Mother of fourteen perfect mirror of national delusions

clipped from today.msnbc.msn.com “People feel, you know, this woman is being completely irresponsible and selfish to bring these children in the world without a clear source of income and enough help to raise them,” Curry told Nadya Suleman in a segment that aired Friday on TODAY. “The world outside is saying, ‘What are you doing?’ ” “I know I'll be able to afford them when I'm done with my schooling,” the 33-year-old single mom replied. Calm, poised and articulate in the glare of the media spotlight, Suleman added: “If I was just sitting down watching TV and not being as determined as I am to succeed and provide a better future for my children, I believe that would be considered, to a certain degree, selfish.”

Have you actually watched the interview with this woman? She is USAmerican delusion condensed into a single human form --- thinking that if she just "believes" enough and "applies" herself enough that she can manage to support FOURTEEN children on ONE income --- at exactly the same time that the US economy has decided to sublimate.

Synchronicity is amazing, isn't it? At exactly the same time that our unsustainable national delusions (e.g., shop your way to savings) have begun to collapse around (and on top) of us, we see in the mirror of our national consciousness a single person who embodies the profligacy and thoughtlessness of the herd.

What particularly irks me is that, instead of using inadvertent public figures like her as a mirror for the national unconscious, we pillory them and pat ourselves on the back for how much better we are.

Folks, if you supported Bush's policies of the last eight years or persist in the belief that permanent growth is beneficial, or even possible, then you are little different from Ms. Suleman in fundamental matters. Reality is reality, regardless of what we believe or wish to be true. One cannot spend one's way to savings, cut taxes while increasing spending, or regard having fourteen children as a "risk" one has to take to follow one's dreams.

Her mental illness is our culture.