When the Red, Red Robin Goes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along
"Wake up, wake up, you sleepy head,
Get up, get up, get out of bed,
Cheer up, cheer up the sun is red,
Live, love, laugh and be happy."
Song by Harry Woods, 1926. Sung by Al Jolson, Bing Crosby, Doris Day, and others.
Things are pretty great. Let's look at the bright side.
First let me explain the song to start the new year. It is a wake-up, get-up song for early risers like myself. I want Democratic readers to get their heads out of a funk. I first heard the song on the radio as a four-year-old. If readers can bear to start the new year with the sound of someone being happy, try this. It is less than two minutes.
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| Doris Day, 1954 |
As a child I loved the song. I was toilet trained by then, but rear ends still had a lot of mystery, and "bobbin'" was my mispronunciation of "bottom." She was singing and saying "bobbin'." So naughty! I sang the song and laughed and laughed. Bobbin'! It was great to be four.
Things are still pretty great. The economy is booming. Holiday sales were up 8.5% over last year and up 11% over the pre-pandemic 2019 good times. Remember back in 2019 when Republicans thought the economy was table-pounding great and reason enough to re-elect Trump. Even Democrats had to admit the economy was pretty wonderful.
Wake up! It is better now.
Remember, too, that the stock market was very good back in pre-pandemic 2019. Trump was crowing. Plus, home prices were up. Most people--the poor, the middle income, the wealthy--were richer than they had ever been.
Heads up! You are even richer now. Home prices are up about 20% since Biden was elected and the stock market is up almost 30%.
Republican media denies the reality of the economy, still complaining about the labor market as if businesses having to pay people a living wage is a problem. Woe is us, the unemployment rates is so low. Republicans are still complaining about supply chains as if robust demand for things to buy is a bad thing. Yet somehow Christmas wasn't ruined. Of course, whatever happens while Biden is president must be terrible. His opponents will ignore the fact that the U.S. economy grew 5.5% in 2021, outpacing Europe and China. Unemployment is at 4.2%, and the workforce is expanding again. Republicans can be miserable if they want to, but not me.
The curious thing is that Democrats are saying good riddance to 2021, as if the year were a disaster. It wasn't. Yes, the Omicron outbreak disappoints, just about the time we thought we could go back to normal. But the vaccinations appear to work and the people who want to get vaccinated have had every opportunity. People who are unvaccinated die at 20 times the rate of the vaccinated. Democrats can feel sorry for the unvaccinated holdouts, but most Democrats are not among them. People make choices and suffer the consequences.
That is a good lesson for Democrats. The idea that Democrats may get comfortable with negative consequences for foolish behaviors makes me happy. I haven't heard enough of that from Democrats, and I think COVID may give Democrats an object lesson they can point to. People, not groups, make choices.
That is what I will write about tomorrow.
8 comments:
If only the U.S. could pull itself out of its anti-democratic, anti-science, post-truth funk rather than put those responsible back in power. 2022 should interesting. Happy New Year!
Yes, despite it all things are peachy for some, as the American economy continues to bifurcate. The economy is doing well by the numbers, butI can't help but feel that it's a little too good to be true, and I don't want to be guilty of ignoring clouds on the horizon. If this uneasy prosperity doesn't benefit those who are left out we'll face some nasty consequences.
Anyway...
It is fitting to make note this morning of the meaning of January. It marks the beginning of a new year, a completely arbitrary moment where we pause and contemplate the events of the last 12 lunar cycles, and also look ahead, captives of a calendar invented millennia ago.
The month was named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. The worship of Janus traditionally dated back to Romulus and a period even before the actual founding of the city of Rome. There were many jani (i.e., ceremonial gateways) in Rome; these were structures used for auspicious entrances or exits. Janus was represented by a double-faced head, symbolizing looking both ahead and back.
In the spirit of this I would congratulate Peter Sage on another year of insightful and entertaining articles. This blog melds journalism and commentary into informative, thought provoking topics that provide “a closer look” at the issues of the day, and while it doesn’t demand agreement, it does often provoke one to examine one’s own view of the subject at hand.
Looking back I’d say two topics stand out for me: COVID and the continuing disintegration of the Republican party. Both have politics in common, and I predict we are not likely to leave these discussions behind in the coming days, though I sometimes might welcome the distraction of the latest on a Kardashian.
And so, Mr. Sage, thank you for your effort and consistency (and persistence) and wishing you the best as we pass through this portal into a New Year.
I echo Rick’s compliments to Peter for this blog. I’m happy to have found my way to it.
As to 2022, I’m reminded of this Jackie Mason joke:
They told me, “Cheer up, things could be worse.”
So I cheered up, and things got worse.
Happy Days Are Here Again!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqsT4xnKZPg
I agree, Peter. This glass is more than half full. Rick Millward, Mike and Michael Trigoboff, commenters above, may want to say, "Yeah, but," this is the most hopeful time since, at least, 2009-October 2010. Keep focused on the problems but realize this is a good time for the U.S. When "Happy Days Are Here Again" was Roosevelt's theme song, it wasn't that all problems were solved, it was that solving them was possible.
Play the youtube video, watch the pictures and feel yourself smile.
A college classmate posted this on the Substack comment section
That song is what American Robins or Red Cardinals sing at daylight. But as a boy growing up on a farm we were up early to do chores. The local AM radio station KMMJ Grand Island Nebraska began broadcasting at 0600am with the sound of milk hitting the bottom of a tinned bucket as the farmer began milking. I hadn't thought of that pleasant thought in years. Here is an example from India
https://youtu.be/YosHS0UNIQE
Kurt Vonnegut once said,
If you’re going to make up stories, make up stories that make you happy.
Being happy is our privilege.
Er…
Thanks Peter, for this dose of reality.
I, too, appreciate what you do to make this blog enjoyable (content and moderating).
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