We've become a nation of the Rugged Individualist Lone Wolf Renegade. That's what we think is cool - and necessary.
We see very rich very powerful CEOs raping and pillaging across the land; buying Congress Critters outright; installing their own employees in the regulatory apparatus, and getting sweetheart legislation passed so they can do almost whatever they want in order to boost profits at the expense of anything or anyone they think might get in their way.
We're living an old western movie, and somehow we've been talked into rootin' for the bad guys.
We're told that if we're not making it, it's our own fault. And if we are making it, it's because we made it on our own, and so what if we broke some rules along the way? That's what you do. Boy Scouts help little old ladies. Straight-thinking, clear-eyed entrepreneurs help themselves (just like god said).
Only losers depend on Gubmint to do things for 'em, including enforcing the law as only you can truly understand the real meaning of that law.
If you want something done, stop bitchin' about it and go do it. If you make enough money at it (or if you can make it look like you've made a big pile of money), you're good - only poor people go to jail.
And now we have a guy pretending to be POTUS who personifies all this with:
It's something of a jump from all that to Stephen Paddock, but it's not a big jump.
"So here I am in my room on the 32nd floor. I've been suckered into thinking a casino is a place where gambling goes on - instead of a place where I pay thru the nose if necessary to have a few hours of fun, just as I've been suckered into going along with all the other shit I've swallowed over the years".
"I've blown thru somewhere between 30 and 70 thousand dollars that maybe I have and maybe I don't (check with my absentee Filipino girlfriend on that $100k transferred to an account in Manila), I'm in a shitty mood, and now those assholes are down in the plaza whoopin' it up having a good time and making noise that makes me feel even worse - so I'm gonna do something bold to get 'em all to shut the fuck up. Cuz that's how we roll - I get what I want and fuck all 'y'all."
"etc etc etc"
He shoots 500-n-some people, but instead of standing up for himself - justifying what he's done - he kills himself. I don't know what all it means, but it's gotta include something that indicates Mr Paddock had some inkling that he knew he was doing an enormous wrong - not just the final acts of murder and suicide, but everything he was told to believe, and everything he did because of what he was told to believe - everything that led up to those last few minutes.
Maybe deep down, he knew he'd been played for a sucker, and admitting to it out loud was just too much for him - the pain was so bad that he had to pull others into it so he wouldn't have to bear it all on his own.
What the fuck are doing?
We see very rich very powerful CEOs raping and pillaging across the land; buying Congress Critters outright; installing their own employees in the regulatory apparatus, and getting sweetheart legislation passed so they can do almost whatever they want in order to boost profits at the expense of anything or anyone they think might get in their way.
We're living an old western movie, and somehow we've been talked into rootin' for the bad guys.
We're told that if we're not making it, it's our own fault. And if we are making it, it's because we made it on our own, and so what if we broke some rules along the way? That's what you do. Boy Scouts help little old ladies. Straight-thinking, clear-eyed entrepreneurs help themselves (just like god said).
Only losers depend on Gubmint to do things for 'em, including enforcing the law as only you can truly understand the real meaning of that law.
If you want something done, stop bitchin' about it and go do it. If you make enough money at it (or if you can make it look like you've made a big pile of money), you're good - only poor people go to jail.
And now we have a guy pretending to be POTUS who personifies all this with:
- it didn't happen
- it's not a big deal
- it's not illegal
- OK so it's illegal. But I've got the power now - what're you gonna do about it?
It's something of a jump from all that to Stephen Paddock, but it's not a big jump.
"So here I am in my room on the 32nd floor. I've been suckered into thinking a casino is a place where gambling goes on - instead of a place where I pay thru the nose if necessary to have a few hours of fun, just as I've been suckered into going along with all the other shit I've swallowed over the years".
"I've blown thru somewhere between 30 and 70 thousand dollars that maybe I have and maybe I don't (check with my absentee Filipino girlfriend on that $100k transferred to an account in Manila), I'm in a shitty mood, and now those assholes are down in the plaza whoopin' it up having a good time and making noise that makes me feel even worse - so I'm gonna do something bold to get 'em all to shut the fuck up. Cuz that's how we roll - I get what I want and fuck all 'y'all."
"etc etc etc"
He shoots 500-n-some people, but instead of standing up for himself - justifying what he's done - he kills himself. I don't know what all it means, but it's gotta include something that indicates Mr Paddock had some inkling that he knew he was doing an enormous wrong - not just the final acts of murder and suicide, but everything he was told to believe, and everything he did because of what he was told to believe - everything that led up to those last few minutes.
Maybe deep down, he knew he'd been played for a sucker, and admitting to it out loud was just too much for him - the pain was so bad that he had to pull others into it so he wouldn't have to bear it all on his own.
What the fuck are doing?
