A Reader Writes

Inquiring mind wants to know

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BW

A recent reader writes:

Mr. Wilson

I’m afraid we’re at the end of our world. Everything’s going to fall apart since we don't seem to have patriots willing to step up to fight the Deep Swamp. I want my country back! Why do we procrastinate until we get to full boil? 

Busted Flat in Baton Rouge

Dear BFiBR

Thanks for asking. Not being a scholar of the ‘End Times’ per se, I asked my minister, the Right Reverend Bob of the First Grab-For-The-Gusto Church of La Jolla, CA. It’s an ecumenical church. RRB accepts all denominations (but he’s partial Benjamins) Here is his response:

Remember the “4 Horseman of the Apocalypse”? Well, they’ve been re-placed. Why? I dunno; maybe a PR move. “Famine”, “Plague”, “Pestilence”, “Death” were such downers! And anyway, since John’s Technicolor Revelation, we’ve gotten the Industrial Revolution, Penicillin, Mickey D’s, Thong Bikinis, and the Internet. Problem solved. There are no 7 Headed, 10 Horn Beasts to be seen here.

Which is not to say we still aren’t in deep fertilizer; “re-placed” is not synonymous with “eliminated”. But instead of that messy “Horse and Plague” stuff, the death of the Republic does still appear to be dead ahead. Rather than galloping in on horseback, interrupting Trump Indictments, Biden’s vacations, or “Yellowstone” re-runs, the Four Bad Dudes are proceeding apace with the same prophesied inevitability but just a tad more insidious. Instead of horses snorting smoke and fire, they arrive “on little cat’s feet.” But unlike Sandburg’s “Fog”, they’re not just checking things out and “moving on”. They have every intention of devastation at epidemic proportions. Borrowing a line from Butch Cassidy, “Who are those guys?” They are the 21st Century’s version of God’s “Backfield in Motion” – although your humble Scribbler suggests God had nothing to do with the creation of these pariahs, but rather the Mad Scientists in the Laboratory of Evil Intent, segregated in their cultural petri dishes, created these new plagues now bringing The End inexorably closer.  

Care to meet them? Of course you do!

First, Aggressive Ignorance – Unsurprisingly, Public Education (aka: Government Training Camps) has been the breeding ground for this virus for over 100 years and remains the central distribution point to this day. After years of daily exposure, thanks to “compulsory attendance laws”, there is now a national epidemic carried by generations of Functional Illiterates. “Self- Esteem”, once thought to be a potent cure, was administered with such a heavy hand, it was discovered too late to actually be an accelerant to a deeper, nearly incurable infection. When combined with indifference, Aggressive Ignorance produces the toxic attitude of “I don’t know, I don’t want to know and I don’t care”. This creates an insurmountable resistance to the old antidote, Accurate Knowledge.

Next, Contagious Apathy. Aggressive Ignorance is a “Contagious Apathy” enabler. Rarely are the two not seen occupying one host. You may have heard of CA before – introduced as “Sloth”, Number 4 on the “7 Deadly Sins” Least Wanted List. Contagious Apathy works at a leisurely pace, “below the radar”. Its hero: Alfred E. Neuman of “What, Me worry?” fame. Concern for vitally important matters and the actions needed to address them are just not worth the time and hassle. From stifling bureaucracies to non-responsive elected officials, from “don’t get involved” to “you can’t fight city hall”; from the blind eye-witnesses to the bludgeoning of innocent bystanders, from the national silence at the government slaughter of the Branch Davidians to the government's sex-trafficking in children, the scales of judgment have been rigged. Citizen lethargy spreads like The Plague as “Be Prepared” morphs into “Who Cares”? Who changed “Don’t tread on me” to “Don’t bother me”? Contagious Apathy did.

Dredged up from infancy on the coattails of Contagious Apathy is the self-centered addiction: Instant Gratification. Long the province of a baby’s temper fit of impatience, the anticipation and satisfaction of Instant Gratification now infects us all. Those who remember the 20 minutes it took to produce a baked potato, now look forward to the 4 Minute Micro-Waved Spud; from Instant-On TV (complete with Butt-Spreading Remote Control) to the tantalizing satisfaction of “Immediate BMW Ownership Through Carjacking” , Instant Gratification is the infection of 'I Want What I Want When I Want It'. Sadly, this renders lessons from history helpless, hopeless and mute, resulting in more virulent cases of Aggressive Ignorance and Contagious Apathy.

The White Coats had to invent a word for the new Horseman, Number 4: Techno-Narcissism. Like the late Samuel Francis’ famous “anarcho-tyranny”, it is born of two epistemological parents. “Technology” which has a history of taking us out of our Comfort Zone and the ugly side of Narcissism. Think 'You Tube', 'Facebook', Selfies, 'Tic Tok' and Twitter. The “Me” Generation has been reduced to the “All About Me” generation without those pesky age restrictions. Just about everyone has a FaceBook page – don’t you? The whole world is just hesitating on its axis to discover “What you are eating right now?” It’s so fun, in a Black Hole of Irrelevance sorta way. “Everyone who has a Friend - or can almost spell 'Friend' – wants to be my Friend so we can share worthless, pointless nothing-ness with each other and the rest of our 'Friends' we collect like so many merit badges. E-Mail is so last century! You’ll never get on 'Dancing With The Stars' or 'Page Six', but you can be on FaceBook or Tic-Tok, be seen and be a Star! And everyone will know, hear and see about MEEEE! Thanks to od’ing on Self-Esteem, no one is more important than ME!”

Sadly, there is a nasty down-side to Techno-Narcissism. With a direct connection to assertive cognizance, it comes with a healthy dose of existential nihilism, the philosophy that dictates “Nothing existed before me and, therefore, only those events experienced within my own existence have any meaning. And only I can supply that meaning.” This might explain the actions of the Biden Administration, hell-bent on repeating the stultifying economic stupidity of the 1930’s Keynesian ideas despite their history of absolute failure. Then again, it might just be the usual bad case of Political Hubris brought on by having a slim majority in the Senate. But hey! Anything’s possible when you don’t know what you’re talking about, right?

More tragically, intrepid researchers have learned – like the tune “Love and Marriage” – “...ya can’t have one without the other”. Yes, Aggressive Ignorance alone might be cured with big doses of Accurate Knowledge - except when Contagious Apathy is present; Instant Gratification is often the gateway to Techno-Narcissism.

These new “4 Horseman” are relentlessly spreading their epidemic galloping across the country, building walls to understanding only Pink Floyd could love. As you go through your day, watch for the early warning signs of infection in those around you: lethargy, baseless opinions, boundless ego, iPhones, “text neck” and ferocious giggling.

Remember: The pathogen isn’t as important as the pandemic.

I hope this helped.

Thanks, Rev B! Well, there you have it, BFiBR. Personally, TMI for me! But RRB never scrimps when it comes to spiritual matters. Or financial ones, either. Fortunately, as a BRW subscriber, you’ll never be without the latest intel, info or pragmatic gossip! Watch your InBox for whatever comes next!

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