These go to 11

There's a wonderful scene in the mockumentary "This is Spinal Tap" in which Nigel explains the uniqueness of his amps.  Basically, "these go to 11."  While all other amps only go to 10, these all go to 11, making everything "one louder."  The explanation being, that for most people when your guitar is on 10, and your amp is on 10, and you just need a little something more, where can you go?  And the answer is "nowhere!"  But these amps are special, because they go to 11.   When everything is maxed out and they need that "extra push over the cliff," they simply go to 11.  But then, when confronted by the comment, "why not make 10 louder and make that the top number?" the answer that Nigel gives is...  "these go to 11."

I quote this because it is this type of speaking without reasoning that has infected so much of our lives these days.  Answering simple questions is not that simple anymore if that question involves thinking beyond the immediate impression.  In the arts it's akin to accepting everything as profound because someone has said that it is profound.  In the trades it's that the job has been done correctly because we followed the steps, regardless of the acceptability of the outcome.  And what about politics?  In this 2024 election season I'm supposed to believe that Harris will solve all the economic and geo-political challenges if she can win the office - regardless of the fact that she is already in office?!  Or that Trump will now destroy democracy as we know it - really?  (And, by the way, it's a "republic," not a "democracy").

Yes, Harris can exude "joyful" vibes - and can make socialist dogma sound like neighborly niceness; and Trump has the smallest vocabulary of any leader, resorting to personal attacks and statements like "very, very bad."  But when will we begin to look past the veneer of the cabinet and realize that the Marshall amp has a defined decibel output regardless of what numbers we paint on the knobs!  You choose an amplifier because of its quality and sound signature, not because of some painted-on numbers; and you choose a candidate because of his or her record and ability to execute, not because of "vibes" or "verbs."   Both Harris and Trump have a full term of history behind them that cleanly illustrate their policies and governing effectiveness. 

So, as I reflect back on one of the funniest films ever made, and forward to what will certainly be one of the most highly contested and divisive races in presidential history, I truly hope we can cast our vote based upon the objective record of policy and governing, and not just vote for the one who in our mind goes to 11.