Games People Play

 We haven't played the Pollyana game for a while. Circumstances have been dire enough that the suggestion of playing The Glad Game, in which one tries to find the positive side of any and all things, seemed a little absurd. 

I'm here to tell you things are looking up. Not a lot, but enough that we can give this a shot. I'll start.

Domestic terrorism. I am glad that the riot at the Capitol happened. By crawling out from under their rocks and showing themselves in the daylight and documenting their every move with easily traced mobile phones, the creepies that issued forth on January 6 showed themselves for what they were. Anyone who might have been on the fence about agreeing or, heaven forbid, joining up now have a very clear picture of exactly what the Proud Boys and Qanon have to offer. And little by little, the rank and file of those who might once have sat in quiet approval are being forced to speak out.

Not all of them, mind you, but some.

Also, I am glad for Marjorie Taylor Greene. If you are not familiar as yet with this firebrand from Georgia's 14th Congressional District, then you may have been napping over the past couple weeks. She's the one who announced that she would, on Joe Biden's first day in office, submit articles of impeachment against him. Testing the system. What's good for the goose is good for the gander. And what about all those questions she has about mass shootings? She's hoping to open our eyes to all possibilities. Could it be that the murderous rampage in Las Vegas back in 2017 was just a ploy to make it easier to take everyone's guns? And while we're at it, why not tag along behind Parkland High massacre survivor David Hogg as he walks to a meeting with lawmakers, questioning his motives and the reality he lived through? Isn't that what free speech is all about? I am so glad Marjorie is out there testing the limits of that right, if not everyone else's patience. 

And I am glad for this chance for the rest of us to start talking back to these crazy voices. No longer inside our heads, they are out there spouting bile made possible and even fashionable by the previous regime. I am glad that we are finally starting to see people raising their own voices against the din of irrationality. I am glad for the light returning. I am glad for this chance to renew. I am glad I don't have to play this game anymore.