I've been wondering what's is going on with the Right Wing in this country. I see an unholy alliance of white supremacy (although many are in denial about their racism), Evangelical Christians, and lower and lower middle class males.
Prejudice shows it's ugly head in the persistent believe that non-whites are trying to get a "free ride" at the expense of the working white man. The classic "shiftless negro." This is shown the hated of immigrants, legal or otherwise. Building 2000 mile fences, self-organized posses "guarding our southern border," and laws designed to frighten and contain the non-white across the country.
The Evangelicals appear to come together for differing places. One group longs for an imaginary time when they fantasize life was better because people were more "moral." If you look at the 1950's, one of the times when these folks idolize, moral behavior was more rigidly controlled. Interracial marriage was illegal, voting rights of non-whites denied, certain sexual behavior was illegal. They appear to believe that the influence of the Church was greater in controlling the behavior of others back then. Why do these folks want to control other's moral behavior? I believe this is the fear that their own numbers will follow the crowd away from the community and threaten the social order. The advent of women's right, access to birth control, education and employment outside the home have changed our cultural in ways that seem to conflict with these religious beliefs.
Another more lunatic extreme group believe that they are responsible to remake the world in order to prepare for Jesus' Second Coming. This is why they support the State of Israel. Jerusalem must not be in Moslem hands or Jesus cannot return.
This group contains some of the climate change deniers. The believe that God is in control of the planet and nothing mankind can accomplish can change or interfere with the plan. A subgroup in this is the "Dominion Christians," whose logic suggests that we have dominance over the Earth and can use up the resources because it doesn't matter. The end of the world will occur before the damage to the planet is severe.
Economically, we have created another, likely permanent, underclass. The white man, skilled and unskilled labor, are losing ground faster than any other group. Unable to compete with workers in other countries only making $5 a day, is group is experiencing high unemployment. These jobs no longer exist. So the numbers of under educated males will be locked out the job market, unable to acquire the necessary skills to rejoin the work force. Anachronistic beliefs about gender roles will plague these men who once, but now can no longer support their families. Hence the anger being expressed somewhat indiscriminately towards, the minorities and illegals, intellectuals, gays, and socialism. Oddly not against the people who helped send their jobs overseas.
Females in the group appear to be more adaptable and will to get training and education to gain employment. Thus more problems ahead for the family dynamics of the lower and lower middle classes, as the women become the primary breadwinners.
So, we have this group of disaffected voters who are likely to be feel less in control of their lives, seeing the world they wish they had, slipping further and further away. Unfortunately, the lack of education, a sense of the difference between truth and falsehood, an irrational belief structure that directs their energies in unproductive ways, a media empire dedicated to supporting falsehoods held in this group, all conspire to keep them distracted for the real issues confront them and the nation. These wedge issues are being used to rally the unwitting to the side of the Right Wing. Birth Control was legalized in 1965 and here we are fighting it again, 47 years later. Women's rights to control their own bodies is being challenged again.
Why does the Right fear women's sexual freedom? It is a direct threat to the all to brief period in the 20th century, the nuclear family. Controlling women is key to the recreation of the imagined time when things were stable and easy to understand. Right was right and wrong was wrong.
I've been wondering for a while how these groups were united in supporting certain issues which do not seem to directly benefit themselves. It would appear that one common feature of these groups is the wish to return to a time past that is never to return.
These are my thoughts this Sunday afternoon. I may have more thoughts soon.
