America's Political 'Mad Cow Disease' Spreads to Europe
"The
mentality of the U.S. Republican electorate appears to have left the ground of
reality for a sphere of hate-filled madness. The consequences of this insanity
are terrifying … and this media brainwashing has proven disastrously successful
in Europe and Switzerland."
Health care reform in the United
States went through, and for us in Europe has no major consequences, even if it
represents a revolutionary upheaval for the U.S. We were struck, much more than
by the law itself, by the fierce debate and the partly violent reactions that
followed the law's adoption. Broken windows at the homes of lawmakers and even
death threats are just the tip of an ugly iceberg of hatred, paranoia and racism.
And it keeps getting worse. A poll
by market research institute Harris Interactive illustrates this.
For example, 57 percent of
Republicans surveyed believe that Barack Obama is a Muslim, 51 percent believe
that he would like to hand sovereignty over to a one-world government, 38
percent think that Obama is doing, “many things that Hitler did,” 22 percent are
of the opinion that he wants the "terrorists to win,” and - here’s a real doozy
- 24 percent of Republicans surveyed believe that Barack Obama could be the
Antichrist!
Sure, polls must always be regarded
with a certain degree of skepticism. But even then, the mentality of the Republican
electorate appears to have rapidly left the ground of reality for a sphere of
hate-filled madness. The consequences of this insanity are terrifying: it shows
that there is a fairly large constituency for whom any political dialog across
party lines is impossible … what Christian voter would consider it acceptable
for his own party to sit at the table with the Antichrist, who is also a Muslim?
Exactly.
But where does this madness
come from and does this political mad cow disease have consequences for us? A
major factor in the U.S. is political talk radio and radical right-wing Fox
News television channel. These stations came about in reaction to the
Clinton Administration with the goal of shooting down the despised president.
Although this failed, it did establish a core right-wing audience that wants neither
information nor even truth - only opinion. The disastrous "advantage"
of opinions is that while they aren't obliged to have anything to do with
reality, they may be presented with all the more passion. Furthermore, a world
view that is based on opinion requires no self-criticism, no doubts about your
own views and no need for real cognition. An image of the enemy is all that’s
needed to find one’s own political identity.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
As long as this madness was
confined to a few marginal constituencies, it remained tolerable. But when even
Republican congressmen themselves spread falsehood and slander in order to please
right-wing opinion leaders, democracy is endangered. Because policy should be made
on the basis of the real world and not ideological delusion. Such dissent,
which well beyond reason, weakens democracy and weakens the rights of the
people. Large corporations, not least, benefit from a weakened state, as they
are then better able to assert their interests, usually supporting both sides
in order to keep the fires burning.
But as frightening as the U.S.
example appears to be, it has become established and spread to
Europe. In almost every important debate - whether on immigration or the
integration of foreigners, climate change, economics, energy, and education
policy, here, too, facts are being twisted, falsified, or even newly-invented
according to the party line.
That is why the tone of
politics is becoming increasingly rude and aggressive - attacks are mounted
against individuals and not against positions and statements. Such media
brainwashing has proven disastrously successful in Europe and Switzerland.
This affects the left and the right. It’s no coincidence that the political
center, where compromises were formerly sought and frequently found, is
increasingly being suppressed.
Posted
by WORLDMEETS.US
Because good compromises
demand something of politicians: an openness to the views of others, a respect
for negotiating partners, the willingness to give up your own positions, the courage
to defend these concessions against your party and party supporters, and the
willingness of voters to accept that everything doesn’t always go - or can’t
always go- the way one would like.
But in the era of 20-second
attention spans, such concepts are doomed … after all, who wants solutions when
in politics there’s a bit of murder and mayhem, and people can always find a
convenient target for their own lazy hatred? Exactly.
