Competing Messages: What now?

I don't know if what happened yesterday is a good thing or a bad thing. There are plenty of people to agree with on both sides of that issue. The conventional wisdom is that it was a bad thing. Maybe it was.

I don't know.

I do know that it's possible for me to get far too emotionally invested in this stuff. It will have an effect on my life; but, like a hurricane, there's not a lot I can do about it except deal with it.

I know I'm going to pretty much reduce my 401K contribution next year, and throw that money at my credit cards. Which probably really isn't good news to the larger financial sector. Right now my credit card interest rates are at 5 and 5.9 percent. I'm not sure how long that's going to last, but paying off credit card debt is better than saving for retirement at this moment. And frankly, it wasn't so much "saving for retirement," that motivated the me to enroll in the 401K. I'm far too much like the grasshopper and not enough like the ant. No, it was the harassment I took about "leaving money on the table," from my co-workers. Well, leaving money on the credit card is probably just as bad.

And I reckon I'm about done buying toys for the foreseeable future. I ordered Aperture last weekend, and figured that was going to be it until the picture is a little clearer. That's kind of a pun, there. Anyway, again, my "discretionary" money is going at the credit card balance as well.

I've got enough toys to keep me busy for a long time to come.

Well, that's me. Not sure what to tell anyone else.

Well, maybe this. Exercise. Eat well. Stay healthy. Meditate, or, as Sandy used to say, "Just be still." She called me at work a few weeks ago. I was downstairs getting a soda and I missed her call and I was kind of kicking myself for it. It was great hearing her voice on the voicemail though. I've got to send her a letter. But, I digress...

I think we're all going to have to work on our stress management techniques. And that's always good, regardless of the economic climate. But it's more important now. I've been finding myself getting far too emotionally invested in these events, over which I have no influence. Better to spend that time and energy more productively doing something I can influence, like the experience of my life. I ran five miles Sunday morning with a lovely blonde. Nothing really there, she just heard me talking about it on Saturday with a friend, and asked to go along, so why not? But it was nice. And I'm pleased I can still run five miles, as I haven't been doing much road work all summer. I hasten to add I run slowly, but I run. I got up yesterday morning and did it again too, so I'm a little sore today.

And I think I'm going to have to do something to kind of stop paying attention to all this nonsense. I've been kind of glued to the screen, be it plasma or LCD, during all this. And really, there are much better things to do with my time.

And with that, I'll close by observing there are probably better things to do than this as well.

Good luck to all of us.

Competing Messages: Credibility Crisis

Why should we believe anyone in this administration? These are the guys who told us Iraq had weapons of mass destruction so they could advance their radical ideological agenda. Might they not being lying to us now?

Maybe we should not act on what they tell us might happen, and instead respond to what actually does happen. Then do so in a responsible way.

I don't wish to be a conspiracy theorist here, there's plenty of evidence there is a genuine problem. But it isn't clear to me that the only solution is to saddle the government with $700B of debt that'll take decades to resolve. Which basically ties our hands in dealing with any of a myriad of other competing problems and priorities. In that context, this almost feels like a scorched earth retreat by the Bush administration. Actually, scorch and salt the earth.

I don't trust these guys. They don't think and act like pragmatically rational people. They're ideological purists who've failed spectacularly, and I think they're lashing out as the sun sets on their ignominious legacy. I think we should wait and see, and then act on what really happens.

Competing Messages: Take the Hit

I'm an authority on nothing. I make all this shit up.

I know not whereof I speak.

That being said, I think that maybe we need to take the hit. Let the system fail.

It's going to hurt like hell. It may even hurt me. (Which, I know, is a telling comment.) I don't know. I know if credit is tight (to say nothing of nonexistent), my little condo community here is going to have real problems. Which means I'm going to have real problems. I have no idea what it might mean for my own rather daunting personal debt load. I've always thought about becoming a monk...

But it seems wrong to me to pass the cost of this monumental, and by that I mean we ought to build monuments to this stupidity so we don't forget it so quickly... where was I? Oh yeah, ...to pass the cost of this monumental stupidity onto us poor saps and several generations of those of us to follow will be beyond criminal.

Maybe we can build something that will last from the ashes. Maybe we'll see some real innovation from the chaos. Maybe not.

If we do this "bail-out," I think we're really just digging the hole deeper. It's just going to hurt longer. Maybe worse, only later. Pay me now, or...

Let's see if all the assholes who talk about "creative destruction," are ready to put their money where their mouths are.

I don't know. I could be wrong. I probably am. But my gut says take the hit now. See what happens. Learn from our mistakes. Build something new. Build something better. Take care of your neighbor.

Hang on.

Pray.

This is really going to suck, no matter what we do.

Competing Messages: Cherished Myths

One of the things I really resented about the triumphalism of the "blogosphere" and its leading proponents was the propensity for naive, simple interpretations, and silly constructions that were widely embraced as though "true." "Memes," they call them. In addition to "markets are conversations," another one I deeply resented was Dave Weinberger's "we're writing ourselves into existence." This fallacious assertion elevates the technological act, the artifice of narrative, above its necessary antecedent, existence. This is an egotistical conceit that presumes our cleverness with tools, to include language, is what imbues existence with any sort of value or meaning.

While we try to use narrative to create meaning for existence, mostly we just fuck it up. If there is any sort of meaning in the Eden myth, this is probably it. We don't so much write ourselves into existence as paint ourselves into corners, trapping ourselves in our narratives so that we can't, or choose not to, see what is before our eyes.

So, you know, thanks for that.

Among our many cherished myths, narratives that give structure and meaning and purpose to our otherwise enigmatic existence, is the one about the ordinary person propelled by events into extraordinary circumstances, where they usually perform admirably and "save the day," as it were. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, being one such narrative. The thought seems to be that the "outsider" is uncorrupted by the political system. Their moral compass isn't compromised by personal ambition. And that virtue and moral clarity are all that are truly needed to serve in positions of great responsibility and authority. Legally Blonde is another example. A favorite of mine is Dave. Invariably, the naive outsider is aided by sympathetic insiders, usually the ones out of power, impressed or moved by the hero's simple decency to help them overcome the entrenched interests who seek to thwart them and preserve the unjust or unfair status quo.

Yea. Go us.

I love those movies as much as any other guy. Indeed, even Battlestar Galactica riffs off this cherished myth a great deal; although it, perhaps by virtue of the length of its format, explores the complicated and compromised moral judgements even "outsiders" may be called upon to make, and the terrible consequence for all concerned.

But this cherished myth is one of the things the McCain campaign taps into when it puts Sarah Palin forward as the figure they would have live one heartbeat away from the presidency. Sure, she's just a hockey mom, she doesn't know a damn thing about the world we live in other than what she reads in the papers, but she's an outsider! She is uncorrupted by lobbyists and personal ambition! Plus, she's attractive! She's got a kid with a disability! Her husband's had a DUI! She is truly, one of us.

But Sarah Palin doesn't even really fit the myth either! That is something the McCain campaign hopes you don't notice, perhaps blinded by the glare of that megawatt smile. Sarah Palin is ambitious. And her conduct in office as both mayor of a small town ("the fourth (or sixth) largest city in Alaska!") and governor suggest that her own moral compass is already somewhat, perhaps hugely, compromised by power. But some of us are so compelled by our wish to believe in a cherished myth that we seemingly can't, or choose not to, see that. We just see the hockey mom who told Washington, "Thanks, but no thanks," for that "bridge to nowhere." Itself, a myth. A narrative, constructed to support the larger myth. Writing ourselves into existence.

The narrative to nowhere.

These folks are enamored with McCain's own narrative, his mythic devotion to "service to something larger than himself." I don't know, but it seems pretty plain to me that what he's really devoted to is his own ambition to be President. He probably rationalizes it in some "ends justify the means" sort of way. Perhaps he even believes in the same myth about Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and sees himself as a Frank Capra sort of figure, with Sarah Palin as his 21st century Jimmy Stewart. Who knows?

I have to believe that these narrative myths are what make people I formerly considered as serious individuals look me in the eye, and with a straight face tell me that they believe she's qualified to be President of the United States. Now, to be fair, they usually first answer my question with a question, that being, "What makes Obama qualified to be President?" Which is a fair question, and one that rightly will be answered on November 4th. But Palin is a package deal with McCain, and McCain is a 72 year old man. If he dies in office, well, even the people who thought McCain should be president because he was "more qualified" than Obama will now have Sarah Palin, "hockey mom," as their president.

David Foster Wallace's suicide last weekend was tragic. I'm surprised to find myself quite affected by it, as I wasn't terribly well acquainted with his work. Mostly, I've read his Kenyon commencement address from time to time as a kind of touchstone for my own feeble effort to remain "conscious." It seems Wallace was something of an admirer of McCain. And while his suicide was doubtless a consequence of his disease, depression, I can't help but wonder if his facility with narrative contributed to his despair. I wonder if McCain's actions, which seem vastly at odds with that narrative of "service" and "honor," contributed to his despair? I know I find it depressing. I don't know if it did, of course. And wondering is just idle thought. Sorry for the off-hand, perhaps non sequitur reference to David Foster Wallace. I'm not trying to exploit tragedy here. But it has been on my mind.

Anyway, I don't know what to say. Hope it all works out okay. I hope someone is working on writing a happy ending into existence.

Cheese Sandwich: Moon Over Me

The news always seems to be so depressing these days. Tried another shot of the moon last night. Well, several shots actually. I may be starting to get the hang of it.

I'm still busy with a variety of things. I hope to be able to find the time to write a few things, but it's looking pretty grim. Mostly, I'm busy in my community, trying to help out as best I can. Can't say it's been a lot of fun, but we don't seem to have a surfeit of people willing to help out. Anyway, more another day...

Competing Messages: Attention Deficit Nation

One of the things I learned in the Navy was that just when something required your undivided attention, along would come a compelling distraction. You'd be piloting in restricted waters, a narrow channel, and a fire would break out or something. I think it's a corollary of Murphy's Law.

We live in a competitive culture, and attention is one of the things competitors compete for. Attention is a finite resource, and the number of competitors seems to be ever growing, so the market for attention grows ever more competitive. We, the attention resource, surrender our attention for something we find rewarding. "Reward," is used cautiously here, as the rewards aren't necessarily positive things, or good for our society.

One of those rewards is titillation, an experience of stimulation, often, but not necessarily always, in a sexual way. Fear is another "reward," as we're disposed to give attention to things that are potentially dangerous or disastrous. Conflict is often titillating, as it can be both frightening and exciting.

So in the competition for attention, the competitors will seek to exploit titillation and fear, often in the context of a conflict that is deliberately "framed" (for fans of Doc Searls' hero, George Lakoff) as being about something larger, or more meaningful, than the mere interests of the individual competitors. (They're doing it for our own good, not for their own selfish interests.)

All of which is kind of my take on the addition of Sarah Palin to the Republican ticket. It's not about attracting Hillary voters, or really even about energizing the "base" of social conservatives, though either or both of those two outcomes, the latter far more likely than the former, would not be unwelcome. I was shocked at the announcement, and really couldn't begin to comprehend why on earth John McCain would deliberately choose someone of such limited experience, and public stature to be his running mate. But as I watched the media coverage around the announcement, and that of the self-important, self-aggrandizing "blogosphere," it became clear, to me anyway, just what this was about.

While this is at least partially about winning attention for McCain's candidacy, some of it even negative attention, it is mostly about taking attention away from Obama's campaign. And, in that regard, it's been a brilliant tactical move. Whether it will be enough to swing the election his way remains to be seen. The problem the McCain campaign faced was that it would be difficult to go after Obama in a way that would significantly drive up his "negatives." I think that, for the most part, the more anyone looked at Obama, the better he looked as a candidate. So they had to find a way to get people to stop paying as much attention to Obama, and give that attention to McCain, preferably. But John McCain is a 72 year old man whose narrative is well known and while generally regarded in a positive light, isn't very exciting, "maverick" or no. Sarah Palin (who some might consider a MILF) is unknown, relatively young, relatively attractive, and definitely controversial. You couldn't have designed a better attention-sump for the McCain campaign!

So, with Palin, we have titillation and conflict drawing attention away from Obama. The nature of the media feeds into Republican narratives regarding "liberal media elites," and neutralizes, or significantly reduces, the effectiveness of media criticism of the candidate. Same thing with the "self-correcting blogosphere." It's as baldly cynical a move as anything the Republicans have ever made; but on a moral level, it's not equivalent to taking the nation into war on false pretenses.

That's the nature of the society we live in. Where we reward competitors behaving badly with our attention, because we find the titillation and conflict "rewarding." And so more and more competitors behave ever more badly. You can see the same sad story playing out in this bullshit conflict staged by Mike Arrington for the benefit of his own selfish interests. And in the efforts of Robert Scoble to exploit and capitalize on it to shore up his own flagging attention value. No links for them, and I'm ashamed to admit I've given them even the amount of attention its taken to be aware of the "conflict." I'll be sure to wash my hands after I post this. ("There's no such thing as bad publicity," is something these guys don't just believe in, they count on it.)

Who's to blame? Well, we are, of course. All of us. The technology hasn't been invented yet to make us wiser, more responsible people. We embrace and defend economic systems that don't necessarily work in our overall interest. We're either unable or unwilling to confront the worst aspects of these systems, I think, because to do so would pose a short-term competitive disadvantage to any player who did so. And nobody wants to play the game to lose! Or be the first to lose, anyway. Because I think that, the way things are going, we're all going to lose in the end. And we'll be giving it our full attention, even as we're unable to summon the will to do anything about it.

Living in America seems to require the willing suspension of disbelief these days. I couldn't believe it when we went to war in Iraq. I suspect I'll be able to believe it should Sarah Palin end up being President sometime during John McCain's first term.

I'm not an "optimist," so I can't just wave my hands and say it'll all just work itself out. As always, I'm an authority on nothing. I make all this stuff up. Please do your own thinking.

Cheese Omelet: Don't Go Away

We'll be right back...

Actually, we never left. But we've been preoccupied with tropical storms, futile efforts to save a kitten and, happily, a busy social life.

Anyway, gotta go, but we'll be back to look at things like America's latest reality show, "Meet the Palins," and some other things that have been on my mind of late.

Before I go, I must say, I did see the new Jerry Seinfeld commercial for Microsoft last night, while watching the opening game of the new football season. My reaction was similar to that of my friend seated next to me: We both sort of lost interest halfway through it. It was just sort of a, "Hunh?" moment. Typical Microsoft. Too long. Too boring. Too obscure. Kind of like Microsoft Word.

Okay, gotta go now...