You know?

 Like a moth to the flame. That's an old adage describing the inability of a moth to avoid burning themselves. It's a compulsion they just can't control. In humans we call it an addiction. In recent years we have taken to placing the blame of the flame and not the moth. It's a behavior I see on social media all the time, those that simply can't resist that urge to comment. I get it, it is compelling and I find myself drawn into that as well. I'm in recovery however and doing well. I'm giving myself a coin to carry in my pocket to remind myself. Now, don't take any of that as disparaging the AA groups or other recovery methods, I'm just being sarcastic. Apparently that is what I do best, leave sarcastic remarks. Well, everyone has a role to play. 

 The instant availability of statistics, polls and commentary on any topic just adds fuel to that fire. We are all "experts" these days. At least we can quote our chosen expert without having to actually remember anything at all. I often use Brainy Quotes to find an "expert" that aligns with my thoughts. I have been surprised many times that I could find a quote saying pretty much what I had in mind. That lead me to my own quote; "there is little said that hasn't been said before." The trick, it seems to me, is in saying it in a way others haven't heard before. Some try that by using a thesaurus and those ten dollar words while others create some terms of their own. Those terms sometimes become the slang of the times. Currently woke tops the list as far as I can tell. But then again, I'm not current, hip, cool or woke, so what do I know? 

 In the last few days Facebook has been inundated with experts on the stock market. That is what the news is pushing. I have never invested in the stock market, and only have a rudimentary understanding of how all that works. I suppose I should be deeply concerned but I'm not. I'm calling it a market correction. My thinking is simply that those that figured on all this green energy, continued DEI initiatives and expanding government have now gotten cold feet. Time to rethink the whole deal. Perhaps that train has fallen off the track, after all. And what if their schemes and back room deals are exposed? Yeah, I guess I would be nervous about all that money, if I had all that money. I'm just watching the price of gas and electricity. The chickens will start laying eggs again, I can wait on that.

  You know back in the "old" days the news was reported, the intent being to pass information along to you and I. We weren't told what to think about that, just what had happened. Yes the news was reported in such a way to appeal to the audience, that is to say, local demographics. News about crops was given in the farmland, financial news was reported in NYC and other financial centers. That is no longer the case. The news today isn't reported, it is dictated. The intent is to incite you, force your hand, and force you to react in the manner the owners of the media company wish you to react. The purpose being to create reactionaries. They don't want you to actually think about anything, just react. 

 The most effective method to accomplish that is through fear. Create a fear that you really can't fight. Man has been instilled with that fight or flight instinct. But what can you, the average joe, do about a virus, or the stock market? What can you do to stop the wealthy people from dominating you, talking over the world? What can you do about it? You are the middle class, and it is you they are targeting. You tune in to the news, seek out those media sites and the fear grows. Soon, you will react. It may be boycotts, protests and appeals to the political leaders. That is your only defense. The wealthy are the evil people, they must be stopped. Our goal is now to become the wealthy people. We don't want to work for that, take any risks for that, we just want to take it from them. It's only fair. And like that proverbial moth to the flame you are drawn into all of that. You are afraid of what you don't know, by being so well "informed." "The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown. H. P. Lovecraft" That's true even when you convince yourself that you do know. Know what I mean?