Hate Sells category archive
A Notion of Immigrants 0
Florida Man’s actions have consequences.
Thought Police 0
The Fredericksburg, Va., Free Lance-Star reports on efforts to censor books in the Spotsylvania County public schools. You can follow the link for the story, but this sentence leapt out at me (emphasis added):
The county continues to field book challenges, most of them initiated by one parent.
Welcome to the unfree marketplace of ideas.
American Taliban 0
The writer of a letter to the editor of the Portland Press-Herald sees a parallel.
Sound Familiar? 0
Thom offers a definition of fascism from the U. S. Department of War during World War II. A snippet;
Fascism is government of the few, for the few.
Blowback 0
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gene Collier finds himself dismayed, but somehow not surprised, by the reaction of (some) Republicans to President Biden’s announcement of the “U.S. National Strategy to Combat Antisemitism.” He observes that
Follow the link for his reasoning.
A First for Florida Man 0
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gene Collier thinks the Florida Governor Ron DeSantis may have earned a place in the Guinness Book:
At least three different entities — the NAACP, the League of United American Citizens, the biggest Hispanic and Latin American organization in the country, and Equality Florida, which advocates for the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community — have issued travel advisories warning that policies put into practice by DeSantis have rendered the Sunshine State a credible threat to the health, safety, and freedom of their constituencies.
Follow the link for his reasoning.
Dis Coarse Discourse 0
One more time, “social” media isn’t.
And if you need more evidence . . . .
All That Was Old Is New Again 0
The “Green Book” returns:
According to the NAACP national headquarters, the advisory is a “direct response to Governor Ron DeSantis’ aggressive attempts to erase Black history and to restrict diversity, equity, and inclusion programs in Florida schools.”
Details at the link.
Suffer the Children 0
Let them be sacrificess to Republican posturing.
The Bullies’ Pulpit 0
F. T. Rea explores the fear factor.
Animated by Anomie 0
Vinay Orekondy offers an interesting take on the rise of authoritarianism, not just in the U. S., but across the globe. He argues that, in a time of globalization and weakening community,
To put it another way, it’s antisocial behavior animated by anomie, a concept which I first encountered in the writings of Emile Durkheim.
I think Orekondy’s point is worth considering.
Authoritarianism does seem to foster a perverted sense of community for those on the inside, one that appeals to persons’ darkest impulses and one fed by demonizing “the other” (whoever the most convenient “other” may be). His theory may shed some light on how persons can do evil (like, for example, driving a car into a group of peaceful protestors) while telling themselves that they are somehow on the side of truth, justice, and virtue.
Yes, they may have found themselves a community, but it is a community of toxin that poisons the larger polity from within.
(Speaking of Durkheim, if you have not read The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, do so.)
Durham’s Bull 0
Despite the hype about John Durham’s report, Farron, who has actually read it, explains why there’s no there there.