“If you can convince the lowest white man he’s better than the best colored man, he won’t notice you’re picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he’ll empty his pockets for you.”
—Lyndon B. Johnson, 1908-1973, 36th president of the United States
“…It’s a big club, and you ain’t in it. You and I are not in the big club… The table is tilted folks. The game is rigged…”
—George Carlin, 1937-2008, American comedian, author, actor, writer, social critic, wily wordsmith
[For more on George Carlin: George Carlin’s Wise Words On Politicians, November 21, 2018 blog post]
The Current State of Things
Re, above quotes…
That is pretty much what is happening these days… Battling for clicks, the media get us all riled up and fearful about trans people in the bathroom, trans people in sports, DEI, abortion, communism/socialism, evil immigrants, and so on.
Most super rich people–billionaires, the Epstein class, tech bros, et al–could care less about any of that as they live light years above the fray and the riff-raff.
Ours is merely a scrum for the crumbs. We are fed fear and resentment, screaming at each other over petty issues (bathrooms, oh my God!) while, all the while, our collective nation’s wealth and power is systematically transferred up the food chain.
Thus, LBJ and George Carlin’s observations seem especially relevant today.
Imagine the outrage in some quarters if these bathroom signs were to appear in certain, let’s say, more conservative locales in the US of A!
