When it's all about making things better for White Conservative Christian heterosexuals
And because you have no ideas, but you REALLY love power and what comes with it
It’s understandable to be alarmed at the spread of artificial intelligence, but we should be more alarmed at the increasing global stupidity.
Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu
You cannot be truly humble, unless you truly believe that life can and will go on without you.
Mokokoma Mokhonoana
You may call me naïve if you must, but I grew up believing that by the time I reached a certain point in life, people would be able to have rational, reasoned discussions. Sure, we might disagree about things, but we’d be able to talk about those disagreements like reasonable people. We’d recognize our differences, compare facts and evidence, and decide who had the preponderance of evidence on their side.
I know; I grew up in a town of less than a thousand people in the great north woods of Minnesota, where everyone looked and talked like me. I wasn’t exposed to the world outside of Walker, MN, much. When you spend most of the winters in sub-zero temperatures, you have a lot of time to think indoors. And it was through all that thinking I became convinced that, ultimately, people would evolve into reasonable, rational beings who could negotiate differences. Surely, there would be a middle ground for good people to find, right? Some place where we could all agree on the essential things- life, liberty, and the fact that the Packers suck?
Well, guess what? (And don’t call me Shirley.)
Now that I’m approaching retirement age, I’ve realized how naïve my young self was. Through observation and the cynicism brought on through experience, I've learned that many folks on the other side of the ideological fence are as interested in yelling AT me as in speaking with me. The gulf between is no longer bridgeable because what was once a short distance has long since become a yawning chasm.
You literally can’t get there from here.
Congress, por ejemplo, is for all intents and purposes in the thrall of kooks who’d sooner see America burn than compromise their “principles.” Crazies like Matt Gaetz, Marjorie Trailer Greene, Paul Gosar, and Lauren Boebert- to name but a few- make up the “Freedumb Caucus.” You might think that a group with a name like the “Freedumb Caucus” might be all about protecting American values like freedom, liberty, etc., ad infinitum, ad nauseam.
Sadly, you’d be gravely mistaken because the “Freedumb Caucus” doesn’t exist to stand for something or to get things done. They’re chaos agents; they live to burn things down and fuck things up. They don’t want to create a better America for all Americans. They want to make a better America for White Conservative Christian cisgender heterosexuals; all others need not apply.
Because they (along with the rest of the GOP, who are happy to tag along when it suits their purpose) have invented five “crises” to keep Americans scared and stupid:
The fake crises?
“Woke”: Not that anyone on the Right can define it, but “woke” is the label they attach to anything they feel is terrible. It’s not. They’re using it as a weapon against anything that fosters tolerance and acceptance. (Oh, the humanity….)
The panic over trans people: “Trans people just want the right to exist safely as their true selves.” That doesn’t seem like too much to ask. It certainly does to Republicans, who think “transgenderism” is satanic. It’s not; “transgenderism” isn’t even a word.
Critical race theory (CRT): No one on the Right can define CRT…but they know in their hearts that it’s mean/nasty/terrible/awful stuff. Never mind that it’s not taught in middle or secondary schools. It’s usually graduate school/law school-level subject matter.
“Couch potatoes”: Republicans would have us believe millions of unemployed people are too lazy to get off their asses and find work. Research shows that most unemployed WANT to work and don’t want to spend their life on government assistance. Republicans use this myth to try and eliminate the social safety net. So much for “compassionate conservatism.”
“Out of control government spending”: Government spending as a percentage of our economy has FALLEN by more than 30% over the past 50 years. But Republicans also use this myth to justify eliminating the social safety net.
Of course, these myths ensure that Republicans can distract the American Sheeple from the real problems facing this country:
The growing concentration of wealth.
The worsening climate crisis.
The undermining of our democracy.
It’s no coincidence that all three of those genuine problems benefit Republicans and their benefactors. Shocking, I know….
By distracting Americans from our real problems, Republicans ensure that their benefactors continue to fatten themselves at the expense of the middle class, minorities, and low-income people. Income disparity widens as the climate crisis continues to manifest, indirectly contributing to undermining American democracy.
And, since it’s been clear for years now that the GOP wants power but has no ideas with which to govern, it’s resorting to culture war issues to stoke anger in its base. Because if you can keep your voters sacred, angry, and stupid, you never have to worry about having actual ideas you need to sell.
Indeed, Republicans can spend a campaign screaming, “CRITICAL RACE THEORY”…“WOKE!”…“TRANSGENDER!”…“GAY MARRIAGE!”…and they can count on the anger they stoke carrying them through Election Day.
The latest tactic is the push for an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden. Rep. Marjorie Trailer Greene (R-GA) filed articles of impeachment on the day the President was sworn in, apparently as a preemptive strike. Impeaching a President is supposed to be for high crimes and misdemeanors committed in office. Perhaps Rep. Greene thought she’d beat the rush and come up with evidence later? That’s what Fox News talking head Greg Gutfeld wants to see happen.
Evidence? Who needs evidence to impeach a Democratic President? We can open an impeachment inquiry first and find evidence as we go…right??? No one expects anyone to secure proof that the President did anything wrong. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t embarrass him and drag his name and reputation through the mud.
Silly me; I used to think people ran for public office to make a difference. I thought they were about public service and wanted to do what they could to make America a better place.
Goddamn, but I can be naïve at times….
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Everybody knows that logic, principles, evidence, and facts are librul conspiracy points for undermining conservatives in their neo-fascist push for hegemonic power.