Comments on: The Politics of Fear and Ignorance http://www.proudprogressive.org/blog/2009/08/20/the-politics-of-fear-and-ignorance/ A blog by Nicholas Solter about politics and everything else Mon, 21 May 2012 00:08:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3 By: Bob Nemanich http://www.proudprogressive.org/blog/2009/08/20/the-politics-of-fear-and-ignorance/#comment-3065 Bob Nemanich Sat, 22 Aug 2009 19:16:24 +0000 http://www.proudprogressive.org/blog/2009/08/20/the-politics-of-fear-and-ignorance/#comment-3065 Nick: Nice review but going to one of the meetings was even more educational, at least on an anecdotal basis. My Daily Kos post reviewed the experience [http://www.dailykos.com/user/RWN] which I can sum up more simply. The idea that America doesn't deal with the concept of death is too cerebral this is about the RIGHT-Wing's entire mythological view being challenged. They will latch onto any distorted myth to oppose this for it goes to the heart of their mythology that all things can be solved my the "invisible hand of the free marketplace". This is a religious belief, an emotional belief and coincides with what Lakoff pointed to in his book "The Conservative Mind". Conservatives be those who possess a conscience or not, don't hold to concept of the "commons" or the "common good". Everything in their viewpoint is a matter of "class" or inequality and therefore those who have good health or good access to healthcare is because they are moral and being "rewarded" by the social class system. Those who don't are immoral and don't deserve it. The anger you see is the same as when a myth is being challenged, whether it is a 2nd grader being told that there is no Santa Claus or a lover who finds infidelity exists with their mate. the anger is real, the justification is not. There is no middle ground here. No reaching them, they have this fixed worldview no different than how a Roman Catholic has that the Pope is a direct decedent of Peter or evangelicals believe in personal divine intervention. Logical, rational discussion can only be made with those willing to submit to facts and an empirical review. Death panels are real for them for they "project" that given the power and inclination to pay or not pay they would have to install "death panels" for them the sick are this way because somehow or someway the person is immoral. It makes no sense except that is their pathology. Forget trying to understand it, realize it is a force in society that must be overcome---ethically but with the full measure of what is moral for the commons and the common good. Nick:

Nice review but going to one of the meetings was even more educational, at least on an anecdotal basis. My Daily Kos post reviewed the experience [http://www.dailykos.com/user/RWN] which I can sum up more simply. The idea that America doesn’t deal with the concept of death is too cerebral this is about the RIGHT-Wing’s entire mythological view being challenged. They will latch onto any distorted myth to oppose this for it goes to the heart of their mythology that all things can be solved my the “invisible hand of the free marketplace”. This is a religious belief, an emotional belief and coincides with what Lakoff pointed to in his book “The Conservative Mind”.

Conservatives be those who possess a conscience or not, don’t hold to concept of the “commons” or the “common good”. Everything in their viewpoint is a matter of “class” or inequality and therefore those who have good health or good access to healthcare is because they are moral and being “rewarded” by the social class system. Those who don’t are immoral and don’t deserve it.

The anger you see is the same as when a myth is being challenged, whether it is a 2nd grader being told that there is no Santa Claus or a lover who finds infidelity exists with their mate. the anger is real, the justification is not.

There is no middle ground here. No reaching them, they have this fixed worldview no different than how a Roman Catholic has that the Pope is a direct decedent of Peter or evangelicals believe in personal divine intervention.

Logical, rational discussion can only be made with those willing to submit to facts and an empirical review. Death panels are real for them for they “project” that given the power and inclination to pay or not pay they would have to install “death panels” for them the sick are this way because somehow or someway the person is immoral. It makes no sense except that is their pathology.

Forget trying to understand it, realize it is a force in society that must be overcome—ethically but with the full measure of what is moral for the commons and the common good.

]]> By: Sarah http://www.proudprogressive.org/blog/2009/08/20/the-politics-of-fear-and-ignorance/#comment-3064 Sarah Thu, 20 Aug 2009 22:32:45 +0000 http://www.proudprogressive.org/blog/2009/08/20/the-politics-of-fear-and-ignorance/#comment-3064 What a great quote from Obama. How amazing to have a president who actually believes that we are morally obligated to look out for each other. What a great quote from Obama. How amazing to have a president who actually believes that we are morally obligated to look out for each other.

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