It's been awhile since I have posted anything on this blog, primarily because work and school got to pile up on me (secondarily, because I've been lazy). There have been plenty of issues to cover, and just not enough energy or time to do so.
Today, however, a friend of mine from many years ago posted on my Facebook wall that he was "officially de-friending" me for my repeated bashing of the GOP. My opinions, he said, were more out of touch with reality than those against whom I rail, and that if I was going to express my opinion in a public forum, I should do so in a more mature way.
My initial response to this was, and still is, to say, "Peace the fuck out!"
My secondary response, however, is to take what he said and put it into context, both for myself and for others.
If it seems that my approach to critiquing the GOP is harsh, I cannot apologize for that. For much of the past decade, I have lived in areas of the country where the GOP has a chokehold on the political agenda and discourse (AKA - the South). I have seen firsthand what can happen when Conservative policies are put into action - a continued tradition of poverty, discrimination, and literal sickness.
I wasn't always politically active. At one time, I was content to sit on the sidelines and watch the GOP rip itself asunder. However, living in areas that could have very easily become thriving towns and cities if not for being run by Conservative ideologues has convinced me that allowing them to do themselves in ultimately ends up hurting everyone.
There's a large part of me that wants to say, "Just let 'em have it, and watch how fast this place burns to the ground!"
Realistically, this won't ever occur. There are enough people dedicated to the roach-like survival of this nation that something could be saved from the ashes of a Conservative government. Too many people still care to let that happen.
To be fair, it isn't just Conservatism that kills nations - it's overindulgence in any one political ideology that leads to downfall. When governance skews too far in any one direction, the needs of all people are not being met; just the needs of those who ascribe to that political ideology.
My biggest issue with American politics is that we have been forcefully skewed so far to the right that ideas that were at one time common sense, centrist approaches to governance are now considered to be Liberal. The GOP establishment consistently abuses Framing Theory, presenting their policies and positions in ways that are designed to frighten people out of making rational decisions.
Case in point:
Doubts About Obama's Faith
Here we have a classic example of how the GOP uses "fear of the Other" to confuse, misinform, and manipulate its base. In this case, the "other" is a "Muslim." This type of argument has been used by Conservatives time and again to strike fear into the hearts of their base. Kennedy was a Catholic, which meant that he would be taking orders from the Pope; Romney is a Mormon, which is a creepy cult with a lot of money hellbent on converting people to their caffein-free existence.
There is a convenient cross section between people who think Obama is a Muslim and those who believe only Christians should hold office and that laws and policies should be based upon the Bible. I don't want to say that people who believe this are easily led down the pathway to hell, but their "good intentions" certain seem determined to do so.
Fear of "the other" is frequently used in politics to ensure that one party or another remains in power indefinitely, and is a preferred tactic of hard-right/hard-left political regimes. Arguments against change are frequently framed in a way which presents voters/citizens with a doomsday scenario. Take, for example, the Yes on 8 commercials:
"Whether You Like It or Not"
This is a perfectly designed ad used to frighten people into believing that their children are at risk of being indoctrinated to believe something anathema to their own system of beliefs. Arguments crafted in this manner are almost used almost exclusively by Conservative activists.
The irony about arguments like the Yes on 8 ads is that there is no actual threat involved. They very wisely play upon voters' fears that life as we know it will be set on a path to moral destruction if a certain action is taken.
Similar tactics, however, are not as successful in getting the results they want. Arguments for increasing taxes to fund school lunches, for example, rarely result in people voting to raise their taxes. The very real reality that funding for food at schools will be cut unless there is more revenue doesn't hit the same nerve in Conservative voters.
And here is the crux of the issue:
Morality vs. Reality
When a certain politician or policy is framed by opponents as a "moral threat," people tend to react in a more visceral way. Convincing them that their very way of life is at risk of being unalterably destroyed, they are more apt to vote against that person or policy. Once that seed has been sown, little, if anything, can be done to rectify the situation.
Over the past thirty years, our nation's political spectrum has been pulled so far to the right that every policy and position has been framed as a moral issue. Conservatives are no longer able to approach issues rationally because every issue becomes forcibly charged with a moral argument. Reality never plays a role in these arguments.
Healthcare reform - "They're going to ration healthcare and create death panels!!!"
Reality - Insurance companies already ration healthcare based on your ability to pay prices they have artificially inflated.
Wall Street reform - "Small business owners will be driven out of business, and corporations will take over!!!"
Reality - Businesses both large and small have historically prospered and increased their revenues in times of greater financial regulation. Every time we deregulate the financial sector, we see immediate short-term gains followed by devastating long-term economic crashes.
Tax Increases - "Job creators are going to leave the country and we'll be plunged into poverty!!!"
Reality - Job creators are currently paying less in taxes than almost any other time in American history, and yet they still aren't creating jobs equal to the amount of profits they are making.
Environmental Regulation - "We need to drill, now!!! If we don't, we'll end up being held hostage by the Middle East!!!"
Reality - Drilling now will not decrease the price of gasoline, nor will it decrease the price of oil in the long run. Oil is a finite resource, and as our consumption of this finite resource increases alongside our population growth, it will eventually run out. Scarcity increases the value of a resource. Basic economics.
Minimum Wage - "Businesses won't hire people if they have to pay them more money!!!"
Reality - Minimum wage laws were created because business owners were paying near-slave wages for an inordinate amount of work. The current minimum wage does not even net $20,000/year in income if one works a 40-hour work week. It would require three full-time minimum wage jobs just to achieve the average household income in America. Increasing the minimum wage puts money into the hands of those most likely to spend it and recirculate the money back into the economy.
Gay Marriage - "If gays are allowed to marry, people will start marrying animals!!!"
Reality - If you believe this, you are an idiot. There is no nicer way to put it.
Every argument made by Conservative pundits and politicians stems from this "slippery slope" argument - that is the very nature of "Conservatism." The best way to think of it is to quote Professor Dolores Umbridge from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix -
"Progress for progress' sake must be discouraged..."
So, to this person who de-friended me, today, because I choose to publicly fight against those in our political spectrum who have only their own benefit in mind - Peace the Fuck Out!
I still love you, friend, despite our disagreements.
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