[Vision2020] A Weatherman Indeed

[Rosemary]

Visionaries:

The Weathermen aka The Weather Underground was a collection of mostly white,
mostly privileged, underemployed, arguably over-educated, little brats who
threw  violent and disruptive tantrums to emphasize their outrage at the
imperialistic and militaristic actions of the federal government.  There was
something singularly galling (not to mention criminal) about the
post-adolescent jackasses who so arrogantly declared war on America, blew up
some buildings (and a couple of their own members) and eventually
(predictably) settled into the comfortable, upper middle-class lives they
claimed to disdain.  

Now Vision 2020 has a Weatherman doppelgänge of its very own - self
important, parochially brainwashed, rude as only the self-entitled can be,
disruptive,  threatening, and unquestionably a jackass.  Bill Ayers
apparently offered the justification for the extraordinarily intrusive
behavior of No Weatherman while concurrently serving as a role model. 

For all Ayers’  faults - and they are numerous - Bill Ayers appears to live
– at least at this point – in the real world. Trolls like No Weatherman
inhabit the land of Magical Thinking – where their coercive and obsessive
monopolization of conversation is a futile attempt to fill the chasm that
marks the boundary between maturity and immaturity, gravitas and a
pathetically prolonged adolescence, mental health and emotional fragility, a
sense of being grounded in the community and the wild flaying of an
untethered ego.  Are his pompous pronouncements irritating as hell? You
betcha.  Are his piddling pretensions  of  educating 2020 readers insulting
and limited in intellectual scope?  You betcha.  He is a sad and sorry piece
of work. You definitely betcha.

No Weatherman’s conversational style is reminiscent of a shrieking child in
the candy aisle demanding (and getting) a bag of Skittles to shut him up.
One can’t help noticing the little monster and drawing some pretty plain
conclusions about the adults in charge of him.  Similarly, perhaps it is
time to revisit the goals and ground rules of V2020. If the intention of the
founders was to encourage a free flowing, un-moderated community
conversation it appears to be a failed strategy, or perhaps it succeeded
beyond their wildest dreams.  However, when an anonymous bully is allowed,
indeed encouraged  because of the lack of enforced guidelines - to dominate
the conversation and threaten other posters the antithesis of communication
has been achieved.  No pragmatist is surprised when a utopian concept is
hijacked. Perhaps it’s time for a realistic reappraisal of what does or does
not contribute to a successful community chat group.  And, it is to be
hoped, we will soon enjoy the implementation of a structure  that actually
invites diverse and respectful participation.

Rose Huskey

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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