Rage Against the ‘Socialist’ Machine – Killing in the Name

Teenage angst is something every parent has to deal with. As adolescents struggle with identity and their initial exposures to the evils of the outside world, they have these feelings that something’s wrong, but they have trouble articulating these emotions. They tend to be filled with a paranoia that the world is out to get them, exacerbating their anxiety through exaggerations and misattributions. To the average 16 year old male, it’s a dark world with big brother watching your every move. When individuals grapple with their own identity, it is easier to cope with troubles and shortcomings by shifting the responsibility and blame to others since we don’t really know where we stand. It is easy to be fearful of the unknown, and we become quick to believe any expert claiming to have answers.

The current populist rage in America is a lot like teen angst, and the self-proclaimed savior with the solutions is Ms. Sarah Palin. We all were once rebels without a cause, but did the same Tea Partiers raised in the '60s ever grow up? Liberals had their chance to protest in the name of love and civil rights, now conservatives are protesting in the name of guns and individual rights.

Without a question, Health Care Reform exemplified the complexity of government, so when the leading conservatives both in Washington and in the media demonized the Bill and its supporters, no one should be surprised that a large portion of their constituents believed them. If the average politician struggled to fully comprehend health reform policy, how could the average American without objective information? It’s much easier to lead a clueless flock of sheep than an educated and informed group of enlightened Americans, so keeping the objective information to a minimum serves the GOP’s interest. Check out this abridged version of a pre-tax day rally by the nation’s best fundraiser to see how typical rally rhetoric works.

What started with a response to the health-care system, which closely emulates the one proposed by Republicans in 1993 in response to Clinton-care, has expanded into an anti-government movement. Instead of real applicable answers, Tea Party advocates like to talk about the principles and ideologies which perpetuate the previously-held sentiments of their constituents. Instead of being driven by information, these pep-rallies, just like the high school days, are meant to build party spirit, but instead of cheerleaders, band members, and student athletes driving the motivation, it’s Sarah Palin. Sometimes she sparks just passion, but other time it turns into rage and violence as discussed by Effective Response . A recent Harris Poll has shown how the name calling of the Glenn Beck’s of the world have affected public opinion.

“57 percent of Republicans (32 percent overall) believe that Obama is a Muslim 45 percent of Republicans (25 percent overall) agree with the Birthers in their belief that Obama was "not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president" 38 percent of Republicans (20 percent overall) say that Obama is "doing many of the things that Hitler did" Scariest of all, 24 percent of Republicans (14 percent overall) say that Obama "may be the Antichrist." These numbers all come from a brand-new Louis Harris poll, inspired in part by my new book Wingnuts. It demonstrates the cost of the campaign of fear and hate that has been pumped up in the service of hyper-partisanship over the past 15 months. We are playing with dynamite by demonizing our president and dividing the United States in the process. What might be good for ratings is bad for the country.
The poll, which surveyed 2,230 people right at the height of the health-care reform debate, also clearly shows that education is a barrier to extremism. Respondents without a college education are vastly more likely to believe such claims, while Americans with college degrees or better are less easily duped. It's a reminder of what the 19th-century educator Horace Mann once too-loftily said: "Ignorance breeds monsters to fill up the vacancies of the soul that are unoccupied by the verities of knowledge."

The violence and threats that occurred to congressmen immediately following Health Care Reform’s passage may be just the tip of the iceberg. When the leader of a gun-toting mob says "Don't Retreat. Let's Reload!” and has targets on her website over the political battles she wants to hit hardest, one can, and should, be concerned. Republican leaders say they aren’t promoting violence, only advocating the rage against socialism. It’s like handing a teenager and their friends a plastic bottle of vodka and telling them not to drink it.

Don’t believe me? The Hutaree Christian Militia planned on murdering a police officer, and then bombing the funeral in order to provoke a Holy War against the government. If you really believe that Obama is the Anti-Christ, it makes a weird sort of sense to want to go to war against him albeit incredibly foolish and ignorant. As discussed by Nanashi, it would be wrong to condemn those who oppose Obama of treason, outliers do exist, and they are dangerous. And when public support is raised for their causes, they have more incentive to strike.

Yes, everyone is entitled to their free speech, and by no means would I want that right to be limited, but I would encourage these powerful public figures to consider the consequences of their actions. Indirectly inciting violence doesn’t benefit anyone, nor does it play out well politically. Are one’s personal aspirations worth more than a human life? Instead of invoking rage through your passionate rally cries, use this opportunity to promote meaningful civic engagement through objective education instead of sensationalization. The current Pep-rally strategy might increase the quantity of your supporters, but it’s hardly developing the quality of your movement.

I would hate to wake up one morning and read that America’s first African-American President became a martyr for social justice.

Killing in the Name of…