{"id":9331,"date":"2011-11-09T20:30:18","date_gmt":"2011-11-10T01:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/?p=9331"},"modified":"2012-12-26T20:07:58","modified_gmt":"2012-12-27T01:07:58","slug":"morning-after-in-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.prosebeforehos.com\/cultural-correspondent\/11\/09\/morning-after-in-america\/","title":{"rendered":"Morning After In America"},"content":{"rendered":"

Simultaneously the comedian and the punch line, the United States today is<\/em> a joke, though perhaps the funniest thing about it is that we don\u2019t actually mean to be. The easiest way to appreciate the humor is by looking at the rather slapstick slew of 2012 Republican primary candidates: there\u2019s Michele Bachmann, who actually believes that if gay people were given rights everyone else would lose theirs while Herman Cain, the presidential hopeful du jour, is now known primarily for his Sim City-inspired tax plan and for his alleged sexual harassment of women. <\/p>\n

Always lurking in the distance is Susan Boyle lookalike Newt Gingrich, whose highly intolerant statements are alarmingly similar to the late Osama Bin Laden<\/a>. Then there\u2019s Rick Santorum, whose talents include owning nice suits and utilizing his First Amendment rights to display his own ignorance to a national audience. And of course, one cannot forget the tanned and innocuous Mitt Romney; or actually, one can. Most neglect to mention Ron Paul or Jon Huntsman, mainly because there\u2019s nothing particularly funny about knowledgeable individuals who base their beliefs on actual principles.<\/p>\n

News for the Nescient<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Political<\/p>\n

Much like a senile uncle at a family reunion, the 2012 Republican primary race has provided the much-needed comedic relief in an otherwise overwhelmingly depressing juncture. The facts are crippling and the foreseeable future is rather bleak: no one wants to talk about rising unemployment and poverty rates, an abysmal and ineffective prison system, mindless resource consumption, or the score of other problems that over the next few decades will prove to be crippling, if not fatal, in the global society.<\/p>\n

It is not surprising then that as Greece teeters at the precipice of a national economic default with global aftershocks that American news sources have instead focused primarily on a potential paternity suit for pop sensation Justin Bieber, the failed marriage of Kim Kardashian whose lifespan was less than that of a brine shrimp, and the alleged sexual history of Republican candidate Herman Cain. None of these things matter, yet Americans consume them as real \u201cnews.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

With a 53% disapproval rating and a constant shuffling of the Republican primary deck, there is no doubt that many Americans today are disenchanted with both the Republican primary picks and the Obama Administration. However when a nation treats pop culture junk as worthy of attention of say, the dissolution of the European Union, we should not be surprised that our current and aspiring political leaders are about as profound and inspiring as a partially desiccated puddle of mud. No, these candidates don\u2019t simply appear; they are physical manifestations of our current ideals and future practices. What, then, does this motley crew say about the priorities of the United States?<\/p>\n

Video Killed the Radio Star (And the Serious Politician)<\/strong><\/p>\n