A “PLATITUDE” is a very funny creature. It sounds like a very normal animal, but up close and personal, there is more to behold. If you simply just glance at it, you may miss some of its unusual aspects. What is its purpose? Are there secrets about its presence that need to be exposed? Can it be dangerous if not revealed for what it is? These are all legitimate things that must be dealt with when confronting any “PLATITUDE”.
So, we again ask the question found under the short video clip above. Is what is depicted a “PLATITUDE”? What is shown above may “sound” like a “PLATITUDE”, and everything we mentioned in the paragraph above certainly applies, but that creature is NOT a “PLATITUDE”. The video clip above depicts a PLATYPUS, not a “PLATITUDE”. We had better define both so that there will be no confusion, and so that we can fully explain why we have titled our blog, “PLATITUDES”.
PLATYPUS: “The platypus . . . is one of the most unusual creatures in the animal kingdom. The platypus has a paddle-shaped tail, like a beaver; a sleek fury body like an otter; and a flat bill and webbed feet, like a duck.” “Males have a spur, connected to a venom-secreting gland, on each hind foot.” “The venom is not life-threatening to humans, but it can cause severe swelling and excruciating pain.” Adults range from 14.5 to 24.8 inches in length and can weigh from 1.3 to 6.6 pounds. “Platypuses live in Australia”. “They can stay underwater for only 30 to 140 seconds . . .” “Platypuses are carnivorous.” Females lay eggs which hatch after about 10 days and the offspring are bean sized. (livescience.com.)
“PLATITUDES”: “a remark or statement that may be true but is boring and has no meaning because it has been said so many times before.” (dictionary.cambridge.org.) “1. A trite or banal remark or statement, especially one expressed as if it were original or significant. 2. Lack of originality; triteness. 3. The quality or state of being flat, thin, or insipid; flat commonness; triteness; staleness of ideas of language.” (wordnik.com.)
As legal voters in our Nation, we take great offence at those who claim broad and bold statements during campaigns without providing details which could make the claim become reality. For example, “MAGA” means nothing in and of itself without laying out the processes, methods, plans or procedures to be used to achieve the Greatness espoused. Likewise, “Saving Our Democracy”, also means nothing without first laying out what is failing in our Democracy and then producing the processes, methods, plans or procedures to be used to achieve the Salvation desired. Standing at a podium in front of thousands of cheering sycophants, fawning parasites, and saying things like, “I’m going to lower your food prices and rents”, or “I will lower your taxes”, and then not provide the pathways forward to achieve either statement, is an empty promise, voiding the speaker’s pronouncements. Unfortunately, many cheering fans love the goal without knowing the plan.
It’s too easy for a candidate, for any office, to make a grand promise in order to sway voters to win the election. We remember years ago a radio talk show host talked about a personal experience, the subject matter now or the point he was trying to make currently illudes us, but his story helps to lend credence to our blog today. He stated he was a student running for an elementary or high school office against a girl who promised everyone a trip to Disneyland if she was voted into the office. Well, she won the election, but do you think everyone enjoyed their trip to Disneyland. Nope. They got no trip to Disneyland for their votes. It’s too easy to make promises. It’s harder to fulfill commitments. “PLATITUDES” are nothing without nuance. You need the roadmap, the way forward, the details, the refinement, and without any supporting information, you might as well just believe you’ll be getting a free trip to Disneyland. And that ain’t going to happen.
To bring “PLATITUDES” into reality, the candidate must back it up with substance, laying out the problem, then showing the plans forward to solve the problem. For example, knowing that illegal aliens are flowing nearly unimpeded across our Nation’s southern border and bringing deadly opioids and sex trafficking with them, by simply saying, “I will solve that problem” means absolutely nothing. Declaring your plan to solve that problem by building a wall, increasing border security and staffing, and arresting and expelling border and law violators, and drug and sex smugglers, adds the substance to the “PLATITUDE” making it worthy of consideration.
Our FREEDOM and LIBERTY in our Nation are at stake. We can no longer allow our politicians and candidates to throw baseless “PLATITUTES” at us willy-nilly. Citizens of our Nation deserve facts and legitimate policies and procedures to solve our problems. Hold these people accountable to their “PLATITUDES”. If you do not, and if they fail to produce, then they are nothing more than a silly looking mammal with a beaver’s tail, an otter’s furry body, a duck’s bill and feet, and has a potential sting that can cause us extreme pain. To liken some candidates to the creature we showed at the beginning of this blog is a dis-service and demeaning to the very special PLATYPUS.