Free Thinking Is A Dangerous Thing

I finally got my equipment working so I can start recording again. I did new backing vocals for Mickey Mouse World. The others we did with the girls were too good. To nice and pretty. They needed to be more sarcastic and a little bit ragged.

Lately I've been very discouraged about the state of American culture. Even the previews of upcoming movies depress me. I feel more aliented and more of an outcast than I did at 18.

The country seems to be more divided than ever. Given the violence in the words of people who support the radical right I wonder if we will end up with civil war. Or perhaps they'll just become terrorists if they can't maintain political control of the nation.

Both the left and right are so radicallized. I really beleive most Americans are more centrist, and have more common sense than the radicals on both sides. These days though it seems the radicals are in control of both political parties.

What is odd and unfortunate is that they are so dogmatic. Everything becomes black and white and no shades of gray can even be discussed. Try to talk to a radical liberal about the environment and if you question anything, any point, they become offended.

On the right none of the issues can be discussed or you are a traitor, a terrorist, or a communist. (Oddly the people on the right still call people communists) The language people on the right use is much more violent than on the left. In right wing discussion groups on myspace people often talk about killing hippies, or murdering anyone that disagrees with their radical views. In one a few days ago in a military group people were attacking black folks and defending their right to hate blacks.

Another odd thing in the right wing groups is there is a lot of name calling. Usually a discussing starts with someting like, "Fuck off you liberal idiot," or "I'll kill you, fucktard." 'Fucktard' seems to be a favorite insult with right wingers. The name calling thing seems so childish that it is hard to understand. I guess it has to do with a bully mentality. Assuming that the way to win an arguement is to scare someone into submission. (And we know how well that has worked for President Bush with Iran and Korea!)

The problem with bullying is that it doesn't scare anyone. (Especially over the internet.) If you're making a point in an debate and someone's response is "Fuck off Fucktard," it is laughable. Even if you could bully someone that way, you still wouldn't respect them because they obviously lack the ability to think and meet an arguement intelligently.

Last week I was watching the movie The Searchers with John Wayne. Throughout the movie he insulted people, hit them when he felt like it, and generally tried to bully people. I couldn't buy into the movie because his character was scuh a joke. In the movie everyone falls into obedience to his bullying, but if you met a person who behaved like that in real life you would laugh in their face, or tell them to fuck off, but very few people would bow down to a bully. In the end such a socially dysfunctional person would land in jail very quickly.

I sometime think about that in TV police dramas.The cops are always roughing up people in interregation rooms or yelling and insulting them, and then on the shows the criminals immediately spill their guts and confess. But in real life people would tell the cops to fuck off. I've been in that situation and done just that.

It's really a matter of principle. You must stand up to bullies. Although many are so ridiculous it's not worth the effort.

I think this bullying from people on the right might come down to a question of obedience. There are lots of people who don't want to think for themselves. They just want to do what they are told and not question. They are so unsure of their own beliefs that to question them at all is too frightening to consider. Perhaps inside they sense that any chip in the armor might make their entire belief system collapse. But then others are just too lazy to think for themselves.

The result of this is the outlook where if you question the government or the president you are anti-American, a traitor, terrorist, hippie, fucktard, etc. This outlooks also demands more respect for symbolism than the values of the constitution; Saluting the flag, the national anthem, uniforms... It suprising how many right wing people seem to hate freedom and much of what America stands for. I always think they would be happier in Cuba or communist China were blind obedience to authority is demanded and dissent is dealt with with an iron fist. People who think like this would never have taken part in the American Revolution, they would have been supporting the authority of the king of England.

The bullying tactics are a reflection of this tendacy towards blind obedience in that they think that if you bully someone they should automatically fall down and obey in the same way they do to authority.

Free thinking is still a dangerous thing. And hated more than ever.