Just Asking

Society circa 2023 is a confusing mishmash. It’s enough to make a person take to asking questions out loud.

Anyone else wonder whether, if Adolf Hitler were alive today, he or a surrogate would he be rushing to create a GoFundMe account to help defray his legal expenses having do with facing charges such as genocide and assorted war crimes?

And would ‘Dolf be a regular on social media and YouTube asking plaintively why everyone’s picking on him?

What would Freud have to say about someone who seems to degenerate any discussions, debates, or conversations into sexual namecalling and/or crass sexually oriented comments?

Why are so many people in desperate need of a metaphorical mirror, that they might see exactly how pathetic and ridiculous is the image they present to the world?

Can I kill, rape, rob, or commit any number of lesser offenses and be absolved of punishment by claiming I was kidding, I was misunderstood, or it was all just a social experiment?

If I rob a bank and, when caught, offer to return the money, does the charge go away?

Why do some people think they can insult, threaten and otherwise go out of their way to antagonize virtually anyone they interact with, yet expect these same people (victims?) to treat them with the utmost in courtesy and respect?

Did you ever notice how often people with personal axes to grind lurk in the background, relying on useful idiots to do their bidding?

Why do selfish attention seekers, when their tiny worlds begin to collapse, fall back on claiming to be doing it all to help others?

Is there a greater pop culture icon of trying to have it both ways than the late songstress Helen Reddy. In 1971 she sang what became the theme song of the women’s liberation movement with “I Am Woman (Hear Me Roar)” It was a brassy, bold, statement with lyrics such as “I am strong (strong), I am invincible (invincible) I am woman.” Women were the equal of men and needed no special accommodations due to being the so-called weaker sex. A few years later, Reddy had changed her tune, both literally and figuratively. She was back with a hit song playing the victim as the weaker sex with “Ain’t No Way To Treat A Lady.” That cover of a previously released song by another artist included lyrics such as “No way to treat your baby. Your woman, your friend.” Huh? Aren’t you an equal? Roar?

Would you be surprised if some of our current high-profile types who flipflop between bully and victim are closet Reddy fans?