Alert Reader "Dennis" brought this small, hidden Aespoian gem of tragic perfection to my attention.
The central character of the story (as reported on CBS here) is Karen Hopkins,
whose life has been completely slagged by the actions of a transnational corporation named "British Petroleum".
Until the BP Oil Volcano, Ms. Hopkins eked out a living working for the Gulf fishing industry;
now she is not only on the verge of losing everything as this latest manifestation of Conservative governmental and deregulatory dogma plays itself out right in her lap, but she is also being made to feel like a criminal in the bargain.
Which is indeed very, very sad.
What Alert Reader Dennis noticed is that for much of the interview (which was obviously conducted in Ms. Hopkins' home) Ms. Hopkins is seated in front of a prominently displayed Red White and Blue bumper sticker
which reads
"Stop the Obamanation".
I feel for Ms. Hopkins, I really do. For entirely different reasons, I too see my future melting before my eyes and I completely empathize with her sense of loss and betrayal and being at the mercy of forces far beyond her control, which is why I will only add this one, small note.
Ms. Hopkins, from the bottom of my heart I wish you well and hope that better days are in store for you. But I also wish for you the strength and calmness of mind to look honestly at the nature of the forces that brought you to your present condition, and that you sincerely reconsider the unhealthy sentiments that made you want to turn an ugly, Conservative talking point into a household shrine.
8 comments:
"Instant karma's gonna get you,
knock you right on your feet..."
DG,
Let's hope she finds a sense of betrayal. I fear there is a good chance that she will still somehow warp her thinking into a scenario where its the DFHs' fault that BP was drilling in deep water, or somehow the (ever diminishing, unenforced) regulations that BP broke were, um, er, the reason that they had to break them. Or something.
Its the Tea Partier I'm trying to rescue at my health club. Early 60s, retired union machinist. Terrified about health care (two years to Medicare) and the economy. Refuses to believe that our Congressman, Paul Ryan, is against Medicare. Plans to help GOTV for Republicans this fall.
Its more than grim irony or cognitive dissonance. Its people gladly, proudly, voting against their own self interests. And happily working against those that actually are trying to help them and the USA as a whole. Racist as the Tea Partiers are, in my mind they are the quintessential "house Negroes" for conservative corporate power.
I hope that woman opens her eyes to who really caused her suffering, but I fear that she won't.
US Blues speaks truth.
Habitat Vic,
Well said. The con is collapsing and the grifters are making off with her future, and too-late Ms. Hopkins is figuring out that there will be no network of wingnut welfare publishers and Conservative think tanks to bail her out.
You're a better man than I, Gunga Driftglass.
Judging from this woman's age, I'll bet she's spent a major chunk of her life voting for precisely the "Gubmint is Eeeeevil! Tree-huggers are stupid and icky! Foxes are ideal choices to guard the henhouse!" philosophy that put her right smack dab in the middle of her current situation.
Karma has just run over her dogma. And backed up and run over it again, and again. I just wish the Karmic deities had found a way to do it without trashing the Gulf.
Karma's a bitch.
Unfuckin' real...
I stopped feeling sorry for people like her a long time ago. I figured after a couple years of losing wars, torture, abductions, targeted assassinations of US citizens, 10% (more like 20%) unemployment, broken economy, Katrina and everything else would have caused the scales to fall from their eyes. Instead, for many, the scale crusted over into rock hard cement. The best solution is to isolate and marginalize them as much as possible. Keep them from voting, keep them from organizing, keep them from being involved. Give them something else to "save." Let us grownups run the government the way it needs to be run, on our behalf (and theirs) and in the interest of curtailing the abusive power of the elite, wealthy, corporations and evil people.
And yes, Sarah is a grifter! (I'm sort of live-commenting your podcast...)
SP
"30 years of unbroken idiocy and stupidity" indeed!
sadly i dont think she will ever learn -- somehow one of the teabagger politicians down in her home will convince her it was obama and the dems that did her wrong
Dear Karen:
So sorry to hear of your plight and that of thousands of others. Wish you the best.
Sincerely,
Me
PS: How's your health care plan?
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