In the beginning, we are all put on this Earth with zero intentions, zero goals, zero aspirations and over time we are molded and sculpted into who we want to be and what we want to do. It is part nature and part nurture. It is through the bonding we have in friendships that we develop in high school, college and the workplace that make us what we are. Hopefully, through the process, we have been guided by our parents in life lessons of what is wrong and what is right. Many people can tell us what is right and what is wrong, but it is up to all of us to decide for ourselves. That’s why, as humans, we make so many mistakes. Making mistakes are all a part of life, and mistakes are designed to teach us the lessons of living. It’s one thing to make mistakes, but it is an entirely other thing to not learn from them.
One of the first mistakes we make in life is through our developed friendships. At some point in time we choose to develop friendships with people who make our lives…well, miserable. For some people, seeing the actions of their consequences are not feasible.. It’s life in the fast lane. However, some people make friends for life. They are with each other for every life event. They attend each others weddings. They participate, all along the way, in births, graduations, promotions. We bond through break-ups, divorce and new relationships. We look to each other for advice. Each moment in time there is a level of trust that grows into loyalty. Most people have a sense of loyalty to their family. I mean, if you’re a person that hasn’t talked to your sister for two years and found out that she was in an abusive relationship it’s pretty safe to say that you will move Heaven and Earth for her, right?
Loyalty isn’t exclusive to just friends and family. We value loyalty when it comes to the workplace, or we used to. Decades ago it was common to graduate High School, get a job and remain in that same job until retirement. My how times have changed. Companies today don’t care that you’re 59 years old, with a mortgage, two kids in college and one week before Christmas. When they want to get rid of you they will get rid of you, and they won’t even give you a watch. As a liberal, this is something that infuriates me. We’re supposed to be living in the greatest country in the world, but we sure don’t treat our citizens as such. Our children are receiving the poorest education of any other industrialized nation. We are forced to live in an environment that allows our roads to crumble, oil pipelines to spring leaks, Wall Street to run around reckless with our pension accounts. Washington has their loyalties.
Once again, I am a political liberal. As a liberal, I have a loyalty to the democratic party. However, if a democrat caves in like a spineless pussy on an issue I’m passionate about my loyalty will be broken. That doesn’t mean I’ll vote for a republican…I will just not vote. I believe in marriage equality, civil rights, income equality, equal pay for equal work, sensible gun control and I want to know that the people in my political party share the same values.
As a political liberal, I always seek a cable news outlet that shares my same values. For a while, I was loyal to MSNBC. I used to think Olbermann was a God. I used to love watching David Shuster rip into republicans when they were trying to get away with just another talking point. I used to just stare into Contessa Brewers eyes, and wondered what it would be like for her husband being married to the most beautiful woman in the world. I used to tune in to Chris Matthews to see if he had that tingle up his leg. This was at a time of the birth of Twitter. The only two journalists that embraced Twitter was Rick Sanchez from CNN and David Shuster from MSNBC, and they engaged their viewers through the social media site. They did it at a time when many of the mainstream media shunned it. I developed many friendships with other liberals who shared many of my same interests. It was a great time to be alive. Then, Rachel Maddow arrived and the tensions became present–at least to me. Olbermann was no longer a God. He became ravished with ego. David Shuster was let go. Contessa just disappeared. They hired a lesser known Ed Shultz. MSNBC saw the success in Maddow and tried to mold and sculpt other talent. However, rather than realizing that Maddow was an exception that couldn’t be molded or sculpted into other on-air talent they tried anyway. MSNBC is willing to give anyone a show now, and it’s very easy to see who will get their own show. It usually goes to the person who appears on-air the most. They even give shows to people who are lousy with reading teleprompters. People like Al Sharpton, Andrea Mitchell, Richard Wolffe and Michael Eric Dyson. They always have that one guest that just pisses me the fuck off. Ron Christie is a perfect example. MSNBC is just not informative enough for me. They have too many contributors who work for the beltway newspapers, but liberals seem to suck it up. They love Chris Hayes, even though he’s losing in the ratings to Nancy Grace. Yes, Nancy Grace.
In a way, I wish I was a conservative. Conservatives have the joy of watching FOX News. FOX news is very loyal to their viewers. They give them everything they want, and the ratings prove it. The line-up of “talent” has been consistent. The women are so amazingly hot, and it’s alright to put it on muted while vacuuming the house, because they have the sexiest legs and hair and eyes and teeth.
All I see on MSNBC are people with the sole goal of creating a platform to sell more books, sell more newspapers, increase views to their blogs and nothing to satisfy my appetite for knowledge…and nothing to address climate change, equality, income equality. All I see is lip service, and for that they do not get me loyalty.
Shaggieshapiro says.. 