Let them hate, so long as they fear.
- Lucius Accius
Now hatred is by far the longest pleasure; Men love in haste, but they detest at leisure.
- Lord Byron
OK, so while I’ve been investigating creative uses for da Interweb, it seems that some folks have been a bit more…um…focused than I have been. Yessiree, it’s been a VERY good week to hate, whether your particularly predilection happens to be immigration, Islam, homosexuality, those you think MIGHT be getting an abortion, Packers fans…or perhaps combinations of the above. Yes, kids, Hatefest 2010 appears to be in full swing (‘course, it started early in Virginia and Arizona)! Don’t forget to buy your tickets early; space is filling up quickly!! Call now; operators are standing by…and have your VISA card handy!!
I understand that we’re in a recession, and that when things turn to shit people want to have a handy scapegoat upon which to focus their anger and venom. Even so, the current state of public discourse feels a lot like the mid- to late-’60s, when one Richard Nixon developed his “Southern Strategy” as a (staggeringly sucessful) way to divide and conquer his way to the White House. Nixon, perhaps more than any other politician before or since, understood the power of manipulating hatred and anger. He knew that these dark forces, if skillfully marshaled, could be use to his advantage. And so Nixon used the fear, hatred, and distrust that existed in the late ’60s to worm his way into the White House. What happened from then on is, of course, a matter of record, but there are many today who see no shame in borrowing and refining the same theories in order to advance their own political/moral/theological agenda. And if you can change the Constitution along the way to reflect your particular hatred and prejudice…well, JACKPOT!! And, really…doesn’t the Constitution exist for the aggrandizement of the GOP?
A trip in the Wayback Machine shows us that it was Negroes and Communists then. Today it’s Gays, Muslims, abortionists, the separation of Church and State, atheists, and even Liberals…which only proves that the haters have learned to diversify. The truth is that, while sex may sell, hatred has a much longer shelf life and can be used repeatedly to manipulate the intellectually incurious and those susceptible to propaganda and incitement. The harsh reality is that Americans are by an large an unquestioning lot. We’re far more willing and able to react emotionally than to rationally consider the nuances of a complex issue. How else could you explain the reality that only 42% of the American Sheeple believe that President Obama was born in the US? How else do you explain the propaganda arm of the GOP, Fox Noise Channel, garnering much larger ratings than actual news outlets? And, yes, how else could you possibly explain eight years of The Worst President EVER ©?
I’d like to say that I’m optimistic about the future of this country. Unfortunately, when I look around at the pinheads, zealots, and demagogues who run things and control public opinion, I find optimism difficult to come by. If and when the era of “Pax Americana” comes to an end, it likely won’t be from an external enemy invading and conquering us, No, the architect of our demise will come from within our own borders, as America increasingly becomes to resemble the set from Idiocracy. American will crumble because we’re too stupid to recognize REAL threats…because we’ll be far too busy hating and demonizing those who we’re told to hate and demonize. Into the vacuum will rush those, likely from the Far Right, willing and able to capitalize on our baser instincts. For the “torches and pitchforks” mentality is never far below the surface, is it?
If you think I’m being overly pessimistic, take a good look around you. I’d submit to you that we’re closer to this vision of our future than you might think.
WE DESERVE BETTER…but I have a feeling that, collectively, we’re far too stupid to recognize that truth, much less act on it.
