A Closer Look Here, There and Everywhere
by Trish PurcellOnce upon a time in a kingdom called the Land of Liberty there were two distinct political parties.
One, called conservatives, aka the Republican Party, represented business. They were the defenders of the capitalistic system – the dominance of private owners of capital and production for profit – all the things that matter to business and the wealthy
The other, called liberals, aka the Democratic Party, represented the people. They were the champions of social issues – wages, worker’s rights, education, health care, the rights of the elderly and disabled – all the things that matter to the poor and the middle class.
Obviously, from these descriptions, the liberals were the good guys, fighting for the rights of the little people. And the conservatives, while not exactly the bad guys, were primarily concerned with things that had to do with money. For many years the two parties balanced each other. They took turns being in power and each in its turn made up for the shortcomings of the other. And the Land of Liberty grew and prospered.
Then one day, conservatives, decided just making a profit was not enough. They wanted the power to make lots and lots of money. And they realized they needed the people behind them to accomplish that. So they began a long campaign to convince people that they were the ones who represented families and their values.
There was absolutely nothing in their history to back up this claim but they knew if they said it often enough and loudly enough, people would begin to believe it. And so they did. To add force to their claims, they began to label liberals as the supporters of “godless” behavior and lifestyles.
Their plan worked. People were so distracted by emotional and divisive issues like abortion, homosexuality and gun control, they failed to notice what was going on in the background. The conservatives never swerved from their defense of the capitalists but rather, while waving the banner of family values, undermined the protections that had been put in place for those very families.
The media, more and more under the control of big conglomerates kept talking about those distracting issues and so were called liberal. But the reality was that having those issues in the news served the purposes of conservatives, not liberals. And the real liberal issues, wages, worker’s rights, education, healthcare and all the rest, were rarely in the spotlight. There were occasional sacrificial lambs when unrest and rumbling began and that calmed the people and once again lulled them into a false sense of confidence in their conservative “protectors.”
So it came to pass that the conservatives got the power they wanted. They reigned supreme for six years and as they accomplished their goals, one by one, a large mound began to form in the center of the land. The people began to notice an odor and started to question and refused to be soothed. The stories about the goodness and compassion of the conservatives began to ring false. And the people discovered the great mound and began to dig. It was large and evil smelling and digging was hard work. But finally they reached the bottom and there it was… the root of all that evil… MONEY!
And lo and behold, below that mound of putrefaction, called money, there was a pale politician, and It’s name was legion, and It went by many other names in many places – Cheney, Rummy, Condi, Wolfowitz, Pearl, Libby, DeLay, Gonzo, Turdblossom and Shrub were among them.
Sorry, I couldn’t resist.
Since you are talking about “once upon a time “ fables you might also want to mention the oxymoronic slogan of “compassionate conservatism;” a label not lasting very long, but long enough to fool the myriad flocks of sheep in the 2000 election. It was dropped soon after, when it was realized the term didn’t accurately describe any known entity.
I liked your inclusion of the “repeat it often enough and it becomes Truth” principle. It will rank right up there with the advent of the “Gonzales defense,” namely I don’t recall, remember or know nuttin.” The “three Gs one issue vote motivator” was also quite nice. Doesn’t it just tickle your sense of delusional fancy that so many are so easily manipulated by such inane tactics?
I sure hope that some of the myth of the “conservative protectors” has diminished. Just look at how economically secure our nation is at present, and how so many common folk are now flourishing!
They have not protected the economy, our rights at home, or made us any safer in the “war on terrorism.” By all government accounts we are less safe now than before 9/11, in no small part as a result of the alienation of our allies, Islamic peoples in general, and the people of Iraq specifically. Try and imagine the people of Iraq ever forgiving us for the resulting carnage. Sure, Saddam Hussein was a bad man, and some of the aspects of people’s lives in Iraq were hard because of it, but look at the mess there now. It has to be impossible to think of your dead and seriously maimed family members and friends without relating it to causality, especially when those instigating the events were uninvited. A nation can only change their government successfully when “they” are ready to do so. At such a time, they are acting in unison with each other within that nation, and ready and willing to accept the consequences of that action.
Excellent blog Trish – Factual, funny and very creative!
Stephen, Your opening paragraph was a wonderful addition to my fable. And your other thoughts are on the mark.
I keep wondering what it will take to help people recognize the false and manipulative voice that the current regime used to get elected and continues to use to cover its ongoing incompetence and unconstitutional actions. It occurred to me that humor might work to open some minds. We’ll see.
Trish, you truly have a gift. This is a great blog. Love the analogy!
Renee, I really appreciate your comments. I hope you will continue reading and join in. Hearing what others think, whether it is in agreement or disagreement, widens my perspective.