The state of political discourse in our fine, more perfectly created union, of states may be summed up by three words: Antagonistic Decorticate Posturing©1. ADP. Not the payroll people. But the talking heads are on someone’s payroll. Looking at you Rachel and Tucker.
You should easily recognize the signs (piss off Derrida):
- Your political enemy uses the slogan that triggers you.
- You, before collapsing, utter the counter slogan that triggers your opponent.
- Mortally offended, pissing yourself with faux-rage©, you both assume the position, rigid, defensive, and unable to respond to any outside stimuli.
I present to you the picture of American public discourse:
What do we want? Blankets!
When do we want them? Now!
Why do we want them? ‘Cuz it’s cold on this slab!
Slogans might start the conversation (doubtful). Given the level of contempt that is embraced by each side for their opponent, regardless of issue, each side is absolved of listening. Because the other side is just too stupid. Too morally inept. Pick your favorite, unbiased, facts only news site. Review the anger, the hatred, the arrogant dismissal of their opponent as a person of moral agency and someone capable of discovering the truth.
A personal favorite is “We’re tired of talking.” Ok… Did you address your audience in a manner that would help them to listen to your issue? Or did you just assume that because you didn’t get what you wanted in the first shout, it’s time to add violence? Well, The Man listens to violence. Really? In America? Where we worship violence? Where we worship the chance to respond in violence? Sam Peckinpah didn’t get famous for his delicate lighting and subtle shifts in hue. Could we here suggest that what The Man really listens to, in America, is the approach of others towards his/her/their money.
A little thought experiment: what if, just for giggles, all those who purchase beauty supplies, beauty aids, makeup, cosmetics, etc. agreed to not purchase them for 4 months. Deodorant and sun screen are not included in this boycott. The advertisers, the magazines, the whole industry of ‘beauty’ would suddenly stop trying to influence what consumers think they want. The ‘beauty industry’ would suddenly have to listen. The “influencers” would suddenly be trending with their “natural beauty” efforts. But who wants to watch some self-absorbed, selfie-addicted person rinse their hair and let it dry?
The issue to consider is that your slogan loses efficacy when one of your most vocal are caught violating the slogan. Just ask PETA about slogans versus all of the animals PETA has murdered (their word). Suddenly, the slogan loses the moral force that was behind it (pretended moral force in PETA’s case).
Better yet, ask Kaepernick how he plans to Just do it. How to just use that Nike money he unironically grabbed up for being the face of the protest against institutionalized violence towards minorities. Will he be giving it back since Nike profits off slave labor of the minority Uighurs. Slave labor institutionalized by your friendly Marxists in the CCP? So, slogan it. Sacrifice everything? Well, maybe not the cash he got... Take that $$$... As if you had never heard that Nike had been accused of heinous labor practices for the last 30 years...most of Kaepernick's lifetime. So which is it, Colin? Kneel against institutional racism and oppression or kneel 'til the oppressors buy your silence? I guess being complicit is easier when you are the 1%.
It’s not the slogan that’s bad. That’s so puerile it needs training wheels. It’s that legitimate change requires people to change their minds. Most people change their minds, not with facts, but with a personal encounter of the issue behind the slogan. Can we, at least for the rest of 2020, give up sloganeering©?
Sloganeering© --Feel free to share on your Tee-witters and your Face The Facts Book Pages. As if the Pandemic did not afford us with enough fodder to fuel the fire of "Humans are Slugs©" as advocated by R.S. the 3rd, we have to now form up raiding parties based on which "____ Lives Matter." Precious little light given by either side. Lots of heat though. Lots of good, old fashioned yellin'.
The rallying point for your raiding party is your slogan. Black Lives Matter. All Lives Matter. If you are the snarky astrophysicist, "All lives are matter.©" If you are in China, "No Lives Matter, Especially Uighur Lives." (Uh oh, I guess I can never travel to China now. That's fine. As long as the CCP is in power, I'll pass on the Worker’s Paradise Run by Winnie the Pu-Er. I’ll just ferment over here by myself.)
So what’s your slogan? Black Lives Matter? All Lives Matter? So have you posted a cartoon or meme on your FB page2 that forced your FTFB friends and family to say “Uncle” and bow to your flawless logic? Or did you relentlessly quote others who are so much gooder at argumentin’ than you-self?
Where would we be without the irony that FTTB is actually faceless? Not to mention feckless. You may have a picture of your mug on your sight, but, like most things technology heavy, there is no immediacy. No real person into whose eyes you can look, and hear with your own ears their thoughts. No tone of voice to call empathy from the depth of your soul. For most people I have met, that’s mostly a blessing. But irony none the less. And not the spoons and knife irony so popular in the 90’s.
So, what is your slogan? What few words sum up an issue for you? ACAB? All Cops Are Bastards? All Cops Are Blessed? NWA? Non Compos Mentis? Wait a minute, NWA is an acronym, not a slogan. Can’t it be a slogan? Who says you get to define my slogan? Mind your own slogan. Keep your laws off my slogan.
And in every age of our great country, we have the slogan. What else could capture the experience of the great American people? Of the great American experiment? Only a slogan apparently. Some favorites:
- "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" 1840
- "54-40 or fight" 1844
- "The champion of popular sovereignty." 1866 (really catchy…. Just trips off the tongue). Strangely, this candidate lost. But who voted for “Unpopular Sovereignty?” Or was it “Popular Serfdom” that won?
- "Vote as You Shot" – 1868 (Now I believe the folks in Chicago and all the gun club members can get behind this one… You certainly don’t want to be in front of it. Violates all the rules of gun safety.
- "Our choice: Cleve and Steve." 1892. Remarkably progressive. Something about “choice” and two dudes. Apparently, it wasn’t Adam and Eve, but Cleve and Steve. Who knew?
The dandy thing about slogans is that when you go a’ sloganeering, you can carry your cardboard sign like an ancient rabbi had to carry his own cross. And there was a fine slogan that got that scourging started: Give us Barabbas. Carrying your poster or your placard, you feel the rush of the righteousness of your cause. The air is electric. And maybe be toxic if the Po Po is spraying tear gas. Moving with the throng, you are united. Your voice lending gravitas to the issue that has brought you to the streets.
Ok. All I am asking is that we move past sloganeering as a means of public discourse or ‘declaring colors’ or virtue signalling. Here’s a slogan, “All Black Lives Matter©.” Now you as the reader, and champion of your cause, must decide. Is he ‘fur us or agin’ us?” Is he saying that he supports international attention and justice the 10,000 boys kidnapped by Boko Haram? Is she saying that BLM only protests violence perpetrated by white/melanin-challenged individuals/structures/hierarchies/ethnarchies/tetrarchies? Does it really matter what s/he is saying as long as the first emotion to bubble up from your electrified adipose is a strongly felt emotion? Wait, I think she is pushing for justice for all black lives/melanin-plenipotentiaries.
Instead of sloganeering, and the resulting antagonistic decorticate posturing by both sides, we take a breath. Before I can acquiesce to all of your demands, I have to read them. Hopefully, I’ll have a moment to do some higher level cogitatin’ on your list of must-haves. Hopefully your demands or grievances aren’t also slogans.
1 Not to be confused with decerebrate posturing which can be seen here. And while were at it, let's copyright Antagonistic Decerebrate Posturing©. We can define this as when the likes of Bill O'Reilly and Morning Joe sit and pontificate as if they were speaking ex cathedra. Sorry guys, Robin DiAngelo is already on the throne. This form of ADP is when one of the 5 corporate "media" outlets pays people to speak in hyperbole and bombast while pretending to be the genius in the room.
2 From now on referred to the imperative voice, YOU, Face the Facts Book!, FTFB.