Monday, August 29, 2005

Actually Mr. Daniels, it is just a rag.

So I'm watching the pro-war circle jerk in Crawford on the teevee, and the images are of a bunch of sweaty, fat, flag-bedecked crackers on horses and motorcycles (just to make sure no one thinks any of them might be gay), holding charming signs calling Cindy Sheehan the "bitch in the ditch,” and making calls to "kick their ass and take their gas.” Did I mention they were fat?

Anyway, one of the organizers (who is a professional Republican political operative, by the way: there's your rightwing grass roots in action!) was flapping his gravy-filled jowls. "Cindy Sheehan is encouraging terrorists!" was the gist of it. The crowd, of course, mooed in agreement as, I’m sure, did millions of smooth-lobed fellow travelers across the nation. Of course, their excitement was not in any way dulled by the simple fact that the argument DOESN’T MAKE ANY GODDAMN SENSE!! One of these mullet-heads could sit me down for a week and not make the whole “dissent emboldens terrorists” idea plausible. Same goes for the “we’ve got to fight them there so we don’t have to fight them here” (or WGTFTTSWDHTFTH) drivel. I’m not going to go into WHY these arguments are retarded: that gives them too much credit and, frankly, it should be obvious to anyone who knows ANYTHING about the world or basic geography. All you need to know to disprove the WGTFTTSWDHTFTH thesis are the following facts: a.) Most of the insurgents in Iraq are native Iraqis b.) Iraqi was not a significant source of terrorists before the invasion and BAM! there goes the last Bush administration war rational.

So, the question arises: if these arguments are transparently false to anyone with the faintest familiarity with the facts of the situation, HOW can the “grassroots” organizations herd thousands of wool-noggins to pro-war demonstrations in the Texas sun where they can slag on a grieving mother? As in most situations, Occam’s Razor suffices: THESE PEOPLE DON’T HAVE THE FAINTEST FAMILIARITY WITH THE FACTS OF THE SITUATION!

Sure, some (like the organizers) are partisan hacks who would support Bush if he declared war on Narnia. But most of them earnestly believe that if we hadn’t invaded Iraq, there would be terrorists in their Lucky Charms. Now why would people who don’t know a goddamn thing about what they’re talking about feel strongly enough about the issue to waddle all the way to Crawford?

Partly, it’s because getting really worked up about things you don’t know anything about is an American pastime on par with date rape and killing hoboes for sport. Another significant factor is the centrality of symbolic meaning to contemporary “conservative” Americans.

To whatever degree “conservatism” was a rational theory based on observation of empirical data, that all started going out the window in the early 90s when Bush the First picked up an anti-flag-burning amendment to the constitution as an issue. For him, it was a cynical attempt to boost flagging support in the recessional aftermath of the first Gulf War, but for millions of Americans, the amendment became (and to some degree still is) a powerful rallying cry. It was (and is) a thunderingly stupid idea, but what matters is the WAY that is was stupid. The error of pro-amendment folk was the confusion of the SYMBOL of the American flag with the network of civil rights and duties that it represents. It’s the kind of mistake a five year old would make but one you would hope that an adult wouldn’t. Yet, millions of Americans made that mistake, continue to make the mistake, and are damned fierce about their mistaken beliefs.

I think that the reason grown ups make these sort of errors is due to their overwhelming belief in the literal power of symbols. The American flag has the power of a totem, as does George W. Bush, the World Trade Center, and the “Troops.” Now, the power that these icons hold is entirely contained within the confines of the right-wing brainpan, but in that murky depth, that power is absolute. These symbols don't connect to any system of observed phenomenon (none of these people have ever met George Bush, but are utterly confident in his status as an "authentic" American and all around old salt), but are instead constellations of emotional imagery that create powerful emotional responses. Facts are impervious to the blazing charisma of AMERICAN symbology. My god, these are people willing to shit on the constitution in order to protect a piece of cloth! What the hell is are they going to do with a quick overview of modern Middle Eastern history?

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