----- Original Message -----
From: "Warren Ockrassa" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Killer Bs (David Brin et al) Discussion" <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 9:33 PM
Subject: Re: polarization
> On Nov 12, 2008, at 8:18 PM, Jon Louis Mann wrote:
>
>> i think there is a difference in the bitterness on the left and the
>> venom on the right. both sides feel they are right, but the hate
>> from the right is based on fear, hate and greed, while the left is
>> motivated by idealism, and what defines true patriotism.
>
> Ah. But this language itself is so emotionally loaded that it does
> nothing but contribute to the polarization. ("Sure, everyone's pissed,
> but the left is pissed for more moral reasons!") The sad truth is that
> the left isn't all that different from the right, not as long as big
> money continues to control the discourse in DC.
>
> Political winds shift, but the lobbyists just change parties to give
> their attention to. Little else becomes different. You might not have
> been around to sniff the social winds in the US in 1980, but I was,
> and let me tell you that the Dems were quite thoroughly corrupted by
> power and money back then; one of the reasons Reagan won was because
> of the national trend against abuse of power by Democrats.
>
> And, FWIW, McCain *was* quite charismatic in 2000. He actually stood a
> good chance against W until he was torpedoed by extremists in the
> Republican party itself -- the same PAC that formed "Swift Boat
> Veterans for Truth" to attack Kerry in 2004.
>
> To me it seems that there's no real reason, if you're so motivated, to
> continue attacking the GOP. It's in the middle of its own self-
> destruction. A better approach might be to talk to the moderates, the
> centrist Republicans, who are very much like centrist Dems such as
> Obama, and are quite as horrified by Palin as many others are, and
> start trying to heal some breaches rather than continuing to hammer at
> the idea of "them" (whoever they are) being "wrong" (whatever that
> means).
>
> Maybe together we can all rediscover what it means for the GOP to be
> the party of Lincoln.
You guys really need to watch "The Power Of Nightmares - The Rise Of The
Politics Of Fear" by Adam Curtis.
It really shines a light on the history behind the subject you are
discussing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Power_of_Nightmares
"
The Power of Nightmares, subtitled The Rise of the Politics of Fear, is a
BBC documentary film series, written and produced by Adam Curtis. Its three
one-hour parts consist mostly of a montage of archive footage with Curtis's
narration. The series was first broadcast in the United Kingdom in late 2004
and has subsequently been broadcast in multiple countries and shown in
several film festivals, including the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
The films compare the rise of the Neo-Conservative movement in the United
States and the radical Islamist movement, making comparisons on their
origins and claiming similarities between the two. More controversially, it
argues that the threat of radical Islamism as a massive, sinister organised
force of destruction, specifically in the form of al-Qaeda, is a myth
perpetrated by politicians in many countries-and particularly American
Neo-Conservatives-in an attempt to unite and inspire their people following
the failure of earlier, more utopian ideologies.
The Power of Nightmares has been praised by film critics in both Britain and
the United States. Its message and content have also been the subject of
various critiques and criticisms from conservatives and progressives."
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=The+power+of+nightmares+bbc&aq=f&oq=
xponent
Second Try Maru
rob
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