"Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity, nothing exceeds the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed." -- Herman Melville
You know those emails you sometimes get? The ones wrapping political views in cute or inspirational stories? For example, the grasshopper and the ant story - but instead of the original ending, it ends with the do-nothing grasshopper warm and fed, and the hard working ant out in the cold. All because of taxes on the ant and welfare for the grasshopper. Just enough truth in there to make you think.
Ever notice the content is overwhelmingly conservative in nature? I can actually remember the one, out of hundreds, liberal themed email I've gotten in the last year. It attacked country singer Toby Keith for, if I recall correctly, being racist and supporting "lynching." All because of some "tongue in cheek" song lyrics about the merits of "eye-for-an-eye" justice. Thing is, it was patently false unless you really wanted to see something to complain about, and therefore, it was ultimately ineffective as rhetoric.
The health care reform debate of late has me thinking a lot about perceptions. It seems to me that so very many of us want the same things, but our perceptions lead us down different paths. I am fond of telling people who disagree on any subject, and use their disagreement to pass judgment, that all points of view are equally valid -- Einstein proved this conclusively. And so he did, but it occurs to me lately that those perceptions, to be truly valid, must be based in truth. Too often they are not.
This not the fault of the point of view, nor of the person viewing life through it, but rather the fault of an acceptance of disingenuous rhetoric. I say disingenuous, rather than untrue or false, because the rhetoric I speak of is never entirely untrue, but instead, cleverly designed to lead one to false conclusions. To my mind a much more dangerous ploy. |
| A great many conservatives are devoutly religious, and value the word of God in their everyday lives. A lot of liberals are devoutly religious, and value the word of God in their every day lives. This is the truth.
Many on the right seek to portray as a kind of heresy, the fact that liberals place a high value on the adherence to the rule of law as set forth in the Constitution of the United States. Particularly as it relates to the "separation of church and state" doctrine.This is the falsehood, but one that is very easy to believe. It's true that liberal organizations often do their best to insist on a strict interpretation of the separation of church and state. They do this, however, not to quash God's message, but to save it, and all forms of spiritual belief and even non-belief, for all equally. When government advertises one belief over others, no matter how small the advertisement might be, it marginalizes the beliefs of others. This applies as much to the Christians as it does to atheists. If the government advertised atheism in any way, no matter how small, Christians would be outraged, and rightfully so. So let your child pray in school - it is your right. But don't expect every child to join in - they have rights too.
Conservatives value hard work, paying your own way, and pulling yourself up in times of trouble and need, and they don't mind putting a hand out to help others in those times. Liberals value hard work, paying your own way, and pulling yourself up in times of trouble and need, and they don't mind putting a hand out to help others in those times. The only difference is that liberals know that there are those out there in trouble and in need, but with no one offering a hand. They feel that government, in these instances, can be an effective instrument to "promote the general welfare" to quote the preamble of the Constitution. I believe that's what constitutes the truth.
There are those on the right who want us to believe that these people are unworthy of help, that they are lazy, ignorant, and deserving of whatever fate may bring. This is the falsehood. But it's a falsehood that is very easy to believe. We tell ourselves, "I work. I pay my own way. I've pulled myself up when it was needed. If I can do it, so should they." Yet we often forget that we usually had some help. We usually had some kind of support. Even if it was just a loan to keep us housed and eating until we got back up. There are those who lack any support at all. Who live in places where there are no jobs to be had. They have no money and no means of transportation to go where there might be jobs. They deserve our compassion, and our help.
Notice that you rarely, if ever, hear about the "welfare for the rich" programs - from the right or left. Yet we spend over $100 billion a year, at the federal level alone, on corporate and business welfare programs. Welfare for needy families? About $17 billion. These business welfare programs are pervasive right through every level of government down to the city and local. They take the form of grants, subsidies, tax credits and tax breaks, reduced utility prices, and more. No need to take my word for it: look here, and here, and here, and here. These are the very same interests, the very same people, who tell us the free market is in our best interests.
There are more examples of misleading rhetoric: being against war does not mean one does not support the brave men and women of our armed forces. Quite the opposite, it is a desire to keep them out of harm's way. Protesting against the government is not unpatriotic. In fact it may well be one of the most patriotic actions a citizen can take - as guaranteed by the first amendment. Gun control laws don't - ok, I admit it, I'm more with the right on this one.
Guns can be dangerous, yes, but so can driving a car. One thing about freedom: we know it's not free, but it's costs include more than just fighting to protect it - it's costs include inherent risks. One cannot be totally safe and remain free. This applies to ideas as well to bodily harm. All points of view need to be free to flourish or die, no matter how abhorrent we might find them originally. The best we can hope for is that truth prevails.
The question I ask, and would really like you to think about, is this: Who is it that wants you to believe these myths, and why? The answer to who is easy enough: the rich and powerful, corporate America, and the politicians who represent them. But why?
Because they like owning 98% of America's wealth. In what kind of world is one person accumulating more wealth than one could spend in 10 lifetimes remotely fair or just? In what kind of world is having all that wealth and still wanting more not overly, even obscenely, greedy? In what kind of world is advocating the benefits of a free market on one hand, while taking government hand-outs with the other not the height of hypocrisy?
Because they like their power. In what kind of democracy does it make sense that that the wealthiest 2% of the population, and corporations (legal entities, but not even real people, and they can't vote) have more access to and influence with a duly elected representative than that representative's constituents? In what kind of democracy does it take a cash layout of $12,000 to $80,000 a year to get your duly elected representative's attention?
Because they like their ridiculously low tax rates. In what kind of country does it make sense to tax working families at 25%, and taxing capital gains, the proceeds of already having money, and investing it - no actual work involved - at 15%? In what kind of country do the politicians promote deregulation and tax cuts as an economic stimulator year after year after year, in spite mountains of historical data showing they don't work? I trust in the wake of the recent crises, no one really needs links on this one.
Because they want good, hard working Americans in their corner. They want them to believe they share your values, but looked at closely, it's a total sham. That is not the world, the country, or the democracy I see when I reflect on Jesus' teachings. As Jesus pointed out, "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven." - Mark, 19:24. A man cannot serve two masters: God and money.
Most of all, they like it when we blame it all on those who are not actually part of the problem. |
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