A couple of thoughts as we close the election season of 2022—thoughts that the nonprofit arts community might be able address if they were so inclined.
(Are you so inclined?)
If you’re a resident of the United States, after watching the political ads that have assaulted the airwaves during the fall, you might be inclined to believe that an unprecedented trillions of dollars of federal spending led to inflation, which, in turn, collapsed the markets. You might believe that the Democratic Party and its evil overlord, Joseph Robinette Biden, insisted that gasoline prices inflate to $60.00 a gallon or more, milk prices increased by 400%, and eggs are now $12.99 apiece and sold individually. You might believe that only white republicans and Herschel Walker tell the truth, no one is gunning for your right to your own body, and past indecencies and lies against people with less power are a birthright, and therefore unpunishable for people like you. Oh, and that guns solve everything.
Why? Because, in America, it’s legal to lie.
Unethical? Sure. Unambivalently evil? Absolutely. Unworthy of public office? Without a doubt. But illegal? First Amendment, pal.
It’s also legal to believe lies.
They make people feel better. Let’s call it Whopper Syndrome: we know Whoppers are bad for us, and yet, in the shortest possible term, Whoppers make us feel better. Later, though, Whoppers cause pain, acid reflux, and sleepiness. In the long term, Whoppers are likely to kill us.
That must be why lies are often called Whoppers.
Facts are immaterial in a political race. They’re annoying to political hacks, which is why the republican party came up with the idea of “alternative facts,” which was pooh-poohed by anyone with a brain—and accepted by the tinfoil hat crowd that, you know, “toured” the capitol on January 6, 2021.
Here is some October 2022 year-over-year data on inflation, provided by the nonpartisan U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, to prove that point:
Incidentally, wages in the United States are up 8.57%.
And let’s also remember that there was this, oh, I forget, what was it called again? Oh, right, a global pandemic health crisis that destroyed the economy, closed doors of shops all over the country, and wreaked havoc and death to millions of Americans. Millions died, millions more were infected, and thousands of businesses were lost. That’s who the trillions were supposed to help.
On the other hand, many larger businesses made profits. And with fewer competitors, the significant companies measured on the stock exchanges did quite well. At least, until those evil Democratic Party officials gave and loaned money through emergency grant programs to the people. “Unfair,” they screamed. “We deserve that money,” they yelled.
And some of them even took it, even though they weren’t supposed to, and still laid off their employees. And then, during Overlord Biden’s term, the stock market tanked. “See? We told you,” said the big business lie-sayers.
American memories are notoriously horrible. The average person “just wants to be left alone and raise my kids,” and doesn’t care if others are not given that same right. And this is why despots and their followers win elections.
Republicans say, “just vote for us, and everything will be fine.” Democrats say, “just vote for us, and we’ll make things better.”
Republicans say, “don’t vote for them; they only make things better for other people, and you’ll end up paying for it.” Democrats say, “nuh-uh.”
Meanwhile, the rich get richer. 5% of Americans own 67% of all the wealth in America. The bottom 90% own 20% of that same pie.
And if you’re Black or Latinx, the numbers are even worse.
“The median Black family, with just over $3,500, owns just 2 percent of the wealth of the nearly $147,000 the median White family owns, according to our ‘Racial Wealth Divide’ report. The median Latino family, with just over $6,500, owns just 4 percent of the wealth of the median White family. Put differently, the median White family has 41 times more wealth than the median Black family and 22 times more wealth than the median Latino family.”
–Institute for Policy Studies
All over America, people of any color except white are nodding and saying to themselves, “Yeah, I know.”
The former president, a guy who lost the popular vote 3 times, once infamously said to Black Americans, “Vote for me. What have you got to lose?” That must have worked, because he got elected, and so did a whole passel of like-minded republicans. Odds are, republicans are going to take over the majority of the House of Representatives, because, if you’ve already forgotten, American memories are notoriously horrible.
Could it be, that when workers started to stand up for themselves and demanded a living wage, that large companies (still making oodles of profits) raised the prices on everything just to keep their economic power? Moving the economic goal posts, as it were? After all, if you’re a billionaire, who cares if eggs cost more?
Hmm.
Maybe I’m the one with the tinfoil hat.
I can’t help but wondering where the nonprofit arts organizations are in all of this.
Where are you?
Are you paying the same wage to everyone doing an equivalent job? Who’s defining the equivalency? Are you still toadying up to the same people who profited during the pandemic? During the last administration? Is your programming affected by those same people?
Are you doing anything to ensure that the next two years (or six years) will not be dominated by obstructionist policies, throwing sand in the gears of democracy, and destroying the lives of everyone who doesn’t have at least a half million dollars in disposable income? Do you mistakenly believe that your art can’t be political because, somehow, nonprofits aren’t allowed to engage in politics? (They can; they just can’t lobby for a specific candidate. That’s all.)
Or are you doing something about it? If so, tell someone! If not, why not?
Vote. Until something better comes along.
Based in Kirkland, Washington, Alan Harrison is a writer and speaker specializing in nonprofit organizations, strategy, the arts, and life politics. His columns appear regularly in major publications. Contact him directly at alan@501c3.guru.
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Alan is always looking for good opportunities to write and consult for nonprofits that need a hand. And, of course, that elusive Perfect Opportunity™.
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