January 10, 2011
The full story of the bloody Tucson, Arizona, rampage that killed six and grievously wounded a U.S. congresswoman has yet to be pieced together, but the tragedy reminds us of the risk to democracy from both violent political rhetoric and reckless exaggerations about “victimhood.”
5 comments:
From cutting edge exposure of 'establishment's' Iran Contra boondoggle to being an apologist for the same 'establihment's' gamesmanship of events both shocking and not-so-shocking, I read with substantial disappointment the hand-wringng excuses for supporting more establishment control of American lives by bashing the right-wing victimhood gaga instead of doing a little 'investigative' journalism into the attacker's state of mind.
Even a hasty, cursory romp through the shooter's "YouTube" account shows the troubled young man to be concerned about the same issues touted on this website in the post 9/11 days, except that your pitch was more aimed at Bush, Cheney Colin Powell and the "right wing" takeover (hijacking) of the nation, as compared with the young man's apparent focus of the 9/11 'hajacking' of the Constitution. One point that might be worthy to reflect upon is centered on the FISA (Illegal wiretapping) vote cast by Giffords in support of the Bush/Cheney "Neck Deep" romp on the Constitution. At best your reporting of this event is biased and at worst right beside the estblishment's Iran-Contra findings... in other words, you have finally been consumed by your own bias. It's time for a bias check...
The victimhood attitude is seen in the individualism of Mercans, who hate to see anyone else get what they have. Well-off or old or veteran recipients of good healthcare do not want others to have any. Heterosexuals want to be the only ones to marry and benefit from the institution. Car owners do not want to pay for mass transit. Many US white, extreme "Christians" are so like the Israeli Jews, playing the victim.
I use "Happy Holidays" to cover New Year's Day as well. No politics involved.
Excellent article Mr Parry! I only wish we could find some way to snap most of the 20-30% of the US public who believe in this right-wing/Neo-con/tea-party foolishness out of it! Unfortunately, I suspect it will have to be EVENTS that do it, and events (like nature) are ultimately amoral and can be very nasty to us humans.
A few years ago my sister sent me an email with a poem about Christmas. Although I am not religious, I do enjoy the holidays (or try to) and think that maybe they can serve to remind people to be more considerate of others. So I opened up the email with a smile and then, in shock, realized the poem was all about how "muslims and jews are destroying Christmas".
I was so upset, and I emailed her back saying that not only was the language in the poem upsetting, but that I was dismayed she believed any of the hate-filled rhetoric. The result was that she stopped speaking to me. In addition, my brother-in-law sent out an email to my family, his family and several of his friends that I was a "muslim-loving, christian-hating bitch" (my email was only to my sister--NOT to anyone else she sent that poem to). My sister thought his email rants about me to dozens of people were funny. When I finally got my sister on the phone she said "I forgive you for what you did." I didn't even know how to respond, but was caught between wanting to scream "what the hell is wrong with you?" and crying.
I do still talk to her, but it sticks in my memory of how easily someone who I thought was loving and considerate of other people, reserves her care and concern for other Christians--and actually believes that Christians are persecuted by Jews and Muslims and other non-Christians.
The Right-Wing is certainly masterful at turning their own prejudice into "attacks on their values". So depressing.
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