A fan – I call her that, but really she’s my sister, and she argues semantics with me even when I call her my friend- pointed out that now is not the time for us to quietly acquiesce, or keep our opinions to ourselves, a la Edith; what we need now is a Meathead mentality. Mike Stivic walked into every argument true to his conscience, using logic and reason to back his arguments. He knew what the outcome was going to be – Archies never change- but he kept trying, patiently (kinda) and persistently, and in the end, he made a difference in his family and community. He opened some eyes, and others at least began to understand and consider his point of view.
Turns out, Rob Reiner stays in character even when he’s not in character:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rob-reiner-donald-trump-critical_us_57e8c136e4b0e80b1ba2cee4
He comes by it naturally. His dad is outspoken and unabashed as well. http://www.thewrap.com/carl-reiner-rob-reiner-donald-trump-twitter-takedown/
If you are still not sure there’s a link between the tv we watch and the way we vote, check this out: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/12/26/upshot/duck-dynasty-vs-modern-family-television-maps.html?_r=0
So, now I’ve changed my mind. Now I say it loudly and proudly:
But in the meantime, we still have to deal with this:
You can just replace the names at your leisure. It’s hard to separate our present reality from the fiction that is entertainment. Keith Stewart posted this quiz. Scroll down and take it. I was surprised by some of the answers… but not that surprised.
http://www.astrongmanscupoftea.com/2016/04/quiz-who-said-it-archie-bunker-or.html
So, here we are. A little more than two weeks ’til Trump. I’m trying to be optimistic. It’s in my nature. And I have faith in humanity. Of course, you know what Archie says about faith…* Here’s a poem.
2016 AT (After Trump)
I have to say
The prognosis is grim
The pulse is erratic
Breathing has become labored, thready
The circular in and out replaced by gasps.
Constricted windpipes wheeze long, hopeless sighs
Nope, it doesn’t look good.
Worse still,
It’s going to be a slow death
Indignities suffered
Humiliation and Outrage piercing as icebergs
Slowly melting, slow as glaciers,
Until we are all awash in a flood of self-pity
Each of us secretly hoping we are Noah,
All the time knowing
We haven’t been that good
And we won’t be that lucky.
Of course, we will still rally.
In times when our blood pressure rises
We will brace ourselves to fight, be vigilant
Outsmart the insidious cancerous squid ink squirt
Leaking from a tear
A rotted carotid
Surreptitiously at first, then later
Pumping, hemorrhaging boldly, aggressively, vigorously.
We had always known it was in our veins
But thought we’d outlive it
We might not
Inevitably, we grow weary
Weak with worry
Our will sandpapered
Even the mighty heart is compromised
And something’snot right in the head
Still, there are so many plans to make
Faces to wipe free of tears
Documents to be put in order
T’s to cross and I’s to dot
It would be easier
Better for us all
To just relax, let go
Ah, no, we all know what that means!
Do not go gently! No,
No rest for the wicked or the righteous,
We must
Put on a brave face and go on
Keep calm, Keep on trucking
We shall
Keep the faith
Fight the good fight
Do it for the children
For the good of us all
We will
Hold on, be strong…
It’s all we can do, right?
But…
it’s looking pretty bleak from here….
*In case you didn’t go to the link and scroll down like I told you to, here it is. You’re welcome. I let you get away with WAY too much!: “It’s not supposed to make sense, it’s faith. Faith is something that you believe that nobody in his right mind would believe.”