Reading The Pictures: Craig, Wingnuts Quack Like A Duck -- For A Change

Surely, you're familiar with that power-tripping phrase: "Are you going to believe me, or your own eyes?"

This Administration has consistently avoided judgement by defying expected norms of reaction and standard emotional cause-and-effect.

... What that means is, if a guy does wrong and that wrong catches up to him, we are neurologically wired to expect a certain type of behavioral response. That reaction -- be it oral and tonal, or facial and gestural -- could be anything within a familiar spectrum, ranging from contrition or shame on one end to defensiveness or defiance on the other. The completely subversive thing about this Administration, however, is that, with as much damage as they've done, one would barely recognize it because the physical and emotional indicators the key players display bears so little sign of impertinence toward laws, ethics, and moral standards, or much hiccup, at all, at the level of personal conscience.

That's why it's such a relief to me to see Senator Craig in these mug shots.

Craig's expression, playing out below or just short of the camera eye, appears to say "I'm not here. ... And because I don't see you, I'm expecting (in my little bubble) you won't see me." In the profile, his gaze appears downward. Accordingly, we (as creatures each equipped with a set of emotional antennae) are trained to consider -- through instinctive, psychological pattern recognition -- a set vocabulary of corresponding emotions. Likely in the expressive mix -- and easier to recognize if you happened to listen to "Larry on tape" yesterday -- are qualities of shame, denial and rationalization.

Extreme narcissists, like sociopaths, however, just don't come with that kind of emotional programming. So while the world, based on their direct actions, could be on its way down in flames, what you are likely to see, even if judgement day is closing in on them, is a completely incongruous disconnect between the actor, his actions and his reactions.

Unfortunately for the country, the fact that you can get a mug like the one DeLay provided for his perp portrait, or ones like this or these, in the face of blatant wrongdoing and rampant abuse of power, sends a psychological signal, at a deep cognitive level, that nothing seems so wrong.

For more of the visual, visit BAGnewsNotes.com.

(image 1: Harris County Sheriff's Office/Handout/Reuters. October 20, 2005. Via YahooNews. image 2: Metropolitan Airports Commission Police Department/Handout/Reuters)

Follow Michael Shaw on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bagnewsnotes

Comments

[mommamia526]

Is it really all about mugshots and pretending that nothing seems so wrong? Is it really all only about these varied occurrences? Or, could it be the case that "liberalism" has gone amock? And, no, I am not a neocon "troll". As a society we have taken the brakes off morality as *imposed* on us by religion. And being a christian nation, we also have used the idea that Jesus said he would forgive us. So, as long as you are in church on Sunday, he is going to forgive you. But that takes away the idea of responsibility for one's actions, even thoughts, and reasoning. Whatever our personal inclinations and preferences, there are established and proven facts, no matter whether or not we are reinventing the wheel over and over. Greed, excess and suspension of the laws of how finance works, and does not work, a combination of economic and laws which found expression in religion, proves, again and again, to be the downfall for a society. And the same applies to *morality*. We are in conflict with terrorist muslims because our lack of *morality* offends them. But, they too, by resorting to murder, and looking for the beam in the other's eye, are acting immorally. The family values crowd, also, are looking out at others and what they do wrong, yet, pervert the message of Jesus and Torah. We can improve the world, but only by improving ourselves. You can change yourself, but not others. So, if we do not allow others to impose their morality on us, we should impose morality upon ourselves. Again and again, immorality has become the downfall of a nation. Certain institutions, like marriage, have been worked out over the millenia, and they have worked. Experimentation in other variants can not work over time. It is not about individuals and their sexuality. It is about society and the durability of that society, welfare and strength and growth. We live not as separate units, but as part of a whole.

[jezuzhchryst]

Gee what a shame to see a big V8 like yours just go around in circles in the driveway.... we are not a christian nation my friend, we are secular .. by law. The idea of moral relativity is to better define morals for people who struggle with ideas and take them seriously to heart. Your black and white world is a very old myth designed to keep sheep in a pen or cattle from wandering too far off the range. Durability, selfare, strength and growth do not all exclusively involve putting your penis in a vagina and ejaculating ..... but good luck with that. I know enough about people to not impose my personal taste on anyone else and call it "morality"

[truthmongerer]

I have to disagree along with other respondants - for one thing, this isn't and shouldn't be a religious debate. For another, what on earth makes you think the idea of marriage was thoughtfully worked out over time and does work? Over the thousands of years of recorded human history, marriage accounts for very little and was originally designed as a religious rite with legal ties that bound families together for financial and social gain. And it very rarely works - more than half of marriages end in divorce. There's a lot to be said for marriage - married couples tend to be more empathic, financially stable and even happier but I have to part ways with you when you take into a religious/moral area. Also, when you say immorality is the downfall of a nation, that's very rarely true - typically it's an unquenchable power lust or an overextended military. Our nation has realized its greatest downfall at the hands of supposedly religous, moral leaders.

[JohnJames]

Massachusetts allows gay marriage and it also has the lowest divorce rate in the country and is, in general, a far more functional place than any of the gay-hating "family-values" red states.

[mommamia526]

This is a very good piece of writing. There are a number of sentences that people use when playing games, according to Eric Berne, in a 1970's? book: "Games people play". I used to have that book and consult it often, but someone borrowed it and is not giving it back; it is very useful. "Are you going to believe ME, or you own eyes" is a good and useful sentence to remember. A variant of this is: "Who are you going to believe ME, or THEM?". Remember this one, ladies, when you hear that your husband is having some "variety excursions". You are expected to believe HIM, or else you will get a drama in six episodes, or he WILL NOT BE SSSPPPEAKINGGG for a year, at least. Get the mancave ready, sothat he has a place to retreat to. Now, but let us say that someone says something about you, then, of course, he will believe THEM, and never let you forget it. Not even if you have proof, written and validated by the highest court of the land as well as the highest authority of your place of worship. Yea, it is still a man's world. Now, but let us get down to brass tacks. How much of a democracy do we really have, if our votes do not count for much, and guys still play their games, call the shots, and decide together, in any kind of men only room, and come out with big phony smiles pretending that they take our views into consideration? Lobbying. Has women's lib been turned against us and are we just working harder, bringing home the bacon, frying it up, and, you know the tune. They have got it made, and we bring home the paycheck as well, and a good one. We need direct voting, more political parties, and no more electoral college. And, oh, yes, Jesus never said, "just go ahead and do whatever you want, I am still going to forgive you, no questions asked". He said: forgive OTHERS.

[HRH]

"Surely, you're familiar with that power-tripping phrase: "Are you going to believe me, or your own eyes?"

I've always heard that phrase as "......your own lying eyes." More to the point, dontcha know.

[jubal8]

I remember the first time I noticed a glaring example of this -- about 25 years ago. There was a discordance between my perception of a social situation and the observed physical demeanor of one of the participants in that situation.

Jerry Falwell was being interviewed on some TV program, along with someone who was taking an oppositional stand in the discussion. While listening to the content of their remarks, I had the clear impression that Falwell was losing the argument, or at least struggling to make his points. Yet when I looked at him as he appeared onscreen, he was smiling in this smug, self-satisfied way that seemed to present the image of one who was winning the argument.

Now this is all very subjective, but what struck me in that instance was the very effect that Mr. Shaw describes in his article. Mr. Fallwell was consciously putting on a face to convey to the observer an impression of facts that otherwise were not in evidence.

Of course, there's nothing new under the sun. In Hamlet, William Shakespeare wrote: "The Devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape."

[kroses98]

Falwell always had that same smug smile on his face. What a phony he was! He could talk about how it was the gays fault that 911 happened, but he would still be smiling!

[lew]

I just keep wondering what kind of person still supports Republican policies that are obviously just a front for their own sad failings. Flag waiving, family values, homophobia, racism, facism, etc. when they are secretly screwed up in the head on all these topics. How can the so called evangelicals support people who obviously use them to get elected and then do just the opposite in their private lives. I don't really support flag burning unless there is a politician wrapped in it. That's the way we should look at all these hyocrites on the right. There is usually something in their closet.

[frankifrost]

Metaphorically speaking, the greatest trick that Satan has ever pulled-off is to make one believe that he doesn't exist.
This is what's happening between Bush and his constituents.
It stands to reason that these myth-worshipers are the most susceptible to his confidence game.

[BufoAmericanus]

"The most important kind of freedom is to be what you really are. You trade in your reality for a role. You give up your ability to feel, and in exchange, put on a mask."
--Jim Morrison

[wagonjak]

And of course, who did Fox news have on yesterday to talk about the Craig scandal?

Tom Delay of course...someone who knows a LOT about scandal! And predictably who did Tommy boy bash?...the Democrats!...some BS line about how Repubs get rid of their bad boys (like Foley and Craig?) and the Dems keep theirs around.

My greatest hope is that Craig refuses to resign and keeps his taint swirling around the Republican's dirty underwear until next election..­.doubtful, but one can always hope.

[wrightthewrong]

Fox Noise was not the only media complicit in providing a mouth piece for Tom Delay. Chris Matthews had him on and I was thoroughly disgusted. He spent his full hour on the question of whether the republican party, and more specifically Larry Craig, are hypocrites. Duh -- they have to take a hypocritical oath, of course...

[cuzkate]

Has the ever lovin' Delay moved his "not a Jim Bakker hair out of place" self to VA. to run for Warner's seat?

[mikekev58]

Seems like the photos are a bit of Rashomon. I think Craig is probably in some state of mental shock at having been caught and perhaps the wheels are spinning as to how he will extricate himself from this situation. Despite his anti-gay stance, as it were, I feel sorry for the guy and for his family. His being caught does nothing for gay equality, but only serves to shine the light on the ubiquity of "the down-low" And, of course, on the reality that some men really like mens room sex.
As for him resigning, be careful what you wish for. John Ashcroft lost an election and wound up as AG, although compared to Gonzalez, Ashcroft is a champion of individual liberty. Craig won't wind up in any appointed position, but I think this episode will further harden the anti-gay bigotry that's still rampant in this country. Silver lining? Tony Perkins is disgusted with the GOP. Maybe the right wing evangelicals will sit out '08?

[kroses98]

If you look closely at those mug shots, you can see a strong resemblance to the "B.T.K. Killer." What do these 2 have in common? Cold, steely eyes, void of emotion. Although Craig probably never killed anyone, his votes indicate a strong lack of empathy with the poor, the minorities, and the "downtrodden" in life, whereas B.T.K.'s lack of empathy took a more extreme turn into mass murder. The bottom line is that both of these men have antisocial personality disorders. This is not unusual in politics, as one might expect!

[lunaoscura]

Actually, the mug shot of Craig looks like the face of a cruel authoritarian. He could easily be the mean school Principal that children are scared of. He's showing the first signs of his outraged indignation at being treated like a criminal. In movies he could easily be cast as the Nazi head of the secret police, whose sinister presence is seen in the shadows of the torture chambers. It's a decidedly stern and unfriendly expression. DeLay just looks like a fool who thinks he's doing the fooling.

[wrightthewrong]

Vitter will not be forced to resign because he is a republican with a democratic governor of Louisiana. The governor appoints the replacement.

I thought about that, also, when I heard that Lieberman is being considered for US Attorney General, since there now is a republican governor of Connecticut to appoint his replacement.

It's a strategy that plays a role whenever there is a scandal involving either party.

[louinphx]

You are correct. It is that simple. It has nothing to do with ethics or being guilty of a crime or not. It is all in what will benefit the RNC.

[emjay1954]

Good insight, Michael. It is indeed narcissism that is the hallmark of Bush and his croneys. Consider the self-importance, the lack of empathy, the grandiosity, the inability to admit (even to oneself) mistakes. This administration exhibits narcissism to a pathological degree. Larry Craig, flawed though he may be, has not reached that level.

[CriminallySane]

And the question needs asking: Why only Craig? Why are people not turning on David Vitter? Here is a married man who openly admits to consorting with prostitutes, who by all accounts paid them for fairly non-standard "services", (diapering, etc.) and while the Republican chorus may well drive Craig from office (as of when I write this, he has not resigned), Vitter seems untouched.

Could it be that the Republicans are so cynical and so biased that assignations with women paid to diaper a married United States Senator are OK because either (a) Vitter is still "straight", or (b) a Democratic governor in Louisiana might not appoint a Republican to a vacated Senate seat?

Naahhh...

[ceu]

"Why only Craig? Why are people not turning on David Vitter?"
Vitter was not convicted of a crime. Craig was. Vitter may not remain untouched after his next re-election bid

[snaggster]

Diaperboy is gonna get to testify at the madam's trial. Not to worry.

[CriminallySane]

Vitter admitted his "business" with "escorts". I suspect the real difference(s) for the Republicans are that (a) the "escorts" were women, and (b) the governor of Louisiana is a Democrat, thus raising the possibility of a non-Republican appointment.

Yes, they are that bigoted and that cynical.

[TexasDem0]

Michael, “bears so little sign of impertinence …”
It seems to me they are highly impertinent.

The smug smiles show the imperious arrogance of people who truly believe they are above the law, because in fact, unlike the masses, they have never been held accountable to any law.

[TXfemmom]

These mug shots display people who are incapable of viewing themselves as having any kind of responsibility for their actions.

[navalvet]

In the case of DeLay, he probably believes that he did absolutely nothing wrong; that he is fulfilling the divine will in his politcal actions; and that he is the victim of the evil which he has fought for years. In short, he suffers from megalomania, which his fall from power has not cured.