In October, during the presidential election, when my blog was an infant, I wrote about being afraid. At that time, John McCain’s already negative campaign had begun to turn really nasty, and it was stirring up some very scary people. People who stood in the crowds at his rallies shouting “Kill him!” and “Terrorist!” I worried then that these people, riled up and spewing hate, might become violent, and McCain might not be able to stop what he had started.
In the past several days, two high-profile murders have been committed. Dr. George Tiller was killed at his church in Wichita by a man with ties to extremist anti-abortion groups, and Security Officer Stephen Tyrone Johns was shot in the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum by a neo-Nazis, white supremist author of a 200-page book denying the Holocaust and praising Hitler. Its title? Kill the Best Gentiles.
I’ve had such a strong, creepy sense of deja vu watching the coverage of these two events. It’s not McCain stirring up the crazies now, it’s the economy making people restless and afraid, and then the likes of Rush Limbaugh and everyone at Fox News praying on those fears.
Actually, not everyone at Fox news. Once again Shepard Smith (who impressed me before with his stance on terrorism) is the voice of reason on Fox. Watch him here talking about how email from viewers is getting more and more frightening.
In an attempt to seem relevant, the rhetoric on the right has been ratcheted up, and tragedy is ensuing. (Here is an excellent article by Joan Walsh of Salon.com about how extreme the right’s talking heads have become.) As was the case last October for John McCain (who finally did attempt to douse the fires he’d started), the time has come for people like Rush Limbaugh, Bill O’Reilly, and Sean Hannity to think about the fringe groups who are listening to them. It’s time to stop worrying about ratings and start worrying about whether they can stop the lunatics they’ve stirred into action.
Wild
Extraordinarily confusing post, but you’re smarter than I am, so it must be my fault that I don’t get it. Since Obama has taken office, stocks have gone up, what, 2000 points, homes are actually not only being bought again, but new homes are starting to be built again as well. And jobless claims have gone down for the second month in a row. Yet you are blaming the murders of innocent people by right-wing extremists on the economy.
I guess I have a lot to learn…
I saw a clip of Jon Voigt ranting about how Obama is a false prophet. The rhetoric is beyond the pale. Voigt called Obama a false prophet because of Obama’s approach to rise above fear and find another approach.
In wonder if the rhetoric is in some ways proof positive that Obama’s approach is working — and that it represents such a profound change that it is terrifying those who are terrified of change. I would actually put Cheney and Voigt into the same category as Limbaugh and O’Reilly because they all appeal to the lizard or limbic brain.
When that limbic-brain-fueled fear becomes groupthink, it can be particularly dangerous. I think it’s going to be a huge challenge to figure out how to akido those emotions so we can transform them.
I suspect it is with compassion, which is something I have trouble with when it comes to hate filled rhetoric that is justified by one’s fear.
It’s even more reason that we have to remember that Obama was a community organizer, which means that the power for change was within the community. We all have to be a part of the change.
We live in interesting times. I hope I’m up to them.
FOX is too right wing for me personally, and I’m glad to hear Mr. Smith speaking his mind. On a related note, I have friends that feel MSNBC is evil because they are always spounting out “wrong” information and are too liberal.
From whom do we get balanced news anymore?
Very scary, indeed. WWOD? What Would Obama Do? And, what would he say? Oh, sorry that’s getting into “false prophet” territory. Did you hear that comment by Jon Voight? So, sad, I really want to like that guy but he’s kind of irritating me with that smack talk. I think that’s a lot of the problem, when “we” as people (on both sides) feel strongly about something and then are told that we are “wrong”, it is often human nature to kind of go on a verbal attack. The normal person gets offended and frustrated, but the disturbed person goes off the handle. Maybe what we need is a disclaimer or Warning before every political show — just a shout out to all the folks having any kind of violent images dancing through their minds. The only problem is, there’s getting to be more and more of “us” out there! I think we need more Dalai Lama dialogue out there. It’s ironic in a way, thinking about Jon Voight’s comments. I copied part of his interview with O’Reilly and it sounds like his belief is the opposite of mine . . . that what we need is a leader who will really be a Bitter Bully . . . hmmmm, reminds me of someone. Anyway, here’s a quote . . .
“We are becoming a weak nation. Obama really thinks he is a soft-spoken Julius Caesar. He thinks he’s going to conquer the world with his soft-spoken sweet talk and really thinks he’s going to bring all the enemies of the world into a little playground where they’ll swing each other back and forth. We and we alone are the right frame of mind to free this nation from this Obama oppression.”
And, you see (maybe?), instantly this makes me feel like I want to grab a huge clump of Mud and throw it right back at him. That’s where some of the problems arise I think. We are unable to CO-EXIST as that very, very cool organization suggests. I can only wish!
It is so weird — I was writing my comment and when I hit submit, Karen’s came up mentioning the same thing that I did about Jon Voight. God, I hope she won’t think that I ‘copied’ her! We are SO on the same wave length.
As for where to find the “balanced” news, when you find it — please let me know. Teresa used the word “anymore” — I don’t think there ever has been??
PofV, Your sarcasm is duly noted! You are right that the economy is showing signs of life, but the fact that the slide is slowing does not mean all is well. Unemployment is still at record highs. In California, where I live, the economic situation is quite dire. Public services are being cut at an alarming rate, people are still losing their jobs (or are afraid of losing their jobs) and work is still very hard to find, even for qualified individuals. I think you’re a little premature in declaring the end of the crisis.
And I think you’ve missed my point. While I do think a failing economy leads to unrest (as evidenced by the geographic strongholds of extremism and terrorism), I am not blaming the economic crisis for the murders of innocent people. I am saying that in times of unrest, people like Rush Limbaugh saying that Obama is more dangerous to our country than Al Quaida may be enough to stir crazy people to action. (And that’s not even close to the most inflammatory statement I could quote. Please click Joan Walsh’s article for more examples.)
Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify.
“Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify”
Your sarcasm is duly noted.
kid
Teresa, I do watch MSNBC, but not because they’re unbiased. I know they’re not. I don’t watch regular network news… maybe there?
Karen, I think you’re right – sweeping change is scary, even for people who want things to be better. It’s a little bit of the devil we know versus the one we don’t. I love your point about Obama’s being a community organizer, and the power for change being right here, with us.
Carey, “Maybe what we need is a disclaimer or Warning before every political show — just a shout out to all the folks having any kind of violent images dancing through their minds.” Like that idea. =) This may not be suitable for crazies.
Kid, Hugs! =-)
A good warning for me before trying to watch any of the Fox News programs would be “You may wish to Pop a sedative now”
In my opinion, the far right spent the last 8 years untethered, with only limited adult supervision. Since the loss in November, it is even worse, the party is now void of supervision. I would not be surprised to hear that they don’t consider the mess the economy is in, to be their “party’s” fault. (I actually don’t think it’s fair to call what remains of the party, the true republican party. It is a misrepresentation of the disenfranchised portion of the party that has left the rank and file.)
Time and time again, we hear that the far right’s recommendation is to continue down the path of less regulation and oversight (except when it comes to religious ideology and what happens in people’s bedrooms.) Wall street shenanigans, sub-prime loans, risky bank activity and default credit swaps were the outcome of that experiment. Poor economic conditions can often fester unrest. We see other countries were this created breeding grounds for terrorist and extremist recruitment, we should not presume our country would be any different.
So now, we have an adult in the White House. That’s good, and as things improve economically, the environment will improve. But the real (fully represented) republican party has no leader, no head. All it has is people like Rush Limbaugh, filling the void with quotes like “We are being told that we have to hope he [Obama] succeeds, that we have to bend over, grab the ankles, because his father was black, because this is the first black president, we’ve got to accept this.” (Limbaugh on Fox – Think progress, 1/22/09 http://tinyurl.com/nnxnja )“ and “If al Qaeda wants to demolish the America we know and love, they better hurry, because Obama’s beating them to it.” (Limbaugh on Fox – Hannity 6/3/09 http://tinyurl.com/lkfvbw .)
I would actually welcome a strong leader in the republican party (someone that represents the whole of what the republican party used to be), that would regain control, set a reasonable direction, engage in dialogue and get the far, far right to settle the hell down.
I got a j hug! My work here is done.
:)
kid
Sorry, sometimes I go too far. I pretty much agree with you.
I watch MSNBC also, and I know they’re biased as well. ABC seems to be as close to the center as it gets these days.
I cannot stomach anything from Fox, from O’Reilly to Idol, not my cup of tea.
Get it, “tea”?
Kid, Big smile!
cmw, “I actually don’t think it’s fair to call what remains of the party, the true republican party. It is a misrepresentation of the disenfranchised portion of the party that has left the rank and file.” I think you make an interesting point in that the number of people self-identifying republican is down considerably. Where did all those disenfranchised people go? I don’t think they joined the democrats. I think, as you indicate, they are waiting for someone reasonable to emerge. … Me too!
PofV, I get mad watching Rachel and Keith talk about Fox! Indirect anger is bad for my digestion. Been in meetings a lot today. About to pop over and check out your blog. Thanks for coming back.
Judy, I enjoyed your post. You have an interesting perpective and I appreciate it. I am glad to see there are some at fox who are starting to become concerned about the reteric of the right extreme groups.
Too bad we have to wait for their reteric to result in the death of innocent people for them to realize the harm they cause from their intolerance. Keep up the good work. I like your blog.
Well, if FOX and MSNBC get all the attention for being biased, perhaps CNN is the middle road. And, unfortunately, that’s probably why it’s third in the ratings among the Big Three cable news networks.
Nice piece Judy. Last night flipping channels I landed on Hannity and it hit me – he looks like Grandpa Munster!
I watch Morning Joe, and Keith and Rachel on MSNBC.
But my favorite is NPR. People say they want unbiased news and we don’t get it. We do. It’s on NPR. But it isn’t flashy and there’s not a lot of yelling.
Best,
Darren
italico, Thank you, and I agree. It would be nice if people paid to talk realized the power of their words.
Craig, Sad but true.
Darren, Hi! You’re right. NPR rocks! (Metaphorically speaking.)
I added an anti-terrorism, espose hatred page to my blog…gives you links to reports these types of behaviors. Just click on my name to check it out.
Italico, I will check it out. Thanks!