After reading the "TEA PARTY TINDERBOX?" on MOTHER JONES, my level of optimism reached an all time low. I always hope that reason and conversation will always settle the grounds for prosperity. However on today’s hot climate settling two opposites sites to counter act each other, is a recipe for disaster. Specially, when they are about to meet on the same field.
Allan has always been the cheerleader on the home, yet even him sees my pessimistic side as an apocalyptic sign.
It is easy to blame the Tea Party crowd for their intolerance, but how come they are still gaining grounds, when we have Keith Olberman's national coverage?
As as dyslexic man, whenever I see him on TV, I keep hoping that he will talk to my understanding. He uses language that is foreign even to me that have a Masters Degree. I do not think that Americans are stupid, I think that the progressive media keeps ignoring that most folks are too tired to even enjoy television; let alone understand how big money is behind the Tea Party movement. Progressive Media uses language and dialogues that is shaped for the smart ones only; the elite of language; the Harvard graduates, that in some cases got us in the jam that we are today.
So how will you come to an agreement, when the information you have either comes from Glen Beck or from Keith Olberman? Shouting will be the answer, and when that fails, guns will come handy. And already Tea Baggers have the NRA, and the Second Amendment on their side.
And this is my point, if progressive people do not have the points that they can share with the opposite site, in a form that can lead to a dialogue, that dialogue will have less of a chance to happen. Progressive media has the means to do that, but they keep ignoring to enunciate a message that can override the Glen Beck and Sara Palin’s followers.
I've been saying that all along. We have to use the same tactics in order to get average people to understand our message. We're taking the morale high ground because it's the "right thing to do". The trouble is, that people don't ever to the "right thing". So we should try to attract them first, then educate them to see reason. Otherwise, we've lost. We need to play emotional cards. That's why the tea baggers gain ground. They use emotion and fear. Those basal emotions win out every time. And the Rebus know that. That's why they use it. They could care less about the common person, but they spend millions convincing them that they do. When nobody bothers to check the facts, facts become irrelevant. As they are today.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about the teabaggers is that most of them are broke and dependent on their corporate sponsors to pay for things. The event taking place in D.C. this weekend is in the red because they took out loans after not getting enough donations. They actually had a "tip jar" on tables asking people to help them out according to an article I read. The corporations don't need them anymore so they aren't ponying up the money. I think in the next few years you will see all but Teabagger- Republicans taking the side of Progressives regarding these mouth breathers, especially if they are successful in elections taking place in November. Republicans politicians talk up the party line but they don't actually mean it...these teabagger types take the manipulations and lies as gospel truth though. Republicans know that if those teabaggers make it to D.C. they aren't going to fall in-line, which is going to be a huge problem for the Republican money making machine. A bulk of the Republican Party knows it, and I guarantee that they are scared to death of those whackos. I say let them win now if they can because once those fools get on TV spouting their black helicopter nonsense there won't be a Republican who can win a race 2012, including part-time dogcatcher. People like it when their politicians are amusing and feisty, not paranoid and violent, trust.
ReplyDeleteI think you and Stan are right; we aren't effectively getting the message out. I've read a couple of articles about the psychology of believing lies, or not believing the facts when they are presented to you. When people reach that point--as the teabaggers have--there is no dealing with them by appealing to their logic or rationality. We need to appeal to emotion. Not fear, because that's not the direction we want to take. Good post!
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to outshout crazy.
ReplyDeleteGood post. You're right that we aren't getting the message out to them. It's not easy because they remind me of some students I had who were almost impossible to get through to.
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ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments...I read your post and I think that you may be right...but how in the hell are you going to reason with unreasonable? How do you tell people the truth when they are convinced that lies are the truth?
It is alarming and just like you I see mayhem in the horizon. I come from a place where we used to say "it can't happen here" but it did.
The thought of a Sarah Palin Presidency scares the shit out of me.
saludos,
raulito
Thanks raulito and welcome! I have a cousin of mine that is a republican, and when I started breaking it out to her, at the end of the conversation she said to me you gave me lots to think about. And this is my point maybe we can not reach the ultra right, but the ones in the middle that are block by the loud ones, can be made to understand. I believe that Obama's major downfall was to be passive and to try to reach consensus, with the republicans that were operating with the no vote attitude. He also alienated the liberals by not coming after the dems that were selling out the health care reform and the gays.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Beth on this one Marcos. I think the progressive message is out there, but the people who hear it are only willing to believe their own self fulfilling lies. They aren't open to anything else. That doesn't mean we shouldn't keep trying, but we can't let that get to us. As Beth pints out we need to grab onto emotion and stay away from fear, or I would hypothesize that we will end up just like those we seek to persuade.
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