Am I dreaming?

I used to joke that western civilization peaked in 1976. Maybe I wasn't wrong?

Nobody dreams this.

I suppose the occasional person with a mental disorder or two would dream this but, for the most part, this isn’t a super popular construct in the dreaming department

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But perhaps I should clarify the ‘dream’ word before going any further. There’s the kind of dreams that you have when you sleep, remembered or not, free of reality’s weighty foundation. Then there are the dreams that we purposely formulate, the ones that don’t require an unconscious state. The ones that blueprint a spirit of desire that, occasionally, form the basis of goals and life mission.

So when I say ‘nobody dreams this’, I’m speaking of the latter description in the paragraph above.

And when I refer to the dream, I’m talking about the phantasmagoric state of national politics and social demeanor. Not just in the prime example of the United States but also in Canada and many other countries.

I’m not sure if it warrants the word acceptance but there does seems to be a kind of resignation or weary, numbing predictability of reaction among the populace that candidates for public office will utter the most absurd statements and promise clearly draconian legislation without creating more than a slight stir.

And that goes for the press too. Because the stalwarts of the media are now completely subservient to owners and shareholders. That tenuous dance of money versus morals, with the thin wall of autonomy between revenues and readership, is gone.

Things that were unspeakable a generation ago are now tossed around like confetti at a wedding. When you called someone a Nazi when I was younger, you’d better be prepared for peer rebuke and a fistfight from your target.

But now, it’s a daily occurence. And for good reason.

I find it interesting that balanced and seemingly intelligent people can give a pass to a person’s traits and behaviours for what I would described as wholly selfish reasons. They’ll overlook or excuse abhorrent moral character because of some economic policy. What’s always worked for me:

if I wouldn’t invite them into my house for a dinner party, then why would I ever consider them for elected office?

Over the years, there’s been plenty of people I disagree with on when it comes to social and economic policies. I’m comfortable with having discussions and arguments over the various points of contention. But it never gets to a point of violence and that’s what a lot of these strong man types are engaged in now. A criminal record, documented sexual deviance and the threat of retribution against specific groups. How appealing to the sane electorate.

But apparently the kind of character that should be an automatic disqualification is now the exact recipe that will yield millions of faithful voters.

And in my own country, there’s a populist who will say just about anything to stir the rage and is the only party leader who will not submit to a security clearance check.

Clearly, a failure of the education system in a modern world that chooses to forget even the most recent lessons of the past.