Seriously. Go read Dave Neiwert.
That's how right-wing crap works. It's not meant to advance or even partake of discourse; it's meant to end it. One can argue the worth of Hillary's policies or her voting record or her position on the war till the cows come home; but when she's reduced to being a bitch, that pretty much ends the discussion. And when it's as pervasive as it's become in the past decade, its effects are paralyzingly toxic.The point about right-wing rhetoric is crucial. It's become so omnipresent over the past quarter century that a lot of Americans don't even realize it's there. It's the water they swim in; it's the air they breathe. The first step in getting past it is recognizing its presence; and that requires the uncomfortable understanding that sometimes we don't think our own thoughts. Sometimes, other people's thoughts think us.
And it's important to remember that the same holds true regarding right-wing attitudes about a black man like Obama winning the White House. The most polite versions of right-wing cant hold that Obama's not experienced enough to be president, but the underlying drumbeat of this meme has been all about his foreign-sounding name or his supposed Muslim ties or his "weakness" on national security ... about his being a black man.
[...]
Progressives need to wake up and realize they're being played and refuse to buy into toxic crap that they should not, must not, be about. At some point we need to stand back and take stock and realize that damage has been done and it needs repairing, both for the short and the long term.
Go Read Dave Neiwert
Seriously. Go read Dave Neiwert.
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That's how right-wing crap works. It's not meant to advance or even partake of discourse; it's meant to end it. One can argue the worth of Hillary's policies or her voting record or her position on the war till the cows come home; but when she's reduced to being a bitch, that pretty much ends the discussion. And when it's as pervasive as it's become in the past decade, its effects are paralyzingly toxic.The point about right-wing rhetoric is crucial. It's become so omnipresent over the past quarter century that a lot of Americans don't even realize it's there. It's the water they swim in; it's the air they breathe. The first step in getting past it is recognizing its presence; and that requires the uncomfortable understanding that sometimes we don't think our own thoughts. Sometimes, other people's thoughts think us.
And it's important to remember that the same holds true regarding right-wing attitudes about a black man like Obama winning the White House. The most polite versions of right-wing cant hold that Obama's not experienced enough to be president, but the underlying drumbeat of this meme has been all about his foreign-sounding name or his supposed Muslim ties or his "weakness" on national security ... about his being a black man.
[...]
Progressives need to wake up and realize they're being played and refuse to buy into toxic crap that they should not, must not, be about. At some point we need to stand back and take stock and realize that damage has been done and it needs repairing, both for the short and the long term.
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