And it was with this picture that the reality of what is going on in the world around me finally started to sink in. I mean, I've been paying attention, in fact I've been having conversations for months with friends and family that we are in the middle of some serious shit right now in America. But this morning a company that I am a part of, a company that houses my money collapsed and was sucked up into the vortex of another company. Soon my statements will start to say JPMorgan Chase instead of the familiar WaMu, I will get a new card in the mail, I will have access to thousands of more ATM's (at least that is one of the selling points they are advertising to me).
I went in today at lunch to the branch next to my work. Got some cash for a baseball game tonight. So far the re-branding hadn't hit that location yet. Everything still looked familiar. I didn't ask about their jobs, or what was going to happen to them, I figured they had probably already had enough from customers and with a net asset of about $142 I didn't think I rated too high on the effected scale. But 30 minutes later when I was done with my meal I saw the CBS van outside the bank. I saw the newsguy standing in front of the window and could just imagine it being replayed on the 6 o'clock news tonight about the future of WaMu/Chase, the future of banking in general, the future of life.
I have avoided ranting in this arena about the fuckupedness of our current political and economic situation. There are many folks out there just like me who are doing it better, faster, and I personally am just fed up with it all anyway. But I wanted to log in today and give voice to my anger and my fear.
The world as I know it, as you know it, is gone. When you go back and look through the history books (as one sided as they may be) and wonder how could people not stand up and do something, how things could get so out of control - well folks this is how. The way we live, communicate, fend for ourselves and others is drastically spinning into a new time zone. We are hiding our heads in the sand if we think for one moment that any one out there is going to come in and save us - not after the past 8 years of leadership. And to be truthful, it goes beyond just the past 8 years. We have been screwing this planet, these cultures not our own, these civilizations beyond our borders for longer than that. We have held on to the top of the mound of tires, the king of the hill position through standing on the hands of others and those hands are ready to rip our throats out.
Holding off debates so one man can "fix" an economic crisis he didn't believe in a week ago, shielding a candidate for VP from the press to try and hemorrhage the geyser of ignorance and stupidity that seems to flow unceasingly from her whenever she speaks, 700 billion dollar buyouts, socialized debt but no socialized health care, this and so much more Freaks. Me. Out.
I don't know what the world holds. I know it will be radically different than I imagined as a child, but that's not so startling. I know it will be radically different than I imagined in my early 20's. That's a little more unnerving. But there are moments, there always are, of sunshine through the clouds, there are always some things I come across that give me hope. Today I logged into FB to see a friends status update that read ..."So-and-So* is amused by the looks from the businessmen at the hotel breakfast buffet when 1.0 says, “Mom, the bad President should go to jail. He lied to us.". " Now that's the kid I want running for president.
Pull out those old science fiction books folks, dust em off, re-read them for tips, and hang on for the ride.
* Name left out since it's not my status I'm sharing with the world - but she knows who she is.
1 comment:
FWIW, it's totally OK to be freaked out. In fact, I am much more worried about the people who aren't. It's arguable we got in this mess because of them.
And I want that kid to be president too. :-)
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