|
|
|
MUST READ: The evolution of the Culture War
Clearly, as the ever-resurgent the teabag-waving radical right demonstrates, the Culture War has not gone away, although, it has most certainly changed over the years. In part, I would imagine, that's because the writing is on the wall — progressives are winning, and will continue to win, especially in issues like gay rights, where the recent Prop 8 decision brought little more than a pathetic wimper from a once-mighty Christianists while the rest of us moved on with our lives — and the activists very much need to rebrand. From Politico:
MUST READ: The evolution of the Culture War
Clearly, as the ever-resurgent the teabag-waving radical right demonstrates, the Culture War has not gone away, although, it has most certainly changed over the years. In part, I would imagine, that's because the writing is on the wall — progressives are winning, and will continue to win, especially in issues like gay rights, where the recent Prop 8 decision brought little more than a pathetic wimper from a once-mighty Christianists while the rest of us moved on with our lives — and the activists very much need to rebrand. From Politico:
At a moment that finds the right energized and seemingly ascendant, the battles over morality-based cultural issues such as gay rights, abortion and illegal drugs that did so much to drive the conservative movement and dominated the political conversation for more than 30 years have abated, giving way not just to broad economic anxiety but to a new set of emotionally charged issues.
â¦
For while Obama has avoided single-issue fights on issues such as gays in the military and federal funding of abortions — angering parts of his base, in the process — he has, in the minds of conservatives, pushed a comprehensive agenda, and that is far more threatening.
These people have, to my thinking, lost their freaking minds and any semblance of a grasp of historical context: Obama has, if anything, been far too accommodating, far too centrist, far too willing to water down and walk back important parts of his agenda — the stimulus, health care, climate change, gays in the military, etc. He is, in many ways, more of a Rockefeller Republican than a McGovern Democrat.
But that's all a matter of perspective, I suppose.
Anyway, this weekend's Must Read comes from Adam Serwer at American Prospect.
To the extent that this new culture war resembles the old one, it is in the reversal of roles--it is the right that is now largely defined by an identity politics which perceives persecution, and possible extinction, for a culturally constructed usually white, conservative, "real American." This isn't just about Obama or his agenda, which borrows heavily from earlier conservative ideas, it's also a response to anxiety over economic insecurity and fear of ideological annihilation through demographic change. Hence the burgeoning Islamophobia and calls to repeal birthright citizenship.
I think a large part of what appealed to liberals about Obama was his ability to acknowledge discrete strands of American culture as equally legitimate. His fundamental task in the 2008 election, with the wind at his back, was to persuade the American people that he was one of them-- his failure to do so would be the only thing to bring defeat. Obama didn't start that argument, but for the first time in a long time, he helped the left win it--and the right has been in a state of rage ever since.
But if Obama's election was a referendum on what it means to be an American, then the right's response can be seen as a large scale attempt to challenge the legitimacy of the results. This can be seen as an element of almost every genre of right wing criticism, from the birther fringe to the far more common accusations of "European-style socialism." Sadly, Obama didn't end the culture war, his election just ushered in a new one. To the right, Obama's election wasn't a call for truce, it was a deliberate escalation.
I come back to this time and time again, because I think it is a very seminal piece of modern political science, but if you really want to understand the dynamics at play, read Authoritarianism & Polarization in American Politics by Marc Hetherington and Jonathan Weiler. All of these issues — be they abortion, gay rights, race relations, defense spending, immigration, the hullabaloo over the deficit, the emergent Tea Partiers, and so on — are fruit of the same tree: authoritarianism* and the preservation of the existing social order, or rather, the fear that the social order is changing and leaving them behind.
*To clarify: The word "authoritarianism" is not in this sense a pejorative, though it is commonly associated with totalitarianism and fascism. Indeed, without some reverence for authority and social order, society would likely be chaotic. Think of authoritarianism more as a scale rather than a yes/no proposition. Conservatives, at least modern conservatives and especially social/religious conservatives, tend to have significantly higher than their liberal counterparts. Interestingly, inner-city African Americans are basically off the charts when it comes to authoritarianism, which complicates social science research into this subject, because they tend to vote for liberal, Democratic candidates, thanks largely to the perception of conservative racism — at least, according to the available data.)
[...] MUST READ. The evolution of a Culture War :: The Clog :: Blog … [...]
"....because they [African Americans] tend to vote for liberal, Democratic candidates, thanks largely to the perception of conservative racism — at least, according to the available data." Or is it because Democrats promise everything under the sun for nothing? Keep stirring up class envy, bash and smear the producers of society, create an entitlement/deserving mentality and an entire segment of the population with a dependency on government benefits...and bash those who would reduce those benefits as uncaring and insensitive. The problem is when your society turns into a house of cards and you have a government meltdown like Greece --- which is required by the world bank as part of its bailout to adopt "austerity measures". I wonder if they are proud of their socialism now.
"Or is it because Democrats promise everything under the sun for nothing?" No. BTW, the austerity measures that teatards love so much are destroying Greece's economy. Welcome to economics 101, idiots.
[...] MUST READ. The evolution of the Culture War :: The Clog :: Blog Archive :: Staff Blog :: Philadelphi... [...]
[...] MUST READ. The evolution of the Culture War :: The Clog :: Blog Archive :: Staff Blog :: Philadelphi... [...]
[...] MUST READ. The expansion of a Culture War :: The Clog :: Blog Archive :: Staff Blog :: Philadelphia ... [...]
The austerity measures are forcing the Greek government to live within its means, and giving the free market more room to operate. The only pain that is being felt is by people that shouldn't have been benefitting from the lavish government spending in the first place. It's like taking easy subprime loans for low income people away from the US housing market, or stopping irresponsible defense spending of $1000 toilet seats and $500 hammers.
[...] MUST READ. The evolution of the Culture War :: The Clog :: Blog … [...]
[...] MUST READ. The evolution of the Culture War :: The Clog :: Blog … [...]
[...] MUST READ. The evolution of the Culture War :: The Clog :: Blog … [...]
[...] Jeffrey Billman пиÑеÑ: … gay rights, race relations, defense spending, immigration, the hullabaloo over the deficit, the emergent Tea Partiers, and so on âÃî are fruit of the same tree: authoritarianism* and the preservation of the existing social order, or rather, …. LGBTQ, Mind/Body, Museums/Exhibits, Music, Classical, Folk/World, Jazz/Blues, Rock/Pop, Open Mic, Karaoke, Performance, Performing Arts, Cabaret, Dance, Opera, Theater, Readings/Book Signings, Repertory Film, Shopping/Style … [...]
- ActiVman
- adventures
- Arts
- Ask A Man-About-Town
- Award Tour
- Awards
- Bad Idea Factory
- Beer
- Below the Curve
- Bikes
- Booze
- Brian Hickey
- BRT
- Budget
- Budget Fuss
- Business
- Casinos
- City Council
- City Hall
- CouncilMANIC
- CP Abroad
- CP in the Community
- Criminal Justice System
- Day Tripper
- Death and Taxes
- Delaware River
- Design
- DROP
- Drugs
- Dubious Distinction
- Elections
- End of Days
- Environment
- Fashion
- Film Fest
- Financial Meltdown
- FrackTrack
- Free Library
- Gambling
- Gay Stuff
- Get Lit
- Greenstorming
- guns
- Hall Monitor
- Health
- Health Care
- Hello, Kitty
- Holidays
- Ice Cubes
- Iggles
- Immigration
- In Memoriam
- Labor
- Lawsuits
- Letters
- LGBTQ
- Maps
- Marcellus Shale
- Media
- MMA
- Mummers
- Music
- MUST READ
- Mysterious Mysteries
- Nation
- News
- Non Sequitur
- Opinion
- PA politics 2010
- Parking Wars
- Parks and Recreation
- People Send Us This Stuff
- Philadelphia Police
- Philadelphia Union
- Philaphemera
- Philly From Scratch
- philly madness
- Photos
- Poverty
- PPA
- President Obama
- Print Edition
- Prisons
- Protest
- Readers Write
- Real Estate
- Rock Bottom
- Schools
- Science
- Screwing Philly
- SEPTA
- snow
- So Lush
- Soccer
- Sporting Life
- Sports Complex
- State Politicians
- State Politics
- Street Art
- Strike
- Stuff We Like
- Taxes
- Taxi Drivers
- Tech Fetish
- television
- The Budget Crisis
- The City Paper
- The CLOG
- The Human Condition
- The Mayor
- The Phightin Phils
- The World
- Things that make you go hm
- Tinfoil Hats Off
- Under the Table
- Under the Tables
- Urban Development
- Urban Planning
- urban wildlife
- Video Poker
- We Call Shenanigans
- Weather
- Web Junk
- Weekend Omnibus
- White House
- What We've Found
- Women's Issues
- Flyered Up!
- How 'Bout That Weather?
- it's always sunny in philadelphia
- Stu!
- Shopping
- get out
- 10-track mind
- ArtsFlash
- Bloggity
- Bruce Being Bruce
- Colleges
- Comedy
- Gigantic Surprises
- Hello Canary
- Hello Puppy
- errata
- get lost
- Inside The Fishbowl
- Library Closings
- Local Support
- Movies
- Murder
- Night Moves
- Recycling
- radio
- Scientology
- Sex
- Sixers
- Skeeze Police
- State Politicians Screwing Philly
- That's a cool stencil!
- Theater
- Things We See
- This Week
- This Week in Oates
- University City
- WIN
- What we don't heart
- trailer!
- what we heart
- Feeling Guilty
- Askadelphia.
- Broke in Philly
- Contest
- Dance
- Dear Paper Doll
- Do A Good Thing
- Education
- Film Fest Schism
- G20-20 Vision
- Goodbye
- Gossip
- Great American Heroes
- PATCO
- Pearl Jam Week
- Puppy
- Stars of the Photostream
- sustainability
- Lower Merion Webcam-Gate
- The Cycle
- Equality Forum
- Bureaucrat of the Week
- Animals
- ElectionEar
- Photostream
