As the usual year-end imagery gathers on TV and the Internet, it's highly unlikely the comments of Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will make the final cut. That's too bad. Because what Patrick had to say about the past 10 years has deep implications for the next few.
Appearing on "Meet the Press" alongside New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg and pol Newt Gingrich, Patrick summarized the first stage of the new millennium as the "self deception decade." Y2K, threat of terrorism manifested by Sept. 11th, two wars fought on the cheap, housing/Wall Street bubbles, etc. Whatever we spent or did then was put off for tomorrow. Patrick predicted that the coming decade will be when we finally get honest and deal with the "intractable problems facing society."
Fair enough, Governor. You're a smart and admirable point-of-view public figure. But what you said strikes to the core of a much deeper issue that no one seems able to address -- much less solve.
A vast majority of leadership elites have grown to believe their own deception, making real connections with followers fleeting. Trust and confidence have been thrown out with the bath water. Innovation -- which Patrick said will characterize the coming decade -- gets tossed around in conversation like a worn out bromide while little changes. Consider the evidence. Government, despite a transformational president, remains the same both symbolically and systematically. Two of the recession's hardest hit industries, autos and banking, continue to maintain the status quo as evidenced by events at GM and Bank of America Corp. "Going green" remains just that as even Bloomberg confessed by saying "no one knows what that means." How the green movement hasn't been effectively connected to eliminating dependence on foreign oil tells all you need to know about how special interests engulf the present system.
Elites have grown oblivious to their own deception for a range of factors -- most center on self glorification vs. productive difference making on behalf of others. Case in point: What just transpired between Congress and the White House on health care reform. Note: This is not a policy indictment; more to the point, it's about acting above board when no one trusts what you're doing. Equal offenders from the political and business realm line both sides of this issue.
Huge sums of money also feed the beast called deception. A billion here, a billion there. No amount is too small. It's almost as if Monopoly money is being exchanged for derivatives to be paid later. Leaders have forgotten that it's the public's (taxpayers' and shareholders') treasure that they're manipulating for selfish personal gain. No accountability leads to zero correction; cycle continues. The passing of Sen. Kennedy over the summer served as a stark reminder of what a lifetime of public service entails. It's too bad his legacy has already been shuffled away in the Senate's coat closet.
Fortunately, or unfortunately depending on your view, the public is way ahead of the deception. They're furious, anxious and often perceived as irrational, which means they are irrational in a heavily mediated world -- or whatever passes for the nightly news.
The real question is what can be done. There are no easy answers, but it begins with calling out the issue. It's too bad we can't assign TMZ.com or the "National Enquirer" to the story because they would get to the bottom of the barrel in a hurry. Facts or no facts, the tabloid media, YouTube and other new outlets such as Twitter have a way of cutting through to the unfiltered core faster and better than anyone else.
Which brings us back to the future. Before we go further into the "honesty decade," as Patrick predicted, there's still a fair share of flushing out to do with the deception decade. Which means we'll probably keep throwing the bums out of office and tossing stones at CEOs in glass houses while little gets done. Some things don't change.
The only way to make a difference is by taking personal action and encouraging others to do the same. Not everything has to be about ME! Granted, until there is a sense of collective We, it's awfully hard not to look out for A-1. Especially when things are upside down economically.
Maybe the next 10 years will turn out to be the "Me to We" decade? Probably not. 'Mewee' sounds like a dumb Charlie Brown character. Oh well. Back to the drawing board for now. Welcome your ideas on a better name.
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9 comments:
With a tip of the cap to Colbert, how about the "Trustigious Decade"?
The “Me-2-We” label is catchy, but for all the positives of reduced cultural self-focus, even this could go very wrong. The political and marketplace leadership is not as morally grounded as TGR. Without a moral compass the nation will veer myopically from extreme to extreme, as each move becomes merely a counter response to the move that immediately preceded it. TGR is correct in the view that something has to give. Change is certainly coming (“...a house divided against itself will not stand”), but it may not be the change we hoped for.
The dominant political philosophy of the day would pull "we" in a fascist direction, elevating the society and diminishing the individual with blame and punishment. The rise of the "we" can lead to groupthink, political correctness, and a loss of individuality. For example, do we want the best health care we can personally afford, or do we want the highest possible common denominator that covers everyone? This is a moral question that goes well beyond health care and the desires of a single political administration. The nation will need time to work out an answer for itself (certainly more time than the US Congress took).
Enlightened self interest would teach us that what strengthens the society strengthens me as well, but leaves open the potential for the individual as well. Sadly, this political philosophy may yet take a long time to recover credibility because of the excesses perpetrated by the “leadership” over the last few years.
Our best hope may be found in a gestating populism that appears to permeate all political battle lines. For ideologically opposite reasons, “the folks” on both sides may choose to tear down the present political and marketplace leadership in what may eventually led to cultural renewal. Right now it is hard to see that far ahead, but the anger and fear of the citizenry is certainly apparent, and those emotions are the spark and tinder of change.
Vive la revoluciόn!
Whoever keeps leaving the "Good day, sun shines" commercial message, please stop doing so. This is not a place to post your self serving requests. If you don't stop, then we will pursue other actions so that you will. Thank you,
JG
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