The Lower Frequencies

There’s a scene in the 1996 film The Crucible (a very good rendition of Arthur Miller’s play starring Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder) where the girls who have been accusing various Salem residents of witchcraft faint together as a group when one of the accused reasonably (even obviously) questions in court how he could possibly be guilty of the crimes when he has to hobble around on two crutches, and has been known by the accuser’s family for years.

Upon seeing the girls lying on the floor, another resident, Martha Corey, a no-nonsense woman, guffaws while the other attendees gasp in shock. The town sheriff attempts to rebuke her: “How dare you mock them, Martha Corey!” to which she replies, “What else are fools good for?”

This scene came to mind recently when I posted an article by Kevin Williamson to my Facebook feed. It’s a biting article that takes to task Trump and all who deify him, pointing out just how ignominious Trump’s presidency has been. Trump is and always has been a cretin, and completely unqualified – intellectually, morally, emotionally – for the office. I’ve been upfront about my feelings about Trump since the day he announced his candidacy, and the past four years (culminating in an attempted coup by MAGA Trump supporters) have done nothing but prove me right.

Now that he’s gone, I’m seeing a lot of calls for unity, both at the national level and on social media. I get that, and I want to see this nation less divided, too. But unity is a pipe-dream as long as we’re willing to turn a blind eye to or placate those who choose to ignore reality. We have MILLIONS of people in this country, including elected representatives, who argued and still believe this election was rigged/stolen by the Democrats. I’m supposed to accept that their point of view is in some way valid? That I should pay any attention to them? What do they give in return? A promise not to engage in any more coups?

No, I’m with Martha Corey on this one. People who willfully choose to delude themselves and commit themselves to lies deserve to be mocked, need to be mocked. Trump’s unprecedented commitment to lying during his four years shouldn’t be forgotten, nor should his inflammation of the crowds who stormed the Capitol.

If January 6 should teach us anything, it’s that this country can no longer afford to ignore its fools.

This entry was posted on January 22, 2021 at 2:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.