U.S.A. Titanic

U.S. A. TitanicJune 12, 2017


Assaulted by late-night heartburn, I tossed and turned. Visions of the Titanic played on the movie screen of my psyche--and then, I had a moment of clarity. Titanic is an almost perfect analogy for this Presidential administration.

The Republicans in power are the crew of the ship. They are the ones with the keys, the keepers of the protocol, and the rules, which they can/do change in order to promote their mission to cater to the whims of their First-Class passengers, those with the wherewithal to afford a cruise on the most luxurious vessel of the age. They could pay to play, just like the one percent of today.

Assigning a role to Trump, I considered Bruce Ismay, the White Star Line executive who was hellbent on winning the race across the Atlantic, willing to sacrifice safety to increase his notoriety. Next, I thought that maybe he is more like Cal Hockley, Rose’s crass nouveau-riche fiance, who collected  fine artwork, including Rose, to bolster his social standing and his appearance. As I fought to find sleep, I decided that he was an amalgam of all the evil characters, right down to the crewman who brandished a pistol to command the obedience of the panicking passengers. (Listen to me, you peasants, I’m in charge. Bigly. I demand loyalty.)

Republican Representatives and Senators are making sure the gates between Third Class/Second Class and the Upper Echelon are firmly locked by attempting to remove access to affordable health care and a decent public education system. Only those who can pay can play, or live a healthy life, or be educated. It’s a passive-aggressive method of genocide--the survival of the fittest, of the richest.

As I finally drifted off to a troubled sleep, I worried that it might be too late for this Titanic, that too many of the watertight compartments have been compromised, that the crew is still scurrying about to ensure the safety of only their benefactors, not the majority of the passengers. I realized that if this ship goes down, Trump/Ismay will connive to secure a place on the lifeboat, along with his rich cronies, as the rest of us perish in the deep, icy waters.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Still More Burning Questions (Or at least One)

6.) (?) Have you seen the commercial with the elephant who borrows his handler's Mastercard and buys comfort items to help him through his cold? At first I thought, "How heartwarming and cozy!" But then...it started to bother me. It was way too easy for that elephant to breeze throught the shops, pick up his purchases, and wave his handler's Paypass at the register. Nobody thought it was odd to have an elephant in the store, nobody asked him for I.D. Doesn't that bother you? In future, when visiting elephants at the zoo or the circus, keep an eye on your wallet, and especially your Mastercard. And be suspicious, very suspicious, if you recieve a statement which includes a huge peanut purchase. But, seriously, doesn't the idea of a Paypass unnerve you?
Read more

And Then the Floor Drops Out From Under You!

Image
May 28, 2007 - Monday Just when you think that things are going your way... Just when you think it's safe to go back in the water (cue the theme from "Jaws")... Just when you're starting to feel just a tad comfy with that big employment move you're about to make... (Theme music crescendos!) The ride starts spinning faster and faster and faster. Your cheeks are doing their best to slide off your face. You can't move your head. That hot dog is inching its way back up your esophagus. You're pinned to the back wall. (Sound fx--CRUNCH! Simulating a well-placed shark bite.) And then the floor drops out from under you! (SCREEEAM!) (DON'T YOU JUST LOVE THE MIXED METAPHORS?) That's sort of how I f...
Read more

"Dirty" Words

Image
June 12, 2007 - Tuesday Mud, grime, mold, mildew, dust--certainly no one will argue that these are "dirty" words. Heck! Watch any amount of daytime television to ascertain that fact. Advertisers are smitten with those words and compel unsuspecting consumers to wage war against them with any number of new and improved products. But, I've come here to tell you about the "dirtiest" word of them all--and it has nothing to do with the opposite of clean. (Or sex.) Are you ready? Can you handle it? Brace yourself! It's summer. The kids are out of school. I am out of school. I have all the time in the world (in between swim practice, basketball practice, the teen volunteer program at the library, etc.)t...
Read more