The Five Stages of Leftism

                                                               When No Means Yes

1. Denial

I don't believe it.  This can't be real.  I just spoke with/saw him/her/they/it and he/she/they/it looked so good. The doctors, and doctorates, were optimistic.  He/she/it/they promised.  Ignore the papers, ignore the press.  Put cotton in your ears.  Don't say another word, I'm not listening.

2. Anger 

Son-of-a-bitch.  Bastard.  Fuck me.  How could he/she/they/it do something like that?  Traitor(s). Coward(s).  It's all the fault of those damn ________ (fill in the blank: possible choices-- bankers, Stalinists, Stalinists and bankers, Trotskyists, anarchists, black bloc, PhDs, professors, Americans, Germans, German-Americans, German-American Stalinist PhD banker professors).

3. Bargaining

Look, slow down.  Maybe it isn't all that bad. OK, we agree to the terms, the banks reopen, the money returns, we get some debt reduction, then maybe the economy recovers, and when it recovers we push through certain legislation to modify the program.

4.  Depression

Jesus, this is just terrible.  And so sudden.  You know what, I give up.  I just give up.  I can't even get interested in movies any longer.  We worked so hard. We had so much going for us.  All that effort.  That big turnout.  That humungous vote. I just don't know if I have it in me to go on any longer.  I'm going back to school.  I'm going back to teaching.  I'm going back to on-line gambling.

5.  Acceptance

Yes, it's bad.  Yes it hurts.  What can you do?  We fought the good fight.  So we lost. These things happen.  We were never really that strong.  Things just didn't work out, this time.  But look, life goes on.  There's my family and my friends, and my teaching.  And on-line gambling.  And we'll be wiser for the experience.  We won't make the same mistakes again. There will be other opportunities in the future, and we'll do it right.  Look how popular Podemos is in Spain.  I feel better already. Spain, that's the ticket.   Yeah, in a couple of weeks, I'll be ready to get right back into it and start stumping for Podemos.  Hit me, dealer. Blackjack!!


July 9, 2015