by Kyle K. Mann
Gonzo Today Contributing Editor and Publisher
Ok, it’s November 4, 2024, the day before the U.S. elections. I can’t pretend I’m looking forward to tomorrow.
It’s been difficult for me to write about the campaign, for many reasons. The overall reaction I’m having is a tremendous repugnance to virtually everything I’m reading or watching on the internet, or seeing on teevee or hearing on the radio.
Since I’m nonpartisan, certain dear friends don’t want to talk to me. Though predictable, I find it depressing. They want reinforcement, not discussion. In most of these people, there is a common thread: they rely on mainstream media for their news.
Social cues, is more like it. That input ain’t news, it’s propaganda, designed to divide us and destroy the vital fabric of human relationships based on love and mutual respect.
Frankly, I find it demonic. Not in a religious sense, particularly, but in a feeling that sanity itself is in danger. The sanity that makes daily life pleasant, enjoyable.
I’ll be frank here: we in the USA, in my view, are screwed no matter who wins. I’m offended by the “choice” between “candidates” and can barely listen to them speak even for a few minutes.
I feel like I’m living in an insane asylum. Almost everyone I know is on various meds. I am not, a fact that means I’m exposed to raw reality. I suppose I can congratulate myself for my ability to go on with daily life.
Booze? I’ve written about it previously. It’s a pathetic refuge that destroys brain cells. Many of my loved ones use it daily. I refuse to have it in the house. I do drink at sports bars, but that isn’t that often. I sometimes drink at music events, but It’s been a while. So, I’m not alcohol dependent.
Pot? Nah. Just makes me fuzzy. Yes, it makes the pain of reality more tolerable. But smoking pot isn’t the answer for me, at this point in my life.
I’ve also mentioned chocolate in my writing previously. It’s a drug, but one builds a tolerance to it. I eat at least one large bar a day. That’s the extent of my self-medication.
Which means I experience intense disgust, unless I’m in nature or playing music on guitar or harmonica, or singing. Those are my coping mechanisms. Happily, they do work for me. Somewhat.
*****
Portland Oregon, USA. Noon, Monday November 4, 2024. I heave a deep breath. Let’s see what’s in the news, shall we? But it isn’t really news, is it? Still, let’s see what the media is throwing at us.
I start with the New York Times, but am blocked by a paywall. Oh well.
Washington Post. The headline features a hysterical notice about “Stop the Steal” which WaPo immediately labels, “a fringe group.” Since both parties try to steal elections, I find the label amusing, in a sickening kind of way. We should Just call this pixel rag The Bezos Times and be done with the pretense. “This time, Elon Musk is on their side,” the Post warns me, in what I can only interpret as an ominous tone. Right. I try to scroll down to the next article, something about the swing state of Georgia, but am met with a popup add for some Post feature. Bye bye.
CNN headline: “Trump is baselessly claiming the 2024 election is being stolen…” Right, “baselessly” is CNN claiming the truth is what they say it is. CNN is about as bad as it gets. Next.
Fox News is saying “Pennsylvania County gives update on suspicious batch of voter forms.”
Hmm.
Breitbart News says “Kamala Closing; Elites Know Best.” The article has a long list of entertainment celebs endorsing the Harris campaign. Hmm. Headline news? Really?
New York Post: after a headline about the Daniel Penny subway chokehold manslaughter trial, I see a jab at the New York Times which they say “admits ‘woke’ ideology is losing its ‘grip on the country,’” A Post popup interrupts my browsing. Bye.
You get the idea.
*****
At that point the iPad requires a recharge, so I take another deep breath. Suddenly I grin. Does it get any more bizarre? I go outside and rake the piles of wet leaves off the sidewalk, and a Portland passerby thanks me as I work. “After all, it’s Slippery Season,” he quips. I just grin some more. Yeah, in more ways than one. A freakin’ song pops in my head. It appeared when I woke up, and here it is again. The words go:
When things get ugly
You feel glum
Stay optimistic
Let’s have some fun
Just play around, like a frisky pup
And don’t give up
Don’t give up
There ain’t no reason
To keep feeling blue
You know the answer
You know what to do
Push back the darkness
Enough is enough
Just don’t give up
Don’t give up
We’re still alive
It’s a beautiful day
A lotta good things
Are coming our way
We can get through this
So keep giving a fuck
And don’t give up
Don’t give up
Kyle K Mann
Portland Oregon
Monday, Nov. 4, 2024
P.S. I’ll see about doing some live blogging on GT of the election tomorrow. Check back, but no promises… Cheers, KKM
