Goodbye, Cruel World
The world would be a better place if the American right wing had never existed. Thousands of Americans and Iraqis would still be alive, tens of thousands or Iraqis would still be living in their own homes. The American economy would not have hopped from bubble to bubble if the right wing had not put all of their faith in deregulation, and American jobs would not have been sent abroad. Our tax dollars would not have flowed upward into the coffers of the rich, and the war machine would not comprise such a large part of our economy. We would have retained the respect of other nations, and not aroused the absolute hatred of those we have attempted to bomb into submission. We would get along better with one another if the right wing had not used tribal hatreds to arouse their base against black people, immigrants, liberals, and the well-educated. Our infrastructure, health care, and schools would be better if the billions spent on futile wars had been spent on domestic needs. The planet would be a better place if our addiction to oil had been broken 25 years ago.
But the issue goes deeper even that these practical matters. We would, in fact, be happier people if the right wing had not terrorized us with their horror-filled systems of belief. The Friedmanites are bad enough -- in their world, there are only winners and losers. Everyone deserves what they get, and if a child who gets melamine in his milk is a victim of "creative destruction", well, too bad, because some rich person is getting a little bit more money. In the capitalist world, you are not just supposed to starve, you are supposed to deserve starving -- insult added to injury, humiliation added pain. Of course, as Naomi Klein has shown, the "free market" is never free at all, it is fixed, by dictators and armies and oligarchs. But the thrust of the propaganda stands. We may call this the "Phil Gramm Position".
As bad as this is, far worse has been the effect of religious fundamentalism on the individual spirit and the national mood. By now, we all know some child (or former child) who has been terrorized by "the Rapture" -- who has come home after school to an empty house, only to panic because he or she is convinced that everyone else has been "raptured up." The left behind one has to reckon with the idea that not only is everyone he or she loves gone, he or she has done something wrong according to Jesus, and failed to deserve salvation. I call this child abuse. The religious right has been determined to enforce the unhappiness of others, no doubt so that that unhappiness will match their own. After all, they want to make sure that gay people understand that no matter how much they pay in taxes, they are second class citizens. They also want to make sure that every woman in the world understands that her interests are secondary to those of any embryo, any man, even, indeed, any sperm cell. This would be the "James Dobson Position".
The God of the right wing, and of the Bible, is a pretty arbitrary guy. He lays down the rules, but you can get those boils or those locusts even if you didn't knowingly do anything wrong, in fact, even if you didn't do anything wrong at all. Your personal God could punish you for something someone else did, as in the Bible he frequently punishes the enemies of Israel, men, women, children, dogs, cats, goats, etc., just for being the enemies of Israel. I love how right wing preachers pray away hurricanes, sending them to places like Bermuda. If your God is arbitrary, then of course you are always anxious and depressed -- your adrenaline is always pumping. And you are never motivated to understand how the world works. But locusts and boils and hurricanes have causes -- physical, medical, and ecological. Society can avoid locusts and boils and even mitigate the effects of hurricanes if it understands cause and effect, but if your God is an arbitrary authoritarian, and your father was an arbitrary authoritarian, then you never truly understand cause and effect in the world we live in. As we all know, no religion has ever successfully answered the problems raised by the issue of an omnipotent God. The best they offer is to forbid questioning, and to punish those who do. Because the right wing experiences the world as cruel and arbitrary, they have no inhibitions about enhancing that cruelty -- as in "Hurricane Katrina", as in "Iraq War", and in "Abu Ghraib".
This is the world we have been living in for the past thirty years.
In a week, we have a chance to leave this world behind. If we look at our two candidates, the differences between them are stark. John McCain, who was raised by and accepts the authoritarian model, is evidently never at peace. He is hot-headed, erratic, and has been remarkably cruel. He claims to have principles, but his principles change every time he loses his cool. The more he is pushed, the more it becomes evident that he lives by his own selfish desires -- for money, for power, for women. He's is a classic avoider, who can't even answer the simplest question -- if something "unpleasant" comes up, he changes the subject. Barack Obama rarely changes the subject, because he is fully capable of looking at an issue and considering it. He seems to have been reared in a non-authoritarian household, by a loving mother and loving grandparents. He thinks that the world is a rational place that can be understood and modified. His own family seems happy and loving. Right wingers think he is shallow, but he isn't shallow -- he's well-adjusted. And we've had two whole years to poke him and prod him and discover this. Obama has grown through campaigning because he has learned from it. McCain gets ever smaller and more weird as he campaigns because he doesn't understand what is happening to him. When we choose between these two men, we are choosing between two worlds -- the world of ignorance, fear, manipulation, and cruelty, and the world of rational investigation, weighing of options, and planning. This world is a world where sexual preference is not such a big deal, salvation is not an eternal mystery, and life goes on. It's a world where bad things happen, but there is no malign Godly intention behind them. It is world that understands the temptations of human nature and attempts to deal with them rationally and systematically. Some of these attempts will fail, but on balance, not as many as have failed in the last twenty-five years.
Most of my friends see the coming election as the most important we have known. The right wing has damaged our country, our livelihoods, our national honor, and our planet, but not yet fatally. If McCain gets elected, that could change.
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Hey, HatingSocialism,
If one party having control of more than one branch of our three-lbranced governemt is Socialism, then your own (one presumes) Republican Party was socialist for at least six years of Dubya's "reign" (of terror.)
Get past the lies and misrepresentations. Get some real knowledge not spewed by Limbaugh and Company.
And by the way, hand in your social security card and start saving (a lot) for your retirement, since you don't believe in anything socialist.
Yes, probably even your health insurance plan is socialist.
If you pay a premium as part of a group, then you've already got socialized medicine..
The Social Security Program is not socialist. Your Social Security number is (or WAS) an account number for money that is paid by the people so they can collect on it in retirement. What the hell is socialist about that? Now, Obama's plan to "redistribute the wealth" is a classic socialist plan. I wouldn't vote for him for Dogcatcher.
You are correct Jane, but you really can’t expect a public that has been deliberately badly educated for many decades to understand your quite knowledgeable treatise. The US is comprised of people who have been manipulated time and again into voting against their own best interests. Americans have no idea how badly the US trails other advanced countries in benefits and good health for its citizens. Most know more about hockey than they know about their own finances. We are a people so shallow that we easily change course in elections by non-essential last minute revelations because we have no philosophical moorings of our own.
Let us keep our fingers crossed that we can get some relief from the oligarchic right in the coming election. A win for Obama gives us a chance to redeem ourselves in the world’s eyes and may give our citizens a fairer shake. A win for McCain will be a continuation of the decline of the US and the impoverishment of its citizens.
I guess Jane writes and she does because that is her. We can take inspiration from her and speak to others in words they will understand. Yes you can.
Smiley's remarks are the BEST articulation of where I also stand after 25 years of Right Wing rule. The irrational religious basis of all this ignorance, terror and malfeasance is the root. Its branches have sprouted up into so many arenas of public life that we’ve all constantly had to beat back the underbrush merely to find a place to take a stand. Well, the wingers have what they (horrifyingly) consider their Biblical "sword of truth"; we need our own sharpened blade to cut through the crap: "the machete of reality and humanity". Let's use it. The wingnuts have dominated the discourse too long. Let's clear some ground and let in the sun.
If we consider the teachings of Jesus and the conduct of the religious right of the republican party in this election, then
Christian republican must be an oxymoron.
It is my sad life experience that the more ignorant a person is, the more sure of himself, the less flexible that person is with regards to his/her convictions ( as opposed to truth ).
It is hard to have a discussion with a person who is entrenched in his opinions and who will rationalize the facts as these facts are presented to them.
This may explain why Bush won, as his constituency is always fired up and ready to do battle with the "evil" democrats.
We are all Americans and we all wish our country well; a democrat is not a republican's enemy; he is an American who believes in a more pragmatic, less ideological, more compassionate ( not welfare-oriented ) way of governance.
I was on a site earlier that leaned towards the fundamentalists and they were calling us
Welfare queens
homosexual whites
lazy and worthless
socialists
And then they were talking about where to get guns to protect themselves after election day.
Several of them expressed interest in doing violence to us.
Yet I'm sure they are all professed Christians.
Nice.
I was watching the Catholic TV channel the other day and the speaker was busy defending what the Catholic Church did to Galileo three hundred years ago. Said they had no other choice because Galileo kept insisting he was right and made fun of the pope. Had no choice. Catholics don’t want choices, they want to be told what to do.
I am aware of all the good things the Christian church does and yes I am a member, but the church really has been wrong much of the time and should stay far away from politics.
It is no coincidence that the Catholic Church was responsible for the Grand Inquisition
In Spain that killed and crippled thousands of innocent people and now the Republican party chooses to approve torture of the innocent to find the guilty. To this day Bush and Cheney and will defend the use of torture.
Torture is not who we are. We are supposed to be the good guys remember?
So turn off the Catholic channel and watch Charlie Rose instead.
I'm not Catholic, but this bothers me. The evangelical Christians who spout nonsense about the rapture and the end days, and whom the neocons court, aren't Catholic either.
they also "don"t want choices, they want to be told what to do."
Maybe the cruelty and the contempt for other people are consequences of believing your version of God is the only version possible. Seems like that's the case with the Muslim fundamentalists as well.
The catholic church has made many mistakes in the past - and I can't speak to what the "Catholic Channel" said, nor will I ever defend the inquisition or even their handling of Galileo or Copernicus, etc...Reme
I am Catholic and I am proud to say the Catholic Church I belong to is (with a couple of exceptions) as progressive as anyone you will find on Huffingtonpost. Recall that the Pope spoke out against the War in Iraq. Catholic Relief Services is one of the largest charitable organization on earth. In the poorest areas of the world you will find Catholic people working to help those who have been marginalized.
You can judge us by the sins of our past, but I also ask you to consider the good works we do today. And remember that there are bad people in any institution.
A blanket Indictment of the Catholic Church for things like the Inquistion would be akin to Indicting all Americans for the My Lai Massacre, the Trail of Tears, and other similar events that have pockmarked our history.
What I see the "Evangelicals" and even the "Catholic Right" doing is making the same mistakes the Catholic Church made....
.... in the dark ages.
Thank you, Jane. I agree with you totally. America has become a society of fear and intimidation - no hope. The past 8 years have been a nightmare. Unfortunately, it wasn't a dream but a reality.
I have been hearing that the Evangelical right has become fractured and no longer cohesive. The evangelical community has turned away from value voters to espousing the true Christian message. If that is true, it is a great thing. All I know is that if Obama is elected President, all the world will have hope again.
Excellent article and I couldn't agree more. I often wonder where we would be with President Al Gore. The world would be more peaceful and friendly for sure.
Rethugs are narrow minded and cruel - let's get our country back to where it needs to be.
Go Obama/Biden
An Al Gore presidency, yeah, that would have been a hoot! A lotta material there for SNL.
If only......
It is a shame you spoil what in the end is a good article with tiresome religious bashing.
Not all religions are as you describe. Not all Judeo-Christian religions, even.
Are there demagogues who use religion as a bludgeon on their followers to enforce their petty views? Yes.
Is there a political party that was taken over by cynics who use and twist what was once words of peace for their own perverted aims? Of course.
But you lump it all together. If Right Wing religion is bad...all of it's bad.
And that makes you the same as the Right Wing. Worse, because we on the left are supposed to be better.
All Blanket Indictments are Bad....
:-)
Amen to what you said, and bless you.
A well thought out article. However, I would caution that the Right Wing is the "Christian" version of the Taliban.
Please don't paint all Christians with the same dark brush. I'm a Christian who believes in God and the Bible. In the Bible, it says you can tell true Christians by what they do. We believe that when we accept salvation, we receive a part of God within us, His Holy Spirit. That holiness guides our actions, and it is impossible to committ evil if that true Spirit resides within you.
Not to confuse evil with sin. We all make mistakes. But if you watch Sarah Palin smirk while she incites her audience into ugly, vicious shouts, you can see her soul. Likewise McCain's arrogant smirks and dismissive behavior toward anyone who disagrees with him.
Would a man who is committed to Christ-like behavior allow filth and hate to flow from his campaign directly into the people?
Jesus condemned the religious leaders of his day as hypocrits who revered their laws to the detriment of the people. He called them out for not caring for the poor and vulnerable while considering themselves as so holy. An apt description for what is happening with many "religious" leaders today.
I am a Christian. I don't judge others. I believe in freedom of choice and thought. I give service and donations to my community as I can.
Real Christians walk their talk.
Exactly. I'm a liberal Democrat PRECISELY because I'm Christian.
I haven't quantified this but MOST of what is in the platform of the Republican party is antithetical to the teachings of Christ.
Jesus embraced a lot of those who lived on the margins of society.
Jesus talked about loving your enemy, turning the other cheek.
The Christian "church" has been hijacked by modern day versions of those who persecuted people in the inquisition. Don't be fooled by what they call themselves. They are not Christians.
If you want to know what a Christian stands for - google "beatitudes" (not a beatles cover band)
Beautifully said, especially your comment about Obama being well-adjusted. It explains a lot when you think about it. The repugs don't know how to handle that!
Your comments have prompted me to think about models of capitalism - "authoritarian" capitalism (starvation is based on individual failure) vs. "rational" capitalism (starvation is the result of the interaction of multiple factors).
So, we must now choose between "do as I say" mcsame or "let's see what we can do together" Obama.
"Give us this last man, Zarathustra. Make us this last man."
Excellent article. I'm a Canadian - and well over 90% of the people I talk to (and most of us have been following this election very closely) believe that in order for the U.S. to re-attain it's respect in the rest of the world, Obama must be elected President.
The scary thing is that about 50% of the the same group of people do not believe that America will make the right decision. I sure hope they are wrong because the consequences will be dire if McCain/Palin are chosen ...
"This is the world we have been living in for the past thirty years."
This cannot be stated enough. It is not a matter of the last eight years. It is not a matter of Bush and Cheney. The seeds of our destruction were sown a generation ago with the rise of Saint Ronnie. We are not going to put our nation back together until we as a people can be de-Reaganized.
Nice article. Accurate perspective - and a great case for the clear choice on Nov 4th!
The Freidmanites are actually a bigger worry, for they have the cash to come back and engineer this once more. As you said, they are just hypocrites and cheats who want a fixed game and a second theft like the bailout. Obama needs a Congress with a spine, for Paulson and Co. belong in prison. Europe had cleansed itself of both these parasites, but the re-infection over the past 8 years has already destroyed Iceland, once a stable and prosperous society, now on its knees begging for IMF loans. They played fast and loose like Wall Street and fell quickly because they are small. The US is in dangerous teritory here, for they could fall over the next few years especially if McC/P get in. Maybe both parties should be re-constituted with young educated accountable blokes without these parasites. Obama has a tough job, for I feel this could take 20 years to fix even under ideal conditions. Maybe I am pessimistic, but as a Cost Center Manager of large sums (much smaller compared to the billions or trillions being handled here) I have found that it is always uphill when you try to repair the system and keep it honest.
The American dream is already on life support because of the same tenants you espouse...
Sorry, wrong reply space....
It is the difference between a young, cool, well spoken radical leftist socialist with a thin resume and lots of unanswered questions, and an older, known experienced 25 year senator who will knows foreign policy and understands that spreading the wealth will kill the American dream.
Huh? Obama has far more experience than Lincoln had.
As for Mccain, experience is wasted if you insist on learning nothing from it.
The American dream is already on life support because of the same tenants you espouse...
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