Heil Hitler

Last week, I went to Norton Simon Museum to watch the silent film Metropolis by Austrian filmmaker Fritz Lang, which was made in 1927 and depicts the future in 2026.

A friend suggested that I blog about its political attributes, but I had to decline because of the work I had.

Yesterday, I visited LACMA and took some photographs of the Dining with the Sultan exhibition. However, it was the Metropolis II exhibit that caught my attention.

Although it wasn't related to the film, it showed a buzzing mini-city like Los Angeles engulfed with traffic and congestion. The name brought to mind the film since it was next to the World War I gallery.

Reflecting on our current ideology of militarism, I couldn't help but think about how so many people embraced the idea of fighting for the homeland during World War I.

We may not have people waiting in line to enlist, but we certainly have those who hold a combative spirit and believe that by controlling the masses, we can produce a patriotic ideology.

Unfortunately, more people don't know history.

Germany, too, had inflation in the early 1920s, and its situation was volatile. Conditions gradually improved, but with the stock market crash, ensuing worldwide economic depression, unemployment, instability, and street violence ensued, culminating in the rise of the Nazi party.

This sounds familiar, doesn't it?

As Americans prepare for another election, they face the reality that neither of the two major parties is producing candidates that voters want.

Joe Biden and Donald Trump are set to run again, even though the majority of voters don't like them.

Many Americans now identify as independent, rather than aligning with either party.

We've seen this trend in every election since 2016, if not before.

It's the rise of an increasingly frustrated, impatient electorate dominated by independent voters unhappy with both political parties and their potential presidential choices.

When political parties nominate unpopular candidates, it opens the door for non-party-affiliated candidacies that pitch the prospect of a more centrist, independent ticket that neither party wants.

We are faced with growing dissatisfaction from a sizable portion of the electorate that has become increasingly upset with what they see as the country's two major parties ignoring their concerns and continuing to nominate presidential candidates they neither like nor want.

It's time for the two-party nominating process to change. It's not enough to simply offer up unpopular candidates and expect voters to fall in line.

The rise of independent voters shows that people are fed up with the current system. They want candidates who represent them and their values.

The failure of both parties to deliver on this is leading to growing dissatisfaction and disillusionment.

It's time to acknowledge that the system is broken and needs to change. We need to create space for third-party candidates to step up to the plate.

The current situation is not sustainable and could even end in the demise of democracy. Let's not settle for "lesser of two evils" choices.

Someone will win the presidency, but will they have a mandate or even the ability to govern with an electorate this disillusioned effectively?

Maybe the real threat to democracy is the unwillingness of the two parties to acknowledge a broken system that leaves too many voters without "good choices," which might end democracy by a Dictator who abolishes our Supreme Court and robs us of our civil liberties.   

We need to rebel and create a more representative democracy.

This music selection isn’t related to the post but represents artistic expression, currently an intermingle of freedom we still have.

What do you think we should do to solve the dilemma we face? All comments are appreciated as long as they remain respectful.