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robotnik2004) wrote2008-09-04 06:03 pm
Drill, Baby, Drill
I felt a bit nauseous watching the Republican convention last night. I’m very much a give-the-benefit-of-the-doubt kind of guy, so I try to listen to the arguments people make even when they’re made in over-the-top or patronizing ways. Sometimes it’s good to distinguish between the rhetorical devices and the underlying substance. Even people who use manipulative language sometimes have an important point beneath their persuasion techniques (ads against smoking, for example).
I usually don’t feel uneasy when I put those filters on, but last night - during the Guiliani speech - I realized I was no longer filtering a speechwriter’s intentional manipulation; I was trying to look beyond real hate. These folks were gritting their teeth, shaking their fists, and smiling the way gladiators do when going into combat against barbarians. And this is the incumbent party. The ones currently in power.
What is it they hate? Guiliani and Palin both made it pretty clear: community organizing. Community organizing is energized from below. From the periphery. It is the direction and facilitation of mass energy towards productive and cooperative ends. It is about replacing conflict with collaboration. It is the opposite of war; it is peace.
Last night, the Republican Convention made it clear they prefer war. They see the world as a dangerous and terrible place. Like the fascist leaders satirized in Starship Troopers, they say they believe it is better to be on the offensive, taking the war to the people who might wish us harm than playing defense. It is better to be an international aggressor - a bulldog with lipstick - than led by the misguided notion that attacking people itself makes the world a more dangerous place.
In their attack on community organizing - a word combination they pretended they didn’t know what it meant - Giuliani and Palin revealed their refusal to acknowledge the kinds of bottom-up processes through which our society was built, and through which local communities can begin to assert some authority over their schools, environments, and economies. Without organized communities, you don’t get the reduction in centralized government the Republicans pretend to be arguing for. In their view, community organizing as, at best, equivalent to disruptive and unpredictable Al Qaeda activity.
But it actually goes deeper than this. Consider how Republicans have so far justified their choice of candidate: he is a “great man.” That America needs a “hero” in the White House to lead us in continued preemptive strikes against Bin Laden in Iraq (I know Bin Laden is not in Iraq, but Giuliani clearly implied he was). Only a leader with McCain’s war record and paternal qualifications can help Americans muster and maintain the tenacity necessary to “drill baby drill,” (even though this will have no influence on oil price or supply) and generate the requisite hate to “kill baby, kill.” As I explained in Coercion, having a parent figure on whom to transfer authority allows people to regress to a more childlike state. This not only allows them to feel safe; if gives them the freedom to express their rage. Make no mistake - that’s what we’re witnessing. And this rage - not America - is the greatest threat to humanity’s long-term chances for survival.
Republican party representatives are proud today that their convention has finally produced the “same level of energy and enthusiasm” as the DNC’s last week. And while it may have produced the same level of excitement, the excitement was of a very different character. It’s much easier to get people riled up but inviting them to hate a man - particularly one who they haven’t been allowed to hate for traditional reasons. Giuliani’s job - much like his job as mayor of NYC - was to give the Republicans in attendance permission to hate Obama and the potentially intelligent society he represents. It’s not about city vs. country or educated vs. military. It’s about thought vs. violence.
no subject
I've been referring to last night as "a Nuremberg rally for slack-jawed troglodytes." It was areal epiphany. I hope it proves to be a McCarthy-esque "Have you no shame?" moment for this country.
Somehow, I doubt it.
no subject
Enjoy yourself in Canada.
The Least-Greatest American Hero
I think it's a pretty relevant quote, despite the fact Lucas lifted it from Buddha. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Noble_Truths
These guys are _suffering_. They wish it was the '80s again. Reagan won partly because he came off as everyone's Grandpa. Also when he did that GE TV thing, he'd show Americans a fridge _full_ of food. He was a better actor than Carter, who was a better actor than Ford [acting is useful in debates, though the recession and hostage crisis was burying Carter anyway] so Reagan could easily sell an optimistic, cheerful vision of the future. They also wish it was the '50s again. Ike 'n' Nixon won partly due to the post-war economic boom [Americans were enjoying decent salaries, fine cars, nice homes and little things like bank accounts], partly because Ike was a genuine war hero and partly due to the fear factor [which Nixon carried from leading the anti-communist witch-hunt]. Of course Dubya won because he had a famous name and he's the kind of guy you'd want to have a beer. Republicans have been in disarray since like '92 or '94. Clinton succeeded in moving the Democrats to the center, which caused fear among the Republicans, leading to anger 'n' hate.
Is McCain a hero for his gallantry in 'Nam? I guess so, but riddle me this: Is it probable he's uhhhh "damaged" from getting his cage get rattled? During the town hall debate he mispronounced Ahmadinejad's name three times. Sheet, Reagan had Alzheimer's but had no problem pronouncing Muammar al-Gaddafi's name despite the 7 different spellings in the news. I'm at peace with people mispronouncing nuclear just because I've heard it so much I don't care anymore, but this is the leader of Iran. McCain doesn't come off as a kindly grandfather, he's more like the great-uncle you only see at Thanksgiving 'n' Christmas. You know, the one with poor communication skills and lame jokes.
Of course, I'm Canadian so none of this matters until the US invades us [bring it on, we kicked their ass 200 years ago and we'll do it again!]. We've got an election here next week and I can't find a single reason not to spoil my ballot, everything has gone downhill since Trudeau, but as Superintendent Chalmers sez, "It's a hell of a toboggan ride!"