Paranoia - What is going on?

[AtomTan]

I don't even watch TV, but people I know on Facebook and in other discussion forums seem to have just completely lost their freaking MINDS. They really and truly believe that Obama is a personality cult leader a la Saddam Hussein or Stalin, that he is a Socialist (though I'm now seeing "Marxist" thrown around just as often ... do these people even have a clue what these words even MEAN??), that he is going to take over America by force, etc etc blah blah blah.

These are formerly reasonable people. I mean, some of these people I have known since I was a little kid. Old friends. What has happened?

Is it the endless noise of the punditry? That people looking for political allies in the media are pushed further and further to extremes, radicalized even by the loudmouthed radio talk show hosts and TV hosts and internet bloggers? Is it the internet, with its absence of gatekeepers that allows hyperbole to run away with reason? I'm talking about both sides of the political spectrum here, too. I've been pretty paranoid the past several years, and have thrown around words like "fascist" and "Nazi" pretty earnestly.

With paranoia and extremism becoming the norm in political discussion, how long before neighbors start taking real punches at each other, arming against each other, etc...

[Zombie2]

1. I hear gun sales are way up....

"how long before neighbors start taking real punches at each other, arming against each other, etc..."

[AtomTan]

3. And with all the noise of the punditry, is anybody even listening to anything Obama has said?

He has been nothing but an advocate for moderation, reason, forethought, centrism, inclusion, tolerance, etc etc etc, since he started running. He wasn't my choice in the primaries, but I truly do not see how the man can be seen as any kind of extremist.

[Zombie2]

7. You're not watching enough Fox News....

or listening to Rush Limpballs enough. :evilgrin:

[louis-t]

2. It is scary. My relatives are going nuts with rage and hatred.

The extreme right is feeding all of this. People are running out and buying guns.

[Lex1775]

4. Probably backlash...

To some extent of the people who swore up and down that Bush was going to cancel the elections and that there were Blackwater camps all across America ready to load dissenters into railroad cars for Gitmo at the drop of a hat.

But I think most of it has to do with their choice in candidate. McCain was NOT a popular choice for Republicans, and they all knew it. Then you have Obama, who is pretty popular and people are excited about him. The Republicans haven't had a candidate like that since Reagan.

[rvablue]

5. Sorry but your description of them as "fomer reasonable people" makes no sense

the only people spewing these hateful, bigoted and deluded lies are Rush, Hannity, Glenn Beck, Coulter and the rest of the rabid, racist, hate-filled right wing nutjobs.

I suggest you de-friend these people on Facebook because they will not discontinue they're disgusting, lying, hateful, cro-mag ways for the next 4 years.

[AtomTan]

8. Well, that's easy to say

but doesn't it just push everybody further into factions? And how many people have family members whom they love and know are decent people, if not the brightest people, who are going paranoid as well?

[rvablue]

11. Can you just promise one thing then

if you insist on continuing to read their repetitious lying, bigoted and hateful drivel, can you refrain from posting it here ad hominem for the next 4 years.....'K? Thanks!

[AtomTan]

14. ad hominem? eh?

No I won't do you any favors. Go ahead and block me.

[Zombie2]

12. I've deleted several from my MySpace after the election....

after reading some of their bulletins/blogs/headlines/whatever. For the most part, I only have people on my page that I actually talk to from time to time and/or have met in person (I've never been a friend whore).

One "friend" deleted me after I posted something about Prop 8... which is cool, I don't want to associate with bigots anyway.

[NOLALady]

6. Interesting.

My reasonable friends are not reacting that way.

My parish voted 75% for the other guy, but I don't feel a need to fear them. They will vote against their best interests, but I don't feel they will devolve into pure savagery.

[AtomTan]

10. Well I do live in a cannibal colony in Montana

Where we bludgeon our food to death if it disagrees with us. So, difference of magnitude maybe.

[Wapsie B]

9. Fear motivates, and no one sells fear like the gop.

You now have a black man as President-Elect. That thought alone can strike fear in the hearts of the racists in the gop. My parents were beside themselves watching some of MLK Jr's speeches on TV. He was stirring those minorities. Some of them fear a race war. There's such a polarizing effect with politics these days. I'm sure there will be violence between family members, neighbors, friends over this.

[apnu]

28. Hell, fear is the only tool in the GOP's tool box.

Reason? Nope.
Hope? Nope.
Righteousness? Nope.
American Tradition? Nope.
American Values? Nope.
Hard Work? Nope.
Ground Game? Nope.

Scare everybody to the polls? You betcha!

[lunatica]

13. It's the sound that bullies make when they're going down

They love to pound of others, but when they get pounded you've never heard a more screeching sound in your life. It's akin to fingernails on a chalkboard.

[Warren DeMontague]

15. It's not the "norm in political discussion".

Most Americans heard the same "marxist" hyperbole before the election, and voted Obama anyway. In record numbers.

The squealing you hear is from rabid right-wing republicans who are terrified at the implication of their own loss of power; wacko Xtian conservatives who are upset that Obama appointed SCOTUS judges won't vote to outlaw non-procreative fucking, for instance. The usual crazies are having a shit-fit, but the vast majority of Americans now have a president who represents their values, unlike the last 8 years.

[ratherunique]

16. i'm seeing this all around me as well

to make things worse alot of companies are reacting the same way. they're not doing the economy or anyone else any good. how do these people expect this country to progress if they can't get over themselves? its's really sad

[Warren DeMontague]

17. Clearly, it's a cause for concern.

Yes, yes. Much concern.

[AtomTan]

18. How do you see this in companies? I don't even know what that means.

[ratherunique]

25. employees getting screwed

the higher ups in my company are acting like the sky is about to fall. that's going to mean major cutbacks, less money for us and possibly some layoffs due to the paranoia they have regarding obama's policies. i have many friends who are seeing the same reaction within the jobs they work for.

[Warren DeMontague]

47. I hear they laid off several people at the Creation Museum

They really had their heart set on McCain & Palin teaching "both sides of the debate" in public schools.

[TexasObserver]

19. People who listen to Rush, Sean, Bill O'Reilly and Glenn Beck repeat the idiocy they hear.

[Warren DeMontague]

22. I had the UPS guy stopped in front of my house cranking Rush yesterday.

Limbaugh, that is, not the band.

Normally, I'd just ignore it, but I couldn't help myself. I said, loud enough for dude to hear, "I'm surprised that fat fuck hasn't had an aneurysm yet".

Yeah, UPS man-- Rush Limbaugh is really lookin' out for your interests. Good grief. The only time Rush Limbaugh is gonna give a shit about the UPS guy is if he orders some drugs over the internet.

I remember this phenomenon from the Clinton years; white "Workin' guys" who felt the need to blast right wing radio while they were working. Christ, dude, you're driving a UPS truck. Listen to some rock and roll. Enjoy yourself.

[CrispyQ]

37. ...

"Christ, dude, you're driving a UPS truck. Listen to some rock and roll. Enjoy yourself."

No shit!!!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

20. Have you considered not hanging out with racists?

I think that's your problem.

[AtomTan]

21. Do you really live in a progressive bubble?

Seriously, you don't have any friends who have disagreed with you about politics? Who have not always been so paranoid? For you, they're either with us or against us?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

24. I haven't got any friends that are racist, no.

You either believe in racial equality, or you're against us.

[AtomTan]

27. I truly believe this is less about race

than it is about a leveraging by pundits of a residual "Red Scare" kneejerk reaction in people who think they are politically sympathetic, ie "Conservative."

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

29. No you don't.

You know full well it's racist.

[AtomTan]

31. Okeedoke, Kreskin. What number am I thinking of now?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

38. Is it 88?

How about 14?

[AtomTan]

41. Close! The answer is actually "racist." I'm surprised that wasn't your first guess.

[Forkboy]

42. Ouch

[Warren DeMontague]

26. I am friends with some libertarian minded fiscal conservatives.

Crazies who spout right wing radio shit or frothy, Palin-loving, creationist GOP base fundies? No, not friends with too many of those.

[AtomTan]

30. So among those friends

you're not seeing any of this paranoia?

Maybe I'm just paranoid then.

[Warren DeMontague]

35. No, actually they've been appalled at the utter mismanagement of team Bush.

They may not agree with Obama 100%, but they understand that at least now the grown-ups are in charge.

And they're sick of the fetus brigades and the far right anti-intellectual crazies driving everyone with a brain out of the GOP.

[CrispyQ]

23. Most of them couldn't define socialism or marxism if their life depended on it.

They parrot what they hear on tv & talk radio. And too many think that if someone has a tv or radio show they must know what they are talking about. This excellent article by Chris Hedges really nails what ails America.


America the Illiterate
by Chris Hedges

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/11/10-6

snip...

We live in two Americas. One America, now the minority, functions in a print-based, literate world. It can cope with complexity and has the intellectual tools to separate illusion from truth. The other America, which constitutes the majority, exists in a non-reality-based belief system. This America, dependent on skillfully manipulated images for information, has severed itself from the literate, print-based culture. It cannot differentiate between lies and truth. It is informed by simplistic, childish narratives and clichés. It is thrown into confusion by ambiguity, nuance and self-reflection. This divide, more than race, class or gender, more than rural or urban, believer or nonbeliever, red state or blue state, has split the country into radically distinct, unbridgeable and antagonistic entities.

more...

The illiterate rarely vote, and when they do vote they do so without the ability to make decisions based on textual information. American political campaigns, which have learned to speak in the comforting epistemology of images, eschew real ideas and policy for cheap slogans and reassuring personal narratives. Political propaganda now masquerades as ideology. Political campaigns have become an experience. They do not require cognitive or self-critical skills. They are designed to ignite pseudo-religious feelings of euphoria, empowerment and collective salvation. Campaigns that succeed are carefully constructed psychological instruments that manipulate fickle public moods, emotions and impulses, many of which are subliminal. They create a public ecstasy that annuls individuality and fosters a state of mindlessness. They thrust us into an eternal present. They cater to a nation that now lives in a state of permanent amnesia. It is style and story, not content or history or reality, which inform our politics and our lives. We prefer happy illusions. And it works because so much of the American electorate, including those who should know better, blindly cast ballots for slogans, smiles, the cheerful family tableaux, narratives and the perceived sincerity and the attractiveness of candidates. We confuse how we feel with knowledge.

more...

Political leaders in our post-literate society no longer need to be competent, sincere or honest. They only need to appear to have these qualities. Most of all they need a story, a narrative. The reality of the narrative is irrelevant. It can be completely at odds with the facts. The consistency and emotional appeal of the story are paramount. The most essential skill in political theater and the consumer culture is artifice. Those who are best at artifice succeed. Those who have not mastered the art of artifice fail. In an age of images and entertainment, in an age of instant emotional gratification, we do not seek or want honesty. We ask to be indulged and entertained by clichés, stereotypes and mythic narratives that tell us we can be whomever we want to be, that we live in the greatest country on Earth, that we are endowed with superior moral and physical qualities and that our glorious future is preordained, either because of our attributes as Americans or because we are blessed by God or both.

more at link: http://www.commondreams.org/view/2008/11/10-6
===

This is a fairly long article, but really worth the time to read. Highly recommended!!

[budkin]

32. My friend who is a puke just keeps going on and on about how he is concerned for his safety.

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[walldude]

34. Oh please... You can't figure out what's going on?

Wow you must be dumber than a box of rocks. The right got their asses whipped and now they are running around doing everything in their power to convince the people that voted for Obama that they are really right wing conservatives. I've seen wonderful things like commentators who were claiming last week that Obama was a socialist now saying he's a Reagan conservative. I've seen people who claim to be the highest form of Patriot threaten and smear their new president. I've seen a board of ed member accuse him of plotting an attack on America. I've seen people call him a Nazi. (psssst you can't really be a black nazi, it's kinda like being a black KKK member) and I've seen tons of low post trolls running around internet boards posting seemingly innocuous threads designed to invoke fear, paranoia and a general sense of unease in what seems to me like a pathetic attempt to divide the country even further apart than it already is.


Republicans might want to remember something. The whole world is behind Obama. Either get the fuck out of the way, or find a country for yourselves.

[AtomTan]

36. Paranoia? Check. Divisiveness? Check. And you're the one who supports Obama. Whatever dude.

[Warren DeMontague]

39. "you're the one who supports Obama" Really? Who did you vote for?

Get lost?

[AtomTan]

40. Here's a hint

I voted for the guy who has always, and continues to, speak out against the politics of divisiveness.

[Warren DeMontague]

43. That's not a hint

that's an evasion. C'mon, fess up.

[AtomTan]

44. Ok, Ok. I voted for Obama. And I have actually been listening to what he says.

You should try it.

[Warren DeMontague]

45. Like what, specifically?

What specific thing that Obama has said is causing you (sorry, your "friends") such deep concern?

[AtomTan]

49. Well, the part that is causing me concern is when he takes this attitude

of paranoia every time somebody posts something in GD:P that isn't all rainbows and unicorns.

But wait, that wasn't Obama. Because Obama is against divisiveness. Hm.

[Warren DeMontague]

51. You're the one who put "paranoia" in your OP, dude.

Maybe you can explain more to me about these rainbows and unicorns, though. Are they anything like the dinosaurs and humans that co-existed, according to Sarah Palin's young Earth creationist beliefs? :shrug:

[rvablue]

46. Are you talking about the part of Obama's rhetoric where he dispels

nasty, filthy lies about himself and his record and policies and then tries to move on to something constructive.

I don't think we've seen the last of your "OH NOES, I'M SO CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT MY KNUCKLE-DRAGGING RACIST FRIENDS ARE SAYING!"

[AtomTan]

48. It's OK with me if you don't think whatever you want to not think about me.

But you should know that the "OH NOES!" thing stopped being cute or clever or funny about 10 months ago.

[AtomTan]

50. Wow, OK so.

GD:P is just as paranoid and intolerant as the other side. Which all just sort of begs the question: Why is everyone freaking out and losing their minds? I think maybe it's information overload, and now I sort of think it's the mob mentality made possible by anonymous internet discussions.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

52. You keep using that word "paranoid."

I do not think it means what you think it means.

[AtomTan]

53. Oh I think I know what paranoid means.

It means: "Loves ice cream and puppies."

Next.

[Warren DeMontague]

54. Fortunately, there are still information-free zones available, like the GOP and FOX News.

Places where only poofy "media elites" care about shit like "facts".

[AtomTan]

55. "Poofy." Really?

[Warren DeMontague]

56. Yes, you know, those effete coastal types who scoff at God-fearin' merkins

While they suck their lattes and drive their priuses.

[MsTryska]

57. My suggestion is not to argue or try to reason witht he paranoid...

Just smile politely and say "i'm sorry you feel that way. I empathize, but I can't sympathize - I'm glad we have turned the corner from fear-mongering and emotional manipulation fo the masses. I hope your day gets better."


then carry on with whatever business you were conducting. it's time the grownups started showing folks how it's done. And nothing pops a piss and vinegar bubble quite like a refusal to lose your serenity.

[TheKentuckian]

58. If the fascist charge fits then who gives two shits?

The right fights for conditions that repress voting, are anti-equality, pro-ignorance, anti-education, favor combining law with religion so that transgressions can be sins, and struggle mightily for a corporate run government.

Hyperbole my high yella ass.

[cooolandrew]

59. One thing to tell them is if they are buying more guns they'll take more guns. Why are they scared >

when the world currently loves america again friends make a country safer.