American Underdogs

 

It seems to me Americans,
in general, root for the Underdog.
The plucky upstart facing incredible
odds against their success; it always
seems to be our favorite type of
American tall tale or lore.

From John Henry defeating
the future of industry and steam-power
through sheer will and physical
prowess to Pecos Bill lassoing a
tornado. It is in our national
folklore to cheer these types on.

We wear these characters on our
chests like medals, as examples of
values like courage, virtue, and honesty
and we revere these traits as being
wholly American, (even though they
are obviously not exclusively American.)

We do not typically root for the evil
land-baron, who hires masked
mercenaries to shoo off cowboys
through murder and intimidation
from grazing on the land.
We “boo” and “hiss” at this villain.

We cheer and our hearts swell
when the plucky underdog hero
defeats the corrupt and evil land-baron
in some sort of honorable shoot-out,
or ironic over the top death, saving the
day, the damsel, the town, etc.

We say, “boy that rugged individual
surely had a heart of gold, and he is
a hero for stopping that greedy Oil Tycoon
from polluting the plains, killing the natives,
or ruining the pristine landscapes that so
embodies the American Free Spirit.”

We do not root for the Oil Tycoon,
the corrupt land-baron, the dirty
town Sheriff, and the greedy double talking
politician. Those types are usually
run out of town on a rail and the
underdog type is our Hero.

And yet, it seems, our folklore
has been corrupted by the very
types our plucky hero would have
fought against. An assault on our values,
our virtue, our courage, by those evil types,
has led us to a curious crossroads of American mythology.

Let us not cheer the deeds of the dishonest,
but the deeds of those fighting for the little guys,
the townsfolk, the small business, the people who
need some magnificent strangers to assist them
in their hour of greatest need.  That is the American folklore I know.

Bravery, compassion, empathy, understanding,
dignity and honesty.

Those are the virtues I want our collective
folklore to represent. That we as citizens,
as Americans, stood up against greed and
oppression, stood up against tyranny and
authoritarianism, and ran the corrupt,
the morally lacking, and weak spined out of town and into
the pasture of history.

 We don’t root for the bad guys.
And if you find yourself doing so,
take a step back and maybe reevaluate
who the hero is.
It might just be you.

 _________________________________________________________

Painting by: 

Glenn Dean 

I Weep

 

Is this country run by sociopaths?
It’s a legitimate question I think,
individuals who only think about themselves,
to the detriment of others, incapable of
any empathy or compassion for the plights
of others?

 

It’s a serious question I have in light of

recent events.

Does a certain Elephantine political party really

have any moral center beyond their own

belly buttons?

Are they psychotic? Do they need therapy?

 

Is there too much lead in their water?

Is there a willful ignorance spoon fed to

them in great big ladles? Too much suckling on

the teat of ignorance?

Did they not get hugged enough?

Or is hugging too gay and that’s why

they don’t know?

 

Do they really think that is what Jesus

would do? Do they think Jesus would

kick a poor man to the ground as a

rich man paraded past?

And then spit on the poor.

I think they do.

 

I think their Jesus smokes seven packs

a day, carries high explosives, fights

in bare-knuckle boxing matches in an

octagon, all while singing “Sweet Home

Alabama”, wearing a Budweiser half-shirt,

and cut-off jean shorts with a swastika tattoo on his

extremely white thigh.

 

It seems to me, if this Elephant based party

had a choice; they would rather cull the herd, than

stop the wolf.

A wolf they released into the fields

to hunt sheep, but not their sheep.

That would be absurd.

 

 

My heart hurts, my head hurts,

my bones hurt, and I feel the legacy of

political martyrs, visionaries and true patriots,

that struggled for our liberty, suffering and screaming

in the ashes of the monuments to freedom

they perished for.

 

The Sociopaths and Cultish Psychotics

are certainly running the asylum.

Or Detention Center.

Or Camp.

Whatever they are going to call it.

 

“One from many”, is meaningless.

For them, there’s only Numero Uno,

and no logical, reasonable argument

will pierce the veil of stupid,

ripping a hole into the very soul of

this Republic and true American

values.

 

I weep.

I feel shame.

I feel for those willfully

and callously abandoned.