I have become tired of the politicians all over this country blaming everyone else for the problems that we are encountering in this country. Seriously, they all seem to be laying the blame on someone else. Michael Jackson had a song that people really need to listen too and think about. “The Man In The Mirror”.
Who is really responsible for the problems that we have now? We ALL are. Seriously. I spent over 20 years in the book business, and I watched it grow from being a large industry to something that is on it’s way to dying. Why? It used to be that we held actual books in our hands, but not we read books and newspapers online and with our Kobos, Kindles, computers and other devises. As I was riding back from San Francisco on BART from a meeting, there I was sitting there reading a book on my Kobo, and the woman sitting next to me reading something on her Kindle. I looked around as best as I could at one point and didn’t see a single person holding and actual book in their hands, as those who were reading were reading things on a device. I thought back for a little bit, and realized that it was just a few years ago that I would see people riding public transit and actually reading an actual book.
I have been thinking about it and watching things for the last few years, noticing that more and more people are ordering stuff off of the Internet and not going into stores to buy things. More and more people do it on a daily basis. Their used to be a time when one would be traveling somewhere that a person would actually go to a travel agency to buy tickets for fly or book a cruise, but look around now and try to find a travel agency. Oh yes some still do exist, but not like they used to. Remember when video stores were around where you would rent a movie or two? How back record stores, where singers would actually come to sign autographs and promote their newest album? You would buy an album and actually find several other songs on it that you actually liked, but now you just download the one hit and never hear the others.
Remember when You would go to your mailbox and would get excited to get a letter some someone? Yeah, people used to actually spend the time and energy to put things down on paper, seal it in an envelope, put a stamp on it, drop it into a mail box, then the postman would actually bring it to you. When was the last time that you actually wrote a letter to a friend or family member that way?
Remember back when a movie would come out in the theater and actually stay in their for several months, then once it was out you would have to wait years before it came on TV? I was walking down the street in San Francisco today and saw someone selling DVDs of movies that weren’t even in the theater yet. Heck, I just dropped my Netflix account down to a level were I only stream movies. I think that over the last year I have actually gone to a movie theater twice to see a movie. We have films now that will be up for an award already out on DVD, where it used to be that Hollywood would wait until after the awards season to put things out. Before they did that, with some films they would re-release it into the theaters.
So who is the blame for the way that things are now? We all are. What can we do to put really help out this economy? The next time that you plan to buy something, then go into a store and buy it. Instead of sending someone an e-mail, send them a hand written letter. Go out and actually leave the cell phone at home. Buy an actual book and enjoy the feeling of it in your hands as you read it. The next time that someone tries to convince you to pay your bill at a kiosk, remind them that it is taking away their job when you do it. Actually go into the back to deposit your money and enjoy the smell of the money in there. If the newspaper or magazine you love to read says that you can find more news on their website, inform them that since they feel that they are wasting their time by putting it up there, as you will be sticking with that is in the physical newspaper itself, and that the only thing that you read online are my blogs. If they say that they are going to stop the print edition and just stick with doing things online and will charge you, then inform them that since they want to make it so that little Johnny or Sue can’t make extra money delivering papers, then you will not be paying to read it online and are going to use the extra money to buy an alarm system because the kid who wanted to be a paperboy might want to rob your house instead for get money.
As far as the politicians go? When they start blaming another party, they should really look at themselves and what they have really done to make things better. If they start blaming the President, ask them what bills they have introduced to make things better, and remind them that when they refuse to truly work with the other party, they themselves are part of the problem with what is going on in this country.
But also remember, look at the person in the mirror, for they could be part of the problem also.
Random Thoughts From A Strange Mind 