It's weird living in the U.S. right now for a multitude of reasons. One of them is that with each passing week we come closer to... something. But I don't know what that something is or even if it's good or bad. On the one hand, we could be slowly, painfully inching closer to that joyous moment when Donald Trump no longer has any control in our government. On the other hand, we could be moving rapidly toward our nation's precipitous demise in some manner -- civil war, World War III, economic collapse, a dictatorial coup d'état, or something else awful that nobody can even imagine right now. We just don't know.
The worst part about it is the utter unwillingness by Republicans in congress to "break from their party" (i.e., go against the guy they all hated and were calling a dangerous conman a year ago) and actually start protecting the important institutions we all rely upon for peace and prosperity. I would say it's amazing how blasé Reps have been about the Comey firing, but it's been pretty obvious since the end of "Never Trump" (which was also the beginning of it) that this was the track they were going to take. I honestly think that if Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell found out that Trump had somehow sold America to the Russians, their first question would be, "Will this drop the marginal tax rate for people making over $250,000 a year?"
And by the way, before I get off this subject let me just one thing in response to the Republicans who try to deflect the issue back on Democrats by saying that they were critical of Comey a few months ago, so they're being hypocritical now. First, there is the obvious point that for whatever faults Comey might have he's still better than anybody Trump will appoint. It's not hypocritical to select the better of two bad choices (right, Bernie Bros?). Second, yes, many Dems didn't and probably still don't like James Comey. After all there is good evidence that his idiotic eleventh hour letter swayed the election against Hillary. He's a big reason why we are in this mess in the first place. I doubt many Democrats would have been sad to see him go in a vacuum. But the firing wasn't done in a vacuum. It was done in the midst of an investigation headed by Comey that could possibly implicate the very man who fired him in a major scandal and maybe even a major crime. That's what Democrats have a problem with. And of course the Republicans know this. They just don't care. They view treason like they view racism. They don't really like it, but it's certainly not a deal breaker, and, let's be honest, sometimes it's downright helpful.
Anyway...
I was listening to Bill Maher today, and he had a segment on how Silicon Valley is the new Big Tobacco and our smartphones are the cigarettes. Everything is designed, not to act as a tool at our disposal, but as an addictive substance that keeps us coming back for more and more -- checking our likes on Facebook, checking our Twitter feed, looking at Instagram, find the newest products at Amazon. If you logoff for three minutes you'll fall behind! You gotta keep up! You gotta look now! Now! Don't ever put your phone down!
I think Maher overstated the case a bit, but there is definitely some truth to it. I look at my phone way too much. It's terrible, and it's setting a terrible example for my kids. It's a bit of a catch-22, however, because having kids is largely why I look at my phone so much. It's one of the few things I can do during "down time" with my kids. If we go to the park or to a museum or to a friend's house, it's very easy for me to put my phone away and not look at it, and that's all fine and good. But there are also those long stretches of time -- most the time, really -- when you are just sitting around keeping an eye on them and doing nothing. Like, they're playing 70% by themselves, but you have to be on hand to help them with the other 30%. During this time, I find looking at my phone is one of the few things I have the capacity to do. I can't do anything that involves a large brain-power commitment like working or writing or even crossword puzzle making. But I can half-mindlessly scroll through Twitter or Facebook.
Back in the day, I probably would have had a newspaper or a magazine or an easy-read book to fill in the dead time, but now all those things are -- where? -- on my phone of course! (Or some equivalent device.) So I'd just be looking at my phone anyway. And this raises an interesting question: If I'm doing the same basic activity with my phone as I would be doing without my phone, is it really any worse? My answer is, yes, I think it is. And it gets back to the addictive quality Maher was talking about. I feel a compulsion to constantly look at my phone that I wouldn't feel with a dead-leaf newspaper or book. And maybe that's the solution. Maybe I just need to go old-school when I'm with my kids.
Whatever the case, I'm making a pledge to put down my phone more. I'm no longer going to use it as my time-filling crutch when I'm watching the kids. Actually, this is a good time to start because S told me that for Mother's Day tomorrow she wants to do a "family day," and I need to actually be "tuned in" to her and the kids during it. Now, she's hardly one to talk -- I swear she has a TV show playing on her phone 75% of her waking hours -- but it could be a good catalyst for me nonetheless.
So, here's to less phone. It starts tomorrow.
Until next time...
The worst part about it is the utter unwillingness by Republicans in congress to "break from their party" (i.e., go against the guy they all hated and were calling a dangerous conman a year ago) and actually start protecting the important institutions we all rely upon for peace and prosperity. I would say it's amazing how blasé Reps have been about the Comey firing, but it's been pretty obvious since the end of "Never Trump" (which was also the beginning of it) that this was the track they were going to take. I honestly think that if Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell found out that Trump had somehow sold America to the Russians, their first question would be, "Will this drop the marginal tax rate for people making over $250,000 a year?"
And by the way, before I get off this subject let me just one thing in response to the Republicans who try to deflect the issue back on Democrats by saying that they were critical of Comey a few months ago, so they're being hypocritical now. First, there is the obvious point that for whatever faults Comey might have he's still better than anybody Trump will appoint. It's not hypocritical to select the better of two bad choices (right, Bernie Bros?). Second, yes, many Dems didn't and probably still don't like James Comey. After all there is good evidence that his idiotic eleventh hour letter swayed the election against Hillary. He's a big reason why we are in this mess in the first place. I doubt many Democrats would have been sad to see him go in a vacuum. But the firing wasn't done in a vacuum. It was done in the midst of an investigation headed by Comey that could possibly implicate the very man who fired him in a major scandal and maybe even a major crime. That's what Democrats have a problem with. And of course the Republicans know this. They just don't care. They view treason like they view racism. They don't really like it, but it's certainly not a deal breaker, and, let's be honest, sometimes it's downright helpful.
Anyway...
I was listening to Bill Maher today, and he had a segment on how Silicon Valley is the new Big Tobacco and our smartphones are the cigarettes. Everything is designed, not to act as a tool at our disposal, but as an addictive substance that keeps us coming back for more and more -- checking our likes on Facebook, checking our Twitter feed, looking at Instagram, find the newest products at Amazon. If you logoff for three minutes you'll fall behind! You gotta keep up! You gotta look now! Now! Don't ever put your phone down!
I think Maher overstated the case a bit, but there is definitely some truth to it. I look at my phone way too much. It's terrible, and it's setting a terrible example for my kids. It's a bit of a catch-22, however, because having kids is largely why I look at my phone so much. It's one of the few things I can do during "down time" with my kids. If we go to the park or to a museum or to a friend's house, it's very easy for me to put my phone away and not look at it, and that's all fine and good. But there are also those long stretches of time -- most the time, really -- when you are just sitting around keeping an eye on them and doing nothing. Like, they're playing 70% by themselves, but you have to be on hand to help them with the other 30%. During this time, I find looking at my phone is one of the few things I have the capacity to do. I can't do anything that involves a large brain-power commitment like working or writing or even crossword puzzle making. But I can half-mindlessly scroll through Twitter or Facebook.
Back in the day, I probably would have had a newspaper or a magazine or an easy-read book to fill in the dead time, but now all those things are -- where? -- on my phone of course! (Or some equivalent device.) So I'd just be looking at my phone anyway. And this raises an interesting question: If I'm doing the same basic activity with my phone as I would be doing without my phone, is it really any worse? My answer is, yes, I think it is. And it gets back to the addictive quality Maher was talking about. I feel a compulsion to constantly look at my phone that I wouldn't feel with a dead-leaf newspaper or book. And maybe that's the solution. Maybe I just need to go old-school when I'm with my kids.
Whatever the case, I'm making a pledge to put down my phone more. I'm no longer going to use it as my time-filling crutch when I'm watching the kids. Actually, this is a good time to start because S told me that for Mother's Day tomorrow she wants to do a "family day," and I need to actually be "tuned in" to her and the kids during it. Now, she's hardly one to talk -- I swear she has a TV show playing on her phone 75% of her waking hours -- but it could be a good catalyst for me nonetheless.
So, here's to less phone. It starts tomorrow.
Until next time...
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