Down With The Fear Pimps (I doubt I am the First to think it.)
Back from my unintended hiatus (lost my land line, and I have DSL; no phone line, no net.)
And I did not do what I could or should have done (meaning, draft something unique for here.) So instead I will copy over something that is my own original work, but something I first published elsewhere.
It did not have a working title, as it was not an "essay" to begin with, but was a reply to someone. Anyway, for
our current purposes, we can call this one,
Down With The Fear Pimps.
I have made a few edits, mostly of the syntax sort.
I am looking at -- and you can call it either "emotionally-fueled" politics, or "Gut Level" politics. Whatever term you prefer, it doesn't really matter. Now generally I do not really trust politicans to start (I don't PERSONALLY trust the individual people on my team that much either, I should say.) However there is a kind of politican I distrust MORE and they are those who use emotional rhetoric, or appeal to gut feelings of the voters to get and continue their access to the Levers of Power.
I know that a lot of voters like that kind of pol. I hate them. To me, someone shouting emotional rhetoric about fear and vengance is just a veneer for the kind of politican with all the morality and decency of Leatherface from the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (without a visible saw.) That kind of thing doesn't impress me.
I believe politics should be like revenge; a dish best served cold. Correction: to be more exactingly specific, POLICYMAKING should be done with cold heart and sober mind, particularly when it involves putting Americans (and even others) under the gun, and in the line of fire. Give me the Wonk over the Firebrand, anyday. I rather listen to someone with a real plan, rather than some slogan like "We fighting over there, so we don't have to fight here," or "Do it to them before they do it to us," bla bla, yadda, yadda.
I was sucking fumes from the collapse of the WTC for weeks after the event. Maybe that (not all by itself, as I have been of similar mind for some time) is why, particularly in the post 9/11 world I am super sensitive to anyone who tries to play on my emotions regarding that, and the War on Terror, and at this point almost all politics of the day. Whenever I see a Politician try to jerk my emotional chain about all that Security, and War on Terror crap, I just view them with the same contempt I would for someone who is trying to turn me into a jail house biotch.
Over my dead body.
Granted a brain rape is not the same as a body rape by a whole lot, but still, I see that sort of political exploitation of emotions as at least at mimimum a seriously callous and jaded manipulation, and at its worst, it is a brain rape.
One last thought about living in the Post 9/11 world. I think there are some people who were rather impressed by emotional rhetoric before, who are more so now; and I think there are people who were not all that impressed by emotional rhetoric before, but now are more so. And there are people like me, who were VERY cynical before 9/11, and went through that emotional heartbreak, but instead of emerging from that event more fearful and more "impressed" with emotional rhetoric, I am even MORE cynical and more distrusting.
And I am about to make a backhanded compliment to the GOP. In recent years they have shown themselves to be way better at jerking people emotionally and or successfully yanking on folk's "gut" chains. But me? Some one tries that on me and I am going fight back, and totally distrust them. That is how I am wired.
Particulary where issuse of life and death and security are concerend, I say save all the rah rah emotional excesses for the World Series and the Superbowl, instead. If this is really war, I want facts, I want stats, I want projections based on the facts and the statistical evidence, not "best case scenarios." I want tried and true tactics both politically and on the battlefield, and I don't want any bullshitting (except where bullshitting serves the end of passing on bad data to the other guy.) I want my leaders to do those things that are Rationally Related to increasing security, but I don't want my leaders to be Fear Pimps.
I don't want to feel that our national leaders are "playing on my emotions." And I am not going to give slack to any pol for bad choices in policy just because we are at war. Sorry, I don't reward people for being stupid and doing the job badly, generally. Show me how good a job you can do (I mean the politicians) because I am NOT going to ACCEPT any EXCUSES! We are at WAR (so do certain pols and their apologists like to say over and over.) As a SOBER reality, that means there is LESS room for fucking up, not more!!!
Now can someone PLEASE turn on the DO NOT FUCK UP sign, over Washingon D.C., and Lock that switch down in the ON position, please?
And I did not do what I could or should have done (meaning, draft something unique for here.) So instead I will copy over something that is my own original work, but something I first published elsewhere.
It did not have a working title, as it was not an "essay" to begin with, but was a reply to someone. Anyway, for
our current purposes, we can call this one,
Down With The Fear Pimps.
I have made a few edits, mostly of the syntax sort.
I am looking at -- and you can call it either "emotionally-fueled" politics, or "Gut Level" politics. Whatever term you prefer, it doesn't really matter. Now generally I do not really trust politicans to start (I don't PERSONALLY trust the individual people on my team that much either, I should say.) However there is a kind of politican I distrust MORE and they are those who use emotional rhetoric, or appeal to gut feelings of the voters to get and continue their access to the Levers of Power.
I know that a lot of voters like that kind of pol. I hate them. To me, someone shouting emotional rhetoric about fear and vengance is just a veneer for the kind of politican with all the morality and decency of Leatherface from the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" (without a visible saw.) That kind of thing doesn't impress me.
I believe politics should be like revenge; a dish best served cold. Correction: to be more exactingly specific, POLICYMAKING should be done with cold heart and sober mind, particularly when it involves putting Americans (and even others) under the gun, and in the line of fire. Give me the Wonk over the Firebrand, anyday. I rather listen to someone with a real plan, rather than some slogan like "We fighting over there, so we don't have to fight here," or "Do it to them before they do it to us," bla bla, yadda, yadda.
I was sucking fumes from the collapse of the WTC for weeks after the event. Maybe that (not all by itself, as I have been of similar mind for some time) is why, particularly in the post 9/11 world I am super sensitive to anyone who tries to play on my emotions regarding that, and the War on Terror, and at this point almost all politics of the day. Whenever I see a Politician try to jerk my emotional chain about all that Security, and War on Terror crap, I just view them with the same contempt I would for someone who is trying to turn me into a jail house biotch.
Over my dead body.
Granted a brain rape is not the same as a body rape by a whole lot, but still, I see that sort of political exploitation of emotions as at least at mimimum a seriously callous and jaded manipulation, and at its worst, it is a brain rape.
One last thought about living in the Post 9/11 world. I think there are some people who were rather impressed by emotional rhetoric before, who are more so now; and I think there are people who were not all that impressed by emotional rhetoric before, but now are more so. And there are people like me, who were VERY cynical before 9/11, and went through that emotional heartbreak, but instead of emerging from that event more fearful and more "impressed" with emotional rhetoric, I am even MORE cynical and more distrusting.
And I am about to make a backhanded compliment to the GOP. In recent years they have shown themselves to be way better at jerking people emotionally and or successfully yanking on folk's "gut" chains. But me? Some one tries that on me and I am going fight back, and totally distrust them. That is how I am wired.
Particulary where issuse of life and death and security are concerend, I say save all the rah rah emotional excesses for the World Series and the Superbowl, instead. If this is really war, I want facts, I want stats, I want projections based on the facts and the statistical evidence, not "best case scenarios." I want tried and true tactics both politically and on the battlefield, and I don't want any bullshitting (except where bullshitting serves the end of passing on bad data to the other guy.) I want my leaders to do those things that are Rationally Related to increasing security, but I don't want my leaders to be Fear Pimps.
I don't want to feel that our national leaders are "playing on my emotions." And I am not going to give slack to any pol for bad choices in policy just because we are at war. Sorry, I don't reward people for being stupid and doing the job badly, generally. Show me how good a job you can do (I mean the politicians) because I am NOT going to ACCEPT any EXCUSES! We are at WAR (so do certain pols and their apologists like to say over and over.) As a SOBER reality, that means there is LESS room for fucking up, not more!!!
Now can someone PLEASE turn on the DO NOT FUCK UP sign, over Washingon D.C., and Lock that switch down in the ON position, please?
posted by Abstentus at 3:41 PM
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