Everyday Erinyes

I can't say it has been a slow week for outrage – rather the reverse, but so much of the material calling for outrage has actually gotten publicity I don't want to rehash it for the ladies. They can get overloaded too, you know. This, though, seems to me to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with it. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as "unceasing," "grudging," and "vengeful destruction."

It's not unusual for a very wealthy person to be completely lacking in understanding of how most people live.  It is, perhaps, noteworthy when one openly voices that lack of understanding so openly, and so clearly showing his opinion that most of us are simply not grateful enough.  Steve Schwartzman is such a man.   

DAVOS, Switzerland — As income inequality and healthcare costs rise in the United States and as an economic slowdown may be on the horizon, one of the world’s richest men expressed surprise that U.S. voters seem so angry in advance of the 2016 presidential election. Speaking at a gathering of corporate and government leaders in Switzerland, Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman told Bloomberg Television that he is bewildered about why Americans seem so discontented.

“I find the whole thing astonishing and what’s remarkable is the amount of anger whether it’s on the Republican side or the Democratic side,” the Wall Street mogul said at the World Economic Forum in Davos. “Bernie Sanders, to me, is almost more stunning than some of what’s going on in the Republican side. How is that happening, why is that happening?”

Yes, why would average Americans be upset when everything is going so good for me? My butler's servant says the poor are happy to toil in the sweatshops.

Schwarzman’s private equity firm, Blackstone, manages — and makes fees from — billions of dollars of pensioners’ assets, and was recently fined by federal regulators for not properly disclosing fee terms to its investors. The investors harmed by Blackstone’s conduct included public retirement systems in California, Florida and New Jersey…

Schwarzman has made national headlines likening tax increases on the wealthy to the Nazi invasion of Poland.

Actually, this type of talk does sound terribly familiar.  One can find it many places in literature.  After several in the comment section after the article referenced Dickens, the author added his own comment with this quote from A Tale of Two Cities:  

  "Pardon, Monsieur the Marquis!" said a ragged and submissive man, "it is a child."
  "Why does he make that abominable noise? Is it his child?"
  "Excuse me, Monsieur the Marquis—it is a pity—yes."
  The fountain was a little removed; for the street opened, where it was, into a space some ten or twelve yards square.   As the tall man suddenly got up from the ground, and came running at the carriage, Monsieur the Marquis clapped his hand for an instant on his sword-hilt.
  "Killed!" shrieked the man, in wild desperation, extending both arms at their length above his head, and staring at him.   "Dead!"
   The people closed round, and looked at Monsieur the Marquis. There was nothing revealed by the many eyes that looked at him but watchfulness and eagerness; there was no visible menacing or anger. Neither did the people say anything; after the first cry, they had been silent, and they remained so. The voice of the submissive man who had spoken, was flat and tame in its extreme submission. Monsieur the Marquis ran his eyes over them all, as if they had been mere rats come out of their holes.
He took out his purse.
  "It is extraordinary to me," said he, "that you people cannot take care of yourselves and your children. One or the other of you is for ever in the way. How do I know what injury you have done my horses. See! Give him that."
  He threw out a gold coin for the valet to pick up, and all the heads craned forward that all the eyes might look down at it as it fell   The tall man called out again with a most unearthly cry, "Dead!"

Truthfully, I suppose this kind of what is often called "tone deafness" is all too common and may not deserve having all three of you – um, counsel him.  The problem is, the tone deafness is so engrained now that it will take all three of you to make a dent in it – if, indeed, all three of you is enough.  But I hope you will try.  Thank you.    

Oh, wait – there is just one other little thing.  It's this Ted Sessoms, the pastor of the Arbor Springs Baptist Church in Samantha Alabama.  He sent out a letter to make sure that everyone knows, with regard to Syrian refugees, that (his) "God gave specific instructions to destroy these people (even their women, children and animals)."  He explains how this applies to Muslims, who "are not victims when it comes to their lifelong hatred of us and our belief in Christ."  (So apparently he is not aware, or doesn't care, that a large and disproportionate number of the present refugees are Christians.  Or, for that matter, that the Founding Fathers of our nation wrote widely on how one of the benefits of separating church and state was that it would grant equality to Muslims and Hindus.)

In commenting on this article, "Out There" says, "Really that’s funny God and I had tea the other day and she told me for a fact that helping out refugees made her very happy. I would guess that Pastor Ted has tune into the wrong channel again he is getting his info from the right-wing favorite source the Lucifer channel. Seem his kind get confused rather easily they just don’t seem to know the different between the Heaven and Hell channels."  I believe you ladies are just the ones who can improve his education and clarity.  Thanks again.

We'll be back next time.  Have a good week, everyone.

(Bonus video – IF it works – if not, the URL is https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibuNJteJEH0 – and let me know in a comment.)