Amazing how the fear and loathing machinery works, and all the ready and wiling shills to distribute the end product.
On my tag surfer, I just encountered off the hinge anti Obama reasoning clothed in the appearance of objectivity. This post will be about the emotionally disturbed “reasoning” that comes to revolve around politics, but particularly the right wing with its disrespect for reality and scientific objectivity. There is a psychological reason why ad-hominem emotional “connections” and paranoiac “proofs” proliferate in the right wing blogosphere.
With society broadly reduced to extreme emotional reasoning for direction (ex. cable news coverage of politics), rather than that of long term policy repercussions, do not be surprised to have the candidates both rendered relative to personality types, then evaluated on if they are the type you would like. This opens that subjective preference window, where candidates can be called “aloof”, “old” or some other derogatory intonation, as if that is how to judge a president. Suddenly, were one stands on the profound issues of the day drifts away, and we wonder who is more like daddy, or one we would rather have a beer with. Diversion Accomplished!
THE LURE OF THE DISTURBED FORCE TO THE POLITICAL RUBIKS SUGAR CUBE
I, and about, oh, a million or 10 million others, knew well before hand what this election would boil down to in the end; insecurity, fear and a trust of the coin, instead of profound policy interest. But first let me mention a few things of perspective to create the base of the viewpoint I am arguing for.
On the one hand this presidential election, there will be hope for many of those who feel they have not been heard in America. These are the people who hear politicians tell them over and over, election after election, about change that suggest there is hope to address their intransigent problems. They have heard this for decades.
This season, some of these citizens are quite sure they have someone they can once again trust, and much because of his appearance, and also that some of his beliefs seem to have been correct in the long term. For many, he represents a return to liberalism’s core values of respect and decency for all, regardless of hereditary or other preexisting endowments. Some of us may feel he is quite naive, while others believe a fresh new inclusive approach would serve America best.
It will remain to be seen if these belief’s are correct, as it is for any political individual once into the Chief Executive institutional office. It is good to suggest that some presidents might actually try to represent all the people, and not just their base. Recently this hope has proved to be quite wishful thinking.
WHEN RIGHT IS WRONG
I feel the “conservative” party hardly needs a place check for their candidate, since they will end up actually representing the interest they are bought and paid to do–select groups that feel they are entitled to America (and the world), period, and do not care at all for the rest of us. From the deceptions perpetrated on Iraq, to Katrina, and endless tax breaks for the very rich while infrastructures (social and material) collapse, and the constitution crumbles; these are the history of my proof. They require another candidate to assure their elite base that policies of the oligarchy will continue as usual, selling the taxpayers down the drain, keeping us seduced by fear of one kind or another all along the way.
They need a population under much stress to achieve basic survival goals, and a population beyond the pale of a kind of cognitive dissonance endemic to the entitled. That the US is 5% of the population and uses 25% of energy is off their radar. That big internationalized business is encouraged, in the cancer philosophy of constant expansion, to induce the rest of the planet to follow suit, requires the denial of pollution and other damage to the planetary commons such as global warming.
We all pay for the consequence of the delusions foisted upon us by this blind following the blind fear and insecurity train. The conservative mantra of these types, is to always blame the cautionary messengers, deny the science (hire scientist to impute prevailing theories of cause and effect), and seduce the population to embrace a dominator/materialist philosophy regardless of consequence.
Conservatives always hold someone else responsible first for all problems. They thrive off of traditional violent crime fear, and now terrorism fear. As in the Iraq invasion, fear makes the whole nation susceptible to false claims; shooting first and asking questions later. We no longer have the protection afforded by an independent and free press. We the people, have been intellectually disarmed through manipulations of both theory and fact.
TO DIVIDE THEM IS TO OWN THEM
Generally though, the nation fares much better under “liberal” Democrats, no matter where you stand economically. But if you are trapped in an ideological tangent, or are seduced into one of its whirlpools by wedge issue stimulated insecurities, liberals and liberalism are the Frankensteinian ugly monster lurching everywhere behind the nations woodwork come election time.
Oddly for these, even when their economically elite side has built up a gross economic advantage, and an ideological driven divide and conquer machinery that far surpassed the influence of hodgepodge liberal organizations in effectiveness, these people still always seem to be under siege. Or perhaps more correctly, like the mindset that nurtures fear, suspicion and paranoia by the under siege mentality.
They require the philosophical “threat” presumed intrinsic to liberal institutions, if not real, then at least imagined to be so pervasive. Liberal bi-coastal “elites”, apparently European like “intellectuals” (not like average American folks!), and that all powerful juggernaut known as the Liberal Media, or Main Stream Media. This represents the perpetual whining grounds of right wing ideologues. Again. They need to nurture fear and loathing. If this is achieved by fact or fiction makes little difference. “What works” is what counts in this competition mindset made to order for Rovian burn the bridges cult-think. It is why fact, as well as contrapuntal theories, are demeaned or exiled from the ruling “conservative” ideological fantasy’s world view.
THE NEW SAME OLD SAME OLD
All cultures have the “haves” and varying degrees of the “have not’s”. These days these are mostly economic, but also tribal-ideological-neospiritual. Staus quo power groups have tended to associate, and to some extent mix their goals to bind their privilege and their power to entrenched institutional advantage. Since a free press as well as democratic institutions such as elections require an inherently liberal platform to thrive and be truly realized, they then pose a kind of constant systemic threat to these oligarchical like societal manipulators.
Fortunately for these wealthy and influential power groups, their advantage gives them an ever increasing advantage, and yet they can use the language of freedom and liberty to stealthily hide their own usurpation of freedom and liberty, perhaps the paradox that will kill true democracy. By relativizing the abstractions, they can argue for a bias to their favor in most all aspects of life, then complain endlessly through media institutions and their vast array of status quo conservative interest think tanks and escapist egomaniacs, to fund a constant attack on the rights of the commons.
EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING
The commons is both our earth and all societal relationships. It’s attackers constantly erect walls and barriers in the commons to secure their own advantage over the rest of civilization. They can then declare there is no commons, as if standing against the oneness of the universe itself. To these interest, the liberal institutions of freedom and democracy, those of “We the People”, were an obstacle to deconstruct or render mute in time. As far as a liberal media; the fourth estate was established under free speech protection to be intrinsically liberal in nature. Not just giving the Kings, the Popes, or any other privilege controlling access that would thus stifle descent.
We hardly hear of the issues of the poor or disadvantaged anymore, because the “have” class doesn’t like to hear of it. Mentioning its existence has been called invoking class warfare, as if the truth itself hurts their view. They likely feel guilty, and if not, should, for the contempt for the commons is itself self defeating.
For those who lack health care, for instance, and keep getting antibiotics to treat infections for teeth and whatnot. Those disease resistant bacteria will come back to haunt the rich as well, as their own children might fall terminally ill one day to come. Somehow, the organisms will miss the notions of separation and denial. They will be equal opportunity employers. The ranting Jingoist like ravings over the “nanny state” will come to look like stupidity distilled as each blowback arrives.
The haves can blame the poor as always. Their party will also not be held accountable for all its opposition to basic health care for all as a human right as well. No matter what ideology or contempt for others one erects, what goes around will come around. All things are as one. Creation can not actually be parted out and removed from the cause and effects within the universe.
Not gravity, diseases, nor truth stops short for anyone. However, this fundamental truth will not be discussed much in an escapist corporate for sale media, which is inherently wed to corporate security interest against the average citizen. (Unbelievably short sighted!) But the fear and insecurity endemic to greed and “having it all” is its bread and butter. The populations will, as they are now, be encouraged to ignore the plights of the world, but to instead, look to how you can secure your own private good life. A life of pleasant and comfortable denial and unconscious disadvantage to the soul.
THE ABSTRACT POISON PILL DOES KILL
Just as in the beginning of the Iraq war one could hear from average citizens that they supported it because “They had attacked us!”, now, as on my blog tag surfing, one hears Obama spelled Osama, and much “Hussein” innuendo to blur who is who. But the disingenuously assembled “reason” does not just stop at that. On the right wing faux news TV show, someone commentating suggested it would be good if Osama and Obama were eradicated.
It is frightening to see how disassociated from reality many of the current “conservative” pundits and sycophants are, or are presumed to be by their articles. Unfortunately, I find lots of such corrupted ad-hominen evidence in bloggers who are claiming to be objective. With list “documented” of all the people Obama, or who this person called Osama, allegedly had killed. Someone is seriously suggesting Barack is a serial killer Islamisist, and of course throw in; an accomplice to the 9-11 hijackers in the same piece.
Once one steps off the reality boat, jumping off the plank, the ocean of illusions and fantasy knows no bounds. But the objective of the post is clearly to sow fear and paranoia, since elections can come down to a decision over doubts and trust for many in the end. Then, presumably this year, the hero John McWayne comes in to clear things up and let us get back to shopping and blaming liberals for all of life’s ills. Unbelievably demented, but we must believe the intents of fear mongering and unfounded allegations (including swiftboating tactics) to know the nature of deceptions rampant on the right.
COME FULL CIRCLE TO COMPLETE THE CIRCULAR REASONING MATRIX
We are faced with the imposed dichotomy of the open world view vs the closed. The haves vs the have not’s. Us vs Them. The closed world views of conservatism, in the reactionary fundamental sense of that idea, push away new or contrary evidence to established theory, or assumed fact. This has become the false self centered bastion of materialistic individualism, where freedom is mostly a doing what I want regardless of others or other beliefs.
A basic disconnect towards “others” or strangers, separation identity truncates self awareness and a sense of place in a diverse and changing world. The psychotic like mental aberrations and inbred contempt for critical thinking, seem the staple of some who refuse to recognize their own dependence on all things great and small. The resulting self delusional contempt for others and the commons, is a kind of self loathing spewed out into the world. This in part creates the basis for the delusion that problems are that external worlds fault, while petty or no self evaluation toward objectivity is encouraged or required. Now “scape goats” and “whipping boys” stand in to be blamed for the lack of self honesty and demonic like projections toward target groups of strange or alien others.
What is called cognitive dissonance, is a self balancing phenomenon that helps the individual “live” with her/himself amidst contradictory self perceptions. For some, if acting selfish but with a self image of a caring person, ones own selfishness is denied, yet this “lie”, not being acknowledged, seems to induce one to persecute the “liars” out in the world. One then can seem to be a good and decent person, but be angry over the deceptions others seem to have that are similar.
The so called “sins of the fathers” reproduce themselves until they are resolve with conscious enlightenment. Some spiritual traditions do know this, as do psychological theories. But for politics, some use this phenomenon as a base to garner votes, in effect, attempting to preserve dysfunctional unawareness indefinitely. This denial psychology is a staple of life on the right.
Whether it is division by race, sex, religion, cultural taste etc, we have the fuel put into the ad hominem fire that drives this engine of contempt on the right. That the world of humankind by nature requires inclusion, not exclusion, is not even on their radar. They see only us and them. They do not see that exclusion is both delusional, oppressive and will inevitably produce conflict and destruction. The divisiveness of nurtured fear and paranoia is antithetical to democracy and socially responsible freedom and liberty. Freedom and liberty can only exist truly under responsibilities umbrella.
THE TRUTH OF CONNECTION
I cannot be free or have the liberty, for instance, to fly panes into buildings. That “freedom” embodies an obvious perverse “responsibility”(self sacrifice for?), and was the fodder for a maniacs desire for revenge. It was what evil is; a manifestation of separation and alienation, manipulated and run amok. Yet, responsibility knows no bounds as well. I also must be held accountable for my own pollution, or exploitation of another’s situation to my own benefit. To not understand that responsibility is all inclusive as well, is to be an escapist from ones true self and your full and whole nature here in Life.
Liberalism is by definition “open ended” for a reason; presumably to let in new evidence and new found proven “truths” into the equations of life and living. Of course it is not perfect at this, and exit under unrelenting objection by those who feel only their way is right, so all other ideas must be in error or wrong.
Overall, conservatism is locked down and in, it tends to be dominated by a fear based “circular reasoning”, where the conclusion is proven by the premise, so no new information is required in for the true believers. This is a mind trap of exclusion. The trouble with that, so evidenced in our recent history is; we never know everything, not for absolute certainty. When I say I do, I am telling life, or the new, or the different, no thank you. I am fine as I am. You keep out of me. And that my fellow Americans is a delusion, because all things are both interconnected and interrelated. To not acknowledge that, and the mandates and responsibilities it entails; like the “Golden Rule” or the Categorical Imperative, is to slap Life, Reality, or is it all God, right in the Face.
RACHEL MADDOW
Somebody, please, give Rachel Maddow her own news and commentary show (beside radio). Get with the program MSM.
That is all. Just that would move America forward.