Soylent Mean

A long time ago, my sister and her husband went out of town and asked me to keep an eye on their house.  What I really kept an eye on, though, was their Nintendo system and the Mario Brothers game nestled inside it.  For five days and nights, I worked that joystick the way a dancer works her pole, with vigor and regularity, my playing time interrupted only by occasional cramps and dyspepsia.

During those days, I played so much "Mario" that, by the time I left for work each morning, I actually believed that, if I nudged the car in front of me, gold coins would pop out of its roof.   More than once, I had to remind myself that insurance agents, not gold coins, would come after me if I followed through with my plans.

And so began my two-year love affair with Nintendo.  It also represented a demise in my dating relationship with Mark, since neither of us was willing to leave the magical, treasure-filled world of Mario (or Zelda) to go catch a movie with friends.

I wonder if the same thing has happened in Washington.  Is it possible that politicians have so fallen in love with catchphrases and Super PACS that they can no longer discern fantasy from reality?

I fear that a line in the sand is no longer any good at helping people to behave, its medium too fragile to withstand the perceived push from the other side.  No, it seems to me that political factions are digging a new Grand Canyon between each other, and that, before too long, no one will have the gumption to build a bridge long enough to meet in the middle. 

Nuances and fresh perspectives are no longer welcomed at the table, which is like banning multivitamins because they are just too...multi.

That's why I was so bowled over by yesterday's U.S. Supreme Court decision, affirming parts of the Affordable Care Act.  Yes, the act is a mess, but I believe it is a mess in the right direction.  That Chief Justice John Roberts, whose opinion was expected by both political parties to reflect a particular slant,  came out in favor of the ruling was almost mind-boggling.

Equally mind-boggling was the spin cycle that immediately followed the ruling.  I got about five minutes to bask in the unusual glow of a seemingly apolitical ruling until everyone and their mother began chiming in, more often than not representing one of two emotional extremes--giddiness or disgust.

These bookend emotions--giddiness and disgust--are further evidence that we have lost touch with reality.  Not many people felt pretty good about the ruling.  Gone are the days of such middling emotions, stomped out by enemies and vitriol, us and them. 

My God, people.  Even a dog, who instinctively knows that a cat is its mortal enemy, must stop and admire the slinky curvature and devilish craftiness of its feline opponent.  Even that dog wags its tail and wonders, if only for one moment, what it would be like to give chase and engage.

And us?  Well, we're too intent on throwing stones to notice the nuances of those we've grown to hate so much.  We're too busy eating our own to care much about saving ourselves.