In the presidential debates, there are a variety of candidates and many, many more opinions about them. One candidate is using a term “blowback” which it seems many of the other candidates, lots of talking heads and individuals just do not seem to understand. Due to this misunderstanding, some describe the candidate Ron Paul as a nutjob.
I’m a skeptic of anything said online and especially on the TV. Instead, I like to get my info straight from the source and dig into it for greater understanding. Before passing judgment on a candidate, do so being informed of their stances on issues and check for consistency in their statements and voting record. Whether or not you like Dr. Paul’s stance on issues, he is remarkably consistent. But what is a “blowback”?
Roughly you can define a “blowback” to mean an unintended result of an action taken with a specific result in mind normally controlling some other person, country or entity. Often, the unintended result is due to a lack of understanding of the situation, culture, or ignorance and arrogance resulting in a cause-effect scenario with the instigator getting more than they expected. Do these ever happen? In daily individual life, they happen a lot. I shall present a few examples.
Cause: A bully decided he was annoyed with my brother in Jr. High and decided to beat up my brother who was decidedly smaller than him. Additionally, due to his parents’ stature in the community the bully thought he could do as he wished.
Reality: Too provide my ADHD brother with control and focus, my parents provided him with lessons in Tae Kwon Do. He became attained the brown belt status.
Unintended ‘blowback’ result: The bully received a broken collar bone, suspended for 3 days, and got a royal lecture from his father.
Cause: My sister married into a rather controlling set of in-laws. The mother-in-law and sister-in-law would continually tell her how to be a parent, how to clean, what job she had to get, how long she would have to work, how to treat their son, etc. (He sat around the house barking out orders.)
Reality: My sister has a short fuse and is quick to fight verbally and other nasty non-physical ways. When she starts, she will not relent until years after the individual has retreated.
Unintended ‘blowback’ result: Family feud. It is my sister versus his family in a fight to the finish. Their marriage is in financial ruin and a divorce looming on the horizon.
Cause: A husband makes what he thinks is a funny albeit sarcastic joke.
Reality: His wife is 1 day removed from the start of her period.
Unintended ‘blowback’ result: He grabs a blanket and pillow as he’s sleeping on the couch for a week.
But does this ever happen in history? Are there any examples at all of blowback in real history on a large scale? Yes. History is replete with numerous examples but I shall give one most are familiar with.
Cause: A vast kingdom ruled from a distant nation has colonies on numerous continents and exerts military control as well as taxation, religious controls, and attempts to control daily life.
Reality: The populace in these colonies becomes increasingly agitated with the controls as many moved there to escape the control.
Unintended ‘blowback’ result: A document called the Declaration of Independence was created and the American Revolutionary War began. Eventually, the British Empire crumbled.
Are ‘blowbacks’ real? They definitely are.
Can the decisions of American Presidents and Congress create ‘blowbacks’? Of course, it would be arrogant and ignorant to think otherwise. How much have they gotten right versus gotten wrong?
Is there validity to Dr. Paul’s blowback claims? From a neutral standpoint, it is highly probable.
We have 2 ears and 2 eyes and only one mouth. Our information input should be 4 times than our verbal output. It is better to shut up, look and listen so you can understand than to blow out hot air and pick a fight. Blowhards get blowback.
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