Why The System Doesn't Fear Renaissance

I "won't be fooled again."

We'll be fighting in the streets

With our children at our feet

And the morals that they worship will be gone

And the men who spurred us on

Sit in judgement of all wrong

They decide and the shotgun sings the song

There is a ton of whaling, whining, and whimpering going on regarding Democrat's recent electoral defeat. It is reported that shredding trucks have appeared in front of Washington DC office buildings while at the same time, deep state characters are "lawyering-up, " all in anticipation of the incoming Trump administration's threat to "drain the swamp." Most of this apocalyptic sense of doom comes from the old media. Legacy outlets like the New York Times, Washington Post, CNN. MSNBC and NPR witnessed their influence diminish this past election cycle. As it turned out, those media outlets could not lob slow enough softballs at our nation's first DEI inspired presidential candidate to hit. The deeply entrenched media apparatchik, along with a very aged Democratic leadership structure, could not stem the tide of new medias and youthful desires for a change of government.

I'll tip my hat to the new Constitution

Take a bow for the new revolution

Smile and grin at the change all around

Pick up my guitar and play

Just like yesterday

Then I'll get on my knees and pray

We don't get fooled again

President Trump may be old, but the people he is surrounding himself with are not. At 40-years old, JD Vance will be the youngest Vise President in U.S. history. Most of Trump's cabinet picks are between the ages of 40 to 45. The media that supported this change in regimes are young as well. New top-tier Podcasters like the Joe Rogan Experience and Call Me Daddy are racking larger audiences than the old mainstream media. X (Twitter) also regained its independence, under Musk management, and returned to supporting individual journalism. In fact, Elon Musk broke Axios' CEO Jim VandeHei by X'ing (trolling) the legacy media. So triggered was VendeHei, that he recently said:

Everything we do is under fire. Elon Musk sits on Twitter every day — or X today — saying like, ‘We are the media,’ ‘You are the media,” VandeHei, a former political reporter for The Washington Post and co-founder of Politico, said at the time. “My message to Elon Musk is: Bullshit. You are not the media. -Huffpost

A change, it had to come

We knew it all along

We were liberated from the fold, that's all

And the world looks just the same

And history ain't changed

'Cause the banners, they all flown in the last war

I, like many others, cut my cable years ago. I don't remember the last time I watched a cable "news" segment or read a David French article. Unless a clip or quote from those old media sources is replayed or reprinted by a new media outlet, I would have no clue of its existence. For me, and most other people under the age of 60, those legacy medias are irrelevant.

I write on Substack, and I derived much of my daily news from a variety of "Stackers." I am greatly appreciative of this platform and the independence it allows for us to write, without outside editing, our perception of the universe. As this being the week of giving thanks, many of the writers on Substack are posting their gratitude to their subscribers for supporting their work. This is refreshing to read, and the newness of open-source journalism and podcasting gives voices to many that would never slip by old-guard media gatekeepers.

I'll move myself and my family aside

If we happen to be left half-alive

I'll get all my papers and smile at the sky

For I know that the hypnotized never lie

Just like every company that now sits atop the Fortune 500 club was once a young rebellious upstart, these new media podcasters and Substackers that are enjoying meteoric rises in popularity and wealth today will become the system's legacy medias of tomorrow. I relish the freshness of raw reporting, but I know that those writers that find great success today will stop speaking truth to power tomorrow as they become enveloped into the power they so distrust. On Substack, everyone starts out like young Monets and Van Goghs. The Monets that find fame and success within their lifetime will eventually sell out by producing a series of financially lucrative "portraits" to please their fan base. But on Substack, there are many more Van Goghs. Individuals pouring their heart into their craft with nary an acknowledgement of the beauty of their work. Those writers, not supported by outside means, in their dark moments must contemplate the true value of their left ear.

Though the old media is raising the existential threat level of a Trump presidency to DEFCON 1, the gray beards on Capitol Hill are none too worried. For every one of them, at one time, was the new "rebel" sent to Washington to make change. They know the system and the system doesn't change. It is the new agents of change that meld into the system most certainly not the reverse.

There's nothing in the street

Looks any different to me

And the slogans are effaced, by-the-bye

And the parting on the left

Is now parting on the right

And the beards have all grown longer overnight

I believe it was Utah's Senator Orin Hatch that said, "No one leaves Washington DC a better person." To legislate is to compromise. And when one of the new heroes sent to DC compromises to get some action through the system, they compromise their principles. Once their principles are bent to get some important legislation through the system, the system owns them. Although individual members may strongly disagree on which principles are for sale, they all eventually come to a lock-step agreement on The Principle. The Principle that power belongs to those within the system and not to the smelly hoi polloi without.

Meet the new boss

Same as the old boss

No, no, I won't be fooled again...

Postscript: Today’s post features The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again. I tend to incorporate songs or soundbites into my writing. For the curious, hearing a piece of music or an audio interview does not inspire my writing, it is the opposite. My writing recalls memories of past sounds. I have an auditory memory and my writing triggers specific auditory memories as in the lyrics from this classic song by The Who. As these connecting memories amuse me, I share them in my writing in hopes that they entertain my readers as well. One final note on possessing an auditory memory. It appears that auditory memory is the “superpower” one needs to combat narcissistic gaslighting. Having a “tape player” built into my brain was my best defense against believing I was crazy. My ability for total audio recall vs remembering the gist of past conversations saved my sanity in one of the darkest episodes of my life. And for that gift, I am humbled and eternally grateful.