, and the news is full of similar stories of outrage and mistreatment. Of course, that means Congress feels compelled to hold a hearing on the matter, and the chaos cycle is in full swing.
The latest airline related incident of chaos and anarchy was the knockdown, drag-out brawl at an airport in Florida. Due to an alleged job action by airline pilots, the airline cancelled a number of flights, and irate passengers ran amuck. Video of people fighting cops, cops fighting people, people being arrested, and general chaos were on the national news before the ink on the arrest paperwork was dry. Additionally, news personalities were opining new chaos would reign the next morning because more flights were being cancelled.
Sociologically and behaviorally speaking there are likely numerous possible causes for the chaos that seems to be spreading across the United States like a plague in the middle ages. Another writer opined the chaos is due to the fact people do not feel they have a voice, and this is the only way they can be heard. OneOldCop has a different opinion.
The government, educational system, and so-called progressives have been sending mixed messages to society for decades. Kids, and others, receive trophies for participation. Bullies and the kids they are bullying are both punished if the victim fights back. Kids can go to a movie or watch television where guns, bombs, knives, and ninja death grips are more common than curse words, but heaven help a kid pointing a finger at a playmate during recess. That child gets suspended.
If that is not enough, the news or social media regularly report of someone praising protestors for destroying police cars, the corner grocery, and putting cops in the hospital. Then they report the words of someone who claims to be a religious leader speaking out against law and order in the name of what they claim is tolerance, acceptance and coexistence.
The bottom line is this. Today’s world is one of relativism and confusion. When everyone’s view is valid, depending upon his, her, or their perspective, nothing is valid. When society and culture refuse to define right and wrong, while attacking moral codes which do, stability and decency are in jeopardy.
Get used to it America. We are, socially and politically at least, becoming a third world country.
© OneOldCop – 2017
