As we get closer to March (check local listings for the month in your area), our thoughts turn to an event that brings smiles to the faces of millions. I’m talking about, of course, March Madness.
But since we’re not there yet as of the date of this writing, we have to focus on something a lot less fun, that being the State of the Union Address which is a whole different kind of madness altogether. This annual speech gives the President a chance to talk about how great and strong America is, maybe hit on one or two red meat issues, and bloviate far too long. And since it’s Donald Trump giving the speech, you know the Left has to try to counter it.
That brings us to this week’s Lexicon entry. During the actual State of the Union Address, some Leftists decided to hold the People’s State of the Union Address. And, yes, it was just as lame as it sounds. But it made Leftists feel better about sucking more ass than a man addicted to donkey smoothies, so yay, I guess?
the People’s State of the Union
What the Left thinks it means – a rally to tell the truth about what’s going on in America right now under President Trump
What it really means – a symbolic gesture without much symbolism
Now, what the Left did in response to the State of the Union Address isn’t new. We have to go waaaaaaaaaay back to…2018, when Leftists held a People’s State of the Union Address to offer an alternative to President Trump’s State of the Union Address. This was a breathtaking affair, complete with celebrities like Mark Ruffalo and Rosie Perez in the house.
Because nothing says “we know what’s going on in the real world” like people who play pretend for a living.
As you might expect, it was as impactful as a Nerf avalanche (Nerf triage kit sold separately), in spite of the press giving it a predictable spit shine. There were other protests, but they were just as inane as this one. This year, they brought the idea out of mothballs and did it again.
Hmmm…I don’t remember these folks having a People’s State of the Union Address during President Brick Tamland’s term. Wonder why that is…
Anyway, the People’s State of the Union Address was a dud, and predictably so. Yes, we get it. You hate Trump, and you tell us every day you hate Trump. Do you need to hold a rally to reinforce you hate Trump? Not really. It’s like the No Kings protests last year: getting Leftists together to show how much they hate Trump, but never really doing anything but speaking truth to the powerless. If impotent rage had a human face, it would be the No Kings protests.
And the People’s State of the Union.
And pretty much anything else the Left has come up with since Trump was reelected.
You know how I know the People’s State of the Union was a dud? The Left resorted to an appeal to popularity to make it sound like it was successful. Leftists crowed about getting 2 million live viewers for their Suck-A-Palooza rally, but the actual State of the Union Address got…an estimated 32.6 million live viewers. For those of you bad at math or Leftist (which aren’t mutually exclusive, I grant you), that means it would take over 16 People’s State of the Unions to equal 1 Trump State of the Union.
Next stop: Getting Your Ass Stomped Ville. Population: the People’s State of the Union audience.
This speaks to one of the fundamental flaws of the Left: they grossly overestimate how popular their positions are. Of course, it doesn’t help that the only people they listen to are other Leftists, so it creates one big echo chamber that would rival the Grand Canyon in size, which is second only to “The View” in terms of a being great big void in America.
As funny as it is to mock the Left for exhibiting cult-like behavior, there’s another layer to this shit, one that I’ve seen as a recovering Leftist. By surrounding yourself only with people who repeat what you believe, you start to create your own reality, which often bears little to no resemblance to actual reality.
In other words, it’s basically Dylan Mulvaney.
While it may be fun and welcoming in your corner of Delululand (not to be confused with Deluluworld on the West Coast), it makes it hard to connect to people outside of it. After all, they might…dare I even fathom it…deny your reality! Then, all Hell breaks loose! After all, if you could be wrong that dressing up like a fairy princess when you’re built like the defensive line of the Seattle Seahawks isn’t realistic, it might make you question what else you believe.
In this scenario, there are two options, three if you count fleeing in terror. You can either accept the new information and integrate it into your life, or you can deny it.
And guess which one Leftists invariably choose.
This leads to a lot of mocking from outside the Leftist hivemind, but it’s becoming a serious problem from a governmental perspective. In order to pass, enforce, and rule on legislation, there has to be a common point of reference. The further we get away from that, the harder it becomes to run the government.
Wait…did I just make an argument in favor of letting that shit go?
Never mind.
The point is when nothing can be nailed down, everything is in a state of flux. A bedrock principle one day becomes vapor the next if enough people believe it and vice versa. But reality isn’t about what you believe; it’s about what is. A dog is a dog is a dog because it just is. Believing a dog is a 2 story Victorian home in Vermont doesn’t make it so. For one, you don’t have to pick up Victorian home shit when you walk it.
I bring all of this up to give you a fuller picture of what the People’s State of the Union actually was: a poorly planned political stunt that will fire up the base, but do precious little to get others to join in their reindeer games. Not even if you get Ben Affleck.
If I may offer a piece of advice to the Left (and, I may because it’s my fucking blog entry), it’s to start thinking about a policy that doesn’t involve a daily reminder you hate Trump. That shit’s played out since his first term in office, and I don’t think there are enough fans to warrant a sequel. With midterms right around the corner, you have to get your shit together and come up with a strategy.
Like maybe not being obnoxious assholes.
But given how Congressional Democrats acted during the State of the Union Address, that’s going to be a big ask.
Tag: state of the union
Leftist Lexicon Word of the Week
By the time you read this, Puddin’ Head Joe will have given his latest State of the Union Address where he will say we’re doing great under Bidenomics while calling out one of the biggest issues we face in America today.
Shrinkflation.
Not illegal immigration. Not the national debt ballooning to Rosie-O’Donnell-and-Michael-Moore-at-an-all-you-can-eat-buffet levels. Not fentanyl addiction, the price of goods and services, or our involvement in two wars. Getting less for the same price we paid for the same item previously.
At least Puddin’ Head Joe has his thumb firmly up his own ass or else he might be tempted to do something. In the meantime, we can talk about shrinkflation in terms even Puddin’ Head Joe can understand.
shrinkflation
What the Left thinks it means – when greedy companies charge the same price, but give consumers less
What it really means – when companies try to balance customer demand and production costs
I will warn you this is some economics talk, so if it’s not your bag, you may not want to continue. Unless you want to see me use the word “fuck” a lot. I bear no responsibility for any boredom or drowsiness you feel reading this week’s Lexicon.
With that out of the way, fuck.
When costs go up due to…oh I don’t know…a fucking idiot using our budget like the ATM at a strip club for compulsive people, companies have to figure out a way to continue doing business. Since most companies are run by people who have even a fleeting understanding of the laws of supply and demand, this sets into motion a series of decisions. Raise prices to compensate for the cost of doing business, offer less and try to keep prices lower, or do a combination of the two?
Shrinkflation is the combination of the two. Instead of charging the actual price of a good or service (which may negatively impact demand), companies will keep the price at the same level as before the cost hike, but they have to find a way to balance the cost with the price point. That usually means giving people less or taking a loss.
The other option on the shrinkflation table is to reduce the size of the packaging, thus reducing the amount you get. Granted, it’s usually a little bit here and there, but it can make all the difference if you get to the end of your package of Oreos and you’re missing one or two. And since we’re dealing with milk’s favorite cookie, that’s a sin against Man and Nature.
Now, for the people who don’t even have a Cliff’s Notes idea of the law of supply and demand (i.e. Leftists), the obvious solution is for the company to take a loss. After all, it’s just money and these companies make tons of it. The issue at hand for them is greed. In their hivemind, greed is immoral (except when it’s done to advance Leftist causes), so there is a moral obligation for companies to not make any more money than necessary.
Sound familiar? If not, let me give you a clue: it’s the entire fucking idea behind Puddin’ Head Joe’s push to deal with shrinkflation.
But wait, there’s more! Puddin’ Head Joe announced he was launching a task force to combat…“unfair and illegal pricing.” Yep, government has to get involved to help consumers. And I’m sure nothing could possibly go wrong with that. Look at the success of Obamacare!
On second thought, let’s not.
The thing is government can’t fight greed. Greed is a human trait, so combating it means fighting human nature. Of course, the government has been fighting wars on drugs and poverty for decades, so maybe the powers that be stupid think following the same script will work this time. It just needs time and money…no, wait, that’s Ukraine.
Regardless, it’s a fundamentally stupid idea that doesn’t attack the real issue. It’s not necessarily the greed of the companies that needs to be addressed, but the greed of the consumers. Whether you clip coupons like a rabbi performing brises on straight commission or look for sales and deals on items you want or need, we are all trying to get our dollars to stretch as much as we can. Especially these days when inflation is higher than Hunter Biden on any day ending in, well, “day.” That puts the producer and the buyer at an impasse, as the producer is trying to make as much money as possible without pricing themselves into oblivion.
But here’s the part the Left doesn’t understand: that’s a part of the law of supply and demand. It’s not like if a company makes one penny more than it “should” the buyer is fucked. It just means in that particular transaction, the producer (i.e. the one accepting all the risk) made a penny. Having some no-name, no-brain bureaucrat with a shiny new office and a meaningless title take that penny away isn’t going to fix the problem, but it may start a whole new problem: government taking more than just that one penny.
One of my immutable truths is “The sole purpose of any bureaucracy is to grow itself to the point it becomes irremovable.” If Puddin’ Head Joe’s task force can take away one penny of profit in the name of unfair business practices, what’s to stop it from taking another penny and another and another and so on using the same rationale? As long as there are people who believe businesses are fucking them over, there will always be a line outside the door of people willing to “stick it to The Man.”
But there comes a point where “sticking it to The Man” results in negative consequences. Just ask Walgreens and CVS, who have been plagued by continuous shoplifting in California and are pulling out of some areas only to get shamed by community leaders for trying to cut the company’s losses and closing stores in these areas. Of course, if these same community leaders gave two shits about the shoplifting and tried fixing that problem instead of bitching to Walgreens and CVS, maybe those locations wouldn’t be trying to get out in the first place.
Nahhhhh. That’s too simple. Has to be racism because…fuck you racists!
As consumers, we have to understand as prices go up for the things we buy and use, those same prices are going up to get us these things. The way Puddin’ Head Joe wants us to think ignores that reality and creates a straw man that would put Ray Bolger to shame. And, yes, if there is a company that charges the same price before Inflationpalooza but delivers only 1/100 of the product, that company should get the shit kicked out of them. But not through violence or government interference. In the place where it really matters, the free market.
And that’s where any shrinkflation should be addressed, to be honest. Money talks, bullshit walks, and Leftists balk, and it’s the best way to balance the needs and wants of all parties directly involved. And it will piss off people who don’t like the free market, so win-win!
Seriously, shrinkflation is only a problem for those who don’t get how free market capitalism works. Which means Puddin’ Head Joe is going to make it a problem, and we’re all going to feel the impact of his attempts to “fix” it.
Oh joy.