The Art of the Counterattack

When does politeness become a problem?

Not politeness in the sense of kindness

But politeness in the sense of unkindness

Sitting back and saying nothing at all

Sitting back and doing nothing at all

Sitting back, just sitting back

"Politeness, n: The most acceptable hypocrisy." Ambrose Bierce

"As an immigrant, I truly believed when I was coming to this country that people had the tools necessary to life to live a life that is prosperous, that is just and free. So, every single day, I am shocked with the hypocrisy of this country. That we are the wealthiest nation in the world. But we cannot figure out how to house our homeless people." Ilhan Omar

so much talk talk talk

-h-

in the world today

-hy-

so much talk talk talk

-hyp-

about do this that

-hypo-

outwardly supportive, inwardly resentful

-hypoc-

externally altruistic, internally spiteful

-hypocr-

superficially kind, contradictory contrarian

-hypocri-

which is not the same as actually kind

-hypocris-

where is the genuine milk of humanity

-hypocrisy-

the fruits of labour harvested for good?

-hypocrisy r-

why do we let our kin drown in the river

-hypocrisy re-

passports and documentational proof of life

-hypocrisy rei-

that doesn't match out expectational acceptance

-hypocrisy reig-

drown them drown them drown them in the river

-hypocrisy reign-

rather than doing something, anything about it

-hypocrisy reigns-

"not our problem, not our citizens, they're not us"

-hypocrisy reigns s-

"not our people, not our crisis, they're not us"

-hypocrisy reigns su-

"not our politick, not our concern, they're. not. us"

-hypocrisy reigns sup-

"From war-torn lands, sure? But, our lands suffers too"

-hypocrisy reigns supr-

"From poverty they come, to burden our own poverty"

-hypocrisy reigns supre-

where is the genuine milk of humanity

-hypocrisy reigns suprem-

of kindness and empathy, of love and sympathy

-hypocrisy reigns supreme-

bureaucratic rhetoricity, capitalist mastery

-hypocrisy reigns supreme i-

kindness with a kost, Kafkaesque kolossal kauterised kindness

-hypocrisy reigns supreme in-

sharpened for surgery, desensitization of sensitivity to senselessness

-hypocrisy reigns supreme in t-

superficially plasticised lab-born milk of humanity

-hypocrisy reigns supreme in th-

Slogans are policies, social deinfluencers-politicians

-hypocrisy reigns supreme in the-

"Keep them out, unless they offer value beyond culture, we can rape that anyway"

-hypocrisy reigns supreme in the h-

He who spends the most on publicity, who speaks the loudest, has the authority

-hypocrisy reigns supreme in the ha-

let that hang in the air you breathe

-hypocrisy reigns supreme in the hal-

let that get under the skin of your sleeve

-hypocrisy reigns supreme in the hall-

let that ring out

"Hypocrisy is the ultimate power move. It is a way of demonstrating that one plays by a different set of rules from the ones adhered to by common people." Michael Shellenberger

-hypocrisy reigns supreme in the halls of power, where the corrupt ply their lies and crooked agendas over and spoon-feed the gullible and indifferent, the "offended" and inflamed, the true blue and the pure, while there are those who still offer "the genuine milk of kindness to the thirsty and needy"

Yet there are those who resist, not with silence, but creative action.

This is art, we are art, the art of the counterattack.

"The power of art is the power of truth." - Julian Beck

*

Thanks for reading!

Author's Notes: Oh, lots. Lots of Author's Notes. For now, I'll stay schtum, though!

Here are some other things: