Our Potemkin Village
A popular topic among political and media elites is, with the economy performing so well,
why are we so pessimistic?
There is more than one answer, but they are related. On the surface of it “The Economy”
is a vaguely impersonal statistic, and we make our optimisms based on what’s happening
to us individually; and individually things are not so well. Why? Because half of the political
establishment and virtually all of the media are telling us so. They have been telling us this
for a long time and it is having a two headed effect on us: first, the continual “potency of
iteration,” as Bernard Russell called it seventy years ago, has had its intended effect. “They”
tell us things are bad so we are beginning to believe they must be, and whatever the
statistics tell us, our propagandized gut feel is that “The Economy” is wildly out of
control.
But on the other hand it has had an unintended effect. We, the people, if honest, must
admit to a certain level of ignorance; the issues today are complex, confusing and damnably
changeable. But we are not stupid, and at another level we know full well we are being
manipulated for “their” selfish ends, giving us a growing feeling of unease, a feeling that has
been strengthening lately to something that is becoming definable, if still a little vaguely so,
as mistrust. In short, "they" are lying to us and it makes us mad; it also makes us very
nervous – and pessimistic. The very people who we elected to represent us to make our
government function, and those interpreting for us what those representatives are doing are
spinning tales that just don’t compute. So is “The Economy” wildly out of control? Or is our
system of elected leadership out of control?
The we, however, is not unanimous, and that’s another cause for worry. To wit, those of
us who realize we are continually being flim-flammed also realize there is a large group of
“others” out there who do not seem to realize it, and are reacting with exactly the emotional
response one might expect under such circumstances. We cannot help but be
uncomfortably aware of the apparent success of some very slick and powerful propaganda.
Slick and powerful, but different from the Big Brother propaganda with which history would
prepare us to expect. Not that the government doesn’t put out its share of propaganda, but it
has so much competition – from all over the map – not only disloyal (that is, blatantly
opportunistic and querulous) political opposition, but all the rest; we are, after all, a nation of
salesmen – and everyone is trying to sell, sell, sell - anything and everything: product, self,
ideas, and loads of poles.
One is put in mind of a Potemkin village, erected to present a façade – but a façade of
what? Our Potempkin village is a confusing mismatched mix of propagandized, conflicting
ambiguity, not government erected, or even representing “The Economy.” The profusion of
different flavors of propaganda precludes any single theme. In fact it is as if the real estate
developers of our culture are all scratching and gouging to put up – way too quickly and
superficially – a Potempkin village of fantasy.
Actually, propaganda – selective information – is pretty much all we get any more, even
from much of our educational system, and the selectivity seems designed to either lead us
astray, make us mad or make us buy. The basic ingredient of the tactic is essentially the
same: sensationalism. Americans are the source of all evil in the world, global warming will
drown us day after tomorrow, terrorists are lurking behind every tree, all our jobs are being
sucked overseas, we can be sued for everything we own for breathing abnormally, energy
prices are going crazy, health care costs are both out of control and breaking the
Medicare/Medicaid “bank,” along with Social Security, which means we won’t be able to
survive in retirement. And inflation? There is none; so why has MY cost of living gone up so
much? As with almost all propaganda there is a grain of truth in all of it, with facts and truth
murky and slippery.
But at the same time we are being exhorted to live the good life, retire early, take cruises,
run on the beach and buy a vacation home. We need to trade up to larger homes and
automobiles, renovate to impress the neighbors, install massively interactive entertainment
centers, put in pools and spas, buy full kitchen sized outdoor grills, take lavish vacations and
get rich quick via whatever current no-risk scheme works for us. And have FUN! March
Madness, Super Bowl, NCAA Championship game, World Series, Stanley Cup, Kentucky
Derby, the Olympics, American Idol: what do they have in common? Competition; you can
bet on them! As an alternative, of course, to Las Vegas, horse races, dog races, Indian
casinos, and dozens of lotteries. Oh, and don’t forget the stock market. Somebody, you
know, has to win, and my chance of winning is as good as anyone else’s. Why are we so
pessimistic? Schizophrenia! And what happens to people who are schizophrenic? They
lapse into fantasy. Let there be no doubt: Fantasy R US. Schizophrenia is driving us to
fantasy! Sure it is.
We are being driven to fantasy – entertainment – for the same reason the Romans were,
and for the same reason Medieval peasants went out in throngs to watch executions: we like
it. We adore it. We worship it. It is the theme of our Potemkin village. Buy now, pay later -
but buy, and bask in fantasy; there are plenty out there selling.
And why, might you ask would this cause pessimism? Fantasy – entertainment – has
taken over our culture, and we haven’t a clue as to how to take it back. Politics?
Entertainment; we vote for whoever makes us feel good, provided he/she is attractive,
charismatic and glib. News Media? More entertainment, as bright, attractive, glib anchor
persons chirp through their scripts while adding their own slants on what has happened in
the world that day (and why) in quick, succinct, abbreviated sound bites, often void of fact.
Donald Trump seems to have even turned commercial real estate investing into
entertainment. But what’s worse, it seems to be all there is, and anything not within the
purview of a full length movie is not worth thinking about.
Wanting to be entertained, even expecting to be entertained, is a rather common malady
for people with excess leisure time on their hands, or as we would prefer to say, who have
worked hard all day and don’t want anything more taxing than light comedy for their evening's
relaxation. One can argue that there are health benefits to be derived from being able to
unwind and divest of the daily frustrations of the day. If that was all that came from
entertainment perhaps it would be harmless enough. But at a deeper level something more
sinister seems to be occurring, and that is that entertainment, particularly television
entertainment, with its built in seductive Potemkin village propaganda – mostly some phase
of marketing – is becoming our culture.
And there’s more: illegal immigrant rights; worship of diversity; political correctness
hypocrisy, ubiquitous mood enhancing drugs – even down to grade schoolers; are all
insidiously eating at the foundation of morals, families and family values. The rule of fantasy
is frightening because, by pushing aside reality, it eclipses almost all else. A recent poll
suggests that over a third of young people fully believe they will be famous within their life
times. Famous! Look at the magazine racks and the paperback books. Television,
however, rules, with its towering hype and breathless embrace of the most preposterous of
anything that can be imagined. We love it.
Where, one must ask, if, that is, one thinks about it at all, is all this leading us? Why is it
difficult to tell the difference between American Idol and the presidential elections? Our
approach to voting has taken on the American Idol mechanism, with motivation less and
less to choose the stronger, and more and more to eliminate the weaker – to choose the
one who feels good. Yes, we worry about the perceived economic squeeze and how it might
impact us, but even more we worry about how any economy – any culture – can survive this
idiocy. Who even wants to work any more?
Wait? Is this reality? Of course not, it’s fantasy! But try as we might to resist, we are all
being sucked into it, either as helpless proponents or anachronistic opponents. Much as
proponents dream otherwise, life for most of us is not like this, is not likely to be, and we
seem to be progressively losing our ability to make the distinction. Apparently that’s the
problem: too many wish the dream and prefer the fantasy to reality. So at what point does
the fantasy bury reality? Have we reached it yet? If not we are rapidly approaching it, as
some, those who are embracing it enthusiastically, do so more quickly than the rest of us.
And the rest of us are being left with this vague feeling of being used, manipulated, and left
behind, but not knowing what to do about it.
So why are we so pessimistic? How can we be otherwise? The Potemkin village is
becoming our reality.
why are we so pessimistic?
There is more than one answer, but they are related. On the surface of it “The Economy”
is a vaguely impersonal statistic, and we make our optimisms based on what’s happening
to us individually; and individually things are not so well. Why? Because half of the political
establishment and virtually all of the media are telling us so. They have been telling us this
for a long time and it is having a two headed effect on us: first, the continual “potency of
iteration,” as Bernard Russell called it seventy years ago, has had its intended effect. “They”
tell us things are bad so we are beginning to believe they must be, and whatever the
statistics tell us, our propagandized gut feel is that “The Economy” is wildly out of
control.
But on the other hand it has had an unintended effect. We, the people, if honest, must
admit to a certain level of ignorance; the issues today are complex, confusing and damnably
changeable. But we are not stupid, and at another level we know full well we are being
manipulated for “their” selfish ends, giving us a growing feeling of unease, a feeling that has
been strengthening lately to something that is becoming definable, if still a little vaguely so,
as mistrust. In short, "they" are lying to us and it makes us mad; it also makes us very
nervous – and pessimistic. The very people who we elected to represent us to make our
government function, and those interpreting for us what those representatives are doing are
spinning tales that just don’t compute. So is “The Economy” wildly out of control? Or is our
system of elected leadership out of control?
The we, however, is not unanimous, and that’s another cause for worry. To wit, those of
us who realize we are continually being flim-flammed also realize there is a large group of
“others” out there who do not seem to realize it, and are reacting with exactly the emotional
response one might expect under such circumstances. We cannot help but be
uncomfortably aware of the apparent success of some very slick and powerful propaganda.
Slick and powerful, but different from the Big Brother propaganda with which history would
prepare us to expect. Not that the government doesn’t put out its share of propaganda, but it
has so much competition – from all over the map – not only disloyal (that is, blatantly
opportunistic and querulous) political opposition, but all the rest; we are, after all, a nation of
salesmen – and everyone is trying to sell, sell, sell - anything and everything: product, self,
ideas, and loads of poles.
One is put in mind of a Potemkin village, erected to present a façade – but a façade of
what? Our Potempkin village is a confusing mismatched mix of propagandized, conflicting
ambiguity, not government erected, or even representing “The Economy.” The profusion of
different flavors of propaganda precludes any single theme. In fact it is as if the real estate
developers of our culture are all scratching and gouging to put up – way too quickly and
superficially – a Potempkin village of fantasy.
Actually, propaganda – selective information – is pretty much all we get any more, even
from much of our educational system, and the selectivity seems designed to either lead us
astray, make us mad or make us buy. The basic ingredient of the tactic is essentially the
same: sensationalism. Americans are the source of all evil in the world, global warming will
drown us day after tomorrow, terrorists are lurking behind every tree, all our jobs are being
sucked overseas, we can be sued for everything we own for breathing abnormally, energy
prices are going crazy, health care costs are both out of control and breaking the
Medicare/Medicaid “bank,” along with Social Security, which means we won’t be able to
survive in retirement. And inflation? There is none; so why has MY cost of living gone up so
much? As with almost all propaganda there is a grain of truth in all of it, with facts and truth
murky and slippery.
But at the same time we are being exhorted to live the good life, retire early, take cruises,
run on the beach and buy a vacation home. We need to trade up to larger homes and
automobiles, renovate to impress the neighbors, install massively interactive entertainment
centers, put in pools and spas, buy full kitchen sized outdoor grills, take lavish vacations and
get rich quick via whatever current no-risk scheme works for us. And have FUN! March
Madness, Super Bowl, NCAA Championship game, World Series, Stanley Cup, Kentucky
Derby, the Olympics, American Idol: what do they have in common? Competition; you can
bet on them! As an alternative, of course, to Las Vegas, horse races, dog races, Indian
casinos, and dozens of lotteries. Oh, and don’t forget the stock market. Somebody, you
know, has to win, and my chance of winning is as good as anyone else’s. Why are we so
pessimistic? Schizophrenia! And what happens to people who are schizophrenic? They
lapse into fantasy. Let there be no doubt: Fantasy R US. Schizophrenia is driving us to
fantasy! Sure it is.
We are being driven to fantasy – entertainment – for the same reason the Romans were,
and for the same reason Medieval peasants went out in throngs to watch executions: we like
it. We adore it. We worship it. It is the theme of our Potemkin village. Buy now, pay later -
but buy, and bask in fantasy; there are plenty out there selling.
And why, might you ask would this cause pessimism? Fantasy – entertainment – has
taken over our culture, and we haven’t a clue as to how to take it back. Politics?
Entertainment; we vote for whoever makes us feel good, provided he/she is attractive,
charismatic and glib. News Media? More entertainment, as bright, attractive, glib anchor
persons chirp through their scripts while adding their own slants on what has happened in
the world that day (and why) in quick, succinct, abbreviated sound bites, often void of fact.
Donald Trump seems to have even turned commercial real estate investing into
entertainment. But what’s worse, it seems to be all there is, and anything not within the
purview of a full length movie is not worth thinking about.
Wanting to be entertained, even expecting to be entertained, is a rather common malady
for people with excess leisure time on their hands, or as we would prefer to say, who have
worked hard all day and don’t want anything more taxing than light comedy for their evening's
relaxation. One can argue that there are health benefits to be derived from being able to
unwind and divest of the daily frustrations of the day. If that was all that came from
entertainment perhaps it would be harmless enough. But at a deeper level something more
sinister seems to be occurring, and that is that entertainment, particularly television
entertainment, with its built in seductive Potemkin village propaganda – mostly some phase
of marketing – is becoming our culture.
And there’s more: illegal immigrant rights; worship of diversity; political correctness
hypocrisy, ubiquitous mood enhancing drugs – even down to grade schoolers; are all
insidiously eating at the foundation of morals, families and family values. The rule of fantasy
is frightening because, by pushing aside reality, it eclipses almost all else. A recent poll
suggests that over a third of young people fully believe they will be famous within their life
times. Famous! Look at the magazine racks and the paperback books. Television,
however, rules, with its towering hype and breathless embrace of the most preposterous of
anything that can be imagined. We love it.
Where, one must ask, if, that is, one thinks about it at all, is all this leading us? Why is it
difficult to tell the difference between American Idol and the presidential elections? Our
approach to voting has taken on the American Idol mechanism, with motivation less and
less to choose the stronger, and more and more to eliminate the weaker – to choose the
one who feels good. Yes, we worry about the perceived economic squeeze and how it might
impact us, but even more we worry about how any economy – any culture – can survive this
idiocy. Who even wants to work any more?
Wait? Is this reality? Of course not, it’s fantasy! But try as we might to resist, we are all
being sucked into it, either as helpless proponents or anachronistic opponents. Much as
proponents dream otherwise, life for most of us is not like this, is not likely to be, and we
seem to be progressively losing our ability to make the distinction. Apparently that’s the
problem: too many wish the dream and prefer the fantasy to reality. So at what point does
the fantasy bury reality? Have we reached it yet? If not we are rapidly approaching it, as
some, those who are embracing it enthusiastically, do so more quickly than the rest of us.
And the rest of us are being left with this vague feeling of being used, manipulated, and left
behind, but not knowing what to do about it.
So why are we so pessimistic? How can we be otherwise? The Potemkin village is
becoming our reality.