One Nation, United In Incompetence

What really “saved” US democracy on 6th January 2021

Image credit: Dawn

There’s nothing better than a nice juicy sensation to attract people’s limited attention and thereby generate wholesome ad revenues. Sure, SARS-COV2 is the gift that keeps on giving, but even a misinformed and terrified populace can grow tired of the same old scare stories day after day, week after week, month after month. And it’s tiring for journalists to keep looking for ever-more-unlikely edge cases with which to frighten small children and their screen-addicted parents.

So the events of January 6th 2021 were most welcome. We got to stare at a different kind of sensation as mindless Trumpists waddled and pushed their way into the Capitol building while clueless security forces sometimes aided and sometimes attempted to oppose the drooling howling mob. Best of all, the purposeless temporary invasion didn’t actually change anything, so there was all the joy of spectacle without any of the pain of consequences.

Now the chattering journalists and blustering politicians are busy writing their narratives, each designed to appeal to whatever bloc of voters they regard as theirs. None of these narratives, however, touch on the heart of what 6th January showed us.