Be like me. Get a tattoo, pierce yourself, make videos and post them on social media, do stupid things that put your life in danger, et cetera. Today’s society has become even more a herd of sheep or perhaps a slice of lemmings is a better description. There is no critical thinking, no questioning of why something is or isn’t. We have a new profession called influencers and people actually take them seriously and try to emulate their behavior. Who would have thought we would have self-appointed narcissistic societal leaders who are taken seriously by millions of people throughout the world, but particularly in the United States?
It is from people like this that idols rise and then crash back to earth, when their attempts to focus attention upon themselves go too far. You can only pretend to die once and after that what is there? Yet, for every idol that crashes ten nay, twenty, step forward on Tik-Tok, You Tube, Facebook, Instagram and X to gather their share of attention and adulation. Influencers are essentially cult leaders and very few cults have ever proved to be a benefit to the society in which they exist.
We have discussed the death of common sense before and influencers are yet another example of the lack of that much needed commodity. Now logic and reason have suffered the same waning demise of common sense. I fear we have raised a generation or three that cannot reason, preferring to bleat like the sheep they are, the silly slogans and shibboleths of their thought leaders.
Could it not be time to begin requiring of those who want to vote and be prominent in our society a demonstration of knowledge of the process and issues. For all our founders might have said, it is a fairly straightforward logical reasoning process to understand that rights within a society are not God-given but exist as a compact between those governed and those governing. God may give you the right to life but it is easily taken from you by someone bigger and more powerful. Thus, society creates supposed deterrents to keep those bigger and more powerful from taking your life. Could not society then create standards other than birth for being a member of that society? Tests of knowledge and examples of good common sense. A dedication to the laws of the land vice political parties or individuals would be nice. And most of all a dedication to the truth as proven by history and facts, not determined by who is currently in a position of power. We require immigrants to pass tests on history, civics and rights. Why shouldn’t native born be required to pass the same tests?
Where are the influencers who demand the truth? Where are the influencers who teach the civics of our society? Where are those who proclaim both the societal rights and responsibilities of the individual? Where are they?
Spot on, this.