Republican fear factor
Conservatives’ paranoid alternate-reality can be explained by their brain chemistry — and their media choices
http://www.salon.com/2012/05/03/republican_fear_factor_salpart/
It helps to understand how people think, even if the act of understanding them sometimes gives you a headache. Some people I know (including some people I am related to, both by blood and by marriage) really seem to believe a lot of this shit:
The White House has been usurped by a Kenyan socialist named Barry Soetero, who hatched an elaborate plot to pass himself off as a citizen of the United States – a plot the media refuse to even investigate. This president doesn’t just claim the right to assassinate suspected terrorists who are beyond the reach of law enforcement – he may be planning on rounding up his ideological opponents and putting them into concentration camps if he is reelected. He may have murdered a blogger who was critical of his administration, but authorities refuse to investigate. At the very least, he is plotting on disarming the American public after the election, in accordance with a secret deal cut with the UN and possibly with the assistance of foreign troops.
…
Imagine believing that the Democrats’ business-friendly insurance reforms included panels of bureaucrats who would decide when to let you die, as Sarah Palin infamously suggested. Or that virtually the entire field of climatology is perpetrating a “hoax,” as senator James Inhofe claims, in order to undermine capitalism and impose a one-world government. Imagine seeing energy-efficient light bulbs as part of an international plot to, again, undermine capitalism, as Michele Bachmann believes. Imagine thinking that the public school system “indoctrinates” young children into the “gay lifestyle,” as influential members of the religious right – Pat Dobson, Bryan Fischer, Anita Bryant – have claimed for years. Imagine believing our electoral system is tarnished by massive voter fraud or that union thugs are running amok or that the Department of Homeland Security is making a list of people who advocate for “limited government.” Imagine if there really were a War on Christmas!
Check this out if your brain hasn’t exploded yet:
Rep. Louie Gohmert’s “Terror Baby” Meltdown
http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2010/08/rep-louie-gohmerts-terror-baby-meltdown
…keep in mind that Gohmert is a former district and appeals court judge.
As the first article notes, these stories would be hilarious if they weren’t so damn serious. The problem is these nut cases have slipped into our decision making apparatus (as the bottom article alludes) and now the crazies really are running the asylum. I have difficulty conceiving of ways to reverse this trend as our political system is so thoroughly stacked in favor of extremist idealism on either end. How much worse will it get before it gets better? I wish I was in a position where I didn’t need to care!
