The Magoo Effect
“Oh, Magoo, You’ve Done It Again!”
The Magoo Phenom
The Magoo Phenom is not limited to the MAGA movement; it provides equal-opportunity short-sighted leadership to those not prepared for its arrival. We’ve all watched Mr. Magoo’s wacky travels in his Baker electric car as he mistakes mops for ladies with a, “Pardon me, madam.” Not so funny is how entire political and business organizations can be captured and Magoo centric around leaders displaying the Magoo Effect.
Rather than complain about the MAGA party in power, of which my cartoon says enough, let me talk about the Democrats. No, I’ll not say, “It’s Biden’s fault.” It is fair to ask why a Democrat President did not step down and install the nation’s first woman President, allowing her to run for office as an incumbent? The cabinet and party bosses riding in the back still whooped and hollered his praises as the Baker electric drove right off the electoral cliff. We could have been looking at a different U.S. right now, one built on fairness and equity.
“That’s not fair, Jim. We were draining the swamp. We Democrats have to follow the party machine!”
That is true. Riding in the bed of the party’s bandwagon ensures zero cooperation with those political friends across the aisle whose contrarian vision is necessary to correct the established party’s myopia. The enemy among us is the belief that the minority party is my mortal enemy. That “mortal enemy” may be the only one warning you that you are asking a mop to the ball.
Now, let me stop preaching and go to meddling. I could pick on evangelicals who sold their political soul to the devil in exchange for the Thirty Pieces of Silver Abortion Ban. As I’ve posted elsewhere, The Right to Life Movement is the favorite charity of the rich, as they force the poor to pay for their own poverty. No, I won’t dwell further on the conservatives here. I will tell about Magoo Church Leadership in The United Methodist Church, of which I am a member.
There was once a mega-Methodist church in Red Belt County, USA. Its staff of twenty-five people served it’s congregation of 8,000. The church decided not to separate from the United Methodists over the same-sex marriage issue, rather it held to the historic Methodist teachings. Then the Bishop knocked on the door of the office and explained, while the church held to historic Methodist teachings, “The church can’t leave now and must embrace same-sex marriage.” The well-intentioned Bishop, with his vision fogged regarding how many churches have departed Methodists, drove his Baker electric right down the wrong way of a one-way Interstate of this conservative congregation. Those around the Bishop may or may not be successful in explaining to the Bishop the meaning of the “Road Ends” signs, considering the conservative judges in that jurisdiction.
“That’s not fair, Jim! Our Bishop is a visionary and preaches that all are welcome!”
True. But the first rule of aerodynamics teaches that in saddling a plane with additional theological cargo one must ask, “Can this plane still fly?”
“Well, if we let that plane get away with this. Where will it end?”
Compromise is the gift of democracy. The strange thing that happens on the road to diversity is that once those freed have powers to enforce their own rules, can fall into the stereotypical pitfall of becoming the new oppressor. “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” can serve us as the a touchstone in the re-creation of society.
The Magoo Effect: America’s recurring habit of electing short-sighted Mr. Magoo leaders, while their cabinets pile into the back seat of a wobbly political contraption and solemnly swear that the fellow at the wheel is a visionary, even as he drives the nation from one disastrous cliffhanger to the next.
– Jim Butler
But the Magoo Effect is not really about age.
New Glasses to Escape Magooism
Escape from Magooism demands that we replace our old glasses with a new prescription of tolerance and cooperation. For example, the biggest threat to the Democrat party… is the Democrat party.
“How could you say that, Jim! We are the party of the people.”
The best thing the Democrats could do right now is to take 25 percent of their party time to build a working relationship with moderate Republicans, Independents, and Libertarians … pledging cross-aisle cooperation.
“How dare you say that! Republicans are the devils who got us here.”
That is exactly the Magoo in your own party speaking. We need those others to warn us we are driving off a draw bridge. This moves beyond listening and giving a token pledge to actually agree to share leadership. And, truthfully, it’s challenging to compromise our position when those in our own backseat are praising our driving and short-sightedness. Within each of us there is a bit of Magoo next to us ready to take the wheel to misguide us, should we abandon ourselves to our own selfish highways applauded by those seeking to profit from the wayward journey.
Recognition of our condition and our need, not for those who only agree with us, but those to care enough to challenge our course, is the beginning of the right path four country and democracy itself. If I could do my ministry over, I would have valued my critics far more than I did, versus seeking to accomplish an agenda over the backs of dissenters. I am reminded of a well respected Risk Manager I worked with in the adjuster world. She represented a large corporation but took the time to have a one-on-one candid discussion with the adjusters handling claim files for her company. No one else in the room—the adjuster and the Risk Manager. If I could go back in time, I would have done that with my church leaders and scheduled one-on-one’s yearly with them. To this day I remember how those meetings communicated, “I respect you” and “I value your opinion.”
Between the Navigational Beacons,
Jim
