Why Chucky Todd feels no shame
This was inspired by someone on another thread asking why Todd ca shamelessly say things that are not even remotely true. People asked me to make this an op.
Why does Chucky Todd feel no shame? The same reason someone like him who got his cushy job but then had to go back to school and get a college degree can always dare to question people: he is a straight white right wing male. That is all the excuse these people need,, and all the justification they think they need to provide, as shown whenever Chucky or Tucker Carlson look at the camera and give that goofy smile, the one that says "you were just here for my amusement and exploitation, I do not have to care what you think!"
We really may have to realize that our enemy really has no sense of outrage or shame. This is not like when Gandhi was able to urge millions of people to nonviolently resist because the British eventually were ashamed at the animals that they had become! This is a new era, the right has successfully numbed the conscience of people to wear its enforcers either think they are just taking their rightful share of sadistic amusement, like Chucky, Carlson, and Coulter, or worse yet they actually think they are being moral, like Ryan or Mike pence or Ted Cruz. The latter type is the read a little scary part, because these folks have not managed to separate their cancerous moral center from an authentic one. It is no accident that these three are religious, because the religions that they espouse are meant to take over the part of a human being that has a conscience and replace it with programming that will keep the rich man safe and wealthy.
In short folks, we better not rely on "have you no shame?" Frankly the right wing has inoculated its people against shame, either by making them think that they have an entitlement to have no shame, or to think that the very things that are shameful are precisely what is moral. yes it is a mess, but the good news is these folks are greedy.. Right now, any political activity, any resistance to the right that does not include hitting them directly in the pocketbook is just political theater. Their only power is for a wallet, and if that means that yes we need to give up Rachel Maddow along with the rest of the NBC goons and if that means we need to stop buying whatever they sell on their commercials, so be it. Anything else will just serve as amusement while they do verse stupid laugh and think your pain is the rightful validation of their vanity and appetite.
PS: to anyone who says I am demonizing all straight white males, no. Nor do I exonerate the "minority" folks like Yannoplois or Diaz balart who seen to enjoy being the tokens that let people say "see, I have (insert minority) friends. But on the right wing, there is the rise of the crass arrogance that people will show because they think they are the default setting for power, and that anyone else, especially those qualified, is meant to be knocked aside to show their greatness, or simply for them to be amused at.
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In essence, "the rules have changed" now and we have to adapt. I think the conundrum of liberals/progressives in pivoting to this challenge is how to counter this nightmare without losing touch with our raison d'etre. I have been carefully watching how Bill Penzey is handling it (from his latest sent out yesterday) -
I received a nice email last week from one of our customers who is heading to the Washington Women's March on January 21st. She was hoping to purchase some of our Embrace Hope stickers to hand out to her fellow bus passengers. We sent the stickers at no charge, and thought it would be nice to send along some Kind Heart pins as well.
We learned in Wisconsin that protests really are an important piece of limiting what damage is done. The forces of open racism and open sexism have been intentionally set free by the rhetoric of this presidential election, and by the leadership proposed for the incoming administration. We believe that Kindness cannot sit down simply because anger has stood up. Without the spotlight and awareness protest brings, open sexism and racism will not be reined in. We all must work to support those with the strength and skills to successfully protest. They really are the front line in defending the goodness that makes America something special in the eyes of the world.
But as much as protest is key to maintaining the hard-won rights of so many that are very much at risk right now, protest alone will only take things so far. It's simply not enough to point and say "Can't you see what they’re doing here?" In the long run you have to offer people a better vision of the future, a vision they want more. This is where I think our Kind Heart pins can help.
If you are one of the many who have made plans to bus it on out to our Capitol for the Women's March, we would like to send some Kind Heart pins with you. Our supply at the moment is not unlimited, but while they last we would like to send three for each person on your bus—one to keep, and two to pass out as a thanks for kindness found along the road or in the capital. In the short term protest is key, but in the long run our compassion is our greatest strength.
If the idea of sharing Kind Heart pins with your fellow bus passengers appeals to you, please contact us at editor@penzeys.com. We could use an address to send them to, a head count of those going along, and what day you are planning to leave. And since we've created a bit of an angry buzz in the right wing media world recently, if you could add a couple of sentences about why you believe it's important to take the time and effort to attend the march, it would help us make sure our pins get to those actually taking part.
And even if our pins run out before we can meet all that are requested, I do want to thank everyone taking the time to travel to our capital and to all the other cities across the country where people are gathering to stand up for the rights of women, and to make it known that the majority of Americans do not want or accept the sexism at the heart of this last election. Your voices are so important right now. Thank you for standing up for the values of America.
Bill
bill@penzeys.com
Agree that a huge way to change those actively spending $$$ to promote hatred is to hit them in the pocketbook and also supporting our own, who can help buffer in this storm.
