I don't make a habit of dwelling on the death of individuals who did harm, but today for #OnlySky I have a meditation on how we process the death of prominent figures who did harm in their lives.
In this case, the "Joe" in question didn't actually represent the "average" US citizen well, but his fame came from a system that rewards people building a legacy on sowing division.
How do we move with greater dignity through the mess they leave behind?
#Humanism #Politics
https://onlysky.media/mclark/on-the-death-of-an-average-joe/
@MLClark I remember "Joe the Plumber" all too well. He's an early example of how today's Republican Party stumbled into outrage politics, creating a faux avatar to incense blue-collar voters.
A more modern example is Kyle Rittenhouse. He went to Wisconsin looking to hunt protestors. Fox News and the GOP turned him into an avatar for the gun-nut movement.
Trump, of course, is the prime example. The cult follows him because he's an avatar for their frustrations, real or imagined.
@MLClark Joe the Plumber came up recently in my book research ... John McCain did a rally here on October 17, 2008. McCain kept invoking "Joe the Plumber" at the rally. That day, the Miami Herald ran this article exposing Joe the "Plumber" as not really a plumber.
