I mean a lot about the “good old days” of those days.
Maybe it’s because I’m getting old. Now I’m retired, my daughter will be back in school soon and I have more time to think, it’s not a smart thing in today’s world. Or maybe it’s because I crave happier times, with less hate, less greed, more hope.
Americans no longer seem to agree much, whether it’s Donald Trump, Black Lives Matter, Church and State, gun control. or the right to life. And when I say “the right to life,” I mean all lives, not just fetuses, not just other people who receive respiratory assistance, but all lives. And I mean quality lives, not just breathing, not just heartbeats.
All of this even takes into account the ultimate fatal risk to our country today: who will go to war next.
Let’s see: we have already fought Against Great Britain, Mexico, Germany, Italy, Japan, North Korea, North Vietnam, Iraq and, of course, against ourselves: the Confederation opposed to the Union (or do I say the Confederation opposed to the United States?) .
Certainly, nothing prevents us from repeating one of the above elements, even if there are two other strong applicants in those days: China and, despite President Trump’s unwavering admiration for his friend Vladimir Putin, Russia.
But there is a third candidate, even more likely: ourselves as in a civil war of the 21st century.
After all, Americans have spent more than enough in recent years arguing, fighting, belittling and hating each other. Adults do a very smart task by imitating second-year children and women who like to name names. We also occasionally protect or rapists, but condemn rape victims for their possible options (or lack thereto) before and after the attack.
We pay for our addictions to cigarettes, alcohol, adultery and money, but we condemn prostitutes, methamphetamine addicts and homeless people. We pontificate the Bible, the portions we love, but conveniently other portions, such as the parable of a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen and a beggar named Lazarus.
We complain about the woman asking for cash around the corner where we have to prevent every few days. We need the police to interfere, even if they haven’t done anything, they still have a sign asking for cash, a request that we’re on the loose to force or ignore.
We act like America is the land of God and things like Mexico, Guatemala, Iraq, and Afghanistan are all that. The president of our country even decreed that some put would be “shitty” countries. Nor does it speak of Scandinavian countries or other predominantly white countries.
We send missionaries to poor countries, but we don’t need the citizens of those countries to come to our country. I can’t find words to describe the irony or hypocrisy of that. They may send missionaries to our country and teach us to hate less and love more.
We say we’re pro-life, but we’re running to end the fitness insurance policy for many other people, even when a fatal pandemic kills thousands of other people. We say we need medical care for everyone who works. But tell me how many other middle-income people can afford $300 a month for 30 diabetes pills. I can’t. I don’t need it. And I’ve worked my best, not that it’s relevant. It’s not.
No wonder we made the decision to help Americans in difficulty after wasting their jobs on the coronavirus pandemic, and then we worry about whether we’re helping them too much. Those who need to limit financial aid are, of course, sometimes wealthy politicians who get smart wages, smart fitness insurance and vacations, and then dare to be called “officials.”
It seems to me that the term “public servants” may be more implemented for teachers, cafeteria staff and other school staff than our state and much of the country require to return to already crowded classrooms. Politicians don’t seem to care that school buildings are about to have coronavirus labs. Doctors care, but those are fitness decisions that politicians think they want to control.
Members of the Arkansas Board of Education agreed in a virtual or online assembly that classic in a room with an audience that the state would resume the classic categories on site this month. The hypocrisy of this resolution is appalling.
As a former Arkansas Public Schools teacher, I am fully aware that this state has shown little respect for its educators over the years in terms of wages and operating conditions. But I didn’t think the officials would be difficult enough to expect teachers to threaten their lives. Maybe the state deserves something like paying for the fight for educators and other school employees.
Most young people are intelligent young people, but most are not behaving perfectly. High school students are known for their bad behavior and will now have a new toy to handle in class. I know masks are protective clothing, not toys. But if the country president cannot fully perceive this fact, I doubt we can expect sixth graders to do so. What about the teachers of the little ones who won’t have to wear a mask at school?
If you’ve already taught at school, you know that when teenagers fight, someone has to separate them. The little ones and even the elders are deranged, weeping and without comfort. An instructor can’t get too comforted with the status two metres away from a new first grader.
The other young people will also take the joy of the school lab. Just as they will bring their backpacks home the day, some will also take the virus home and give it to their parents and grandparents.
If you think we have financial unrest now, wait. As we find out how bad things can go, we’ll be lucky if we can buy enough masks for our children, let alone rent enough updates to update all teachers in poor health.
The greatest freedom you will fear us will not imply a mask. It will be about wasting our lives while the lab revels in taking our schools, our homes, our lives.
Debra Hale-Shelton can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter on @nottalking.