Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Perception vs Reality


The lines are blurred, but are they blurred purposely, or maybe because people think too much into words or is this the way culture is headed?


Politicians blur the lines purposely. For instance, Nancy Pelosi said during the health care debate that the bill had to be passed so that the American people could find out what's in the bill. As though the people have no interest or no right to know what the options are, or the debates are that are eing presented. Does she really believe that people trust politicians?


These lines blurring have moved into television programs. The program "House" is an excellent example of this. The character is constantly analyzing why people do things, say things and what they mean by what they say without taking into consideration that the patient may actually be telling the truth about the events, pain or whatever is going on in that episode. But it's scripted television so he's always going to guess right (or analyze correctly) by the end of the episode because it's a script. It's not real life.


These lines are becoming more and more blurred in everyday life as well. If you say something to someone else, are they hearing what you are saying or are they hearing what they think you "really" mean? An event is relayed to another person, and the person hearing it reacts to the last part of the event, but not the rest of the event, and because that is their reaction, the person relaying the events questions the reaction thinking there is a hidden meaning other than what's actually said because the first comment made is regarding one particular thing in the event rather than talking about the event as a whole or even one item at a time.


The Republicans put out a pledge during the campaign. One of their pledges was to repeal the health care plan that was passed without one Republican vote and without the backing of the people. This plan can be voted for repeal in the House and would likely pass. It will then be voted on in the Senate and may pass. But the assumption is that if it reaches the Presidents desk, that he'll veto the repeal and we'll continue to be stuck with the expensive and poorly put together Obamacare. There aren't enough Republicans in Congress to override his veto.


So the talk the past few weeks has been about getting rid of parts of the Obamacare plan but keeping the good parts. The lines are being blurred. This is not what the Republicans ran on. They ran on repealing Obamacare. They ran on cutting spending. They ran on being more accountable to the people which government has not been the past year and a half to two years.


It seems that it's almost useless to say what you mean and mean what you say any longer. It is only say what you mean, get what you want and to heck with what you mean because you didn't mean what you say.


A husband and wife Michigan were recently divorced. This came about because the husband used the wife's password to his wifes E-mail and discovered that she was having an affair. Divorce proceedings ensued. However, now the husband is being charged with a crime for hacking into her E-mail and finding out that she was having an affair. The divorce was finalized in recent weeks, but his felony trial comes up on February 7 for the hacking.


The divorce coming about because of an affair makes perfect sense. It happens everyday, but charging the man with hacking into a computer in his own house, that both he and his wife use, and charging him with a felony to boot, seems to be something other than what the law was intended for. But since the prosecutors, if successful, gets another felony conviction under their belts. Was the law created for this purpose? I think not. I think it's just an unintended consequence of the law being created.


There seems to be no common sense left in government nor even in the country any longer. The perception becomes reality, whether it was the reality or not. With everyone analyzing every thing said that others say, or everything done that others do, the perception becomes the reality and the poor slob that may never have intended anything that the other has decided, is the one that suffers.


If someone was to ask me what it's like outside, if I say the sky is a deep blue, will another person then get upset with me because they heard that the sky as it looks puts me deep in the blues? When in fact, the sky being blue might please me because the sun is shining, and it's not raining or snowing.


The people of this country did not like what they were hearing from the leaks about the health care bill. They wanted to know what was in it, they wanted some parts to be voted down, and then when the final bill came up, they wanted it defeated. They didn't want it to pass and become law then find out what was in it. They wanted to know before it was voted on. They didn't want the 2,400 page bill passed until it was fully read and understood.


The man didn't hack into his wife's E-mail to stage a terrorist event or steal state secrets. He looked at his wife's E-mail supposedly to try to help his stepchild, but discovered his wife was having an affair. Why is this a felony?


Legislators represent us. We should be informed before the bills pass and if we choose to not be informed, then it's our fault. But to accept how good a bill is going to be because it's named "Health Care Reform" and to be told how happy we'll be after it's passed and find out what's in it, is wrong. Perception is reality until the reality is discovered.


The Republicans asking for a vote based on their statement that they'd repeal the health care bill and then deciding to keep parts of it and get rid of parts of it rather than doing as they said is again, perception (they'll do it, we'll vote for them) but once elected the reality is we'll still be stuck with Obamacare.


I like a deep blue sky because it usually means warmer weather, but definitely not any precipitation. That's the reality. Thinking that I mean it put me deep into the blues is the perception that someone else has decided by analying my words without regard to how I put them together let alone what I really meant by my words.


I can think of one way that reality can be reality rather than someone making a decision based on their own perceptions of what is voted on, looked at or said. Discuss it. Find out the truth rather than guessing at it.
It's beginning to appear that we're going to get more of the same from the Republicans as well. It's too bad if it happens this way because it's not what I voted for.


You're welcome to comment.


Brett














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