THE SUMMER OF RAGE

      In the Postmodernist Utopia once known as the United States, Summer no longer brings images of picnics, drive-ins, beach parties, or family vacations. Now it's time for outrage. Outrage against anything, although the 2016 elections are giving a lively pretext for Ameroboob anger. It is a new credo here in the Prozac Nation that the Personal is Political. Enjoying oneself or engaging in productive activities equate in the modern mind with selfishness and stupidity, because being happy means that you aren't offended about something; and happiness is offensive to the unhappy. Such is the logic under which the modern mind operates.

       The Summer of Rage got off to an impressive start in 2016. The first outrage came from Cincinnati, Ohio. A police sharpshooter killed a gorilla to rescue a 4 year-old boy who had fallen into its cage. Now in a normal society, the policeman would have been given a medal; but here it occasions a nationwide outburst of fury. Here are some examples of Amerboob reflections on the unfortunate simian's demise: 

         "The mother represents the Liberal progressive idiot Left. They are stupid, irresponsible fools! Trump 2016!"

           "Zoos should be closed down. I'd pay to see humans in cages rather than innocent animals."

            "We killed a two-million dollar admittedly rare animal so that we could set another potential future Trayvon Martin loose upon the streets...just to avoid being called a racist!"

             And there are thousands of other remarks displaying roughly the same level of intellectual depth. Millions signed an online petition; pundits called for the mother's head; lawsuits threatened---and today an inquest ruled the child's fall was an accident.

             Then later in the week, riots erupted in California. White Liberal Anarchists and native-born Hispanics educated in US public schools attacked a political rally which ended a bloody street riot in San Jose. The rioters, despite behaving like Nazi Brownshirts themselves, justify their violence on the grounds that their opponent is allegedly a Fascist.

             Even more ironic were elements of the American Right, who immediately let loose with hysterical tirades against Mexican Immigration. Terms like 'invasion' and 'civil war' are being thrown around, with calls for border walls and mass deportations. One conservative pundit accused former Mexican President Vicente Fox of orchestrating the riot. However, here are a few anecdotes from San Jose:

             "Adam Rivas, a 22 year old community college student who was born and raised in San Jose said that he was particularly disturbed about Trump's remarks about Mexicans." (NBC Bay Area)

              "The protestors spilled onto nearby streets, some standing on cars with signs that read, We Need Socialism." (CNN)

               "Emmett Rensin, an essayist and deputy editor at Vox, was suspended from his job after advising people to start a riot if Trump came to town." (Washington Post)

               "A video tweeted from a photographer showed fighting continued in the streets after the event. Bernie! Bernie! Bernie! several shouted. (Politico)

                "Protestors mostly made up of young people. Some throwing gang signs." (ABC)

                These people hardly sound like Mexican immigrants; but that is no issue for the American public. Some were seen carrying Mexican flags; and that is sufficient these days to create an international incident on the level of Pearl Harbor.

                Finally President Obama---who has incited civil war and government overthrows in around a dozen countries---spoke out against the riots.

                "That's not what Democracy is all about. That's not what you do. There's no room for violence. There's no room for shouting. There's no room for politics that fails to at least listen to the other side."

                  It should be noted that Obama made these remarks a day after ordering a new round of sanctions against North Korea and two days after beginning military exercises on the Russian border.

                  Thus concluded the first week of The Summer of Rage. What will Americans be outraged about next week? It's anybody's guess; but we can predict with absolute confidence that there will be no outrage whatsoever about our declining military, failing schools, faltering economy, disastrous foreign policy, incompetent bureaucracy, or collapsing infrastructure.