Karens With Blinders

Karen: A term used for a woman perceived to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is considered appropriate or necessary.  A common stereotype is that of a woman who uses her privilege to demand her own way at the expense of others; a busybody nitpicker who is constantly sticking her nose in other people’s business. 

Blinders: A pair of leather flaps attached to a horse’s bridle to curtail side vision; also called blinkers.  It is something that serves to obscure clear perception and discernment.  It enhances what is commonly called tunnel vision, as is evident in those that zero in on one objective and irresponsibly ignore the collateral effects of their actions.

U.S. Census Demographics: Percentages of US Population…White Alone/76.3; Hispanic or Latino/18.5; Black or African American Alone/13.4; American Indian and Alaska Native Alone/1.3; Asian Alone/5.9; Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander Alone/0.2; Two or More Races/2.8.

Equality: The state or quality of being equal; a statement, usually an equation, that one thing equals another.

Declaration of Independence:  “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to affect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security.”

Reality Check: An assessment to determine if one’s circumstances or expectations conform to reality; an event that forces one to reassess one’s expectations or one’s understanding of their situation.

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There are many, many Karens running around these days.  They are not all white and they are not all women.  They come in every gender, race, and demographic you may want to choose.  They all exhibit a common trait inasmuch as they believe they know better what is best for you than you know yourself.  Far too many of these Karens are in elected office or positions of high authority in our government and in our society.  They are propped up by the mainstream and social media; who are dominated in ownership and operation by Karens.  Therefore it is not surprising that the product of these entities reflects a Karen attitude and affection; casting that type of behavior in the most favorable way possible.  The media love their Karens; as long as their Karen’s language supports their employers’agendas.  FOX has their Karens; CNN has their Karens; and each of us has our own Karens that we prefer above others.

At the end of the day, the tangible influence and power that Karens possess is determined by how much the common man or woman chooses to give them.  Without blind allegiance or substantial followings, Karens tend to dry up, fade away, and become a past flavor du jour.  By and large, Karens tend to rely mainly on loose rhetoric and a thin veil of factual knowledge that they selectively use to promote their agenda.  Karens dearly love spending time with each other.  They tend to be universally broad and transparently thin.  Karens love being Karens; the ones we should really be listening to are the ones who are uncomfortable with their celebrity.

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Our government is a marvelous design envisioned by our founders in the Constitution of the United States.  We have perverted their ideals and deviated from their design to the point where the very foundations of our nation are in peril.  A main component of that perversion is the fact that many of our government and judicial representatives are operating with blinders on.  They become inflamed advocates for a particular cause (sometimes good and sometimes bad) and are so intent on the thing they are promoting that they fail to consider the collateral effects of their desire.  Not only are they oblivious to those impacts; they reach a point of unbridled enthusiasm for their cause where they simply disregard the cost of those impacts.  They reach a point where the ends justify the means.

A good example of this phenomenon is the way our nation has dealt with the coronavirus pandemic.  There are many ways to look at this issue and there are certainly irresponsible positions being occupied at either end of the “coping with the pandemic” spectrum.  These extremists are the people with blinders.  Some would have us crawl in a hole and not come out until a bulletproof vaccine is discovered, tested, and broadly available.  Others would have us ignore the consequences of the virus and continue our lifestyles as if nothing had happened.  The common sense approach lies somewhere in the middle where we recognize that many people will die from a terrible illness that attacked our society unexpectedly.  And although the casualties of that epidemic are tragic and emotional, the fact is that our world cannot stop turning in an attempt to save every…single…life threatened by this monster.  An attempt that is doomed to failure.

As we have done in the past with influenza, SARS, AIDS, and other broad spectrum illnesses; we must learn to cope with the ill effects while continuing to live our lives.  We cannot achieve perfect safety from any illness and we cannot ignore the abilities we have to try and keep our citizens as safe as possible.  We have already paid a terrible price for our reaction to this pandemic.  How long will we continue to follow a pursuit of impossible prevention at a high cost to our current lives and the future of our children?  Should we continue to sacrifice living our lives to the fullest on the basis of something that might happen?

After missing half a year of schooling, do we really want to proceed down a path that will yield an education for our children that is only 25-35 percent of normal effectiveness when it is abundantly clear that our youth are not overtly threatened by this pandemic?  The solution to questions like this one requires the removal of blinders.  Perhaps we have over-reacted in our prevention efforts; perhaps we have under-reacted in our prevention methods.  Only time will reveal the true testing of our actions.

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When we seek to uphold the words of our Declaration of Independence by insuring Equality for all of our citizens, it is essential that we focus on the facts.  A good example of those pertinent facts lies in the data banks of the U.S. Census Bureau.  There is no doubt that slavery and subsequent discrimination in America was a despicable episode.  The price it incurred in human misery and national turmoil cannot be quantified.  Its occurrence in our history was one of many regrettable chapters that nonetheless led us to where we stand today.  The early and ugly chapters regarding the American West are equally shameful.  We cannot relive or remake the past.  We can only attempt to draw wisdom from the mistakes we made then and try our best to prevent their re-occurrence. The plight of many Hispanics in America is also tragic and must be recognized and dealt with.  The fact is that Hispanics and Latinos constitute the largest racial minority in America today.  Yet the attention given to their plight in our country does not reflect that reality.  Asian Americans deal with their position as minorities in a humble and quiet fashion; silently going about making a life for themselves and their families in spite of any hurdles placed in their paths.  They have a unique and admirable quality of stoicism that we could all benefit from attaining.

Those who loudly, arrogantly, and irresponsibly run around advocating equality for some need to come to grips with the fact that they are nothing more than a part of the whole.  They may belong to a small part or they may belong to a large part; but either way, they have no right to dictate to the other parts how everyone should live.  If we want to totally and fully embrace mathematical equality, we had better take off the blinders and consider the collateral effects that a broad and full implementation of that formula would entail.  A blind and unfettered application of mathematical equality throughout our society would result in many, many unanticipated changes that would not all be welcomed.

Equality is not a number; equality is a concept.  Equality is an ideal.  Equality is a goal to be pursued and supported by behavior that reflects the premise originally espoused in our Declaration of Independence.  This nation was founded as a haven for those seeking freedom to worship and the opportunity to live independently and achieve.  It has been a melting pot for many souls from across this planet and its diversity is a critical part of its very fiber.  This nation was founded, through blood and sacrifice, for the benefit of all.  Not just the majority and not just the minority; but for the benefit of ALL.  Acceptance of the Equality concept requires responsibility, accountability, and respect.  Our culture has lost its perspective on mutual respect.  A lot of the folks running the streets these days with cardboard Equality signs have no clue about those ideals.

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We should not allow our government, and our lives, to be run by a bunch of Karens with blinders who are nothing more than controlling and arrogant egotists.  Instead of forming opinions based on multi-second media sound bites, we need to look beyond the talking heads or the printed words to the facts that are readily available to everyone.  We need to throw off the blinders that lead us to obsess with one issue or another; totally disregarding not only the opposing opinions of others, but the collateral impact that implementation of our favored position might entail.   We have devolved in both a societal and governmental sense to a point where the tail is wagging the dog.

We have racial segments of our nation demanding influence that exceeds their proportional representation of society.  We have elected officials who seize their few minutes of fame to advocate for causes that they would obsessively dictate to all; regardless of other’s rights or opinions.  We have federal judges who abuse their power and lifetime appointments to circumvent our Constitution in an attempt to form a culture that fits their personal ideals.  And we have all blindly formed opinions about these people that oftentimes belie the facts and realities that surround them.  We have become a lazy nation that has given up on the requirements of good citizenry and have gotten used to permitting other people to make decisions for us and tell us how to think.  Our nation needs a reality check. 

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If we continue down this road, we will become nothing more than sheep being led by the herders.  We will wake up some day and understand that even though our nation was never perfect and that many mistakes were made in our long history; the original concept and blueprint conceived by our founders was sound, fair, and durable.  Unfortunately, if we do not soon correct our detachment from the reality that currently exists across our country; we might very well wake that morning and face a harsh realization.  We will sit at the breakfast table and look across at our spouse and our children; we will head off to a job that drives us crazy with frustration and bureaucracy, yet is essential to our economic survival and must therefore be tolerated; and we will live a lifestyle constricted by regulations and ordinances that seem arbitrary and excessive, but nonetheless make us compliant with a certain type of behavior and philosophy.  We might find that our opinions matter only if they conform to the opinions of those in charge.  We might find that our ambition is not relevant unless it can be used in the quest for our leaders’ agendas.  We might find that our freedoms of choice are severely limited by the choices that are actually made available to us.

Consider this quote: “We don’t appreciate what we have until it’s gone.  Freedom is like that.  It’s like air.  When you have it, you don’t notice it.”  That was not Thomas Jefferson or Alexander Hamilton; it was Boris Yeltsin.  I suspect he knew something about the concept he was addressing.  Joni Mitchell wrote: “…you don’t know what you got till it’s gone”.  I have to say…if you can find a line that both Boris Yeltsin and Joni Mitchell can agree on, perhaps you had better pay some attention to it.

Wake up, America…our nation is slipping away.  Use your power as an individual to support the things you believe in.  Use your vote to elect sensible people who respect this country and its ideals.  Use your consumer dollars to support companies that reside in America and practice business rather than politics.  Use your benevolent donations to support causes that illustrate the heart and compassion that is so much a part of our country.  Use your time to develop your town or your community in way that makes you feel good about yourself and your family’s future.

And above all else…use your head to make these decisions.  Hold dear the freedom and independence that so many who have gone before us earned through sacrifice and deed.  Think for yourself and do not follow blindly those that might covet the power held by you and your neighbors.  The Karens are out there to tell you how to live; look inside yourself for that direction.

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