It's Not Just What We Say...

Prepping today's episode, I checked how many times I've used either "evolution in action," or "you can't fix stupid." I have used both phases at least 4 times in the last year. Which makes me worried about repeating myself.

But it also indicates that these are ongoing themes for 2020, and in wrapping up the year, both are applicable to our current condition. And if the truthiness be told, we have blasted past evolution in action, and we are rapidly overtaking you can't fix stupid.

Words matter. What we say and how we say it are important. These days, word choices label you whether or not you want to be labeled, much the way clothing does. It telegraphs what's behind the facade. Instant communication is not necessarily your friend, and if you recall listening to Cronkite, Huntley, or Brinkley, you probably recall they used big, grown-up words. We learned lots of vocabulary from them, and more than that, to some extent, we learned how to transmit big ideas. In school, we also learned about debate. Some of us belonged to debate clubs, some only debated in social studies classes. Whatever the venue, we learned about how words matter.

That, however, is changing. Twitter by itself has altered the face of conversation. Our language these days is much more casual, dotted with jargon, acronyms, and regionalisms. We no longer support a standard for American English. And that bleeds into the formal discourse of news on television.

For example, on December 19, 2020, at time mark 11:52, NBC reporter Kelly O'Donnell was in front of the White House to talk about Russia versus China in the hacking blame game:

A new twist inside Trump World. Russian hacking drives an unexpected wedge between President Trump and his Secretary of State...

I damn near fell off my kitchen stool. The rest of her report was rather unremarkable, nothing earth shaking...except for the opening salvo. And that's what got me thinking about the shift in how people are talking about this administration. The gloves are off. 

Even Billy Barr is leaping off the circus train. Today, he said there are no grounds for appointing special counsel to investigate either election fraud or Hunter Biden,  that the processes in place are just fine. Now, this doesn't mean he doesn't think there is fraud on either side of that conversation, just that he's not about to waste even more taxpayer $$s on narishkeit. His actions, however, are  far from praiseworthy; they remind me of a rat deserting a sinking ship....all in cause of self-interest.

From the transcript of the press conference today, December 21st, 2020.

 Speaker 4: (25:20)

On topic here, what are the prospects that the defendant will be brought back to the US to face justice in a court room? Then if I can off topic, do you believe there should be a special counsel appointed to investigate the allegations against Hunter Biden?

Att.Gen. Barr: (25:37)

On your first question, we think that the prospects are very good. Mas’ud is in the custody of the current government of Libya. We have no reason to think that that government is interested in associating itself with this heinous act of terrorism. So we are optimistic that they will turn over to face justice. On the second question, I think to the extent that there’s an investigation, I think that it’s being handled responsibly and professionally, currently within the department. To this point, I have not seen a reason to appoint a special counsel and I have no plan to do so before I leave.Att.Gen. Barr: (30:33)

and then on to election fraud: 

Att. Gen Barr: (29:46) 

As you said, I’ve already commented on fraud. Let me just say that, there are fraud, unfortunately, in most elections, I think we’re too tolerant of it, and I’m sure there was fraud in this election, but I was commenting on-I’m sure there was fraud in this election, but I was commenting on the extent to which we had looked at suggestions or allegations of systemic or broad-based fraud that would affect the outcome of the election. And I already spoke to that, and I stand by that statement.

 Speaker 3: (30:18)

…Even with what you’ve already said… Do you believe there’s enough evidence to warrant a special counsel to investigate that perhaps Sidney Powell or someone else?

Att.Gen. Barr: (30:33)

Well, if I thought a special counsel at this stage was the right tool and it was appropriate, I would name one, but I haven’t and I’m not going to. 

This is interesting. He is not simply breaking with his overlord on these topics, he does it in an almost dismissive manner. In the press conference,  Barr is his usual no-drama self, even-toned, almost boring. But if you listen to him, there is a shade of the absurd in his voice. You know the sound, where the speaker clearly thinks you (et al) are too stupid to live? Add to that the trace, that soupçon of dismissiveness, as in "these aren't the droids you're looking for." The only thing missing was a tiny wave of the fingers.  But the tone is there, and you know Barr is playing that whole room.

Sometimes, I think all that training and years of directing actors paid off in the strangest ways. I watch this stuff on TV and I'm not just hearing words, I'm hearing intonation. I am seeing body language that screams all sorts of stuff, and I am certain I am not the only one of my theater people friends working really hard not to stand on a street corner screaming, 

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE? CAN'T YOU SEE WHAT THEY ARE DOING WITH THEIR LIPS? WITH THEIR BODIES? THIS IS TOTALLY BAD THEATER!

And I can just hear the Junior Son clucking, "Thank you, Captain Obvious." In some small way, I am comforted by that snarky thought because I hope to hell he is right, and lots of people are getting the subliminal messages these folks think we're too dense to get.

Or not.

Last Friday, there was a discussion about overturning the election and imposing martial law. This discussion did not take place in some dimly lit bar smelling of urine, or beneath an overpass of the Jersey Pike, or even in the basement of Doc's candy store. Nope. This conversation took place in the Oval Office. 

According to CNN:

But a heated Oval Office meeting Friday in which Trump heard arguments about invoking martial law to stay in office had some Trump officials sounding the alarm to the press. 

Michael Flynn, Trump's pardoned former national security adviser, discussed the martial law plan on right-wing television network Newsmax last week and was invited to the White House Friday. 

Trump dismissed reports of the martial law discussion as 'fake news' in a tweet Sunday, but two people familiar with the matter told CNN that the the plan was argued in the Oval Office Friday -- although it remains unclear if Trump endorsed the idea.  

Nevertheless, even the mention of martial law may fan the flames of many supporters clinging to the belief the election result was fraudulent. That could incite violence to bring the idea into fruition.

I am not the only one using words like coup d'etat. I used it here in the WP Speaks on May 1, 2017, in an episode called The Decline...  I used it again on July 31st, 2017 in Fast, Faster, Fasting With a Side of Razzle-Dazzle, and then I held off. I got a lot of email about saying we were heading into coup country, so I backed off and watched. My instincts did not change, in fact they became more acute. I used it exactly a year ago this week: Happy Whatever to All. And then last week. 

There has only been one quasi-successful coup, albeit short lived, in this country, and that one began on December 20th, 1860, the day South Carolina seceded from the Union. Ultimately that coup d'etat failed, and the Union was re-established with the surrender at Appomattox on April 9th, 1865.

Approximately one half of this country isn't quite sure this election is valid. These are the people who, when the MAGA-Maniacs come forward, will decide whether or not we are going to have a unified nation. If they side with the angry mob, there will be a civil war, probably a very bloody one.  Do you need the military to have a coup? The short answer is no. At this writing, do we know where the military stands? No. Will they side with the Constitution or the President? No one is talking.

The real fun is gonna start on January 21st. 

The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week

MASK UP, STAY HOME 

until they tell your it's your turn to get a frickin' vaccine.

If you are still an anti-vaxxer after this, you need your head examined.