My Team...Right or Wrong!

Football season ended a couple of weeks ago for me as the Green Bay Packers were humbled by the New York Giants. I don't invest as much emotion in the outcome of games as I used to, but it didn't make me feel great to see my team lose.

The Packers were even the beneficiaries of some questionable calls during the game, and still lost. It's interesting how we look at some things.  When it's our team - and there's a questionable call that goes our way, it was the absolute correct call for the referee to make.  And when there's a questionable call that goes against our team, it was the absolute wrong call for the official to make.

The rightness or wrongness of the call by the official should have nothing to do with which team we're rooting for.  If it's a penalty, or whatever, then it should be judged on its merit and not based on the team.

But as any sports fan will tell you, that logic isn't part of the game. We always want

what's most beneficial to our team regardless of the circumstance. And maybe that's OK with sporting events - although I'm doubtful. Moreover, it shouldn't apply to our politics and indeed most other areas of life.

I went to a Doctor's appointment a while back, and we were making a bit of small talk.

The conversation turned toward politics, and I made a comment about the current Administration. My Doc became a bit riled up and insisted that the current Administration is much better than the previous Administration without question.

Now at times like this, I like to apply what I think of as the "Glenn Greenwald intellectual honesty test".  I use this to help me determine whether I should spend any additional time attempting to discuss an issue with someone.

It's a pretty simple test, and I frame it this way: If you were angry with the "Old Boss", and the "New Boss" comes in, and does the exact same things as the "Old Boss", will you also be angry with the "New Boss"?

If you're not angry with the "New Boss", because he/she is your "guy"/"gal", then in my estimation you're not being intellectually honest and you're simply rooting for "your team".

Now, you're entitled to do that, but if that's the case, I find it useless to spend much time trying to have a discussion with you because there's some basic honesty that's missing. And so, I'll probably switch the conversation to Sports, because I understand the "my team right or wrong mentality".

Election season is upon us, and we're again presented with the same old choices:  Democrats who serve the elite, versus Republicans who serve the elite. That's basically it. And for some reason we've become convinced that Third Parties are a waste of time.  You certainly won't hear them getting much play in the so-called Mainstream Media.

 

If you look back over the past 30-40 years and you wonder why some of our big problem issues have not been solved, and in many cases no real efforts even made to solve them, I believe it all comes down to who our "representatives" are actually serving.

I remember during the 2008 campaign, then Senator Obama making the point that it's not for a lack of white papers or plans that these problems go unsolved.  He described it as a lack of political will. And he told us that he would change that culture, and get the big important things done.

"Political will" doesn't appear to be the real issue.  The real issue appears to be who the two party system actually serves and who it doesn't.

And until we break out of the "My team...right or wrong" mindset; WE THE PEOPLE will continue to be on the losing team.