Meanism

Not to be paranoid but meanism is all around us, like the driver who selfishly blocks the box at a busy intersection and causes a ripple of rush-hour gridlock, or the partisan pols that subvert the will of the people and make it harder to vote. And then there’s ultra conservative provocateurs like Rudy Guiliani and the Drudge Report who stoke fear and hatred while attempting to gen-up a racial civil war.

Meanism… you know it when you see and hear it and when you feel the pinch in your wallet. But a lot of people are in a bubble and can’t recognize meanism as easily. Therefore when I needed an image to represent a state of mind with malicious intent, I turned to one of my favorite sculptures in a city full of art: the obelisk and light sculpture standing tall in front of the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. The artistry is clever and exciting but it does seem a bit monstrous at night against a totally dark sky when most all tourists and workers have gone to safer homes. Thus a monster hiding in sight on the National Mall between the U.S. Capitol and the White House and many Federal agency headquarters seems to be an appropriate symbolic representation.

Meanism is the second of top-tier Shamey Award site categories and the first to shine light on the misdeeds from the ideological right.

~ Jeff Washington

The Shamey Awards Menu Bar – Top-Tier Categories 

1. Duh Media – The mainstream media gets top billing because they deserve it… and because they think we’re stupid!
2. Meanism – Beyond the obvious, this category is kind of like a cross between Newt and Rush or a slum lord and a hedge fund manager.
3. Wingnuttya – Basically, Wingnuttya is the homeland category for wingnuts, sadly not a fictional place, but it’s definitely surreal.
4. Propagandaville – Although there’s spillover, Propagandaville is the category for lies and deceptions – since both sides do it? No, that false equivalency is propaganda, too.
5. Censorsh’t – Trying to be a smidge polite and snarky here but censorship, suppression and obstruction are serious detriments to progress. The Censorsh’t category covers all things the political elite control freaks don’t want us to know.
6. Geo No-No – The category for environmental concerns. The world is on fire, coastlines are disappearing and storms strengthening, but there’s no alarm in D.C., just more talking points from the GOP.
7. Oppo-Bits – Nothing but the facts… and maybe a little satire and a few talking points. Okay, definitely a lot of talking points.
8. Spank 10 – All-time favorites go here in Top 10 lists of the best Shamey Awards – better make that the worst!

 Jeff Washington is Washington Underground

Twitter: Follow Jeff @WashingtonUG

Email: shameyawards@gmail.com

Click for more About the Shamey Awards.