Poly as in many. Tics as in brief, sudden twitches, movements or sounds that people do repeatedly, often in response to stress and/or sleep deprivation. America has developed several “tics” that are exacerbated by current politics and media propaganda. So much so, I feel urged to write about our poly tics as they relate to our politics.
The most glaring one is our brief, sudden sound offs on social media platforms where we are well hidden behind any actual, effectual impact on day to day life. Where we boldly ask to be defriended by those who disagree, and state with utmost certainty that “they” are the problem. We incite fear, anger, deception, and superiority with words….I guess sticks and stones lose…words have hurt us? We not only personalize opinions, we weaponize them as our horn of truth resounds like a gong, without Love. Instead, the “truth” is being thrown as daggers in a war, ultimately on Love and inner peace. We are in a never ending “best burn” contest, taking every opportunity to make a deeper dig in the grave of whichever side we hate.
Another tic is our need to vehemently be right about one party or the other in the first place, which seems ironically misplaced in a land purported to want liberty and justice for all, along with safety, peace and equality. Does either “side” have the capability of hearing anything good about the other? Does either position of rigid determination create a soil where liberty, justice, safety, prosperity or any other aspect of the American dream could gestate? For years we have blamed whichever POTUS is in office, as if he either actually represents a majority of America, which is divided against itself, or he somehow caused the issues the day he was sworn in. Did racism start in America in January of 2016? Did misogyny? What about hatred towards homosexuals? What about human, mostly children, trafficking for forced labor and sexual slavery? We are agreeing to this perpetual division by engaging in external, egoic battles instead of healing the anger, rage and trauma inside ourselves. The vast, perhaps silent, majority want the same things. Yet media, including social, showcase seeking validation from duality instead of owning our sovereignty and embracing our common humanity, so we can gain clarity for solutions and building what we do want. “A nation divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand” -excerpt from a famous book. The irony I see is this: United minorities are the majority, yet we accept a victimized version of ourselves, and therefore have less power available to us for solutions, harmony and new normals, of which we all dream. POC, LGBTQ, Women, Conservatives, SJWs, Liberals…whatever label, they all come after “human” and death shows no discrimination.
Perhaps the most astonishing tic to mention is the tendency to ignore the second largest criminal industry in the world, bringing in 150 BILLION dollars a year globally:Human Trafficking, a.k.a Modern day slavery.
https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-human-trafficking
Even when we do acknowledge it, it’s to “prove” which candidate or celebrity shows up on the flight logs and who is associated with who. Now is when I start to tic…..why aren’t we asking WHY there is an island for exploiting young girls that so many famous people visit?! No one wonders about the island and what it represents or who is fighting against modern day slavery. We just want to find evidence against an opposing candidate….further exploiting the victims. Is the veil truly blinding us or would we rather maintain our grievances and wait for collective retribution? Perhaps the grievances are the veil??….America’s Poly Tics