I’ve been retired from the game for six years now. OpsLens still gives me a voice, for which I am grateful. I work in a Pennsylvania controlled liquor store to bring in some extra cash, but I really don’t need to. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to have the health care, but, at my age, I’ve begun to consider other options.
I recently moved to and work in southern York County, in central Pennsylvania. A part of PA that James Carville, “the Ragin’ Cajun,” Bill Clinton’s Lead Strategist in the 1992 campaign, once described as such: “You’ve got Philly in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle.”
I’m here to tell you: Yes.
Some guy came into the store recently, wearing a T-shirt which had a picture of the American flag on his back with the caption “Stomp On This Flag, I’ll Stomp Your Ass.”
Now, this guy was unkempt, probably late-30s, standing around 5′-6″ and weighing about 230 pounds. He looked like “the Blob” with tattoos. I thought his physique didn’t match the threat on his shirt. I also wondered Who is stomping on your flag and why are you wearing that stupid T-shirt?
That’s what it’s come down to. Stupid vs. Not So Stupid.
I have a 55-year-old roommate to whom I said a few weeks ago, “Well, it looks like Bob Mueller’s report is finally coming out.” He replied, “Who’s Bob Mueller?” Same guy thinks Vladimir Putin’s name is Putnam. Same guy recently asked me where Niagara Falls is. This guy has lived in Pennsylvania for the last 25 years and doesn’t know where Niagara Falls is? Dude, it’s only a six-hour drive from where we are sitting!
He also recently told me that although he can’t stand Donald Trump, he did not vote in the last election because he didn’t like Hillary Clinton. Therein is part of the problem.
I have a 60-year-old co-worker to who befuddled me. While the rest of our shift’s crew were joking around during some down time, I said “That sounds like something Joe Biden would say.” Her reply was “Who’s Joe Biden?” I can only hope that she was being facetious. But I wouldn’t be surprised.
So why am I writing this 400-plus-word article? Because I’m sick of this crap. How long do we have to deal with this level of incompetence in our electorate? Didn’t ninth-grade Civics class convey the importance of being informed? Didn’t fifth-grade Geography explain where Niagara Falls was?
The problems we face as a nation pale in comparison to fixing the stupidity and ill-informed nature of our electorate. It’s Idiocracy 101.
