That dirty politician is someone you might have voted for
-- or against. That new bar or coffee shop or hospital or highway could
be anywhere.
Chances are it will be built only after dancing around
issues like zoning, eminent domain, removal of relics from an ancient burial
ground or the displacing of long-time, long-suffering homeowners or renters.
Oh, and there’s the “special character” and “rich history” or “unique heritage”
of the area. (Are there any places that lack “special character,” “rich
history” or “unique heritage?”)
Names, places and times change. But plots and themes
rarely do.
Somewhere today or tomorrow, a white cop will kill or
wound an unarmed black man. Someone will kill his or her spouse and bury the
remains in the woods or the back yard or stuffed in an oil barrel hidden in the
basement. It won't be discovered until tomorrow or next year or 30 years from now when the new police chief of Dogpatch
AL, creates a cold case squad.
There will be a weather event that
disrupts life somewhere. A tornado. A snowstorm. A hurricane. A heatwave
or forest fire.
People on a floating city of a cruise
ship will catch some dread disease or find that the toilets don’t work or
there’s bad bacteria in the buffet trays. An overloaded ferry boat in a
third world country will sink. Or a plane or train or string of cars on a
highway will crash.
Some celebrity will face drunk driving or
drug charges. Or an overdose. Some “iconic” sports figure will die too young or
extremely old after a long illness or a short one. Or he or she will break a
record. Or win an Oscar or inappropriately touch a co-worker or an underage
young girl or boy.
We love to hear about the miseries of
people who are worse off than we are.
That misery will be the next example of
overkill. That almost always happens when a story catches on. Doesn't
matter what the story is. Can be a stickup at a 7-11 or WWIII.
Think of stories like Gaby's as you would
a carnival barker at in front of a tent where there's going to be a freak
show. You put him in place to lure suckers into the tent. When they get
there, you show them the freak they came to see and then you show them, poverty
and politicians, climate change and the effectiveness of vaccines, rising
prices, unemployment, and bad cops. Or hero cops.
Once they have your attention, they’re
going to try to keep it at least until the next page of advertising or
commercial for the latest snake oil or car insurance.
I’m Wes Richards. My opinions are my own
but you’re welcome to them ®
Any Questions? wesrichards@gmail.com
© WR 2021
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