September 26, 2016

A little less conversation, a little more action

editor:	Gurmeet Singh

The superbowl of politics will kick off today, with the first of three debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, expected to generate as many as 100 million viewers in the US alone. No doubt, globally, a significant portion of the world's population will also tune in or stream to find out whether it will be a woman's hands, or a man's tiny hands on the nuclear button.

It's a big deal. For sure it's a big deal. But it also demonstrates the wastefulness of our modern political climate - where talk fills the vacuum where action could be. Instead of a legitimate, thoroughly well-thought through plan in response to the refugee crisis, we have Francois Hollande calling for the Calais camps' full demolition. Instead of a public discussion about what role the Spanish people can have in shaping their own destiny, we have yet another roadblock. In Syria - well, Syria...

I can't remember a year that was more full of hot air than this one. Probably because this year has been more full of consequential events than recent ones, but also because this year has been an Olympic year for elections. We're either getting over one here, in the throes of one there, or preparing for them next year. Politicians often sound feeble and not up to the monumental tasks before them (I have sympathy for the latter), but I think there is something deeply troubling about a world that goes on babbling but does little to help those in need. I'm of course including myself as one of the babblers. Talking online is just talking too.

We can hope that the do-ers get more space in time, and the talkers less. Maybe Donald Trump will finally get off the scene tonight, the sound of America talking itself into oblivion.