I got sent some YouTube footage from the September 12ers Get-Out-And-Tell-Obama-You’re-Angry-About-This-And-That And-Threaten-Him-While-You’re-At-It Rally. There’s some real gems in this one, including the guy holding the sign saying “Joe Wilson for President” who clarifies that he does not support Joe Wilson for president. You would think Glenn Beck would prepare his minions slightly better with some facts– any facts — and a few handy arguments about the cause they came out to support. These people don’t seem to know anything except that they definitely don’t want health care.
And, as somebody who comes from Texas, I take offense that the loudest idiot at these things always has a Texas accent.
What is with this guy Glenn Beck? Why is he weeping on his console all the time? I heard a clip where he said he’s becoming a televangelist. Well, no shit, Sherlock… why do you think these people are all following your fact-free words with faithful fervor? They like the sound of your voice and your heartfelt ardor. Whether your words are founded in anything resembling the truth is inconsequential, just as in religion. You’re just saying the things they feel they believe. You’re hitting them in the heart, completely bypassing the head, and that is bound to move product, which really does trump all in Rupert Murdoch’s world.
Never mind that you might be whipping up the more unstable of your followers into a homicidal frenzy that will result in the death of some hapless D.C. guard because he’s the same color as the president. That’s not your concern. Your concern is ratings and book sales. And sales is good, baby.
So whip out another kleenex and blow your third mortgage out of your nose, Glenn Beck.
Apparently, Americans love their health care system. They like paying high premiums to insurance companies that will kick you off the plan right when you really need them. They like paying through the nose if you happen to have a pre-existing condition.
No wait! They don’t like their health care system. They’re concerned about losing their coverage. They don’t trust insurance companies. They’re concerned about skyrocketing costs.
But wait! They don’t want the government coming in and mucking things up. Their taxes will go through the roof. They won’t be able to choose their own doctor any more, despite the fact that Obama has told them they will be able to stick with their doctor and plan if they like. He’s said it over and over again, like a broken record. But no, they won’t be able to.
The results of this recent poll don’t really seem to show much of anything except that people are confused by the topic. It’s a confusing topic, and Republicans — in true form — are exploiting that confusion to torpedo any sort of health reform. The health insurance lobbies are as strong as ever in Washington. If they make the issue murky enough and sketch out enough adverse consequences of health care reform, they’ll win again. If the Democrats fail on this fundamental signature issue, it will be apparent that the government is not run by the people for the people, but by special interest groups.
And then Colectiva hipped me to the work of Alvvino, who does a really excellent turn-of-the-century surrealism.
a work by alvvino
It got me thinking, a propos of nothing in particular, about our past century. When will “turn-of-the-century” come to connote 2000 rather than 1900? Maybe 2000 gets to be “turn-of-the-millennium” and we can get another 100 years out of “turn-of-the-century”.
When you look back on the rapid-fire changes of the 20th century, it’s hard to imagine what the turn of the next century could possibly look like. The quickening, accelerated culture, koyaanisqatsi — whatever you want to call it — it’s sure to be substantial. Just as it would assuredly be difficult for a turn-of-the-century person to parse 21st Century Life, how hard would be for the millennial to understand what’s going on in 2100, should he end of there by virtue of time-travel, cryogenics or clairvoyant vision.
Is it possible that mores and reality will change so much that it would be unnavigable for one of our peers? Most likely not, as language does not completely transform that quickly and certain innate qualities exist throughout the continuity of mankind. We could communicate with our turn-of-the-century forebears. But to imagine what they would make of electric cars and 747s and instant communication between any two parties.
At my overtly liberal college, we studied the great scholars of deconstructionism and postmodernity. We ate our Foucault and drank our Lacan. Apparently, it was not just us spoiled lefty whiners who were paying attention.
One of the key themes of postmodern thinking is the power of language to re-shape reality. In seminar after seminar, we discussed the way that using “he” as a default pronoun for all humanity was the way the male patriarchy retained its dominance. We talked about the loaded racist undercurrents of our language — how black had developed connotations of evil and ignorance and white became associated the purity and elucidation. And so on.
Was Karl Rove in my class and I didn’t know it? The Republican Party has had some success with its renaming campaigns and now seems to have embraced it as a primary strategy. With its “enhanced interrogation techniques” and “extraordinary renditions,” the Republicans have clearly felt some success in changing the public’s perception about reality through language. Now they’re hooked and can’t seem to create any policy solutions beyond efforts to get people to say things differently. And so the latest from the RNC — the initiative to change “Democrat” to “Democrat Socialist.” RNC Chairman Michael Steele is down on the idea, but rumor has it he’s a lame duck anyway.
Previous efforts have gotten purchase by circulation through FOX News foot soldiers and a constant drumbeat from the rank-and-file in Washington. I don’t think a Congressional bill will make it far. (Can you try to pass a bill renaming the opposing party?) A successful effort might horrify the base into taking more action — “Good God, they’re socialists?! I didn’t know how bad it was!” For the most part, anybody who dutifully starts using the new term already believed it anyway.
At any rate, if the Republicans are into reframing everything, they should be dreaming up some euphemisms for “recession”.
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