The Chicken Little Complex, or: I Get It, Your Guy Lost
"The United States was founded by the brightest people in the country and we haven't seen them since" - Gore Vidal
It feels like any time I see someone remotely intelligent talk about the current state of the country - i.e., "the Trump era" - they usually act like the world is falling apart.
The general mood in the media and among liberal-leaning people is that we're on the verge of fascism, democracy is dying and America is going to hell in a handbasket.
I was watching Bill Maher's show recently (no, I don't agree with him on everything but at least his show tries to be even-handed); both he and guests like Michael Moore have been increasingly "somber," arguing that Trump is likely to stay in office forever and the country will basically be destroyed if more liberals don't get into government.
I liked "The Handmaid's Tale," but people now seem to think it's a real cautionary tale for the Trump era, not just a 1980s Canadian book made into a TV show starring an ostensible cult member (actress Elisabeth Moss is a Scientologist who recently defended the super-controlling religion).
I was trying to figure out why all this bothered me so much, especially the "doom and gloom" rhetoric, and then it hit me: It's the same tactic conservatives used for most of the culture wars I remember growing up.
Remember abortion or gay rights or drugs or teen pregnancy or divorce? Conservatives have long used every major social change since the sexual revolution to warn of the collapse of society.
Growing up, I always thought this was dumb or "puritanical." I liked to shrug off conservatives' fears of "civilization falling apart" or openly laugh at them. My opinion was the general consensus, the stuff of mainstream movies like "Footloose."
The message of this is: When conservatives worry about society falling apart, it's laughable. When liberals worry about society falling apart, it's legitimate.
So let's just be honest: We're all hypocrites when it comes to fundamental and emotional issues. Liberals go out of their way to make "safe spaces" for vulnerable minorities, but laugh at conservatives' obsession with "safety" in urban neighborhoods.
Conservatives are inherently distrustful of government and want it "small" - unless you're talking about law enforcement and the military, government institutions that get a bizarre amount of conservative support.
Liberals made fun of and dismissed the anger of the Tea Party movement. But when liberals get angry, of course it's "righteous anger."
I'm calling this the "Chicken Little complex," the swing toward "sky is falling" rhetoric.
What bothers me about this is, I believe it makes things worse. How is this going to help Democrats win back middle-class/lower-class Trump voters (many of whom previously voted for Obama)?
Trump is a divisive, amoral opportunist, and a terrible person, but he is not the devil. Can you imagine Hitler saying anything positive about a minority group, ever? (Yes, Trump talks out of both sides of his mouth, but that's another story.) Can you imagine a fascist having a Jewish daughter or any kind of Jewish support at all? Historically speaking, it's unthinkable.
So yes, I'll say it again: Trump is a terrible person, or at least acting like it while he's president. But unless someone is building concentration camps somewhere, I really don't like all the Chicken Little talk - whether it's coming from the left or the right.
The reality is, Trump is committed to building his stupid wall, being a jerk to immigrants and demonizing the press. But he's also overseen major job gains, met with Kim Jong Un (which I realize is super-controversial but I think talking to people is always better than not talking) and has decent approval ratings.
Don't forget, much of ideology is reactive. Sometimes conservatives grew up liberal and became conservative/reactionary because they weren't happy with the status quo (hence the rise of dangerous groups like ISIS). And some liberals have been liberal forever, and act "conservative" in the sense that they don't really question their beliefs.
So let's listen to each other more, really listen. And stop acting like it's the end of the world, whether it's gay marriage or Dec. 21, 2012, or Trump. Only the end of the world is the end of the world.
We're all in this together, and, to quote W.H. Auden, "we must love one another or die."
It feels like any time I see someone remotely intelligent talk about the current state of the country - i.e., "the Trump era" - they usually act like the world is falling apart.
The general mood in the media and among liberal-leaning people is that we're on the verge of fascism, democracy is dying and America is going to hell in a handbasket.
I was watching Bill Maher's show recently (no, I don't agree with him on everything but at least his show tries to be even-handed); both he and guests like Michael Moore have been increasingly "somber," arguing that Trump is likely to stay in office forever and the country will basically be destroyed if more liberals don't get into government.
I liked "The Handmaid's Tale," but people now seem to think it's a real cautionary tale for the Trump era, not just a 1980s Canadian book made into a TV show starring an ostensible cult member (actress Elisabeth Moss is a Scientologist who recently defended the super-controlling religion).
I was trying to figure out why all this bothered me so much, especially the "doom and gloom" rhetoric, and then it hit me: It's the same tactic conservatives used for most of the culture wars I remember growing up.
Remember abortion or gay rights or drugs or teen pregnancy or divorce? Conservatives have long used every major social change since the sexual revolution to warn of the collapse of society.
Growing up, I always thought this was dumb or "puritanical." I liked to shrug off conservatives' fears of "civilization falling apart" or openly laugh at them. My opinion was the general consensus, the stuff of mainstream movies like "Footloose."
The message of this is: When conservatives worry about society falling apart, it's laughable. When liberals worry about society falling apart, it's legitimate.
So let's just be honest: We're all hypocrites when it comes to fundamental and emotional issues. Liberals go out of their way to make "safe spaces" for vulnerable minorities, but laugh at conservatives' obsession with "safety" in urban neighborhoods.
Conservatives are inherently distrustful of government and want it "small" - unless you're talking about law enforcement and the military, government institutions that get a bizarre amount of conservative support.
Liberals made fun of and dismissed the anger of the Tea Party movement. But when liberals get angry, of course it's "righteous anger."
I'm calling this the "Chicken Little complex," the swing toward "sky is falling" rhetoric.
What bothers me about this is, I believe it makes things worse. How is this going to help Democrats win back middle-class/lower-class Trump voters (many of whom previously voted for Obama)?
Trump is a divisive, amoral opportunist, and a terrible person, but he is not the devil. Can you imagine Hitler saying anything positive about a minority group, ever? (Yes, Trump talks out of both sides of his mouth, but that's another story.) Can you imagine a fascist having a Jewish daughter or any kind of Jewish support at all? Historically speaking, it's unthinkable.
So yes, I'll say it again: Trump is a terrible person, or at least acting like it while he's president. But unless someone is building concentration camps somewhere, I really don't like all the Chicken Little talk - whether it's coming from the left or the right.
The reality is, Trump is committed to building his stupid wall, being a jerk to immigrants and demonizing the press. But he's also overseen major job gains, met with Kim Jong Un (which I realize is super-controversial but I think talking to people is always better than not talking) and has decent approval ratings.
Don't forget, much of ideology is reactive. Sometimes conservatives grew up liberal and became conservative/reactionary because they weren't happy with the status quo (hence the rise of dangerous groups like ISIS). And some liberals have been liberal forever, and act "conservative" in the sense that they don't really question their beliefs.
So let's listen to each other more, really listen. And stop acting like it's the end of the world, whether it's gay marriage or Dec. 21, 2012, or Trump. Only the end of the world is the end of the world.
We're all in this together, and, to quote W.H. Auden, "we must love one another or die."
Comments
Post a Comment