The use of Hate as a political pejorative, and as political strategy to perpetuate political ideology, is now very prevalent in the US. I am sure the nasty tone in political discourse has possible historical corollaries and simplified historical equivalences, but these contentious and downright hostile muscular political confrontations, are becoming increasingly difficult to accept as the new criteria for civil political discourse. It is very disgraceful and scary to see and sometimes hear elected members of US congress engage in this hate culture, but becomes frighteningly worst, when these same US congress persons publicly condone actions and implied threatening actions of deranged lunatics in their constituency. What follows is a description of what I term the 'Hatred Mantra' prevalent in our current political climate.
The origins are quite simple for anyone paying attention to the political dynamics in the US. Simply described, the brain trust of the right wing republican operatives, concoct a value system, which they use to classify the electorate [voters] into conforming and non-conforming political ideological blocks. The value system of the right wing conforming ideological block is then expanded to include many of the prevailing dogmatic believe systems, such as, social class distinctions, race and ethnicity demarcations, perceived cultural identity claims, and the most potent classification of all, dogmatic religious believes. The believe system becomes a pseudo-crusade with emotionally charged deity proclamations, which then serve to inflame passions among the electorate. Social issues as Women's Reproductive Rights [Abortion Rights] is a prominent example, because of the connotation attributable to its interpretations firmly rooted in religious fervor. It is frightening to me, to think that the self-proclaimed political conservatives [right wing republicans], willingly accept the imposition of government on these social issues, at same time they profess to not believe in the power of an over bearing government. What a glaring hypocritical contradiction in their value system! Why are the right wing republicans so enthralled by government control of the Civil Liberties of Women in our society? Remember, the moral majority movement of the 1980s, led by Jerry Falwell, and the Christian Fundamentalist, and the present day Evangelicals, the Nationalist proclaimers, the Patriotic and Flag Waving impostors, the ones that claim to love veterans of our wars, but want to deprive same of their earned benefits. These are some of the tenets of the value system of right wing republicans, which is full of dishonest practitioners parading through our political culture, and firmly interspersed within our political infrastructure, sadly to the detriment of the un-informed electorate [voters] and the nation at large.
Out of the right wing republicans' value system, evolves the de-valuation system [demonization and delegitimization] used to characterize people whose believes and opinions are contrary to right wing intolerance and inflexibility. In particular, people who do not ascribe to the right wing value system, are labelled as not being main-stream, and most times, called Un-American and/or 'different', and are targeted with incessant mantras of Hate and Moral [but religiously acceptable] De-Humanization. The de-valued opposition are further characterized with derogatory labels as: 'Baby Killers' for those who believe in abortion and reproductive rights for women; 'Atheist and anti-Religious' for skeptics of political ideology cloaked in religious dogma; 'Socialists and Communists' connotation for thoughtful democrats and independents who advocate for economic and social fairness. As a classic example, remember in 2009 President Obama reluctantly but correctly bailed-out Wall Street Bankers and the Financial Industry, and managed to avert total depression and collapse of the US economy, but when he [Mr. Obama] introduced prudent financial reforms to mitigate future economic collapse, the right wing republicans labelled Mr. Obama a Socialist and a Wealth Re-Distributer!! Can anyone imagine a socialist intent on bailing out a collapsing capitalist system? A true thoughtless picture to consider. .... incredible!!
Once the de-legitimization [demonization] processes take hold, either by the constant repetition by right wing republican media advocates and pundits, and further picked up and propagated by the non-critical but trend-following main stream media, then any proposals and/or ridiculous claims made to fit the right wing value system, become acceptable to the loud right wing republican minority and their media pundits. Furthermore, the lack of concerted, organized and credible opposition from timid liberals and sensible but apathetic independents and libertarians, allow the right wing republicans' hatred mantras to take hold, and appear as the prevailing doctoring for perpetual social debate and conflict. In so doing, the cherished tradition of healthy political debates descend into colorful expression of moral superiority and the dubious justifiable expression of hatred towards opponents. Why is this phenomenon not obvious to the electorate [voters]?
I am fascinated by these same right wing republicans coming up with excuses to exempt their own closeted hypocrites when such actions they purport to hate, tend to be what their private lives have long been defined by. The morally professed evangelicals, claim to hate homosexuals, [and homosexual life-style, whatever that means] as the curse for the demise of our moral and religiously righteous society, and vehemently utilize inhumane treatment and campaigns to persecute such persons, until, lo and behold, the popular and charismatic evangelicals like Ted Haggard and Eddie Long; and prominent politicians, like Former Sen. Larry Craig and Congressman Mark Foley, get exposed for who they really are, then hating these self-righteous hypocrites, as would have been expected from the inflexible right wing value system, become turned into a religious experience, cloaked in the flexible concept of forgiveness and redemption for sinners, and the loud-mouthed pundits become muted. Remember, the right wing republicans never seem to have such religious compassion for their opponents!!
Why do the right wing republicans and their supportive media pundits resort to inciting the passions of the electorate with the Hatred Mantra? Because it is simple and targeted messaging, which allows the accepting and conforming electorate:
- To hang their disappointments, personal failures, unfulfilled aspirations and diminished expectations.
- To doggedly and contemptuously assign blame to others for their own miserable conditions;
- To effortlessly and without thought, discover the perceived culprits of their own current state of perceived demise.
- To embolden the first time un-employed to be convinced ethnic minorities and new immigrants, the easy targets of hate, are the reason for their joblessness, without acknowledging their own short comings.
- To embolden families losing their homes, in blaming ethnic minorities who, although are also losing their homes, are labelled as the 'dead-beats' responsible for the foreclosure crisis.
- To treat other citizens with opposing political views as un-american and not worthy of respect and support.
The reader, should not forget the caricature the right wing republicans have been allowed to create to represent the US President, Mr. Barack Obama. In my humble opinion, Mr. Obama is what I consider, the true realization and personal embodiment of what makes United States of America, exceptional!!
Based on 2010 congressional election results, it seems the 'Hatred Mantra' as a political tactic succeeded for the Right Wing and Tea Party Republicans. Arguably, the apathy and complacency of the liberals, progressives, democrats and young voters deserve most of credit, but that will be a topic for a subsequent blog. My question is, what will be the new political and/or social mantric tactic from the progressive political movements, as a counter perspective to compete with the hatred mantra of the right wing republicans? May be: 'Hope Mantra', 'Unity Mantra', 'Inclusion Mantra', 'Service Mantra', 'Aspiration Mantra', 'Bright Future Mantra', 'Achievement Mantra'... What is the shelf life of the 'Hatred Mantra', I ask the political progressives..?
My food for thought: The use of political ideology and perceived moral and religious believe contrasts as tools for the de-valuation and demonization of human life, constitute some of the pre-requisites and/or principal components in the formulation [operational planning], justification and subsequent perpetration of deadly conflicts [wars] between seemingly not dissimilar factions of society [most times, nations], and some of the instruments of justification for such conflicts, are firmly rooted in political ideology cloaked in religious fervor and apocalyptic imagery of the economic state of affairs, perceived as thrusted upon us by the targeted 'others' usually termed the non-believers and different, and fit perfectly in a 'Hatred Mantra' tuxedo!! ... Never forget that....!!!
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