The American way is self-entitlement? — Win McNamee's photograph sums it, for both Trump and BLM rioters

© 2021 Peter Free

 

08 January 2021

 

 

 

What follows is one perspective

 

Tomorrow, I may post another cultural view that explicitly contradicts it.

 

My purpose is to suggest that thinking about where we are — and why — are societally necessary things.

 

 

Win McNamee's photograph — perfectly sums the predominating American mentality

 

It shows a Trump-hatted "white" guy:

 

 

carrying off

 

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi's lectern

 

during 06 January 2021's pro-Trump US Capitol riot.

 

 

The picture, with its brief storyline, is here:

 

 

Nexstar Media Wire, Smiling man carrying lectern during Capitol riots identified, abc27.com (07 January 2021)

 

 

Notice . . .

 

. . . the rioting thief's casual saunter, smile and wave.

 

We can infer that the culprit thinks that:

 

 

he is entitled to

 

enter an ostensibly secured Government building

 

steal

 

a prominent official's heavy badge of office

 

and

 

stroll out

 

carrying the easily identifiable item

 

while being recorded via press camera

 

for the entire nation eventually to see —

 

all this, presumably

 

(in the miscreant's mind)

 

without having to face subsequent consequences.

 

 

Win McNamee's photo . . .

 

. . . of strutting "white" entitlement and thievery perfectly captures characteristically American egoism.

 

And to a degree, this "white" demonstration of self-assigned righteous action differs not much from the self-entitlement expressed by Black Lives Matter-associated looters.

 

They claim that their "harvest" of other people's property legitimately belongs to them via Simple Justice's "slavery reparations".

 

These "black" rioters' logic — like the lectern-stealing "white" guy's Trump-purported election theft — is not attenuated (in their minds) by potentially contradicting facts. Those, in the "blacks" case, being that:

 

 

(a) many generations have passed since anyone thought that slavery was a good idea

 

(b) no American still alive ever owned or tried to own slaves

 

and

 

(b) a high percentage of the United States' most financially successful, thoroughly respected (even worshipped) famous people are "black".

 

 

In summary, the "white" miscreant assumes that the Capitol (and everything in it) is historically his — no matter the 2020 election's apparent result — by constitutional democracy's "to him" assignment.

 

And the "black" protesting looters assume that seized goods are theirs by virtue of "to them" reparations for "white" racism's past and still continuing wrongdoing.

 

The core to both sets of behavior is a strong sense of personal entitlement.

 

This narcissistic sense is acted out via unthinking denials of at least some arguably obvious contradicting facts.

 

And, pertinent to my theme today, these self-centered folk vigorously exercise their retribution at the arguably direct expense of the idea of trying to cooperatively foster a more workable Whole.

 

 

The moral? — The United States is a startlingly narcissistic society

 

We justify our individualistic depredations on the basis of self-designated personal worth, extraordinary ability and Deity-blessed deservingness.

 

Given that there are roughly 8 billion other folks on this planet — "in-your-face individualism" seems not to be an especially survivable societal philosophy. Statistics, situationally limited physical resources, and societal practicality all argue against it.

 

Indeed, spiritually attuned people think that rampaging personal ego is the soul's most destructive enemy.

 

Nuances (both originating and consequent) to this idea are admittedly many, contradicting and often paradoxical.

 

Unfortunately, in this analytical regard, subtle logic and complex spiritual twists and values escape Americans' generally weak attention, insight and appreciation.

 

That arguably negative US cultural trait impacts everything that we Americans do. We favor simplistic thinking and actions. Policy consequences are never seriously analyzed. We routinely ignore even easily demonstrated "bad" consequences to whatever we've initiated.

 

In short, simple-minded people (like us) are easily manipulated. Ergo, the Military Industrial Complex's power. And Trump's.

 

Of relevant note, in the world contest (between societal structures and national mentalities) China's totalitarian-directed — but reasonably freely capitalistic — "competent community" venture appears to be gaining fitness ground.

 

All this, I lift in metaphor from Win McNamee's striking photograph.