Courtesy of Nattering Naybob.
In a tale of greed and evil, Leland Gaunt arrives in Castle Rock, Me., to open a mysterious curio shop called “Needful Things”. Gaunt always seems to stock the deepest desires of each shopper, and at a price very few can refuse.
Rather than pecuniary consideration, Gaunt requires that customers play practical jokes on each other. It doesn’t take long before simple pranks take a serious and deadly turn. Tempted and then seduced, Gaunt’s prey turn against their neighbors, and all of Castle Rock erupts in predictable discord as he looks on with devilish amusement.
Are this elections circumstances reflective of a lowered standard of living for many and the resulting social discord? How might that condition be evidenced? Expectations are firmly anchored, yet how many believe that unemployment is 5% and inflation below 2%?
The empirical evidence is examined at length by many a discerning and qualified eye. Does there seem to be more than meets the eye? and on many accounts, why does little add up? Can bright people of conscience, enlightened views and virtuous sentiments be rendered blind to socio-economic reality? Let the good times roll?
Do truly prosperous times give rise to vitriolic demagogues or spawn bifurcated mercenaries that pander to an electorates indoctrination? Is that a fear of the imaginary? Or a palpable need to dislike someone other than themselves?
When we do not like something we see or hear, or are otherwise confronted with, ignorance convinces one’s ego, that it is looking out for their best interests. As we defer to our ego, we close our minds, practice cognitive dissonance, fall victim to group think and affect conscious ignorance.
It is easier to judge or question the thoughts, feelings, beliefs or facts of others, than it is to judge or question our own preconceived or ingrained beliefs. Like Gaunt, ignorance is deceitful, cunning and never to be mistakenly equated with a lack of intelligence or education. So just because someone practices conscious ignorance, doesn’t mean their lacking a PhD or smarts.
As Leland Gaunt knows all too well, in their clamor for instant gratification, “needful things” will pay a far heavier price than expected to fulfill their desires. While in a rush to bad judgement, they will forego the details and ultimate consequences of their choices. In the back of our minds, we all know, what could be hidden in those details.
Both candidates had “industry friendly” or biased positions in economic, labor and market issues. Could both candidates economic policy positions be perceived as disconnected and misinformed?
As Gaunt might quip in his devilish amusement: “So many questions? So little time? So few choices? And what was your desire?” As the 1972 movie poster below states “the boys in the backroom are giving the people what they want.” Prescient?
