Say What?

     Something “out there” is seriously wrong. You know it; I know it. But is it a unitary thing, or merely the sum of all the little things that currently bedevil us? It can be hard to tell.

     I can’t shake the sense that there’s a monster lurking in the shadows, peering now and then around trees and the corners of buildings. If you’re quick enough, you can catch a glimpse of it before it pulls its head in. Yet that glimpse doesn’t reveal it to be anything monstrous-looking. Rather, it appears somewhat banal. Nothing to write home about. Certainly not an apex predator with us on its menu.

     Who was it that said that the banality of evil is among its greatest assets? I think he had something there.

     Yes, something specific did touch off this rant. Here it is:

     Just when you think the elites can’t possibly get any more out of touch, they do. One year after the Grand Poobahs of the Wall Street Journal told us to save money by skipping breakfast, the CEO of Kellogg’s tells us to eat cereal for dinner. While the muttonheads at the White House tell us the economy is strong, the moneyed class gives us helpful, money-saving tips in these difficult economic times.

     […]

     Here are the full details from the Post Millennial:

     “The cereal category has always been quite affordable, and it tends to be a great destination when consumers are under pressure,” [Kellogg’s CEO Gary] Pilnick said. “We gotta reach the consumer where we are, so we’re advertising about cereal for dinner.”

     “When you think about the cost of cereal for a family versus what they would otherwise do,” he added, “that’s gonna be much more affordable.”

     That stunned me so effectively that I was unable to speak or move for more than a minute. Even now, more than an hour after encountering it, I still find it difficult to believe that Pilnick was fully conscious of what he was saying.

     I’ve suspected for some time that the destruction of America’s social, economic, and political achievements has somehow been centrally planned and executed. A statement such as Pilnick’s helps to fuel that suspicion. “Accept and adjust to the decline in your fortunes, citizen. It’s not going to be reversed any time soon…if ever.”

     When the “messaging” takes on this coloration, it becomes impossible to believe that it’s not all being centrally orchestrated. Watch the talking heads. If they try to downplay Pilnick’s comment and slide it into the memory hole, we’ll know that it was an unplanned, premature disclosure. Alternately, if we hear more such get-used-to-poverty messages, we’ll know that the Establishment is confident that it’s well protected against our displeasure and is ready to proceed to the final stage of our subjugation.

     Happy Leap Day, by the way. Get your leap in early to beat the rush.