SH*T MY UNCLE SAYS: I, Misanthrope

BY WILLIAM C. HENRY A question from a friend (to whom I attribute perhaps unwarranted powers of observation) following a recent discussion on the sorry state of Republican politics got me to wondering just how my true sentiments concerning that cauldron of cacophony, callousness and cowardice should “properly” be categorized. The question was, “When did the symptoms of your misanthropy first appear?” Well, although momentarily taken aback, I quickly realized that perhaps an opportunity “too good to refuse” had just been dropped into my proverbial absence of a lap. So, with albeit a little skirting of the issues now and then, and maybe a minor obfuscation here or there, I’m going to attempt to set this barely disguised when-was-the-last-time-you-beat-your-wife little J’accuse! matter straight.

Is it being misanthropic to find repugnant a Republican party all of whose Presidential wannabes have enjoyed government subsidized comprehensive healthcare at one time or another, but would unapologetically deny it to some 40,000,000 of their fellow Americans who simply cannot afford medical security for themselves? What kind of political party is it that exhibits such a sense of greedy, two-faced, hypocritical, elitist, self-serving “entitlement”?

Is it being misanthropic to feel contempt for a Republican party and its racist leadership who abandoned all semblance of governance solely to effect the failure of the nation’s first black Presidency? What kind of political party is it that still clings to such eighteenth century ignorance and bigotry? What kind of political party is it whose archaic lexicon hasn’t expanded beyond WASP?

Is it being misanthropic to scorn a Republican party that claims to stand for ethics, morals and “family values” while asking its adherents to select among bigots, liars, panderers, hypocrites, and an adulterer to be the party’s standard bearer? What kind of  “equal treatment” exhorting political party is it that uses religious conviction as an excuse to deny freedom of choice to selected segments of American society?

Is it being misanthropic to loathe a Republican party whose number one answer to ridding the nation of poverty, inequality and injustice is to starve to death any and all efforts at rectification? What kind of political party is it that places the wealthfare of the very few above the welfare of the overwhelming majority?

Is it being misanthropic to abhor a Republican party owned warlock, optioned stock, and pork barrel by American corporate interests? What kind of political party is it whose leadership fights tooth and nail to further the very deregulation of a financial industry whose thievery, corruption and unconscionable greed brought about the most cataclysmic upheaval and imbalance in American economic “fortunes” since the Great Depression?

Finally, is it being misanthropic to despise a Republican party that worships at the feet of a treasonous military/industrial/security/spying complex that lends further aid and comfort to America’s already flourishing economic “enemies” with each and every dollar of the hundreds of billions they squander annually on bogus wars (including the abominable ones on drugs and personal privacy); needless over-kill weapon systems; archaic, useless overseas bases; and shameful fear-mongering propaganda tactics in support of endless preparedness for imaginary current and future military threats? What kind of political party is it that castigates a President for extricating American troops from a despicably spurious slaughter instigated solely through the lies and misrepresentations of its own previous one?

So, with respect to the original premise of this commentary, may I suggest that rather than being an outright misanthrope, what I actually am is pretty much a selectively cynical and sarcastic anti-misologist who occasionally exhibits marked misanthropic tendencies along with an altogether anti-bulls#!t bent combined with seemingly uncontrollable displays of petulance including, but not limited to, an apparent ingrained unwillingness to afford so much as a semblance of fair and equal treatment to anything whatsoever of a right-wing nature in American politics. Or maybe as Oscar Wilde so aptly put it, “I am so clever that sometimes I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.” I’m guessing it’s a toss-up.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Fed up early stage septuagenarian who has actually been most of there and done most of that. Born and raised in the picturesque Pocono Mountains. Quite well educated. Very lucky to have been born into a well-schooled and somewhat prosperous family. Long divorced. One beautiful, brilliant daughter. Two far above average grandsons. Semi-retired (how does anyone manage to do it completely these days?) and fully-tired of bullshit. Uncle of the Editor-In-Chief.

1873 = The number of Americans killed in action in Afghanistan
18,342 = The number of Americans  wounded in Afghanistan
0 = The number of financial industry kingpins indicted for having committed the most massive FRAUD in American history and wrecking the global economy, plunging untold millions into lives of misery and deprivation.