He says, because I guess he's the national spokesman on the subject now, that we have lost our hope; yes, the unprecedented amount of hope that only came from the fountain that sprung up and over-floweth in 2008 -- with the rising of a new age, harnessed by the flood of enthusiasm and social justice ideology featured in a really cool president who had it all, is all but gone, folks.
Yup, that hope.
Oh kids today...for what they lack in patience and longevity, they sure do a number on instant gratification and the complaint department.
Well, take a number and sit tight.
While Shepard boy is all of about 40, the Commandeer of Hope is really not a kid anymore; but he speaks for them, strangely enough, as if the artist can't help himself but to unplug the i-pod cord from his ears just long enough to answer a few questions -- of course, that is in between dealing with his on-going lawsuit over what else, the infamous HOPE poster.
In the article for National Journal, Aamer Madhani quoted HOPE Man as pointing out the dilemma for us,
"There's a lot of stuff completely out of Obama's control or any of the Democrats' control," Fairey allowed. "But I think there's something a little deeper in terms of the optimism of the younger voter that's happening. They wanted somebody who was going to fight against the status quo, and I don't think that Obama has done that."Oh, what are we back in the sixties? Is that what happened? WE all hopped aboard a yellow submarine and fancied into a time warp, singing to the Beatles, because we are fighting against "the man" still?
Really? really...
You kids got us into a lot of trouble, man; and you have no idea what you have done. Now go to your room, I'll be up in a minute.
You know what the "status quo" is for America?
LIBERTY.
That's it.
LIBERTY,
now say it with me.
Without lady liberty, we got nothing; and you know what these policies are doing right now to our lady of grace, bella Liberty? They, the new man, are breaking her down into little itty bitty pieces, starting with her self-esteem -- as she is slowly being deteriorated into a something unrecognizable, even to herself; as she gains just enough courage to look into the mirror, she weeps, for she does not know who she is!
Our personal and collective liberties is what has made us great; it is what has allowed free thinkers and free enterprise-ers and free speech-ers and free spirit-ers to say, do and believe they can say, do and believe absolutely anything they want, and get away with it.
In Venezuela, no can do.
In Iran, absolutely forbidden.
In China, questionable, at best.
Shall I go on?
We can't keep lady liberty happy with an over zealous government breathing down her neck.
WE should ALL want to live and let live in this country -- and that goes for the old folks, to the youngins' who don't know any better, and all those in between. WE must come together, right now -- singing the song, and just imagine it, if we try -- and realize the effects of our cause; and more importantly, what is at stake if we don't.
According to Fairey man, the country has grown tired of the "status quo" in terms of the Harvard law definition, because, hey man, the man has messed us up (oh and you have no idea...) This is where I might actually say, I agree. Absolutely. The man, if that is government obsessively taking over our lives, is whack. THAT kind of man is not working to it's best and it's brightest.
But if you mean, going against the status quo from which we rode in on, then Houston, we got a problem; if I understand you correctly, "status quo" is similar to like calling the government a bunch of racists, to go along with the prevailing winds and tides these days... right out of the rules for radicals handbook...ridicule, ridicule, ridicule.
Well, mother Earth to homeboy, we need to talk:
America has never been about status quo, unless you are talking about our ability to align with liberty and nothing else -- and I do believe this is where our founders would get up and shake their booty with me.
The loss you are feeling, dear Shepard, and lamenting how the hopey changey thing hasn't turned out the way you hoped, is that you, my dear boy, are growing up. There is no such thing as 'the man' -- any man -- even Barry -- swooping in to save the day; Santa Claus may be golden, but Superman is not real.
And ever since the age of entitlements became en vogue here in the states, we have gone more and more down the tubes; and quite frankly, we can't keep it up. The SS More Government ship has sailed, my son. The reality is, if you so choose to go there someday, is that we must live within our means, we must rely on our own two feet, and stop being a burden to society -- all of us. No one is going to buy us the boat, set us up on a tropical island, bringing us pina coladas and free gas on weekends.
I know, I know, it's a nasty bitter pill to get down; but here's a spoonful of sugar, just think of it as a bit of ecstasy, and before you know it, you will come to your senses.
"To say I feel disappointment is within the context that I know he's very intelligent, very capable, very compassionate," [now here, picture this, he is speaking of the President of the United States, okay] Fairey said. "I think he has the tools, and he does not trust his instincts in how to apply them."Oh, Shepard, that is kinda funny coming from the artist du jour, but let's run with that. For you have the tools, too, buddy -- all of us do; like you ask of the president, we just have to "trust [our] instincts in how to apply them."
Now, what would be a big help, is if you could stop dispensing hope and maybe started spreading the word.
Perhaps a new poster is in order... I'm thinking, maybe, Uncle Sam. Yeah, yeah. Uncle Sam in a rainbow of colors, saying "We want you, to GROW UP" -- oh take from it what you will, think of it as just a plank to jump off from, you're good at that. The ideas worthy enough to bring to the surface should include, but are not limited to:
- stop protesting and start doing
- stop pretending and live in the real world.
- find your own self-reliance and teach others to do it, too -- paint by numbers might help
- stick with what has worked for over 200 years -- status quo with a punch of red, white and blue
- we wouldn't be here, as starving artists one and all, if not for this incredible overhead -- lose the fancy schmancy galleria of yahoos in government, who merely sip champagne and tell us what's wrong with this picture
- have the guts to break out on your own, bust out from the elitists and their cohorts, and do your own thing -- it might be hard in the beginning, but in the long run, it will be the best thing you ever did.
But in order to get back to this skinny dipping freedom, we have to take drastic measures; and that seems to be the rub, as no one really wants to punish the kids (am I right?)
When we have erred on the side of bad judgement or stupid behavior, sometimes all it takes to snap out of it, is simply a good talking to; but unfortunately for most things, a grounding is more like it...maybe a week, a month...if the crazy kid was really bad, it might even take the duration of high school, or until the next election.
In any case, from Woodrow to Woodstock, this America has been grappling with the same old, same old conundrum of good governance in fits and starts, as if we haven't really learned a thing; as if we have put on the ear phones and drowned the folks out, never paying attention to our own devices.
If only we applied ourselves... (ahh music to a parent's ear...hearing 'i cudda been a contenda' chiming in)
We have the tools, the instincts, the dreams and, of course, plenty of hope; there is more than enough of that stuff to go around. Our mistake was taking it all for granted, as most kids learn the hard way; our error of our ways, was not keeping it up; our life as we know it, or wish it to be, may question the status quo worth living but in actuality, what we are witnessing, according to the school of hard knocks, is that ignorance can be anything but bliss, indeed. Oh the irony.
Liberty. Freedom. The Pursuit of Happiness. Status Quo of 1776.
Don't mess with it: Bring it!
Then, we can talk.
Then, and only then, will we have a status quo we can be proud of, worthy to make banners and posters and maybe even a flag -- just think of it, we can hang everything around the quad, like, you know, it's gonna be so cool, I can hardly wait, like oh my gosh, what should I wear...
Make it a Good Day, G
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