The Problem With Purple

The Problem With Purple

Went to an Alison Krauss concert in Boise, Idaho, last night with my sister, Judi, and her husband, Glen.

The place was packed with friendly people out to hear old-time blues, country, and a touch of hillbilly.

Idaho is a pretty Red state, but in Boise, it’s turning a bit purple, but still on the more red spectrum.

When Krauss came out to play, her encore was a mix of her latest hits and old-time gospel.

The crowd went nuts.

That got me thinking about the color purple.

The world is not black and white but red and blue.

People are moving to states based on where the majority aligns politically and socially.

A perfect world would be a fairly equal mix.

But right now,  blue seems to be turning purple and heading quickly to blood red.

Oregon, my home state, used to be more purple.

When I was a kid, it was fire-engine red.

People could disagree, but put that aside at the neighborhood barbecue 🍖

Oregonians truly believed in Independence, not dependence on party identity.

Boy, has that changed.

As a former journalist, I watched the change happen over decades of apathy on the part of the Reds and cheating on the part of the Blues.

It was a slow dumbing down, a numbing at first, but the messaging quickly turned from common sense and what’s good for all to virtue signaling and getting your way.

The problem with purple is that for the blue hue folks, purple is never good enough.

They seem hell bent on winning no matter what the cost.

Oregon voted more red in the last election than it has in decades.

The Reds learned that if you give an inch, the Blues take a mile.

In other words, to compromise with the blue means allowing them to win; there seems to be no middle ground or room for compromise.

I live in Montana now and see the subtle manipulation of outsiders weaseling their way into the fabric of what was once common sense.

It starts with little things.

Once those are conquered, they graduate to the things that hold society together.

I hear cries for more purple, but when compromise equals crossing lines of right and wrong, where do we draw the line?

I’m watching as Obama and his alleged involvement in taking power from the people through manipulation are surfacing.

Perhaps a cleansing?

The reason this is so important is, if we don’t call out wrong, wrong can be perceived as right.

Welcome to the current state of our United States.

I’d like to see more purple, but I believe lack of trust will push more blue to red before purple can be considered a real choice.

The sleeping giant has awakened.

But Blue, you did this to yourself.

You pushed too far, too hard, and for too long.

The rubber band broke when you went woke, and we woke up.

Putting Pandora back in her box probably won’t happen.

Pendulums swing, and this one appears to be headed past purple and far into the red.

People and their ideologies make their beds and must sleep in the mess they make.

Republicans do it, Democrats do it, and Independents do it.

When you pull the wool over people’s eyes and they wake up.

This time, they see red, and the only blues that will be heard are the songs sung by those who didn’t listen, took control, and lost control through arrogance.