So after the Arizona violence, the folks in the Sarah Palin camp have had to reframe their rhetoric. They revealed this poster today over on facebook. It sends a much friendlier message, don’t you think?
It’s actually been interesting watching the newsfolk try and make a connection between the Palin “crosshair” poster and the Arizona gunman. I don’t want to be accused of defending Sarah Palin (really… EVER…), but one look at this guy’s internet life, and you can see that he was taking his cues from no one even remotely connected to the political process. He is, to use the technical term, a wack-o nutball, and to try and tie him to one poster as a cause is just pointless.
…Not to say that we don’t have a problem with rhetoric in this country. We have moved discourse to the point where the terms “hate” and “enemy” are now the starting point for any discussion and left “compromise” and “progress” back in the dust long, long ago. There is so much anger going around the country at the moment that we really need to all take a collective breath and ask how we can actually help rather than trying to focus on who’s hurting us now. It may just be me, but that seems like the sort of thing our political leaders should be trying to encourage rather that doing everything they can to knock the other guy down in the next election.
United we Stand… Divided?… we squabble in the dirt…
Ah, if only people were reasonable. Advertising shouldn’t work but it does (people are gullible). “facts” come from blogs on the internet. “they” say things taken as gospel. The “news” is an ironclad fact machine (so long as you’re watching the right channel). People shouldn’t listen to someone and believe they need to drink kool-aid laced with poison. People shouldn’t listen to leaders railing against the evils of this group or that, but not only do they, they support them in every endeavor up to and including genocide. There is a reason Billy Maze was as effective a salesman as he was by yelling in his commercials. That reason pretty much sums up all of the above AND provides clues as to why it isn’t necessarily crazy to think over the top “dialogue” may move folks to violence. Many states have laws against inciting violence- usually this is used to charge folks who yell alot about how bad/evil/deserving someone/somepeople are of whatever they get (that results in violence). We can all wish this wasn’t true for such an evolved/grace filled race, but the evidence says otherwise. The dude was unhinged and no doubt that was the main ingredient, but it is not unreasonable to think he may have been pushed/nudged/ever so slightly edged in the direction of these actions by media, internet based or other external human wrought inputs. Pink walls soothe prisoners and reduce riots. The human psyche is the human psyche. Since we’re all vulnerable to these types of external inputs in one form or another, aren’t we all deranged in one way or another? Companies make and spend huge amounts of money, and politicians, and criminals, and family members (thrown in for everyone who has had to deal with a manipulative relative), and… take advantage of every angle/aspect of this in everything they do in achieving their goals. I have to hope that the particular set of circumstances and external inputs that could send me off the deep end and incite me to violence never occurs (not sure what those may be, but I would bet there is such a set). Hypnosis is an industry for keeeerist sake!…ok, stepping off my soap box and wondering if I sound a bit jaded and cynical…I’ll go play with my fushigi balls now…
Fushigiiiiiiiiii!!!!!
I don’t argue anything you said except for the fact that this particular wack-o nutball was entirely anti-government and is very unlikely to have taken his cues from a hanger-on to the political process. I’d say his triggers fell more along the Oliver Stone line than the Sarah Palin.
His personal triggers, however, are somewhat irrelevant though as I think the take home message is that we all need to put the Kool-Aide back on the shelf for a while and maybe go for a walk.
Ah yes, go for a walk, work up a thirst, then drink the kool-aide… (hehe)
I know… vicious circle…