June 23, 2026

Hunter S. Thompson

A.K.A.  Dr. Gonzo

Dear Dr. Gonzo

I usually write to our Founding Fathers, keeping them informed about how we are doing with this wonderful experiment they left us and to keep on course going forward.  It may seem strange but after hearing a commercial for a bank, I decided to make an exception. The commercial features a song by the Killers with this line in the song “Are we human or are we Dancer.”  They credit this line to you and your actual quote was:

“We’re raising a generation of dancers, afraid to take one step out of line.”

Your intention was a criticism of societal conformity as well as the loss of individuality where everyone wanted to walk in lock step afraid of being different. It may work for the Rockettes, but choreography doesn’t work in society and especially in politics. This is most evident in our politics on all levels and on all sides of the political spectrum. Politicians today just seem to follow the party line, kick their legs high all at once, and spout the party line, almost always using the same exact wording. They have no thoughts of their own. This dancing in lock step has affected the ability to govern for the benefit of “We the People”. It also shows that they lack principles or the ability to reason on their own, relying on others to form their opinions.

This can also be seen in the general population too. Too many people rely on whether their representatives have an R or a D after their name which and go by that party’s line. We need more people who step out of that dance line and really listen to what each individual representative stands for and to see if they do stand alone are principled and most importantly stand for what they also believe.

 If you are a not a dancer it means you are out of step and most likely alone, which isn’t necessarily bad. President John Adams said it best.

“Always stand on principle even if you stand alone.”

Standing alone was something you, Mr. Thompson, were very familiar with. Known for your Gonzo Journalism which blended fact and fiction as well as copious amounts of drugs and alcohol as well as advocating for gun rights, made you stand alone.

Not walking in lock step and being different requires a certain amount of courage. Courage to go against popular opinions and like you to stand alone and with principles. This is something that most politicians seem to lack. A lack of courage to buck the party and to dance to a different tune to do what is best for their constituents and not for their party or personal gain.  

It is about time that “We the People” go against this trend by our politicians and really take a good look at their records and see if they are really voting for our best interests and find those who will stand on principle regardless of party lines. Maybe we should all stop being dancers and be more human.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Andrew DeMarco

Somers, NY