Mar 8, 2023·edited Mar 8, 2023Liked by Robert Reich
Well, when you botched a pandemic, hypocritically told people a plague wasn't real while taking the vaccine behind the scenes, when you fled for your lives from the forever-alone Army you unleashed on the Capitol and now have to shamefully deny doing so to try to hold on to power, when you let billions disappear into fraud and stock buybacks with no oversight while trying to claim the other party is fiscally irresponsible, and when the new generation of voters is vehemently opposed to most of what you stand for, you don't really have a lot of options to win elections. Ramping up fear and attacks on the "other" is America's real favorite pastime, a time-tested strategy for getting people to show up at the school board meetings, town halls and voting booths.
...and they're getting to the point where any non-white, or non-Christian or over 65 is in the crosshairs. We're getting sore necks from constantly shaking our heads...
They also stacked the law against the over 65's who are neither really wealthy or destitute, nor totally disabled (although they are willing to attack the elderly disabled too. In the new world of the former Republicans only male WASPs have any rights, and only if they are super rich or at least self supporting. They live in a very narrow world.
New addition. The current republican retirement plan for the elderly. If you're wealthy: PASS, If you're going assisted living, memory care, or skilled nursing facility: PASS, [The people running these facilities charge beaucoup dollars and donate heavily to us]. If you don't fit either category: Retire on Friday, have retirement party Saturday. die on Sunday. But make sure you have prepaid your funeral services.
…when you broker a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, steal nuclear secrets about Iran that would be beneficial to Israel and Saudi Arabia give your son in-law 2 Billion dollars…
Ian ; Hitler and the Nazis attacked gays and lesbians too, a long time ago, along with Jews and any one who resisted the Nazis. Nazi playbook, It seems.
But what about that passage in the Bible that states: "A camel can pass through the eye of a needle easier than a rick man can enter the kingdom of heaven.?" (I paraphrase).
Yes, DeSatan recently declared that, under his rule, Florida schools will teach ideas that have molded Western Civilization. Can we expect Darwin, Marx, Einstein, Freud, and John Maynard Keynes to be featured in Florida’s textbooks?
Uhhhhh, maybe not, Stan, they are too factual for DeSatan. And of course he will ass0ciate Marx with Communism. Intellectual rationale not being his strong suit. (:-)
And when after projecting that people who enlist in the armed services are cowards, actually asked "which side did we fight on?" (in WWII) "and why?" !!!!!!!!
RR's Link to the Human Rights Commission Foundation's data for 2021 & 2022 is a sobering reality of violence that requires immediate action to protect people & prosecute Perps.
Often considered the first demagogue, Cleon of Athens is remembered mainly for the brutality of his rule and his near destruction of Athenian democracy, resulting from his "common-man" appeal to disregard the moderate customs of the democratic majority. Modern demagogues include Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and Joseph McCarthy, all of whom built mass followings the same way that Cleon did: by exciting the passions of the mob against the moderate, thoughtful customs of the democratic majorities of their times. It is now safe to add Trump to this list of infamy. It is a technique as old as humanity and it works.
Don: And let us not take our eye off DeSantis. He is most definitely running fast to catch up with the above. He too needs to be called out at every opportunity. IMHO
I’m not sure if anyone has noticed, but Trump is simply rehashing ideas and metaphors of old:
Which Hunt - Nixon;
Truth Social - Pravda (truth) Russia;
No one has been treated as unfairly as me - Mein Kampf (my struggles) Hitler;
Etc, etc…
What’s old is new again.
The MAGA morons need to grow a brain and learn some history. None of the idioms Trump uses faired well in their first run. And they won’t fair well now. They’ll simply cause unnecessary harm.
Unnecessary, but intentional harm that like fireworks, is spraying all over. Poll workers across the country are receiving serious threats of violence and even death threats. Poll workers! This is exactly what trump wants, chaos, fear, instability, and the twisted idea that hurting people who are different from them is good for them. He has studied his mentors well. You are exactly right, Todd, though I fear that he seems to know enough history to know that pulling out a rock here and there will cause an avalanche.
Racism is a term that’s used every day but not defined every day. Could the definition of racism be “a belief that superiority or inferiority resides in a person’s race”? That definition still leaves unanswered the question “What is race?” — which I suspect resolves into “race is what you want it to be.” I remember reading that the early German Nazi racial preference was “aryan.” But then, after a letter to the editor of a major newspaper, an academic pointed out that “aryan” is a term that includes gypsies. In response, the Nazi regime switched to “Nordic” as their preferred racial term.
Stan. I went on a tour of the Dachau concentration camp near Munich. The Nazis had listed the people they hate in order. Top of the list was not Jews, but Roma (the gypsy). I did not know, but next on the list was homosexuals, and the list was very long, at least 20 groups. Also put in Dachau were some good German people who were not cooperating with the Nazis.
It seems bigotry and racism are often used interchangeably although are they are different. I go with the vernacular usage. Given we have over a billion Chinese and a billion Indians, I recommend we respect each other and get along, or our species might tear the fabric of civilization to bits.
Yes, Terry, my wife and I visited the Neuengamme camp near Hamburg in 2019. It’s heartbreaking. The inmates weren’t exterminated in gas chambers; they were worked to death digging up clay to make bricks. 43K inmates died there of malnutrition and disease that accompanies being worked to death.
Caste is the word that Isabel Wilkerson uses to refer to the system that many call racism. At one point she refers to it as "a script." Her book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is a powerhouse, eloquent, grueling, thorough.
Robert, I hate to admit this but, I have Republican family members and friends that are so hateful and bigoted towards LGBTQ and Trans that I don’t even talk to them anymore. They are so filled with hate and venom against these people that I can’t stand to be around them or even speak to them. Of course they are all Republicans. Their hate filled agenda has polluted their minds. These used to be decent reasonably open minded people but, not anymore. Not since Trump. I guess maybe they always felt that way and it just took a monster like him to bring out the monster in them. Now there’s no going back. Black people are no longer black to them they are the N word. You can’t reason with them. You can’t rationalize with them. Hate is all they spew now. I have given up on them and closed the door. What else can you do? You can’t let that kind of toxicity into your life. The Republicans are hell bent on breaking up America.
This hatred of “other” is often self hatred that is desperately in need of intensive therapy. It’s so much easier to dump hatred onto someone else rather than doing the deep introspection necessary to actually become a clear thinker.
According to WAPO this morning citing to a study by the group More in Common, “Most Americans (81%) regardless of demographics and political affiliation believe that the history of minority groups is an integral part of American history.” In addition, “8 in 10 Americans (84%), including Democrats (91%) and Republicans (77%), believe that it is important for students to learn the history of different racial groups.”
...but now, are we a fed-up silent majority, and are we so burned out, disgusted, frustrated, horrified, shocked that we lack the fortitude, the will, the energy, the tools, and the creativity to anticipate their next even more dastardly obscene move and head them off at the pass?
To stop being silent is the only way. Please run for something if you can, campaigning on truth and shared values. Get your positive message out, avoiding polarisation - people will be happy to have someone sane to vote for!
I would love to read that study, do you have a link to it? The data is very encouraging and hopeful for the outcome of our next election given the Republican agenda.
In many cases it's "projection" stemming from fear and insecurity. Trauma can also play a role. We live in complex times characterized by ongoing change. It is easier to project anger and blame than to reflect and deal with personal challenges.
When I speak to these folks I have learned not to speak about sex or Trump or race. I speak fluent benefits. Even the most violent racist white supremacists get governmental benefits in some form that are threatened. How many have had an epiphany on this issue?
Can't tell you how many lives have been saved by Obamacare, because they got life saving medical coverage. To convince them, can't call it Obamacare.
Agreed. Dan. Obamacare was originally coined by the Republicans as an insult and a way to convince their base that any health care plan that helped the majority of Americans was BAD. I used to laugh like hell, when people were asked if they were willing to five up Obamacare and they responded yes, absolutely, then asked if they wanted to give up the Affordable Care Act, NO, it gives me medical insurance - but the government gave us that - not Obama.
Very true, but there are so many avenues now (social media, Fox) which amplify their hatred. Trump capitalized on anger already there for years and made it "okay". We are between a rock and a hard place: we need to address economic inequality which has led to this, but can't due to electoral college, gerrymandering, and continuous brainwashing of the voters.
My experience, after many years of trying to engage in a respectful way with such intransigent people, is that it is wasted effort. Some people are simply incapable of self reflection. That’s why they need others to hate. It takes the focus off themselves. They are bent on undoing civil society to be free of any constraints on their self hatred. It’s the only way they can feel heroic. Twisted and evil, but true. They need civilization more than anyone because they can’t afford to ever be left alone with themselves. I know the type. At some point you have to cut them loose to save yourself and what’s good, morally, in life. Don’t let them control you with their unending love of chaos.
Mary, you give some good advice here. I like your observation that these haters can't manage self-reflection. That is so true. They cannot handle being confronted with a truth that does not match what they have chosen to believe. There are a lot of these folks. I am not sure how we can stop their numbers from growing because their fearmongering, hatred, and pure ignorance are like an infection and will spread if they are allowed to have power. These are often the people who become the sadists who abuse prisoners, attack vulnerable folks, join police departments so they can get their fix of hurting others, etc.
They are indeed a cancer. We’re the surgeons that cut it out. We provide no cure, only they can. Don’t spend too much time thinking of the damage done, think of what you can do to prevent more. When I go to the grocery store or a business, I always talk to people. Sometimes I talk to other shoppers, I always go to a register, not self checkout. More opportunities to talk to folks. They have to see it doesn’t have to be this way. “They’ll take your soul if you let them, ahh yeah, but don’t you let them...” Carol King.
They are frightening folks. Hatred plus heavily armed is not usually a good thing. (I share in the problem of family and friends being Republican and believing in the misinformation presented by fox and other media)
I’m sorry for your loss. It is like experiencing a death or multiple deaths in some cases. The shocking thing is the realization of what these people must have really thought all this time and all it took was the spark of trump + FAUX Noise.
Can you imagine what a concentration of this fear and hate would actually be like if they were cordoned off to central states? They’d probably end up eating their young within 5 years—then of course they’d be forced to repopulate.
Many people do not have the capacity to work in intensive therapy or even brief, problem-focused therapy for that matter. Laws, rules, and consequences have the best chance at altering the behavior and thinking of some of our fellow citizens.
Someone used to leave Newsmax on at work on the TV. You might think that your relatives were always this way. Well Newsmax cherry picks and false equivalences all news stories. For example on Newsmax ALL pedophiles are Transgender. Hence Transgender is dehumanized. ALL criminals and rapists are immigrants. Hence immigrants are ledd than human. ALL violence in protests is from Antifa. Hence African american and brown people get attacked. Did your family and friends believe this strongly before thr last 7 years, possibly though I doubt it. The news they are watching intentionally scape goats everyone known to man in order to district your friends and family from the real reason that life for the poor and middle class constantly gets worse here. That which is the corporate and rich tax breaks and legislation that only benefits the the wealthy. It hurts my heart to know that people who seek money above all else encourage and fund this propaganda. The groups being discriminatdd against are our peers, our wives/husbands our coworkers. Lest we become another Putin autocracy we need to stop this garbage now.
You succinctly described "othering", an old propaganda technique.
President Lyndon Johnson gave this example: "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
People are upset now. They know that this society no longer works for them and they can sense it is not working for most everyone else either. The wealthy corrupt powerful elite, whose leadership deliberately brought us to this sorry place, know that our awareness is a threat to them. So they appeal to our worst prejudices, they fog the public discourse with lies, to keep us from focusing on their own culpability for this sorry mess.
Bob Palmer ; the word culpability means 'responsible for'. One cannot be truly culpable if one is not truly aware of how we are being robbed, and if there is no remedy.
You have a very good point. The one thing that they all have in common is listening to right wing news outlets like Fox “News” Network. We all know that they spew nonsense and propaganda all day and night. So, perhaps they are victims of the propaganda machine. I used to try and send them news articles but, I have long given up. It saddens me. The loss of connection. I don’t have a lot of friends and family so it’s hard.
I can't think of any friends or family that are like this, since my family was so apolitical (by religious doctrine-Jehovah's Witnesses) and I live in the blue bubble of Northern California. But I've heard horror stories. My friend at work told me about his family in Pennsylvania, where Rush Limbaugh played all through their on-again off-again "home-schooling", and his father would only vote for whoever his pastor told him to. It gave me hope. All 4 grown kids are flaming liberals. HIs sister had the ultimate payback by coming out as gay...and having a black girlfriend. He said he actually thought his mom's head would explode.
Yeah, me too. Also, he had fun telling his mom all of the "secrets" of QAnon that she thought only those in the "know" should know. Because they've all been debunked by every rational news agency in the world, yet she thought they'd been shared via code to the "worthy." It's a cult. The more proof presented to a cult member, the harder they dig their heels in.
It’s all about fear of change. These fearful, truly ignorant people are terrified that they will be forced to open their eyes and truly see what’s in front of them. They know deep inside that one day they will no longer be able to play the ostrich game. No place to run; no place to hide from yourself.
Oh Bill, you are so right! OMG having to listen to that tripe at work! Did anyone ever protest it playing? I do believe our media in general helped to pump up this mass hatred of anyone not like oneself. White men in particular have always been trained to think themselves superior to everyone else, but now, the media is behind that, just does not say it in those terms. How any white men manage to be good persons is amazing, and there are a huge number of them. We need our media to stop their BS about "balance" which, of course is a lie, and start weighing in on preserving our democracy and calling out those who are not working to do that. On NPR this week, there was a long story about Ron DeSantis, probably because he plans to run for president. He was covered as if he were not the appalling human being he is. The laws he and his legislature have been pushing through were mentioned but just as though this is no big deal. On that same program, a Republican pundit was interviewed, but with lots of softball and only one even slightly challenging question, which, of course he was not expected to really answer. I guess there was some kind of balance and "fair coverage" implied there. It is like the 2016 campaign all over again. One would think the media would have chosen a different route this time. I was offended because I expect better of NPR, though I am not sure why I should knowing what its coverage of Trump was like in 2016.
That sounds like extemism is being normalized. I agree with you it is surprising thst NPR would ignore the racist voter repression (arrests in Florida), the violation of immagrants from of all places Texas sent to NY by a Florida governor and also the book banning which should just be termed book burning. Because two male penguins raising a baby chick is somehow destructive to the promulgation of the species? Seems like the opposite to me. We live in the new age of McCarthyism. My dad lived through it but I never understood it. Sorrowfully we all know its evils up now.
To Ramona Agin : I decided to use my Physical Education credentials earned at Boston University to give credibility to owning a gym 30 years ago. I offered training counseling to all members and I learned some unexpected facts. Varying, naturally occurring, levels of hormones strongly dictate physical traits and mental sexual attitudes of people. Testosterone and estrogen are not equally distributed among gender types simply because a person identifies as male/female. Evidence exists to suggest personal gender tendencies can be confusing, especially to young people, when hormones are unbalanced. Of course many social norms impact any gender attitudes, also. I have seen women with very high testosterone levels have very low body fat and chiseled muscles. I have seen males with high estrogen levels with high body fat and poor muscularity caused by many naturally occurring nature vs nurture issues.
My point is, there is much to understand about the LGBTQ discussion. It is wrong to ignore the Nature vs Nurture explanation of things AND IT IS WRONG TO CONDEMN PEOPLE FOR EXPRESSING WHO THEY THINK THEY ARE. It is harmful to be blind to the inconvenient truth of science and I have learned to be more tolerant of gender preference. I think I am tolerant but I admit to being uncomfortable when I see men kiss ( women kissing doesn't bother me so much).
Republican leaders are making understanding difficult issues more difficult by preventing classroom discussion by capable physiologists, medical authorities and psychologists to assist people in understanding difficult social issues. What are we afraid of? My greatest concern is for young people who need guidance to be able to understand who they are. We must not feel at risk because they are asking questions. Finally, Black history is a rich and tragic story in America and deserves to be studied by all.
Sadly, I believe it is their goal to make scientific facts difficult to understand the excellent and educational information you generously provided. I hope you continue posting!
Robert, I like the way you pointed out the many variations among people. It is a kind of miracle that we are not all alike, each with our own body with its uniqueness. There seems to be a push to make sure everyone fits into the category assigned to them, but alas, that has never happened universally which is why many cultures have groups that do not fit the expectations. I agree with you that everyone should learn Black history just as everyone should learn that LGBTQ is not new and we should be advanced enough as a society to live with and celebrate the variety that is humanity.
To your point and a little amusing, I found gym members very eager to conform to a particular appearance when body building. Everybody wanted the best their body could be and were sometimes frustrated when a certain development did not conform to expectations. Working out is a healthy pursuit when the goal is good health and drugs (hormones) are not used. I used to say " let you be you" to be fit.
Aaron Beck wrote a book called 'Prisoners of Hate' that addresses this. It may be helpful for understanding how this evolves.
A quote: "Angry people do not take kindly to having their views of reality contradicted, and they see the other person not only as wrong, but as attempting to manipulate them or even deceive them."
Ramona, I am so sorry your family members have turned out to be such jerks. The Republican white brainwashing machine is powered up and it is sucking in so many people once considered decent human beings. When a cable network can claim to be "news" when what it pumps out is lies, we can tell we are in trouble. Republicans want to downplay any of their bad behavior and that of their cult and we the people have permitted it by not voting in every election, not keeping up with who is running and whether once elected they do what they claim they would do and hold them accountable, and act and stress out as though what one stupid hateful white judge in Texas says about a medical treatment means anything, and more. We let fear of the white overlords to shape everything we do. That must stop. They are not dictators even though Ron DeSantis and his ilk want to be. They are just governors who will cheat, lie, manipulate the vote, and do whatever they want to get elected. In Florida and other Republican enclaves, teachers, doctors, nurses, the LGBTQ community, people of color, and all decent people need to say "no" to the governors' and legislatures' bad-faith acts that should be seen as unconstitutional. Where are the protests? Where are the folks who just ignore the crap and do what is right? I guess that is how white men were able to take over most of the world. They pump up fear, get allies they feed crumbs of power to, and they commit atrocities to make everyone fear them. In reality, these are just scared white male children who need to be sent to bed until they get over themselves. We have to get started or there will be even more relatives that turn into monsters and prove their monsterhood on the persons of family and neighbors as happened in 1930s Germany.
The Republican party relies heavily on the far right evangelical voting block to support their agendas. To keep this group under their political wing the Republicans bend their politics to conform with the guide lines set forth by the church's doctrines. It's been proven the people at Fox News don't care about broadcasting the truth, their goal is buried in the stations ratings. They lie and distort the news to suit their needs. The country and our people are of little concern to the power hunger ratings controllers that perforate the cast of characters that call themselves broadcasters. The three stooges composed of Hannity, Ingraham, and Carlson spread enough fake news to start a secondary business where Trump would stand in as king. I just don't understand the connection, why support a fool. Trump is an idiot who has absolutely no physical appeal to any who considers themselves a normal human being, but hold on, maybe an exception could be made for a deranged Orangutan named Clyde. Charles would agree.
Donald, I know there should be a way to stop the Fox Not Nearly News bad behavior. It seems to me the FCC could act. The trio's lies do put people's lives at risk, so that could be considered dangerous and removed from the airwaves. Carlson proved his liar bonafides when he did exactly what McCarthy hoped he would do when given the January 6th Committee videos; he lied right to the camera about the insurrection. His cult followers will be delighted because they want so badly to believe their friends were not REALLY attacking the Capitol when it was clear they were and the videos of the participants prove that. So why is Carlson on his lying jag? He is being paid by the Murdochs and given an OK by McCarthy to do it. That's shameful and really does need to be stopped. Free speech was never meant to cover this kind of extreme lying and gaslighting.
I think the answer might be whether he is and has been aiding and abetting insurrection. 18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
18 U.S. Code § 2385 - Advocating overthrow of Government
Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or
Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or
Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
As used in this section, the terms “organizes” and “organize”, with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units of such society, group, or assembly of persons.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 808; July 24, 1956, ch. 678, § 2, 70 Stat. 623; Pub. L. 87–486, June 19, 1962, 76 Stat. 103; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(N), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)
Daniel, we have the law as you noted. Who would have to bring charges against the Fox crew, particularly Carlson and maybe Murdoch? Who would prosecute? Would it require a grand jury, or could a regular jury be involved? What kind of judge would be overseeing the case? Would this be our government v. Fox? Like so much of our law and even our Constitution, there is vagueness and it can be really hard to know how to enforce the rulings we have against insurrection as happened on January 6th and continues to happen through Fox and friends and the other media pumping up scared white folks to violence. Heck, we have the 14th Amendment that says no insurrectionist can run for office again, but not who makes that determination. Our DOJ has not even indicted the folks who planned the insurrection and refused to act to stop it. Thanks so much for all the great resources you provide. I so wish this time there were some way to use these laws to prosecute the lying, gaslighting insurrectionists at Fox.
Daniel, thanks for the info. I, to am disappointed with DOJ. They have had so much time and have so much evidence. I am trying hard not to believe that Garland is sabotaging the whole investigation, but I can't imagine why he would do that. I'm confused as well as disappointed.
My heart goes out to you, but it is better to understand family members and friends in--order to keep your perspective. I have many people in my family and extended family that carry that burden of hate with them or is it fear. It's hard to realize they have been there with their views throughout ones life. I do believe you with regard to trump being that catalyst in bring that hate to the fore front of their personalities. What I am a little concerned about are those who do not voice their opinion. We live in a scary time when families can be broken up by their beliefs. I've brought my family up to know that family is everything. It can be hard to to face or be around those who are so judgmental. Don't give up..family can be everything.
@GeraldNelson, Family is NOT everything. It could be that @RamonaAgin is taking care of her emotional well-being by choosing not to interact with her family, and if so, I applaud her for her self care. You can understand what a train wreck is–that it can damage or kill you–without engaging with it.
mth, I should have put it this way. To me family is everything and of course it is not a means for everyone to have that belief. I apologize again if what I have written has been misconstrued. Thank you for pointing this out to me mth
It appears my comments have been moved from Romana Agin's earlier comment about the situation with family and friends. I apologize for the confusion this presents.
Agree 100%. I relate and understand your choice to remove yourself and dismiss the cruelty of hate toward anyone they are threatened by. I too, can’t abide them.
Encouraging group hatreds distracts from the failings or weakness of your own doctrines.If you can persuade the less fortunate parts of the electorate that their situation is part of a wider liberal conspiracy and not due to the inequalities spawned by free enterprise then you maintain your grip on power .
The religious right has been strung-out on sex ever since the so-called "sexual revolution" of the '60s, the birth control pill, and Roe v Wade. Since it's all bound up with bigotry and hatred, I include both of those answers under the same rubric, and it's all joined at the hip with their whole "family values" agenda.
DZK, I agree that the "sexual revolution" of the 60s did get under conservative skins. It was a return to the fears and whining of white men back in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Sex has always been seen as a control mechanism of men over women and white men in particular. That is again being revisited. It seems about every 60 years or so, men notice they are not in is much control as they were (or thought they were), so have to intervene legally, through media, and through their bad behavior. And, here we are. And, those men are desperate because their ridiculous religious arguments aren't working so well anymore.
I think their insecurities are the key factor in their susceptibility to hating the other, makes them feel better about themselves. Also helps that most of the people who hate have never spent time in a minority neighborhood or visited another country that is not as well off as the US is. If they did they'd see the rich oppressing the poor, all over the place and they'd realize that we are all the same with the same problems.
Why? -- It's really about authoritian power at any cost. There is no altrustic or human-centered basis for the behavior.
The use of gender and sex has a long history in authoritian cultures. Already in 1950 with "The Authoritarian Personality" by Theodor Adorno, a German sociologist examing the abuses of the Third Reich, identified the use of gender roles as a common tool of authoritians. The Italian Il Duce was personally very abusive of gender roles. Perhaps the current Florida Il Duce is using a similar playbook.
Where does it lead? -- That depends on whether society can learn to identify and call out this behavior for its reasons and the downward spirial of authoritianism. Those messages have to be clear, consisistent, and constant.
But there's a long tradition. When Samuel Johnson completed his Dictionary of the English Language, he is said to have been visited by a group of elderly religious women who congratulated him for omitting all indecent words. He in turn thanked them for looking them all up.
Retrumplicans have no platform & no goals for our country except to spew hatred, racism, & misogyny! Their mistaken belief is that everyone wants to hear their crap & that everybody believes in the things they do, but they couldn’t be farther off the rails! Rethugs have no experience in problem solving, they only know how to create problems for somebody else to solve! What a bunch of useless overpaid bureaucrats. The country could function very well without their ignorant hostility toward the “other” & their constant ranting about some new fascist idea they have learned about. This so-called Party of freedom has become adept @ finding ways to remove more & more of our constitutional freedoms while invoking some theological belief that it’s for everyone’s benefit to do so. This party of Lincoln has totally lost its identity & critical thinking skills. They have no business governing an ant colony let alone the oldest & most respected Democracy in the modern World! What to do about them is the real question we need to have answered.
Shirley, you're right about Republicans having no ideas, no abilities at problem-solving. Playing the sex card has been the standard distraction inept people use. You are also right about needing to act against this insanity. The media could help by calling out the bad behavior whenever they note it and they should note it all the time. For example, covering the insanity of the vote for Speaker of the House and the betrayal of the American people that was involved in McCarthy's deals was poor and except a bit on MSNBC, there was little challenge to the process and just how stupid it was. The truth is that any candidate who took more than 3 votes to be elected should not be worthy of the job. Repubs got a whole lot more free publicity which they ate up. Yes, people should have seen the Republican party as evil and inept, but since McCarthy did win, it was all good for Republican viewers and made Republican bad behavior even more brazen, knowing it would be covered and they would gain from the coverage. Then, McCarthy got to give sensitive video information to a supporter of the insurrection, Tucker Carlson of Fox Not Nearly News. That should never have been permitted by the DOJ or the Democrats and the few decent Republicans in the House. Carlson and Fox now have the material and have already begun twisting it for their pathetic ignorant viewers, lying and gaslighting just as predicted. The FCC needs to remove Fox from the airwaves for their incendiary speech that is putting people's lives at risk.
Shirley: May I suggest that Republicans find appeal to the lowest common factor a way to hide their restructuring government, to shrink it from a big, messy, and loud Democracy to a small, orderly, and quiet autocracy that can make them very rich and powerful?
Except they are not even hiding it. They are saying the bigoted, sexist, homophobic, anti democratic things out loud. And state legislatures (conveniently gerrymandered)are passing legislation to codify the biases and hatred! Including SCOTUS. The majority of the US population want women and girls to have the right/autonomy over their own bodies. And legally, judicially the opposite is happening.
Since the Gore v. Bush ruling in 2000 - minority rule got the stamp of approval from SCOTUS. Then money got BIG approval with Citizens United and Congressional Representatives become puppets. The common good - be damned, or at least never even considered.
I want a Constitution that eliminates the current 2nd Amendment and contains instead, the ERA.
These haters are sheep motivated by demagoguery. The real truth is that those demagogues are wolves in sheep's clothing. Big pharma, big oil, Putin, etc.
One would have to go with "all of the above" with a dose of smelling salts and a dash of hot pepper. Have they ever talked to a gay person? Have they ever interacted with a transsexuals, or had a glimpse of the pain they have gone through emotionally to get where they are? Lacking empathy is a psychiatric diagnosis in an individual. How do you describe a lack of empathy in an entire political party? I suppose the irony lies is the fact that conservative evangelicals, who profess to be Christians, fail to understand the nature of "loving your neighbor as you love yourself" or "love your enemy, do good to those who hate you", as central tenants of the faith. I suppose the anti-woke doctrine they now espouse makes them unable to think creatively about anything, since you have to be awake and caring to love your neighbor and the environment where you live.
I believe that people who are creating such laws are fearful for their own existence and fearful of losing power. For some people it may have something to do with religion, but I think the majority of law makers who propose or vote in such laws are doing all they can, including catering to extremism, in order to remain in power. They are gerrymandering districts so that Democrats can never win, and they are changing laws as they go along in order to extinguish the voices of anyone who thinks differently than they themselves. Those extremist Republicans are a minority and the only way that they can remain in power is to change laws in hopes of marginalizing and stamping out those whom they feel pose a threat to their existence. I see no difference between these extremist Republicans and other religious (or not) extremists in this world. It’s all about holding onto power.
Patriarchy is the framework of the Republican Party, which relegates anyone who is not the dominant group ( power-holding white males) as inferior and dangerous. It is usually couched in the prevailing patriarchal religion. The history of Christianity has never been comfortable with sex. Aimee Wise
The GOP seems "owned" by the Fundamentalist Nationalist Christians. Seems a bubble and lie that some word or phrase could "pop." But there 's the catch! Who's to say one belief or religion is true and all others wrong? In a theocracy, which I maintain the Fundamentalist Nationalist Christians seek to advance and install, they might designate and permit one flavor and only one flavor of religion. They would behave like Christian Taliban: authoritarian, intolerant, rigid and they might even deploy their own version of a religious police. Or, exactly what the founding fathers sought to prevent.
Absolute fear powers the extreme republicans. Fear of not being a "white" majority , fear of losing power, fear of anyone not like them. All the reasons you've listed are why they are focusing on sex which always sells. They have nothing else.
Well, when you botched a pandemic, hypocritically told people a plague wasn't real while taking the vaccine behind the scenes, when you fled for your lives from the forever-alone Army you unleashed on the Capitol and now have to shamefully deny doing so to try to hold on to power, when you let billions disappear into fraud and stock buybacks with no oversight while trying to claim the other party is fiscally irresponsible, and when the new generation of voters is vehemently opposed to most of what you stand for, you don't really have a lot of options to win elections. Ramping up fear and attacks on the "other" is America's real favorite pastime, a time-tested strategy for getting people to show up at the school board meetings, town halls and voting booths.
...and they're getting to the point where any non-white, or non-Christian or over 65 is in the crosshairs. We're getting sore necks from constantly shaking our heads...
They also stacked the law against the over 65's who are neither really wealthy or destitute, nor totally disabled (although they are willing to attack the elderly disabled too. In the new world of the former Republicans only male WASPs have any rights, and only if they are super rich or at least self supporting. They live in a very narrow world.
New addition. The current republican retirement plan for the elderly. If you're wealthy: PASS, If you're going assisted living, memory care, or skilled nursing facility: PASS, [The people running these facilities charge beaucoup dollars and donate heavily to us]. If you don't fit either category: Retire on Friday, have retirement party Saturday. die on Sunday. But make sure you have prepaid your funeral services.
And when teachers and librarians are told what they can and can't teach or direct readers to...
Who would have ever thought that teachers and librarians would fear for their lives?!
" we don't need no education" springs to mind.
Helene Büchmann Nielsen ; Just thought control!
Sad, but true
"Another brick in The Wall ...."
I invision this scene from The Wall: schoolkids burning books, destroying options to learn, censorship honered.
…when you broker a deal between Israel and Saudi Arabia, steal nuclear secrets about Iran that would be beneficial to Israel and Saudi Arabia give your son in-law 2 Billion dollars…
Ian ; Hitler and the Nazis attacked gays and lesbians too, a long time ago, along with Jews and any one who resisted the Nazis. Nazi playbook, It seems.
The nazis also attacked persons of color, "non-arians" and anyone who disagreed with their authoritarian dictatorship. [think ron de santis]
And, disabled persons ... & many others.
Yep! In full Calvinist vent, 'if they were good god wouldn't have made them disabled' (Same reason god favors the wealthy) LOL
But what about that passage in the Bible that states: "A camel can pass through the eye of a needle easier than a rick man can enter the kingdom of heaven.?" (I paraphrase).
Yes, DeSatan recently declared that, under his rule, Florida schools will teach ideas that have molded Western Civilization. Can we expect Darwin, Marx, Einstein, Freud, and John Maynard Keynes to be featured in Florida’s textbooks?
Uhhhhh, maybe not, Stan, they are too factual for DeSatan. And of course he will ass0ciate Marx with Communism. Intellectual rationale not being his strong suit. (:-)
And when after projecting that people who enlist in the armed services are cowards, actually asked "which side did we fight on?" (in WWII) "and why?" !!!!!!!!
RR's Link to the Human Rights Commission Foundation's data for 2021 & 2022 is a sobering reality of violence that requires immediate action to protect people & prosecute Perps.
Often considered the first demagogue, Cleon of Athens is remembered mainly for the brutality of his rule and his near destruction of Athenian democracy, resulting from his "common-man" appeal to disregard the moderate customs of the democratic majority. Modern demagogues include Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Huey Long, Father Coughlin, and Joseph McCarthy, all of whom built mass followings the same way that Cleon did: by exciting the passions of the mob against the moderate, thoughtful customs of the democratic majorities of their times. It is now safe to add Trump to this list of infamy. It is a technique as old as humanity and it works.
Don: And let us not take our eye off DeSantis. He is most definitely running fast to catch up with the above. He too needs to be called out at every opportunity. IMHO
I’m not sure if anyone has noticed, but Trump is simply rehashing ideas and metaphors of old:
Which Hunt - Nixon;
Truth Social - Pravda (truth) Russia;
No one has been treated as unfairly as me - Mein Kampf (my struggles) Hitler;
Etc, etc…
What’s old is new again.
The MAGA morons need to grow a brain and learn some history. None of the idioms Trump uses faired well in their first run. And they won’t fair well now. They’ll simply cause unnecessary harm.
Unnecessary, but intentional harm that like fireworks, is spraying all over. Poll workers across the country are receiving serious threats of violence and even death threats. Poll workers! This is exactly what trump wants, chaos, fear, instability, and the twisted idea that hurting people who are different from them is good for them. He has studied his mentors well. You are exactly right, Todd, though I fear that he seems to know enough history to know that pulling out a rock here and there will cause an avalanche.
Thank you so much, Don, for this refreshing historical wide angle.
And, it 'works" often to a very bitter demise.
Ian. Two things Republicans hate - being called racists and black people.
Racism is a term that’s used every day but not defined every day. Could the definition of racism be “a belief that superiority or inferiority resides in a person’s race”? That definition still leaves unanswered the question “What is race?” — which I suspect resolves into “race is what you want it to be.” I remember reading that the early German Nazi racial preference was “aryan.” But then, after a letter to the editor of a major newspaper, an academic pointed out that “aryan” is a term that includes gypsies. In response, the Nazi regime switched to “Nordic” as their preferred racial term.
Stan. I went on a tour of the Dachau concentration camp near Munich. The Nazis had listed the people they hate in order. Top of the list was not Jews, but Roma (the gypsy). I did not know, but next on the list was homosexuals, and the list was very long, at least 20 groups. Also put in Dachau were some good German people who were not cooperating with the Nazis.
It seems bigotry and racism are often used interchangeably although are they are different. I go with the vernacular usage. Given we have over a billion Chinese and a billion Indians, I recommend we respect each other and get along, or our species might tear the fabric of civilization to bits.
Yes, Terry, my wife and I visited the Neuengamme camp near Hamburg in 2019. It’s heartbreaking. The inmates weren’t exterminated in gas chambers; they were worked to death digging up clay to make bricks. 43K inmates died there of malnutrition and disease that accompanies being worked to death.
Caste is the word that Isabel Wilkerson uses to refer to the system that many call racism. At one point she refers to it as "a script." Her book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents is a powerhouse, eloquent, grueling, thorough.
For everyone's consideration: https://youtu.be/iDj88LXdzdo
Particularly relevant - generally - is his discussion of the ol' persecution of Christians hustle.
Sad but so true.
Robert, I hate to admit this but, I have Republican family members and friends that are so hateful and bigoted towards LGBTQ and Trans that I don’t even talk to them anymore. They are so filled with hate and venom against these people that I can’t stand to be around them or even speak to them. Of course they are all Republicans. Their hate filled agenda has polluted their minds. These used to be decent reasonably open minded people but, not anymore. Not since Trump. I guess maybe they always felt that way and it just took a monster like him to bring out the monster in them. Now there’s no going back. Black people are no longer black to them they are the N word. You can’t reason with them. You can’t rationalize with them. Hate is all they spew now. I have given up on them and closed the door. What else can you do? You can’t let that kind of toxicity into your life. The Republicans are hell bent on breaking up America.
This hatred of “other” is often self hatred that is desperately in need of intensive therapy. It’s so much easier to dump hatred onto someone else rather than doing the deep introspection necessary to actually become a clear thinker.
Eventually hatred of the other will turn.
According to WAPO this morning citing to a study by the group More in Common, “Most Americans (81%) regardless of demographics and political affiliation believe that the history of minority groups is an integral part of American history.” In addition, “8 in 10 Americans (84%), including Democrats (91%) and Republicans (77%), believe that it is important for students to learn the history of different racial groups.”
...but now, are we a fed-up silent majority, and are we so burned out, disgusted, frustrated, horrified, shocked that we lack the fortitude, the will, the energy, the tools, and the creativity to anticipate their next even more dastardly obscene move and head them off at the pass?
To stop being silent is the only way. Please run for something if you can, campaigning on truth and shared values. Get your positive message out, avoiding polarisation - people will be happy to have someone sane to vote for!
And get out the vote. Join the League of Women Voters and concentrate on the issues rather than the candidates.
God, I hope not!
I would love to read that study, do you have a link to it? The data is very encouraging and hopeful for the outcome of our next election given the Republican agenda.
https://www.moreincommon.com/our-work/publications/
As always, dan thanks for the all-important link. Very informative.
Thank you! More in Common is obviously a great source of real information.
Thank you!
In many cases it's "projection" stemming from fear and insecurity. Trauma can also play a role. We live in complex times characterized by ongoing change. It is easier to project anger and blame than to reflect and deal with personal challenges.
Personal challenges. Psychological projection.
When I speak to these folks I have learned not to speak about sex or Trump or race. I speak fluent benefits. Even the most violent racist white supremacists get governmental benefits in some form that are threatened. How many have had an epiphany on this issue?
Can't tell you how many lives have been saved by Obamacare, because they got life saving medical coverage. To convince them, can't call it Obamacare.
Agreed. Dan. Obamacare was originally coined by the Republicans as an insult and a way to convince their base that any health care plan that helped the majority of Americans was BAD. I used to laugh like hell, when people were asked if they were willing to five up Obamacare and they responded yes, absolutely, then asked if they wanted to give up the Affordable Care Act, NO, it gives me medical insurance - but the government gave us that - not Obama.
Daniel Solomon ; Affordable Care Act.
Very true, but there are so many avenues now (social media, Fox) which amplify their hatred. Trump capitalized on anger already there for years and made it "okay". We are between a rock and a hard place: we need to address economic inequality which has led to this, but can't due to electoral college, gerrymandering, and continuous brainwashing of the voters.
My experience, after many years of trying to engage in a respectful way with such intransigent people, is that it is wasted effort. Some people are simply incapable of self reflection. That’s why they need others to hate. It takes the focus off themselves. They are bent on undoing civil society to be free of any constraints on their self hatred. It’s the only way they can feel heroic. Twisted and evil, but true. They need civilization more than anyone because they can’t afford to ever be left alone with themselves. I know the type. At some point you have to cut them loose to save yourself and what’s good, morally, in life. Don’t let them control you with their unending love of chaos.
Meet them at cancer treatment centers at local hospitals, at bankruptcy court, at sentence hearings.
A friend who is a district court judge says he has a higher rate of evangelism than any preacher.
Daniel, their projected self-hatred is literally eating them alive.
Mary, you give some good advice here. I like your observation that these haters can't manage self-reflection. That is so true. They cannot handle being confronted with a truth that does not match what they have chosen to believe. There are a lot of these folks. I am not sure how we can stop their numbers from growing because their fearmongering, hatred, and pure ignorance are like an infection and will spread if they are allowed to have power. These are often the people who become the sadists who abuse prisoners, attack vulnerable folks, join police departments so they can get their fix of hurting others, etc.
They are indeed a cancer. We’re the surgeons that cut it out. We provide no cure, only they can. Don’t spend too much time thinking of the damage done, think of what you can do to prevent more. When I go to the grocery store or a business, I always talk to people. Sometimes I talk to other shoppers, I always go to a register, not self checkout. More opportunities to talk to folks. They have to see it doesn’t have to be this way. “They’ll take your soul if you let them, ahh yeah, but don’t you let them...” Carol King.
And they always need to identify with a demagogue who harnesses this self-hatred and twists it towards nefarious ends.
They are frightening folks. Hatred plus heavily armed is not usually a good thing. (I share in the problem of family and friends being Republican and believing in the misinformation presented by fox and other media)
I’m sorry for your loss. It is like experiencing a death or multiple deaths in some cases. The shocking thing is the realization of what these people must have really thought all this time and all it took was the spark of trump + FAUX Noise.
Oh, Judy, you've put your finger on it. Such truth in your observation. Thank you.
I think another driver of the bigotry and discrimination is fear. At a gut level fear seems to be what drives GOP politics and motivates GOP voters.
Tim, I sadly agree. It's a form of fear that is, indeed, at gut-level ....unperceived.
Can you imagine what a concentration of this fear and hate would actually be like if they were cordoned off to central states? They’d probably end up eating their young within 5 years—then of course they’d be forced to repopulate.
Many people do not have the capacity to work in intensive therapy or even brief, problem-focused therapy for that matter. Laws, rules, and consequences have the best chance at altering the behavior and thinking of some of our fellow citizens.
Someone used to leave Newsmax on at work on the TV. You might think that your relatives were always this way. Well Newsmax cherry picks and false equivalences all news stories. For example on Newsmax ALL pedophiles are Transgender. Hence Transgender is dehumanized. ALL criminals and rapists are immigrants. Hence immigrants are ledd than human. ALL violence in protests is from Antifa. Hence African american and brown people get attacked. Did your family and friends believe this strongly before thr last 7 years, possibly though I doubt it. The news they are watching intentionally scape goats everyone known to man in order to district your friends and family from the real reason that life for the poor and middle class constantly gets worse here. That which is the corporate and rich tax breaks and legislation that only benefits the the wealthy. It hurts my heart to know that people who seek money above all else encourage and fund this propaganda. The groups being discriminatdd against are our peers, our wives/husbands our coworkers. Lest we become another Putin autocracy we need to stop this garbage now.
You succinctly described "othering", an old propaganda technique.
President Lyndon Johnson gave this example: "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
People are upset now. They know that this society no longer works for them and they can sense it is not working for most everyone else either. The wealthy corrupt powerful elite, whose leadership deliberately brought us to this sorry place, know that our awareness is a threat to them. So they appeal to our worst prejudices, they fog the public discourse with lies, to keep us from focusing on their own culpability for this sorry mess.
It makes me sad. Because its true.
Bob Palmer ; Those who oppose 'wokeness', that people should not be 'woke' or aware or conscious, have their 'reasons'.
Bob Palmer ; the word culpability means 'responsible for'. One cannot be truly culpable if one is not truly aware of how we are being robbed, and if there is no remedy.
Yes, Johnson spoke plainly, as does Uncle Joe Biden.
You have a very good point. The one thing that they all have in common is listening to right wing news outlets like Fox “News” Network. We all know that they spew nonsense and propaganda all day and night. So, perhaps they are victims of the propaganda machine. I used to try and send them news articles but, I have long given up. It saddens me. The loss of connection. I don’t have a lot of friends and family so it’s hard.
I can't think of any friends or family that are like this, since my family was so apolitical (by religious doctrine-Jehovah's Witnesses) and I live in the blue bubble of Northern California. But I've heard horror stories. My friend at work told me about his family in Pennsylvania, where Rush Limbaugh played all through their on-again off-again "home-schooling", and his father would only vote for whoever his pastor told him to. It gave me hope. All 4 grown kids are flaming liberals. HIs sister had the ultimate payback by coming out as gay...and having a black girlfriend. He said he actually thought his mom's head would explode.
I would have loved to have been there for that revelation. Lol.
Yeah, me too. Also, he had fun telling his mom all of the "secrets" of QAnon that she thought only those in the "know" should know. Because they've all been debunked by every rational news agency in the world, yet she thought they'd been shared via code to the "worthy." It's a cult. The more proof presented to a cult member, the harder they dig their heels in.
It’s all about fear of change. These fearful, truly ignorant people are terrified that they will be forced to open their eyes and truly see what’s in front of them. They know deep inside that one day they will no longer be able to play the ostrich game. No place to run; no place to hide from yourself.
Oh Bill, you are so right! OMG having to listen to that tripe at work! Did anyone ever protest it playing? I do believe our media in general helped to pump up this mass hatred of anyone not like oneself. White men in particular have always been trained to think themselves superior to everyone else, but now, the media is behind that, just does not say it in those terms. How any white men manage to be good persons is amazing, and there are a huge number of them. We need our media to stop their BS about "balance" which, of course is a lie, and start weighing in on preserving our democracy and calling out those who are not working to do that. On NPR this week, there was a long story about Ron DeSantis, probably because he plans to run for president. He was covered as if he were not the appalling human being he is. The laws he and his legislature have been pushing through were mentioned but just as though this is no big deal. On that same program, a Republican pundit was interviewed, but with lots of softball and only one even slightly challenging question, which, of course he was not expected to really answer. I guess there was some kind of balance and "fair coverage" implied there. It is like the 2016 campaign all over again. One would think the media would have chosen a different route this time. I was offended because I expect better of NPR, though I am not sure why I should knowing what its coverage of Trump was like in 2016.
That sounds like extemism is being normalized. I agree with you it is surprising thst NPR would ignore the racist voter repression (arrests in Florida), the violation of immagrants from of all places Texas sent to NY by a Florida governor and also the book banning which should just be termed book burning. Because two male penguins raising a baby chick is somehow destructive to the promulgation of the species? Seems like the opposite to me. We live in the new age of McCarthyism. My dad lived through it but I never understood it. Sorrowfully we all know its evils up now.
To Ramona Agin : I decided to use my Physical Education credentials earned at Boston University to give credibility to owning a gym 30 years ago. I offered training counseling to all members and I learned some unexpected facts. Varying, naturally occurring, levels of hormones strongly dictate physical traits and mental sexual attitudes of people. Testosterone and estrogen are not equally distributed among gender types simply because a person identifies as male/female. Evidence exists to suggest personal gender tendencies can be confusing, especially to young people, when hormones are unbalanced. Of course many social norms impact any gender attitudes, also. I have seen women with very high testosterone levels have very low body fat and chiseled muscles. I have seen males with high estrogen levels with high body fat and poor muscularity caused by many naturally occurring nature vs nurture issues.
My point is, there is much to understand about the LGBTQ discussion. It is wrong to ignore the Nature vs Nurture explanation of things AND IT IS WRONG TO CONDEMN PEOPLE FOR EXPRESSING WHO THEY THINK THEY ARE. It is harmful to be blind to the inconvenient truth of science and I have learned to be more tolerant of gender preference. I think I am tolerant but I admit to being uncomfortable when I see men kiss ( women kissing doesn't bother me so much).
Republican leaders are making understanding difficult issues more difficult by preventing classroom discussion by capable physiologists, medical authorities and psychologists to assist people in understanding difficult social issues. What are we afraid of? My greatest concern is for young people who need guidance to be able to understand who they are. We must not feel at risk because they are asking questions. Finally, Black history is a rich and tragic story in America and deserves to be studied by all.
Sadly, I believe it is their goal to make scientific facts difficult to understand the excellent and educational information you generously provided. I hope you continue posting!
Robert, I like the way you pointed out the many variations among people. It is a kind of miracle that we are not all alike, each with our own body with its uniqueness. There seems to be a push to make sure everyone fits into the category assigned to them, but alas, that has never happened universally which is why many cultures have groups that do not fit the expectations. I agree with you that everyone should learn Black history just as everyone should learn that LGBTQ is not new and we should be advanced enough as a society to live with and celebrate the variety that is humanity.
To your point and a little amusing, I found gym members very eager to conform to a particular appearance when body building. Everybody wanted the best their body could be and were sometimes frustrated when a certain development did not conform to expectations. Working out is a healthy pursuit when the goal is good health and drugs (hormones) are not used. I used to say " let you be you" to be fit.
Very well said Ruth. The fact that all of us are born with different fingerprints is proof every human life is unique.
Aaron Beck wrote a book called 'Prisoners of Hate' that addresses this. It may be helpful for understanding how this evolves.
A quote: "Angry people do not take kindly to having their views of reality contradicted, and they see the other person not only as wrong, but as attempting to manipulate them or even deceive them."
So well stated, really addresses the exasperation we feel when trying to reason with someone else’s embedded state of anger.
I will read it.
Ramona, I am so sorry your family members have turned out to be such jerks. The Republican white brainwashing machine is powered up and it is sucking in so many people once considered decent human beings. When a cable network can claim to be "news" when what it pumps out is lies, we can tell we are in trouble. Republicans want to downplay any of their bad behavior and that of their cult and we the people have permitted it by not voting in every election, not keeping up with who is running and whether once elected they do what they claim they would do and hold them accountable, and act and stress out as though what one stupid hateful white judge in Texas says about a medical treatment means anything, and more. We let fear of the white overlords to shape everything we do. That must stop. They are not dictators even though Ron DeSantis and his ilk want to be. They are just governors who will cheat, lie, manipulate the vote, and do whatever they want to get elected. In Florida and other Republican enclaves, teachers, doctors, nurses, the LGBTQ community, people of color, and all decent people need to say "no" to the governors' and legislatures' bad-faith acts that should be seen as unconstitutional. Where are the protests? Where are the folks who just ignore the crap and do what is right? I guess that is how white men were able to take over most of the world. They pump up fear, get allies they feed crumbs of power to, and they commit atrocities to make everyone fear them. In reality, these are just scared white male children who need to be sent to bed until they get over themselves. We have to get started or there will be even more relatives that turn into monsters and prove their monsterhood on the persons of family and neighbors as happened in 1930s Germany.
Thanks Ruth. You’re right.
The Republican party relies heavily on the far right evangelical voting block to support their agendas. To keep this group under their political wing the Republicans bend their politics to conform with the guide lines set forth by the church's doctrines. It's been proven the people at Fox News don't care about broadcasting the truth, their goal is buried in the stations ratings. They lie and distort the news to suit their needs. The country and our people are of little concern to the power hunger ratings controllers that perforate the cast of characters that call themselves broadcasters. The three stooges composed of Hannity, Ingraham, and Carlson spread enough fake news to start a secondary business where Trump would stand in as king. I just don't understand the connection, why support a fool. Trump is an idiot who has absolutely no physical appeal to any who considers themselves a normal human being, but hold on, maybe an exception could be made for a deranged Orangutan named Clyde. Charles would agree.
Donald, I know there should be a way to stop the Fox Not Nearly News bad behavior. It seems to me the FCC could act. The trio's lies do put people's lives at risk, so that could be considered dangerous and removed from the airwaves. Carlson proved his liar bonafides when he did exactly what McCarthy hoped he would do when given the January 6th Committee videos; he lied right to the camera about the insurrection. His cult followers will be delighted because they want so badly to believe their friends were not REALLY attacking the Capitol when it was clear they were and the videos of the participants prove that. So why is Carlson on his lying jag? He is being paid by the Murdochs and given an OK by McCarthy to do it. That's shameful and really does need to be stopped. Free speech was never meant to cover this kind of extreme lying and gaslighting.
The FCC only regulates broadcast journalism.
I think the answer might be whether he is and has been aiding and abetting insurrection. 18 U.S. Code § 2383 - Rebellion or insurrection
Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 808; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(L), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)
18 U.S. Code § 2385 - Advocating overthrow of Government
Whoever knowingly or willfully advocates, abets, advises, or teaches the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying the government of the United States or the government of any State, Territory, District or Possession thereof, or the government of any political subdivision therein, by force or violence, or by the assassination of any officer of any such government; or
Whoever, with intent to cause the overthrow or destruction of any such government, prints, publishes, edits, issues, circulates, sells, distributes, or publicly displays any written or printed matter advocating, advising, or teaching the duty, necessity, desirability, or propriety of overthrowing or destroying any government in the United States by force or violence, or attempts to do so; or
Whoever organizes or helps or attempts to organize any society, group, or assembly of persons who teach, advocate, or encourage the overthrow or destruction of any such government by force or violence; or becomes or is a member of, or affiliates with, any such society, group, or assembly of persons, knowing the purposes thereof—
Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
If two or more persons conspire to commit any offense named in this section, each shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than twenty years, or both, and shall be ineligible for employment by the United States or any department or agency thereof, for the five years next following his conviction.
As used in this section, the terms “organizes” and “organize”, with respect to any society, group, or assembly of persons, include the recruiting of new members, the forming of new units, and the regrouping or expansion of existing clubs, classes, and other units of such society, group, or assembly of persons.
(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 808; July 24, 1956, ch. 678, § 2, 70 Stat. 623; Pub. L. 87–486, June 19, 1962, 76 Stat. 103; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(N), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2148.)
Daniel, we have the law as you noted. Who would have to bring charges against the Fox crew, particularly Carlson and maybe Murdoch? Who would prosecute? Would it require a grand jury, or could a regular jury be involved? What kind of judge would be overseeing the case? Would this be our government v. Fox? Like so much of our law and even our Constitution, there is vagueness and it can be really hard to know how to enforce the rulings we have against insurrection as happened on January 6th and continues to happen through Fox and friends and the other media pumping up scared white folks to violence. Heck, we have the 14th Amendment that says no insurrectionist can run for office again, but not who makes that determination. Our DOJ has not even indicted the folks who planned the insurrection and refused to act to stop it. Thanks so much for all the great resources you provide. I so wish this time there were some way to use these laws to prosecute the lying, gaslighting insurrectionists at Fox.
Has to be DOJ or the AG for DC. Federal criminal statutes, same used so far by DOJ against insurrectionists like the Oathkeepers and Proud Boys.
I have to say that so far I'm disappointed in DOJ.
Daniel, thanks for the info. I, to am disappointed with DOJ. They have had so much time and have so much evidence. I am trying hard not to believe that Garland is sabotaging the whole investigation, but I can't imagine why he would do that. I'm confused as well as disappointed.
I so wish I could argue that you are wrong, and your family the exception, but I genuinely fear for the future.
My heart goes out to you, but it is better to understand family members and friends in--order to keep your perspective. I have many people in my family and extended family that carry that burden of hate with them or is it fear. It's hard to realize they have been there with their views throughout ones life. I do believe you with regard to trump being that catalyst in bring that hate to the fore front of their personalities. What I am a little concerned about are those who do not voice their opinion. We live in a scary time when families can be broken up by their beliefs. I've brought my family up to know that family is everything. It can be hard to to face or be around those who are so judgmental. Don't give up..family can be everything.
@GeraldNelson, Family is NOT everything. It could be that @RamonaAgin is taking care of her emotional well-being by choosing not to interact with her family, and if so, I applaud her for her self care. You can understand what a train wreck is–that it can damage or kill you–without engaging with it.
mth, I should have put it this way. To me family is everything and of course it is not a means for everyone to have that belief. I apologize again if what I have written has been misconstrued. Thank you for pointing this out to me mth
Gerald--Who are you addressing?
It appears my comments have been moved from Romana Agin's earlier comment about the situation with family and friends. I apologize for the confusion this presents.
Agree 100%. I relate and understand your choice to remove yourself and dismiss the cruelty of hate toward anyone they are threatened by. I too, can’t abide them.
Encouraging group hatreds distracts from the failings or weakness of your own doctrines.If you can persuade the less fortunate parts of the electorate that their situation is part of a wider liberal conspiracy and not due to the inequalities spawned by free enterprise then you maintain your grip on power .
The religious right has been strung-out on sex ever since the so-called "sexual revolution" of the '60s, the birth control pill, and Roe v Wade. Since it's all bound up with bigotry and hatred, I include both of those answers under the same rubric, and it's all joined at the hip with their whole "family values" agenda.
DZK, I agree that the "sexual revolution" of the 60s did get under conservative skins. It was a return to the fears and whining of white men back in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Sex has always been seen as a control mechanism of men over women and white men in particular. That is again being revisited. It seems about every 60 years or so, men notice they are not in is much control as they were (or thought they were), so have to intervene legally, through media, and through their bad behavior. And, here we are. And, those men are desperate because their ridiculous religious arguments aren't working so well anymore.
I think their insecurities are the key factor in their susceptibility to hating the other, makes them feel better about themselves. Also helps that most of the people who hate have never spent time in a minority neighborhood or visited another country that is not as well off as the US is. If they did they'd see the rich oppressing the poor, all over the place and they'd realize that we are all the same with the same problems.
Why? -- It's really about authoritian power at any cost. There is no altrustic or human-centered basis for the behavior.
The use of gender and sex has a long history in authoritian cultures. Already in 1950 with "The Authoritarian Personality" by Theodor Adorno, a German sociologist examing the abuses of the Third Reich, identified the use of gender roles as a common tool of authoritians. The Italian Il Duce was personally very abusive of gender roles. Perhaps the current Florida Il Duce is using a similar playbook.
Where does it lead? -- That depends on whether society can learn to identify and call out this behavior for its reasons and the downward spirial of authoritianism. Those messages have to be clear, consisistent, and constant.
Thanks for the references. Well put.
They're losing the religious right.
But there's a long tradition. When Samuel Johnson completed his Dictionary of the English Language, he is said to have been visited by a group of elderly religious women who congratulated him for omitting all indecent words. He in turn thanked them for looking them all up.
Retrumplicans have no platform & no goals for our country except to spew hatred, racism, & misogyny! Their mistaken belief is that everyone wants to hear their crap & that everybody believes in the things they do, but they couldn’t be farther off the rails! Rethugs have no experience in problem solving, they only know how to create problems for somebody else to solve! What a bunch of useless overpaid bureaucrats. The country could function very well without their ignorant hostility toward the “other” & their constant ranting about some new fascist idea they have learned about. This so-called Party of freedom has become adept @ finding ways to remove more & more of our constitutional freedoms while invoking some theological belief that it’s for everyone’s benefit to do so. This party of Lincoln has totally lost its identity & critical thinking skills. They have no business governing an ant colony let alone the oldest & most respected Democracy in the modern World! What to do about them is the real question we need to have answered.
Shirley, you're right about Republicans having no ideas, no abilities at problem-solving. Playing the sex card has been the standard distraction inept people use. You are also right about needing to act against this insanity. The media could help by calling out the bad behavior whenever they note it and they should note it all the time. For example, covering the insanity of the vote for Speaker of the House and the betrayal of the American people that was involved in McCarthy's deals was poor and except a bit on MSNBC, there was little challenge to the process and just how stupid it was. The truth is that any candidate who took more than 3 votes to be elected should not be worthy of the job. Repubs got a whole lot more free publicity which they ate up. Yes, people should have seen the Republican party as evil and inept, but since McCarthy did win, it was all good for Republican viewers and made Republican bad behavior even more brazen, knowing it would be covered and they would gain from the coverage. Then, McCarthy got to give sensitive video information to a supporter of the insurrection, Tucker Carlson of Fox Not Nearly News. That should never have been permitted by the DOJ or the Democrats and the few decent Republicans in the House. Carlson and Fox now have the material and have already begun twisting it for their pathetic ignorant viewers, lying and gaslighting just as predicted. The FCC needs to remove Fox from the airwaves for their incendiary speech that is putting people's lives at risk.
Shirley: May I suggest that Republicans find appeal to the lowest common factor a way to hide their restructuring government, to shrink it from a big, messy, and loud Democracy to a small, orderly, and quiet autocracy that can make them very rich and powerful?
Except they are not even hiding it. They are saying the bigoted, sexist, homophobic, anti democratic things out loud. And state legislatures (conveniently gerrymandered)are passing legislation to codify the biases and hatred! Including SCOTUS. The majority of the US population want women and girls to have the right/autonomy over their own bodies. And legally, judicially the opposite is happening.
Since the Gore v. Bush ruling in 2000 - minority rule got the stamp of approval from SCOTUS. Then money got BIG approval with Citizens United and Congressional Representatives become puppets. The common good - be damned, or at least never even considered.
I want a Constitution that eliminates the current 2nd Amendment and contains instead, the ERA.
The Equal Rights Amendment! Yes.
These haters are sheep motivated by demagoguery. The real truth is that those demagogues are wolves in sheep's clothing. Big pharma, big oil, Putin, etc.
Well written and I couldn’t agree more!
One would have to go with "all of the above" with a dose of smelling salts and a dash of hot pepper. Have they ever talked to a gay person? Have they ever interacted with a transsexuals, or had a glimpse of the pain they have gone through emotionally to get where they are? Lacking empathy is a psychiatric diagnosis in an individual. How do you describe a lack of empathy in an entire political party? I suppose the irony lies is the fact that conservative evangelicals, who profess to be Christians, fail to understand the nature of "loving your neighbor as you love yourself" or "love your enemy, do good to those who hate you", as central tenants of the faith. I suppose the anti-woke doctrine they now espouse makes them unable to think creatively about anything, since you have to be awake and caring to love your neighbor and the environment where you live.
How about all of the above?
Agree.
It seems to me they want chaos. However they can get it.
I believe that people who are creating such laws are fearful for their own existence and fearful of losing power. For some people it may have something to do with religion, but I think the majority of law makers who propose or vote in such laws are doing all they can, including catering to extremism, in order to remain in power. They are gerrymandering districts so that Democrats can never win, and they are changing laws as they go along in order to extinguish the voices of anyone who thinks differently than they themselves. Those extremist Republicans are a minority and the only way that they can remain in power is to change laws in hopes of marginalizing and stamping out those whom they feel pose a threat to their existence. I see no difference between these extremist Republicans and other religious (or not) extremists in this world. It’s all about holding onto power.
These people are so obsessed with sex, I wouldn’t trust them with anyone’s children.
Patriarchy is the framework of the Republican Party, which relegates anyone who is not the dominant group ( power-holding white males) as inferior and dangerous. It is usually couched in the prevailing patriarchal religion. The history of Christianity has never been comfortable with sex. Aimee Wise
The GOP seems "owned" by the Fundamentalist Nationalist Christians. Seems a bubble and lie that some word or phrase could "pop." But there 's the catch! Who's to say one belief or religion is true and all others wrong? In a theocracy, which I maintain the Fundamentalist Nationalist Christians seek to advance and install, they might designate and permit one flavor and only one flavor of religion. They would behave like Christian Taliban: authoritarian, intolerant, rigid and they might even deploy their own version of a religious police. Or, exactly what the founding fathers sought to prevent.
This is about eugenics. The 'Pro-Life' movement is a really just a front. It's the Pro-Lie movement.
Absolute fear powers the extreme republicans. Fear of not being a "white" majority , fear of losing power, fear of anyone not like them. All the reasons you've listed are why they are focusing on sex which always sells. They have nothing else.