Disconnect
"I say 'Florida'. You say..."
Thus begins a promotional section of the Southwest Airlines inflight magazine. After spending two days with people who are trying to get their various states, including Florida, to implement health-care reform, here are some answers I would give to this word-association prompt: dysfunctional, mean-spirited, backward, and corrupt. Of course, these are not part of the impression that Sunshine State boosters want us to have, so instead we learn about golf courses, museums, resorts, and spas.
Not that I expect a state that's seeking tourist dollars to tout its dismal political climate, but to me this divergence confirms the utter futility of trying to make people's lives better. Most of us can't see any further than our own noses and pocketbooks. We don't care how much we're destroying the earth and its atmosphere in our pursuit of the perfect vacation. And in Florida, apparently, many comfortably retired folks don't care much about the welfare of others. "We got ours, and that's all that matters," they're alleged to think.
The apathy and ignorance of the average American should not be misunderestimated. Case in point: the recent stunt by Jimmy Kimmel in which he asked people which they preferred, Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. Most people in the video said they preferred the ACA, and they tried to give justifications for their preference. I like to think that the majority of people questioned knew the laws were one and the same, and that those genii were edited out. But still, that's a lot of scarily ignorant folks, many of whom could probably give you a detailed summary of last week's episode of NCIS or Dancing with the Stars.
Even people who think of themselves as knowledgeable and conscientious often fail to connect some pretty glaring dots. The other night I ate dinner across from a health-care activist who left about half her food uneaten; the next day I heard her give an impassioned speech in which she professed to care about climate change and the environment. And of course lots of so-called environmentalists continue to eat meat, and they continue to drive or fly frivolously. (OK, I fly more than I should, but at least I feel guilty about it.)
Then of course there are the people who believe in free speech, transparency, mutual respect, and dialogue-as long as those don't occur in their own home. I wish I could handle that kind of cognitive dissonance so effortlessly. I'm sure I'd be a much happier person.
Thus begins a promotional section of the Southwest Airlines inflight magazine. After spending two days with people who are trying to get their various states, including Florida, to implement health-care reform, here are some answers I would give to this word-association prompt: dysfunctional, mean-spirited, backward, and corrupt. Of course, these are not part of the impression that Sunshine State boosters want us to have, so instead we learn about golf courses, museums, resorts, and spas.
Not that I expect a state that's seeking tourist dollars to tout its dismal political climate, but to me this divergence confirms the utter futility of trying to make people's lives better. Most of us can't see any further than our own noses and pocketbooks. We don't care how much we're destroying the earth and its atmosphere in our pursuit of the perfect vacation. And in Florida, apparently, many comfortably retired folks don't care much about the welfare of others. "We got ours, and that's all that matters," they're alleged to think.
The apathy and ignorance of the average American should not be misunderestimated. Case in point: the recent stunt by Jimmy Kimmel in which he asked people which they preferred, Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. Most people in the video said they preferred the ACA, and they tried to give justifications for their preference. I like to think that the majority of people questioned knew the laws were one and the same, and that those genii were edited out. But still, that's a lot of scarily ignorant folks, many of whom could probably give you a detailed summary of last week's episode of NCIS or Dancing with the Stars.
Even people who think of themselves as knowledgeable and conscientious often fail to connect some pretty glaring dots. The other night I ate dinner across from a health-care activist who left about half her food uneaten; the next day I heard her give an impassioned speech in which she professed to care about climate change and the environment. And of course lots of so-called environmentalists continue to eat meat, and they continue to drive or fly frivolously. (OK, I fly more than I should, but at least I feel guilty about it.)
Then of course there are the people who believe in free speech, transparency, mutual respect, and dialogue-as long as those don't occur in their own home. I wish I could handle that kind of cognitive dissonance so effortlessly. I'm sure I'd be a much happier person.