Wednesday, November 05, 2014

When It’s Your Turn In The Barrel

There’s an old Showbiz adage that applies to every part of life which goes something like –- “Be nice to people on the way up. Because you’re going to meet them again on your way down”.

We all get a turn in the barrel.

Your great new TV series gets a time slot where it’s crushed by the competition. The night before the movie you’ve poured your heart into opens, your star gets caught selling drugs to school kids. Your latest pitch goes into development at the CBC.

And then you’re looking around for friends to help you move on.

If you’ve got any friends left -- after your attitude and behavior on the way up was arrogant, self-entitled or otherwise boorish, selfish or dismissive.

Over the last few years, a lot of people have been troubled by the divisive language and tactics of American politics. It seemed that the contempt of one side for the other knew no bounds.

Last night, the American electorate stepped up and took a side in that battle, in the process putting their president in the barrel.

And as of this morning, the losing side has been talking about Bi-Partisanship, co-operation and compromise. Words they hadn’t used much when they were the guys with all the power.

Not long ago, a US newspaper put together a list of all the names the White House and its media supporters had used for those who were either members of the Republican party or in some way opposed to the President’s policies.

These included:

Enemy, paranoid, greedy, Bible-thumping, gun-toting, fear-mongering, racist, sexist, bigot, birther, redneck, homophobic, xenophobic, global-warming denialists, anti-science, Neanderthal, barbarian, terrorist, hobbits, member of the Flat Earth Society, Nazi, bully, Yosemite Sam hillbilly, beer-toting, pot belly, church going, small-minded, whack-job, Evangelical, gun nuts, wing nut, knuckle-dragger, clueless, Teabaggers, narrow-minded, evil, redneck freaks, judgmental, backwards, sick, anti-intellectualist, slut-shaming, slimebuckets, forced-birther, neocons, Zionist, neo-Confederate, wild nasty hard-right fringe, extremist, sewer rats, wacko birds, bitter clingers, misogynist, you suck, Obamaphobic, chirper, white nativist, crazies, creepy azz cracka, unpatriotic, white grievance, dumb, cracker, white devils, rabid, squealing political pigs, anarchist, fanatics, extortionists, lemmings, gangsters, murderers, banana republicans, fakers, ideological crusader, Cruzites, anti-government idealoges, fraud, Taliban, arsonist, suicide bombers, suicidal lemmings, spoiled children, hostage takers, overlords, Jihadist, blowhard, religious fanatic, freedom fiend, kidnappers, Jesus freaks, dangerous, troglodyte, from the Planet of the Apes, resurrection of the Confederacy, lemmings with suicide vests, anarchy gang, idiots, wife abusers, frightened white people, right-wing loonies, tea-hadist, tea-tards, segregationist, freaking retarded, morally disgusting, Confederate flag-waving, breeders, Robert E. Lee lovers, Southern white radicals, losers, violent rapist, blathering idiots, climate change deniers, way crazy, racist killers, rabid animals, Cro-magnon, cave dwellers, narrow-minded, toddler, headless chicken brigade, monkeys, morons, virus, teapub, Christofascists, healthcare repealers, gun-crazed, wide-eyed creatures, bed-wetting kidult, climate fool, Trotskyite radicalists, Dixiecrats, willfully ignorant fucksticks, anti-Obama, Huns, nutcases, pseudo-militia of gun-toting nutcases, lunatic, and radical terrorist…

That’s a lot to come back from.

No matter how big and important you’re getting in life, never forget that the barrel awaits.

Everybody gets a turn inside.

And the people you met on the way up are the only ones who can get you out.

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