This is an old story of the right. Richard Hofstadter talked about it. It amazes me that these people are afraid of things that don't really effect them. Marriage equality and the choice issue don't concern anyone other than the individuals involved. Why does the culture seem left leaning? Because Hollywood doesn't make as much money on movies that are made from a conservative point of view. Ignorance feeds paranoia, and the people who watch Fox News as their sole source of information are ignorant of the reality of so many situations. The real problem is how does this get corrected?
You have put your finger right on the cause of the many delusions shared by those on the right. They see America rapidly changing in ways they don't like. In my almost 80 years, I have seen so many changes that I can understand why people who held various prejudices, to begin with, are now scared of what this country has become. I remember gay slurs, the outcry against feminism, and job losses to overseas work. Still, even now, the blame is being laid on immigrants—no need even to mention the racial slurs against various minorities.
I was happy to see these changes because I thought they would make America a better country, with more opportunities for everyone. I never considered how fearful many people are when confronted by change, especially when these changes bring into question their worldviews.
The question remains, "Are the many people who share these delusions willing to fight and die to try and stop the changes and bring back the world they think they remember?" I believe some will fight, and they will cause a great deal of harm, but the majority will not commit violence in the face of their own imprisonment or death. It's easy to talk about violence but much harder to commit violence. It's similar to what is happening on the internet. It's easy to insult people in writing but much harder to do in person.
Racial integration, the Vietnam war, and the bombing of abortion clinics all produced violence, but the violence never spread past a few die-hard opponents of these changes. Most of us don't want to kill our neighbors, regardless of what we feel about their political views.
There is one more factor that is not mentioned very often. Most of us, myself included, have never been to war and seen the absolute carnage caused by bombs and bullets. TV and movies rarely show the actual effects of violence on the human body. For most of us, real life has a way of tempering our more radical desires.
"...injuries and grievances, whether or not they are grounded in reality" Not all Republican grievances are equal. You have to distinguish between conspiracy theory-fed grievances such as QAnon and stolen 2020 election, and other grievances that are anything but delusional. Take away the former two, and you are still left with identity politics that traces our problems to men, particularly white men, long-term income inequality, declining quality of education, illegal immigration and crime, to name just a few. The Democrats' failure to address these problems is the reason that Republicans are even competitive in this fall's election, let alone potentially victorious. How is that delusional?
Flying in from the cultural right to report in. Here’s the deal. Much of cultural left seems to eschew anything to do with responsibility before self. I think I noticed it first with marriage in particular -- the primacy of self over the family unit. Then there was the decoupling of having kids from marriage and often without a two party commitment to raise them. Because, as said by many liberals and conservatives alike, it doesn’t affect me so why should I care?
Here is the thing though, we do live with the result with other people’s choices and, worst of all, children do. I worked for awhile with CASA (court appointed special advocates for children) and trust me, the kids pay the price of their parents behavior often with no ability to change or get out of the situation. Liberals act as if that isn’t a factor, as if it happens in a vacuum or entirely due to economic instability or marginalization. And broken children too often result in broken adults -- and I don’t think I have spell out the results to society of broken adults.
Now I actually vote mostly Dem because I think they have better fiscal policy for the society we have now. On top of that, the MAGA Republicans are cuckoo (as well detailed above) and Trump? Is just plain evil.
Are you trying to say that the left does not have hegemonic control of every one of the institutions mentioned? That when social conservatives use what meager power to rein in the excesses, there is a major hue and cry. How is defeating Liz Cheney in Wyoming not a democratic act? Elections are democratic, even ones the left loses.
The key Mr. Linker seems to want is for conservatives to just pay the taxes for the society that liberals have ruined. Just try to make your way as the whole system is rotted out from the inside. That liberals never can be held to account. I reject that whole idea. Defunding leftist run American institutions is not violence. Eliminating the publicly funded jobs of liberals in conservative areas is our right, and it is our duty to do so.
As to election fraud, all one need do is look into the voting patterns of nursing homes in Wisconsin in key counties to know the fix was in, at least in that state.
As far back as I am aware, humans have told this story: once upon a time we lived in a golden age. Then The Others came and now the world is a wasteland.
It is a fairy tale, but humans have loved it from the very beginning and I don't imagine this will ever change.
This is an old story of the right. Richard Hofstadter talked about it. It amazes me that these people are afraid of things that don't really effect them. Marriage equality and the choice issue don't concern anyone other than the individuals involved. Why does the culture seem left leaning? Because Hollywood doesn't make as much money on movies that are made from a conservative point of view. Ignorance feeds paranoia, and the people who watch Fox News as their sole source of information are ignorant of the reality of so many situations. The real problem is how does this get corrected?
You have put your finger right on the cause of the many delusions shared by those on the right. They see America rapidly changing in ways they don't like. In my almost 80 years, I have seen so many changes that I can understand why people who held various prejudices, to begin with, are now scared of what this country has become. I remember gay slurs, the outcry against feminism, and job losses to overseas work. Still, even now, the blame is being laid on immigrants—no need even to mention the racial slurs against various minorities.
I was happy to see these changes because I thought they would make America a better country, with more opportunities for everyone. I never considered how fearful many people are when confronted by change, especially when these changes bring into question their worldviews.
The question remains, "Are the many people who share these delusions willing to fight and die to try and stop the changes and bring back the world they think they remember?" I believe some will fight, and they will cause a great deal of harm, but the majority will not commit violence in the face of their own imprisonment or death. It's easy to talk about violence but much harder to commit violence. It's similar to what is happening on the internet. It's easy to insult people in writing but much harder to do in person.
Racial integration, the Vietnam war, and the bombing of abortion clinics all produced violence, but the violence never spread past a few die-hard opponents of these changes. Most of us don't want to kill our neighbors, regardless of what we feel about their political views.
There is one more factor that is not mentioned very often. Most of us, myself included, have never been to war and seen the absolute carnage caused by bombs and bullets. TV and movies rarely show the actual effects of violence on the human body. For most of us, real life has a way of tempering our more radical desires.
"...injuries and grievances, whether or not they are grounded in reality" Not all Republican grievances are equal. You have to distinguish between conspiracy theory-fed grievances such as QAnon and stolen 2020 election, and other grievances that are anything but delusional. Take away the former two, and you are still left with identity politics that traces our problems to men, particularly white men, long-term income inequality, declining quality of education, illegal immigration and crime, to name just a few. The Democrats' failure to address these problems is the reason that Republicans are even competitive in this fall's election, let alone potentially victorious. How is that delusional?
Flying in from the cultural right to report in. Here’s the deal. Much of cultural left seems to eschew anything to do with responsibility before self. I think I noticed it first with marriage in particular -- the primacy of self over the family unit. Then there was the decoupling of having kids from marriage and often without a two party commitment to raise them. Because, as said by many liberals and conservatives alike, it doesn’t affect me so why should I care?
Here is the thing though, we do live with the result with other people’s choices and, worst of all, children do. I worked for awhile with CASA (court appointed special advocates for children) and trust me, the kids pay the price of their parents behavior often with no ability to change or get out of the situation. Liberals act as if that isn’t a factor, as if it happens in a vacuum or entirely due to economic instability or marginalization. And broken children too often result in broken adults -- and I don’t think I have spell out the results to society of broken adults.
Now I actually vote mostly Dem because I think they have better fiscal policy for the society we have now. On top of that, the MAGA Republicans are cuckoo (as well detailed above) and Trump? Is just plain evil.
Are you trying to say that the left does not have hegemonic control of every one of the institutions mentioned? That when social conservatives use what meager power to rein in the excesses, there is a major hue and cry. How is defeating Liz Cheney in Wyoming not a democratic act? Elections are democratic, even ones the left loses.
The key Mr. Linker seems to want is for conservatives to just pay the taxes for the society that liberals have ruined. Just try to make your way as the whole system is rotted out from the inside. That liberals never can be held to account. I reject that whole idea. Defunding leftist run American institutions is not violence. Eliminating the publicly funded jobs of liberals in conservative areas is our right, and it is our duty to do so.
As to election fraud, all one need do is look into the voting patterns of nursing homes in Wisconsin in key counties to know the fix was in, at least in that state.
As far back as I am aware, humans have told this story: once upon a time we lived in a golden age. Then The Others came and now the world is a wasteland.
It is a fairy tale, but humans have loved it from the very beginning and I don't imagine this will ever change.