There's a new drug on the market called the "New Normal" drug. Have you heard of it?
Over the past 2-3 years the drug has become quite popular in a significant segment of the American population, with current daily usage estimates at around 35%.
One nice thing about this drug is that it's free, and you don't need a prescription to get it!
It's a drug that makes you feel engaged. It charges you up and uplifts your spirit. It's a drug that makes you feel you're part of a common cause, that makes you feel you're doing something for the common good and overall wellness of the United States and all its citizens.
It's a drug that supports the idea that change is good, and that sometimes radical change is even better.
So, a free drug with all of these seemingly positive qualities begs the question, why aren't more more people using it?
Well, let's start with the unfortunate side effects.
Evidence shows that regular, daily use of this drug tends to make a person considerably less likely to see objective reality. It tends to "blind" a person to the presentation of proven facts, causing them to concoct "alternative facts" that better suit their personal beliefs and aspirations.
The drug seems to have a detrimental effect on that part of the brain which allows for logical, rational thought. It also tends to make the brain interpret issues and events as either "black or white", with no "middle ground" or areas for compromise.
The drug appears to tap into that part of the brain responsible for "tribal" responses and behavior, helping to create a strong "us versus them" mentality and belief system.
It's a drug that, in some people, creates a sense of self-righteousness, often linked to a person's religious or spiritual beliefs.
It's a drug that, in some people, tends to suppress that part of the brain responsible for critical analysis and thought. Lies, exaggerations, mischaracterizations, and behaviors are often dismissed, rationalized, or explained as a manifestation of "God's will".
It's a drug that seems to validate and embolden some people who aspire to the idea of White Caucasian superiority and racism.
It's a drug that gives false hope to those among us wishing to return and regress into the past when the world was in some ways less complex, and surely less populated, before computers and automation and other technological advances forever changed the ways by which people in the United States survive and earn a living.
It's a drug that makes people tend to use "political correctness" as a "catch all" label when they choose to ignore, forgive, or dismiss disrespectful, adolescent, or condescending behavior, justifying it in their own minds because they feel they feel so strongly about their beliefs.
It's a drug that has made our lawmakers in Congress even more beholden to the people they represent (and the president), often influencing them to vote with their own political party to avoid the political ramifications of voting instead based on their personal convictions and what's best for the American people.
And finally, it's a drug that so far has proven to be quite addictive. Once you're taking it, you seem to need more and more to maintain the "New Normal" drug state of consciousness.
Yes, this is the state of the United States union on March 17, 2019 - a union more harshly divided than than ever before in my lifetime.
For those of you using the "New Normal" drug, surely you will dismiss much of what I'm saying here. I'll do my best to try and forgive you, because as a "New Normal" drug user you're not in a state of normal, reasonable, rational consciousness.
The "New Normal" drug was popularized by Trump. Yes, the seeds for the onset of this drug were planted long before Trump was elected, but Trump is the one responsible for "bringing it to market" and making it OK to use on a daily basis.
How long will the "New Normal" drug be "in vogue"? Well, if Trump loses the 2020 election I suspect the usage rate will decline, but it certainly won't end. No, there will surely be staunch Trump supporters who will continue to consume the drug for the rest of their lives.
If the president wants to declare a national emergency, I suggest he declare one based on the massive quantities of the "New Normal" drug being consumed on a daily basis by citizens of the United states. Yes, we have an opioid crises in the U.S., but that crisis pales in comparison to the threat posed to our Democracy as we know it by the "New Normal" drug.
Commentary:
There's a new drug on the market called the "New Normal" drug. Have you heard of it?
Over the past 2-3 years the drug has become quite popular in a significant segment of the American population, with current daily usage estimates at around 35%.
One nice thing about this drug is that it's free, and you don't need a prescription to get it!
It's a drug that makes you feel engaged. It charges you up and uplifts your spirit. It's a drug that makes you feel you're part of a common cause, that makes you feel you're doing something for the common good and overall wellness of the United States and all its citizens.
It's a drug that supports the idea that change is good, and that sometimes radical change is even better.
So, a free drug with all of these seemingly positive qualities begs the question, why aren't more more people using it?
Well, let's start with the unfortunate side effects.
Evidence shows that regular, daily use of this drug tends to make a person considerably less likely to see objective reality. It tends to "blind" a person to the presentation of proven facts, causing them to concoct "alternative facts" that better suit their personal beliefs and aspirations.
The drug seems to have a detrimental effect on that part of the brain which allows for logical, rational thought. It also tends to make the brain interpret issues and events as either "black or white", with no "middle ground" or areas for compromise.
The drug appears to tap into that part of the brain responsible for "tribal" responses and behavior, helping to create a strong "us versus them" mentality and belief system.
It's a drug that, in some people, creates a sense of self-righteousness, often linked to a person's religious or spiritual beliefs.
It's a drug that, in some people, tends to suppress that part of the brain responsible for critical analysis and thought. Lies, exaggerations, mischaracterizations, and behaviors are often dismissed, rationalized, or explained as a manifestation of "God's will".
It's a drug that seems to validate and embolden some people who aspire to the idea of White Caucasian superiority and racism.
It's a drug that gives false hope to those among us wishing to return and regress into the past when the world was in some ways less complex, and surely less populated, before computers and automation and other technological advances forever changed the ways by which people in the United States survive and earn a living.
It's a drug that makes people tend to use "political correctness" as a "catch all" label when they choose to ignore, forgive, or dismiss disrespectful, adolescent, or condescending behavior, justifying it in their own minds because they feel they feel so strongly about their beliefs.
It's a drug that has made our lawmakers in Congress even more beholden to the people they represent (and the president), often influencing them to vote with their own political party to avoid the political ramifications of voting instead based on their personal convictions and what's best for the American people.
And finally, it's a drug that so far has proven to be quite addictive. Once you're taking it, you seem to need more and more to maintain the "New Normal" drug state of consciousness.
Yes, this is the state of the United States union on March 17, 2019 - a union more harshly divided than than ever before in my lifetime.
For those of you using the "New Normal" drug, surely you will dismiss much of what I'm saying here. I'll do my best to try and forgive you, because as a "New Normal" drug user you're not in a state of normal, reasonable, rational consciousness.
The "New Normal" drug was popularized by Trump. Yes, the seeds for the onset of this drug were planted long before Trump was elected, but Trump is the one responsible for "bringing it to market" and making it OK to use on a daily basis.
How long will the "New Normal" drug be "in vogue"? Well, if Trump loses the 2020 election I suspect the usage rate will decline, but it certainly won't end. No, there will surely be staunch Trump supporters who will continue to consume the drug for the rest of their lives.
If the president wants to declare a national emergency, I suggest he declare one based on the massive quantities of the "New Normal" drug being consumed on a daily basis by citizens of the United states. Yes, we have an opioid crises in the U.S., but that crisis pales in comparison to the threat posed to our Democracy as we know it by the "New Normal" drug.