Honjii's Harangues

Conning the Faithful

When I was a kid my father would sometimes invite his co-workers to to visit our home.  They were a pretty interesting bunch but the most fascinating was a salesman who had once made his living as a con artist.  He spent some time in jail and I’m guessing he didn’t like it since he didn’t go back to his life of crime after being released.

According to my father he was a top salesman.  I think one would have to be pretty good at sales in order to con people out of their money.  I once heard him tell my father that when he saw a Madonna in the yard he knew he would be able to sell anything to the people in the house.  At the time I didn’t really grasp the meaning of his statement, but as an adult I finally got it.  People who believed the virgin birth story were gullible, easy marks so to speak.

I don’t know if people have become more ignorant and gullible than they once were or if it just seems that way since the information age has given anyone and everyone a public voice.  Either way, people, you’ve been had.  And it will continue as long as you are willing to give up rational thought and common sense to let some loud mouthed, highly paid, advertising revenue generating quasi pundits do your thinking for you.  They may or may not believe what they say, but one thing is certain; they are paid a boat load of money to say outrageous things because there are people so ignorant as to take them seriously.  But in reality they are nothing more than entertainers.

The so called pundits that give you your marching orders are very likely laughing at you, all the way to the bank.   Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity to name a few…for all you know any one of them may be a progressive, free thinking, atheist like me.  They may have blogs that are diametrically opposed to their public persona, and may reflect how they really think.  Or maybe I am a right wing-nut posing as a liberal.  Could Honjii really be Glenn Beck?

I have an acquaintance who had some success in the entertainment business.  She was not a superstar but would probably be considered a D-list celebrity by today’s standards.  While she is a very attractive woman in her everyday life, there is only a slight resemblance to the extremely strikingly beautiful woman in her films and photos.  She describes the business as smoke and mirrors (but mostly good lighting), and herself as a product that was packaged, branded, and marketed in the way an electronic gadget, food, clothing, or anything else is marketed to the consuming public.  Her life story, the real one that she spoke of in interviews or to her fans was a complete fabrication; just part of the package.

So keep on listening to the ignorant, outrageous trash that comes from the mouths of the Sarah Palins of the world and lets see how long it takes us to slide back into the dark ages.