( This series of posts was first published in 2015. Are they Valid or Accurate today? You decide.)
If There is one thing we can Take from Recent National Political Campaigns, it is that PREJUDICE, IN ALL ITS FORMS, STILL SHOWS US WHY THE REAL STUMBLING BLOCK TO CAMPAIGN REFORM IS THE VOTER, NOT THE POLITICIAN.
It is still Amazing how Supporters of a Candidate, WILL STILL USE THE SAME TIRED EXCUSES TO JUSTIFY THEIR SUPPORT FOR A PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL OR PARTY, EVEN WHEN IGNORANT OR IRRATIONAL COMMENTS ARE MADE PUBLIC.
For Example:
"(HE OR SHE) IS JUST SAYING WHAT MOST PEOPLE THINK."
- Really, and this ASSERTION IS ARRIVED AT BY....WHAT?
Maybe we should just take Their Word for it.
"(HE OR SHE) IS NOT SCARED TO TELL THE TRUTH. OTHER
POLITICIANS ARE AFRAID TO."
- So this Politician and Supporters are MIND READERS, and can
Ascribe MOTIVATIONS TO RIVALS who do not Voice Similar
Opinions.
"THEY GIVE A VOICE TO THE DISENFRANCHISED VOTER, WHO
BELIEVE THEIR CONCERNS ARE BEING IGNORED."
Please Give me an Example of any Important and\or Divisive Issue
that does not have any Politicians or Pacs Championing One Side
or the Other, Deliberately Ignoring a Specific Segment of the Population.
END PT 1.
Date- 8/29/2015.
FEATURE ARTICLES.
THE POLITICS OF PREJUDICE. PT 2.
The POLITICS OF PREJUDICE Works because it Allows REASON AND
LOGIC TO BE DISCARDED, IN FAVOR OF INNUENDO, RUMOR AND STEREOTYPES.
In Many Cases, it is a FORM OF TRUTH BY ASSOCIATION, A LOGICAL
FALLACY THAT IS SO PREVALENT IN SOCIETY TODAY, THAT EVEN
WHEN CONFRONTED WITH ITS USE AGAINST SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS
AND GROUPS, SOME PEOPLE WILL STILL BELIEVE THAT ANY
CONCLUSIONS REACHED BY THIS IRRATIONAL MINDSET SHOULD BE
CONSIDERED FACTUAL OR TRUE.
We are not Talking About Profiling By Studying BEHAVIOR PATTERNS, EDUCATION,
EARLY HOME LIFE AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS etc,. that may be able to give us
an UNDERSTANDING OF A SINGLE INDIVIDUALS ACTIONS OR MOTIVATIONS, BUT THE:
ATTRIBUTION OF NEGATIVE TRAITS TO AN ENTIRE RACIAL, ETHNIC,
NATIONALITY, OR EVEN GENDER GROUP BY FOCUSING ON, AND SENSATIONALIZING,
THE ACTIONS OF A FEW, AND USING THESE INCIDENTS TO DISCRIMINATE, OR DENY
EQUALITY OF OPPORTUNITY AND FAIR TREATMENT, TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE
CONSIDERED MEMBERS OF THIS PARTICULAR GROUP.
Perhaps the Most Effective Use of this Fallacy, by INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS
WITH A SPECIFIC AGENDA WHO CARE LITTLE ABOUT HOW IT IS ACHIEVED, IS TO
TARGET MEMBERS OF SOCIETY WHO HARBOR PREJUDICIAL ATTITUDES, BUT CANNOT FIND A COHERENT REASON TO CONVINCE OTHERS THAT THESE BELIEFS SHOULD BE LEGISLATED INTO LAW. IT IS THE:
JUSTIFIABLE EXCUSE DEFENSE.
We will look at this in an Upcoming Post.
9/7/2015.
FEATURE ARTICLES.
THE POLITICS OF PREJUDICE. PT 3.
Perhaps the Most Effective Use of this Strategy, by INDIVIDUALS OR GROUPS WITH A SPECIFIC AGENDA, WHO CARE LITTLE ABOUT HOW IT IS ACHIEVED, IS TO TARGET MEMBERS OF SOCIETY WHO HARBOR PREJUDICIAL ATTITUDES, BUT CANNOT FIND A COHERENT REASON TO CONVINCE OTHERS THAT THESE BELIEFS SHOULD BE LEGISLATED INTO LAW. IT IS THE:
JUSTIFIABLE EXCUSE DEFENSE.
(FROM PART 2.)
It is Repeated Throughout History. How Many Times Has A Government, Resident Population, or the Electorate Sought to Address its Problems Not Through Reason or Critical Analysis, but by Attacking the Least Influential and Mostly Powerless Members of Society. It is an Insidious, but often Effective Way of Gaining and Holding Power.
If we Have a Specific and Identifiable Political Movement that Lacks the Numbers or Credibility to Achieve its Immediate Political Goals, They May Turn to Manipulative Scare Tactics that Blame, Tarnish or Accuse a Specific Group of Being the Underlying Cause For...Well just about anything. Sometimes, the More Outlandish the Charges, the more likely the Acceptance by Different Parts of Society.
Naturally, the Success of such a Strategy is Dependent upon Gaining and Holding on to Allies. So what do you do if this is your POLITICAL MOVEMENT, AND WANT TO ACHIEVE AND MAINTAIN POWER?
#1- CREATE AN IMAGINARY ENEMY THROUGH DECEPTION, HALF-TRUTHS, AND THE IRRATIONAL PREJUDICES OF THOSE YOU ARE
REACHING OUT TO.
You Know that the LEAST POWERFUL OR INFLUENTIAL GROUPS OFTEN LACK THE FINANCIAL ABILITY TO FIGHT A DETERMINED OPPONENT.
Along with this is a REALIZATION THAT CERTAIN SEGMENTS OF SOCIETY ALREADY HATE THESE GROUPS, BUT VERY FEW WILL ADMIT PUBLICLY THE TRUE NATURE OF THESE FEELINGS.
So what do you do? CREATE A CONTROVERSY, THAT ALLOWS THOSE WITH
PREJUDICIAL ATTITUDES AN EXCUSE TO MAKE THEIR BELIEFS KNOWN TO THE WORLD, AND WILL JUSTIFY THEIR DESIRE TO SEE THESE HAPLESS GROUPS REMAINING AT THE BOTTOM RUNGS OF SOCIETY.
In Turn, it will be used to convince others the necessity of keeping these groups down.
LOOK FOR PART 4.
FEATURE ARTICLES.
THE POLITICS OF PREJUDICE. PT 4.
Perhaps the Most Insidious form of Prejudice, as it Pertains to the World of
Politics, is HIDING THE DESIRE TO DESTROY THE IDEOLOGY OF EQUALITY
AND OPPORTUNITY FOR ALL, BEHIND THE MASK OF BEING "PATRIOTIC",
AND "FOR THE LOVE OF COUNTRY."
It is the STRATEGY OF CONTROLLING GOVERNMENT THROUGH CREATING
NON-EXISTENT ENEMIES OUT OF SPECIFIC GROUPS WHO "THREATEN OUR WAY OF LIFE."
However, These are not ENEMIES FROM THE OUTSIDE, FOREIGN POWERS WHO DESIRE OUR DESTRUCTION. NO, IT'S THE ENEMY WITHIN.
In Reality, the only thing that is really THREATENED IS THE HOLD ON POWER THAT CERTAIN GROUPS WANT TO MAINTAIN, AND HAVE NO DESIRE TO SHARE WITH OTHERS.
Throughout World History, Many Government and Regimes have used SCAPEGOATS TO BLAME FOR EXTERNAL AND INTERNAL PROBLEMS OF THEIR OWN MAKING, OR TO FIND SOMETHING TO FAULT FOR AN INABILITY TO GOVERN SUCCESSFULLY, DUE TO THE FAILURE OF POLICIES THAT THEY
HAVE IMPLEMENTED.
IN THE UNITED STATES, THE HISTORY OF OUR CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC HAS SEVERAL EXAMPLES OF SUCH;
- IN THE 19TH CENTURY NATIVIST POLITICAL GROUPS FOUGHT ANY ATTEMPT TO ALLOW RECENT IMMIGRANTS A CHANCE TO ASSIMILATE, AND GAIN A MEASURE OF POLITICAL EQUALITY.
- UNIONIZATION IN EARLY 20TH CENTURY BROUGHT CRACKDOWNS ON AMERICANS WHOSE ANCESTRY CAME FROM PARTICULAR PARTS OF EUROPE, NOTED FOR THEIR ANARCHISTIC AND NIHILISTIC GROUPS.
- THE "RED SCARE" OF THE LATE 1940s and 50s, an Assault on any Intellectual Movement that didn't accept and obey A RIGID AND STRICT DEFINITION OF THE "AMERICAN WAY."
