Marlene wrote:This article's thesis summed up: "Jim Webb: he's like Bernie, but without meaningful economic analysis, but he makes up for it with a little racism, and racism seems to be popular these days."
This for me justifies righteous indignation. The attitude is typified by those who want to normalize, to accept, the Trump ideas out there. Trouble is, many of those ideas are not new.
Here is an article from The Atlantic showing how easy it may be to tip to internment camps.
It is wrong to judge or restrict the rights of an individual simply due to their membership in an identity group; imprisoning them on that basis is a particularly egregious abrogation of human rights; the mass imprisonment of Japanese Americans during World War II was immoral and unconstitutional. But critics went further. They argued that to air contrary opinions, to treat the targeted imprisonment of an ethnic minority as if it is open to debate in 2016, is to normalize something that ought to be stigmatized—a misstep that is particularly dangerous now, with a president-elect who has threatened to target Muslims with discriminatory policies based on their religion.
To definitively disprove that chain of logic is impossible—who can say for sure what the marginal effect of a debate will be?—and I sympathize with the people who operate as if it holds true, even if only out of an abundance of caution. Still, I worry that this logic of the risks of normalization isn’t simply unproven, but counterproductive.
Consider an alternative theory: George W. Bush, Barack Obama, Michael Bloomberg, and many others have prosecuted many policies that would’ve seemed unthinkable before 9/11. The years since the September 11 attacks have already proved that a significant percentage of Americans support targeted discrimination of some sort against Muslim Americans. Trump was elected despite plausible signs that he will go farther.
Put another way, many illiberal impulses are already normal, like it or not.
link:
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... picks=true
Mass media has done its very best to erode the idea that such a thing as "the working class" exists. Mass media finds it much more profitable to have sub groups to make fun of so other groups will watch. Zero class consciousness.
The idea of "The 99%" was a pretty good one. Since the mass media does not follow it and follows, say, the idea that an election was hacked is nonsense, well, you don't get class consciousness. You get division--sweet, profitable, division.
What do we do?
Me, I still pursue that ever-elusive, hyper accurate and affordable, low recoil, recreational reloadable rifle round along with the rifle it sits in--perhaps it will fly from a skeletonized insect playing a subversive guitar. Be still, my anticipating heart.
CDFingers