Today I received a false quote supposedly from Jay Leno. It is making the rounds enough to appear on Snopes, which identifies it as a lie. Leno never said it. But its content typifies the attitude of all too many self-described ‘conservatives,’ self-righteous, condescending, self-pitying, holier-than-thou. and deeply, proudly ignorant. And so I am sharing the quote and my response to the person who sent it to me. Now that their reign of corruption, lawlessness, and incompetence is coming to a probable end, the new right-wing message may be for us to be appreciative to what we have that is good in this country and stop our bellyaching about what is not. It is the kind of argument that fits them: incompetent, narcissistic, and based on distortions.
The “quote” is as follows (my reply following immediately):
“No matter what your political convictions are this is eye opener. Jay Leno wrote this – the Jay Leno we don’t often
see:
“As most of you know I am not a President Bush fan, nor have I ever been, but this is not about Bush, it is about us, as Americans, and it seems to hit the mark. The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some Poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The Newsweek poll alleges that 67% of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69% of the country is unhappy with the
performance of the President. In essence 2/3 of the citizenry just ain’t happy and want a change. So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ‘What are we so unhappy about?’
“A. Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 Days a week?
“B. Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter?
“C. Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job?
“D. Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?
“E. Maybe it is the ability to drive our cars and trucks from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state?
“F. Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?
“G. I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough either.
“H. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.
“I. Perhaps you are one of the 70% of Americans who own a home.
“J. You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a group of trained
firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames, thus saving you, your family, and your belongings.
“K. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss.
“L. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90% of teenagers own cell phones and computers.
“M. How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world?
“Maybe that is what has 67% of you folks unhappy.
” Fact is, we are th e largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don’t have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.
” I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31% approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander-in- chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?
” Did you hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn’t take a look around for yourself and see all the good things and be glad? Think about it……are you upset at the President because he actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the ‘Media’ told you he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful behind every day. Make no mistake about it.
“The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn’t have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ‘ ‘general’ discharge, an ‘other than honorable’ discharge or, worst case scenario, a’ dishonorable’ discharge after a few days in the brig. So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69% of Americans?
” Say what you want, but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds, it leads; and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations.
” They offer what sells and when criticized, try to defend their actions by ‘justifying’ them in one way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book about how he didn’t kill his wife, but if he did he would have done it this way……Insane
” Turn off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as country. There is exponentially more good than bad. We are among the most blessed people on Earth and should thank God several times a day, or at least be thankful and appreciative. With hurricanes, tornados, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, ‘Are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?
“Jay Leno”
I replied:
Maybe Jay Leno said it and most probably he did not. I get stuff reporting false things the Dalai Lama said all the time and the political right is wonderfully inventive at making up quotes. They live on it. I checked Snopes and this quote is false according to them. Maybe we should be grateful there aren’t more liars sending false quotations around the internet.
Whoever said it, here is my reply to the jerk:
The poll was about the direction the country is headed, not whether we have good things in life. Your self-righteousness and dishonesty are closely accompanied by your inability to read.
The poll refers to things like the following:
As a country,
1. We are in a war with no criteria for when it might end and where the overwhelming majority of Iraqis want us out – yesterday of possible.
2, We have an executive who has crapped all over the constitution and rule of law. Many times. One candidate wants to continue this trend and a high percentage (but less than half) of (bad) citizens think that is just fine.
3. We have a media and Congress that by and large has gone along with it.
4, We have a declining percentage of Americans who qualify as middle class and an increasing percentage in the top and bottom categories, a bad thing for a free society.
5. We are committing ecological havoc on the oceans.
7. We have undermined the dollar and it is getting worse.
8.The growing majority of climate and atmospheric experts are worried about global warming and the government suppresses scientific reports on it.
9. The percentage of foreclosures is rising.
10. The number of people medically insured is falling and bankruptcies due to medical expenses are rising.
11. In total opposition to our history extending back to George Washington’s policies in far more threatening times, our government is now associated with torture, secret prisons, kidnapping, and similar crimes as official policy.
The person who wrote this lie might take the time to notice that unlike his or her examples, MY EXAMPLES ARE TRENDS. Just what the poll was asking about. The truly complacent and spoiled American is the one who takes the facts in the false Leno list as reason to ignore the trends in mine. He or she is the one who is truly spoiled, and takes as his or her motto – “I got mine Jack. Fuck you and the future.”
sincerely
Gus diZerega