Perhaps the most interesting characteristic is confusion, probably best exemplified by the red/blue state divide. Of course that divide in itself is an over-simplification. This map from wikipedia shows the truth, that we are a purple nation (which makes you wonder why we are so intent on banning gay marriage). There are definitely however, red and blue people. In fact the political parties are so sure of it that they pay millions of dollars to consulting firms to find those people. Here is a quiz to help prove the point.
If you are a blue person, no matter where you live, you will likely know at least one red person, and boy are we different to one another. Stop and think for a second about, say, Ann Coulter, or Sean Hannity. Now try to understand that these people are icons to many of your neighbors. Can you understand that? Does that even make sense? The reality is that we live among people who's views are SO alien to us that they are almost impossible to empathise with. You can be sure that they feel the same about us.
So were we always this way? Well, yes and no. The critical change, some would argue the genius of the Republican party, is changing what MAKES us red and blue, creating conservatives through Truthiness, or what I will call gut-thought. We are still pretty much the same people, its just that our political identities have changed from under us, pretty much starting with the Ronald Reagan era, as shown here.
Gut-thought is surprisingly easy to stimulate if you have political and media power. Controlling the executive and the legislature is a good way to start. Having a cable news network in the pocket, and talk radio hosts following Republican talking points, are also a great help. Once that power base is in place, then you can define the agenda of the day, raising issues and creating legislation that by definition will produce visceral responses. Issues like:
- Homsexuality (Gay Marriage)
- Abortion/Right to Life
- Flag Burning
Issues like these are ideal for the ADD society of today. They can be explained in moments, produce conflict (which provides endless fodder for the cable news networks and the Internet) and feel important to many people. To me the test of a visceral issue is something where a position can be stated in one short sentence, such as "Marriage should be between a man and a woman" (aka God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve). Even better if an issue can be represented in the form of a person, such as Terry Schiavo.
Conflict inevitably arises from these issues (when did you last have a nice civilized discussion about abortion?), and with the help of the media, creates a tension that many would argue becomes news in itself. This is what has been characterized by Bill O'Reilly as "The Culture War" between secular progressives (S-Ps) and traditionalists. O'Reilly's thesis may have had its roots in the War on Christmas, extensively covered by Fox of course. Now conflict, based on these gut issues has become the story, and liberals and conservatives inevitably find themselves lining up on the battlelines. Fox routinely critisizes the "mainstream media" for not covering these issues, but it does a very good job of ramping up the tension all on its own. "We report, you decide" should perhaps be replaced by "We provoke, you repond".
The conflict that arises from gut-thought is a critical part of what makes it effective as a political strategy. This conflict, even more than the issues themselves, is what "energises the base", the controversial Karl Rove strategy. Conflict is what makes Christian conservatives feel "under attack", is what gives these issues overwhelm all others when the time comes to vote.
The true strength of gut-thought is when it is applied to other issues that traditionally require more careful consideration. If the public and media are are accustomed to gut-thought, then that is what they will get, regardless of the issue. Phrases like "Cut and Run", "Blame America First" and "Stay the Course" become buzzwords to define how we "feel" about an issue like Iraq, and replacing careful consideration and analysis to determine the correct course of action.
If issues cannot be explained in those terms, they are generally ignored, or avoided, no matter what their level of importance. No matter what your political leanings, can you REALLY argue that a flag burning amendment is more important than millions of Americans without proper healthcare, medicare/medicaid and social security facing bankruptcy, a huge national debt, or even the threat of Global Warming?
We have an epidemic of Gut-thought, and its affecting the very fabric of our nation. Our natural normal, social differences have been characterised by the O'Reilly's of this world as a war, and are now defining the way we vote, and so the way we are governed. We urgently need to reevaluate our priorities, and start arguing about things that really, seriously matter.
To do that, a new group of people need power, and as of today they have it. I'm hugely encouraged by the initial rhetoric of the Democrats, and I would hope that many Independents and Republicans are too. The point here is not even the exact position taken on the issues, but the fact that these issues will now be discussed. We need a government that will address important issues, and in turn get the nation used once again to thinking about real problems with real solutions, not about social issues designed to push our buttons and take our brains out of the equation.
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