Dents
Politics has become a team sport. I like to avoid politics like the Plague. Itâs always a tumultuous topic. And opinions are like assholesâeverybody has one. But lately, it seems like the assholes are winning.
I adored my grandmother, but she helped me understand the mind of the voter. I eventually described her as: If there was a turd in the road with the label of her team on it, she would vote for it. Never did the thought of voting for what was right enter her mind. She was an avid Yankees fan, but if a Yankee ran for office without her branded mindset, I suspect she would have discarded that Yankee. When I broached a political issue, a defiant gleam took over her eyes, and I knew enough to shut up and silently gnaw on my words. Â Yes folks--politics has become a team sport
Now I do mean brandedâline up the cows and bring out the hot iron that has been sitting in the fire. Calves have been raised from birth to tout the team (party) line. Thinking has become a thing of the past. Nobody has time. Survival overwhelms the need to think of anything else.
Now to be fair, I donât have a âteam.â What I see in the USA alarms me. Two top collective contenders have emerged and built an arena which excludes opposing views. Elections are controlled by these contenders. From what Iâve seen of other countries, many parties are allowed to compete. Not so here. Media is, indeed, controlled, and we are left with the scraps. Power reigns hereânot The People.
Have you ever really noticed how adept politicians are at deflecting? Ask a politician from any team a pointed question that they do not want to answer and they deflect. When the question is redirected and becomes more pointed, they deflect again. When it is revealed they have not answered the question, they deflect yet again. Do they not realize they have answered the question through artless redirection?
Wait. Stop. See what happens to me? I am an âissues writer. Something grabs me, and I simply have to write about it. Something like the Millies (and Mikes) of the world in https://www.bebee.com/producer/@joyce-bowen/the-price-of-compassion, or anything about kids like https://www.bebee.com/producer/@joyce-bowen/this-side-of-life-discusses-the-meaning-of-troublemakers
I write about whatâs wrong with the world, and it haunts me. I am always grabbed by stories reflecting whatâs right with the world because they are so few. I am engulfed with hope at these times. I loved putting together https://www.bebee.com/producer/@joyce-bowen/breakfast-with-a-bee
When I read folks like Ali Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee, Gert Scholtz, Gert Scholtz, they are respites in my world.  Ahhhh--I can breath.  There are so many good writers on beBee.  I loved https://www.bebee.com/producer/@joanne-gardocki/focusing-the-dragon.  What a breath of fresh air.
When I write about issues, my hope is not to shake the world, but to make a small dent. If I can make a dent, I have done what I set out to do, and I am heartened. I most often take a journalistic approach and get to the point. My trainers taught me that a readerâs attention span is limited, so to go into a looooooooong tirade wonât get the job done. I limit myself to a two- to four-minute read. I have done longer pieces, but those involve interviews, and it was important to give those people a voice. Iâve sometimes made pretty damn big dents. Giddy moments to be sure. But itâs often true that for every two steps forward, there is one step back. I try not to think of that.
I am a student of human nature. My experience has taught me that there is most often a backstory. Sifting through whatâs important is second nature to me. I have had people tell me things that I do not reveal. Discretion has gotten me far. When I see the whole story, I can get to the bottom of things quicker. Itâs a grind.
Perhaps the bottom line is different to you than it is to me and thatâs your right. But if you want to discern the bottom line for yourself, I suggest you do the work and get the whole story for yourself. There are collective bottom-lines out there that I try to break through to help get things done.
In the end, I have made dentsâboth in my thinking, and the issues I have raised. It leaves me with a smile on my face.
Copyright 2017 Joyce Bowen
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joyce-bowen/
https://twitter.com/crwriter1
https://joycebowen.wordpress.com/author/joycebowen/
https://medium.com/@joycebowen
Sobre el autor: Joyce Bowen es un escritor independiente y orador pĂșblico. Las consultas pueden hacerse en crwriter@comcast.net
www.bebee.com
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Comments
Harvey Lloyd
7 years ago #23
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #22
Someone just caused me reminiscence today. I took down a huge child predator. Hell of a dent. Got to finish the book. My investigative skills paid off with the reward that he no longer had access to children in that capacity. Yay me.
Robert Cormack
7 years ago #21
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #20
Yeeeees, I know. It was primarily why I called you attention to "Focusing the Dragon." I thought it would curl your toes as it did mine. It was a peace offering in the form of respite.
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #19
Thank you, debasish majumder, and thank you for the share.
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #18
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #17
Thank you very much, Todd Jones
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #16
So true, Gerald. Times have changed so much.
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #15
oh Yes, @Joyce Redlon. Thanks so much for the share and the comment. Thank all of you so much for the shares--Ali Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee to name just a few. I so wish they would show the shares on the HP.
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #14
yesah--let's do it!
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #13
We have different approaches on the same topic.
Kevin Pashuk
7 years ago #12
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #11
What a triumph that would be. Imagine setting out to make a dent and shaking the world. đ đ đ đ
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #10
Thank you, Gert Scholtz. It appears I accomplished what I set out to do.
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #9
Thank you, Ali Anani, Brand Ambassador @beBee
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #8
I think of myself as: The little Engine that could, and mutter, "I think I can; I think I can..." all the time.
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #7
Oh yes--I not only read it, but shared it.
don kerr
7 years ago #6
Joyce đ Bowen Brand Ambassador @ beBee
7 years ago #5
Oh God--thank you, Brian. Wow--the collective mindset in motion. Thank you for illustrating my point.
Devesh đ Bhatt
7 years ago #4
Gert Scholtz
7 years ago #3
Ali Anani
7 years ago #2
Robert Cormack
7 years ago #1