Ok, I guess it's my turn
Nov. 5th, 2004 04:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
realexplodingcatBeware: I'm about to make gross generalizations about two groups of people. I know that issues are always more complex, but since our winner-take-all electoral system encourages gross generalizations (i.e., since I live in Virginia clearly I want Republican electors representing me, which is so not true), I think its fair to do it in order to simplify my argument.
I've been thinking about this election, as we all are, and I am no longer surprised at the results. The reasons for the results are probably complex, but there is one issue that has been nagging me. I believe these results are indicative of a culture war on American soil, perhaps one we don't even realize we're engaged in. But if you look at the map, it's obvious. The lines are clearly drawn. The Democrats get votes from urban/coastal areas. Republicans receive votes from everybody in between.
Democrats and left-leaning folks have been very surprised and angered by the reelection of Bush. We had ourselves convinced it was impossible, because it is all too easy for us to do that. For the most part, the urban/coastal regions run the media. They print our most well-known and nationally recognized newspapers. The write and produce the movies and TV shows we watch. They print a lot of the books and magazines we read. So, for most part, it is urban/coastal cultures and values that show up the media that bombards us every day. Also, geographically, our sight is limited. On one side, we see the ocean and beyond it the foreign countries affected by our foreign policies. To other side of us, we see our tall buildings and millions of other people bumping into each other in these buildings. A little beyond that, a mountain range. There is a lot in between us and the "heartland" of America. Consequently, it has been all too easy for us to exist without truly seeing the people in the "heartland."
I think part of what this election is telling us is that there just may be more of them than we realized. Further more, the Democratic party does not seem to know how to court these people and give them a clear message they can understand and relate to. In the absence of a clear application of Democratic values, the Republicans have been able to step in with a simple vision that panders to their gut feelings. The Republican party stands on a platform of God, Guns, and Gay Dudes (or rather an opposition to Gay Dudes). It's a simple message for simple people.
Now, when I say simple, I don't mean that in a bad way. I can't tell you how often I wish I had been born into a small town and raised with an outlook that is not so complex as the one I have now. I get this way on days when I am particularly stressed about the complexity of my life or having soul-searching moments trying to figure out my purpose in a world of limitless possibilities. Sometimes I wish I was a simple man putting in a hard day's work at the local paper-roll manufacturer plant or the cheese-enzyme plant, going home to have a few beers with the buddies or spend time with a family, and then calling it a day. All of my beloved Taoist and Buddhist principles point to a simple lifestyle without excessive ambition as an ideal state in which to live. It's a struggle to maintain inner-peace while fully engaged in chaotic and complex urban living. I do, however, believe the struggle is well worth the rewards: access to better education opportunities, greater variety in choices for goods & services, greater chances for personal growth. But I will be the first to admit it can also be a heavy burden to fully take advantage of this lifestyle. Many folks not born into it are not prepared to deal with it.
I think there is a certain amount of fear in the vast middle of this country. I think they may fear a vote for Democrats may be a vote for increasing the complexity of their lives. More than anything, people fear change and that which is different from themselves. I think we urban dwellers fear it a little less because we're constantly beset with the mix of different cultures and complex opportunities that enable and encourage us to change on a daily basis. Outside the cities, life is slower and more homogeneous. (That's not always a bad thing. Often, it leaves room for focus on the kind of good hard work that these people do to provide our great country with its infrastructure and the production of the raw materials for the variety of goods and services we have.) So, I think they fear laws that they perceive as a threat to their lifestyle. They don't want to encourage gay people or minorities, because worrying about respecting very different people is an urban problem. There just aren't that many different folks in middle-america. Left-wing cries for civil liberties are viewed as an attack on their own civil liberties. They want to retain the rights to maintain their simple homogeneous cultures as much as minorities want the rights maintain their own lifestyles. They're probably not looking beyond the terrorist attacks on America's coast to see how our foreign policy is affecting other countries, they are more concerned with building higher military walls to keep those kind of complex worldly affairs out of their minds (which is not surprising because they are rarely directly effected by international issues and have no need to think about them during their day-to-day routine).
I believe the fear goes both ways. Complex folks in the urban/coastal areas view country lifestyles as downright dangerous. We can't apply such code of conduct to our lives, because we live in areas too densely packed with too many different kinds of people.
Whether or not we agree with their values, we urban/coastal folks need to accept that those other people are not going to go away. Not only that, they make up a very large percentage of the voting population of this country. I am proud to be a urban well-educated free-thinking individual. We should all be proud of who and what we are. There's a lot of pride in the heartland, too. They do like themselves, as they should. I respect that.
So, getting back to what I said a long time ago in this post: the Democratic party does not seem to know how to court these people and give them a clear message they can understand and relate to. I think progressive folks really need to apply the same open-minded acceptance that we have for foreign cultures and minorities to the large culture that is inside the borders of our own country. In order for the Democrats (or whatever party you want to oppose Republicans) to start winning big elections, we're going to have to talk to these people and really try to find a common ground. Somehow we've got to dispel the distrust and misunderstandings that divide the two worlds. We need to understand them, before they can begin to understand our complexities. The Republican party is well aware of this divide and they do an excellent job exploiting it. If the Democrat party hopes to regain its strength, it needs to find a way to close this divide between the two sides of American culture and find some common ground on which to build a concise and clear message.
I like country people. The more time I spend with them, the more respect I have for their lifestyle. I don't think they are stupid or evil for voting Republican, because no other party is speaking clearly to them. However, I do not like the Republican party (particularly it's current radical right leaders). I do not believe that party has the best interests of country people in mind. I do believe the core of that party is made up of a bunch of selfish rich fat cats who win elections based not upon the merits of what they've done for the country, but rather through clever manipulation of people's hearts and exploitation of the Democrat party's lack of focus for a large percentage of the voters.
Now, I'm going to do the bad thing. I'm going to end this post without coming up with concrete ways of achieving this goal of mutual understanding and message building. I'd rather save that for another post, as this one is getting pretty long.
I've been thinking about this election, as we all are, and I am no longer surprised at the results. The reasons for the results are probably complex, but there is one issue that has been nagging me. I believe these results are indicative of a culture war on American soil, perhaps one we don't even realize we're engaged in. But if you look at the map, it's obvious. The lines are clearly drawn. The Democrats get votes from urban/coastal areas. Republicans receive votes from everybody in between.
Democrats and left-leaning folks have been very surprised and angered by the reelection of Bush. We had ourselves convinced it was impossible, because it is all too easy for us to do that. For the most part, the urban/coastal regions run the media. They print our most well-known and nationally recognized newspapers. The write and produce the movies and TV shows we watch. They print a lot of the books and magazines we read. So, for most part, it is urban/coastal cultures and values that show up the media that bombards us every day. Also, geographically, our sight is limited. On one side, we see the ocean and beyond it the foreign countries affected by our foreign policies. To other side of us, we see our tall buildings and millions of other people bumping into each other in these buildings. A little beyond that, a mountain range. There is a lot in between us and the "heartland" of America. Consequently, it has been all too easy for us to exist without truly seeing the people in the "heartland."
I think part of what this election is telling us is that there just may be more of them than we realized. Further more, the Democratic party does not seem to know how to court these people and give them a clear message they can understand and relate to. In the absence of a clear application of Democratic values, the Republicans have been able to step in with a simple vision that panders to their gut feelings. The Republican party stands on a platform of God, Guns, and Gay Dudes (or rather an opposition to Gay Dudes). It's a simple message for simple people.
Now, when I say simple, I don't mean that in a bad way. I can't tell you how often I wish I had been born into a small town and raised with an outlook that is not so complex as the one I have now. I get this way on days when I am particularly stressed about the complexity of my life or having soul-searching moments trying to figure out my purpose in a world of limitless possibilities. Sometimes I wish I was a simple man putting in a hard day's work at the local paper-roll manufacturer plant or the cheese-enzyme plant, going home to have a few beers with the buddies or spend time with a family, and then calling it a day. All of my beloved Taoist and Buddhist principles point to a simple lifestyle without excessive ambition as an ideal state in which to live. It's a struggle to maintain inner-peace while fully engaged in chaotic and complex urban living. I do, however, believe the struggle is well worth the rewards: access to better education opportunities, greater variety in choices for goods & services, greater chances for personal growth. But I will be the first to admit it can also be a heavy burden to fully take advantage of this lifestyle. Many folks not born into it are not prepared to deal with it.
I think there is a certain amount of fear in the vast middle of this country. I think they may fear a vote for Democrats may be a vote for increasing the complexity of their lives. More than anything, people fear change and that which is different from themselves. I think we urban dwellers fear it a little less because we're constantly beset with the mix of different cultures and complex opportunities that enable and encourage us to change on a daily basis. Outside the cities, life is slower and more homogeneous. (That's not always a bad thing. Often, it leaves room for focus on the kind of good hard work that these people do to provide our great country with its infrastructure and the production of the raw materials for the variety of goods and services we have.) So, I think they fear laws that they perceive as a threat to their lifestyle. They don't want to encourage gay people or minorities, because worrying about respecting very different people is an urban problem. There just aren't that many different folks in middle-america. Left-wing cries for civil liberties are viewed as an attack on their own civil liberties. They want to retain the rights to maintain their simple homogeneous cultures as much as minorities want the rights maintain their own lifestyles. They're probably not looking beyond the terrorist attacks on America's coast to see how our foreign policy is affecting other countries, they are more concerned with building higher military walls to keep those kind of complex worldly affairs out of their minds (which is not surprising because they are rarely directly effected by international issues and have no need to think about them during their day-to-day routine).
I believe the fear goes both ways. Complex folks in the urban/coastal areas view country lifestyles as downright dangerous. We can't apply such code of conduct to our lives, because we live in areas too densely packed with too many different kinds of people.
Whether or not we agree with their values, we urban/coastal folks need to accept that those other people are not going to go away. Not only that, they make up a very large percentage of the voting population of this country. I am proud to be a urban well-educated free-thinking individual. We should all be proud of who and what we are. There's a lot of pride in the heartland, too. They do like themselves, as they should. I respect that.
So, getting back to what I said a long time ago in this post: the Democratic party does not seem to know how to court these people and give them a clear message they can understand and relate to. I think progressive folks really need to apply the same open-minded acceptance that we have for foreign cultures and minorities to the large culture that is inside the borders of our own country. In order for the Democrats (or whatever party you want to oppose Republicans) to start winning big elections, we're going to have to talk to these people and really try to find a common ground. Somehow we've got to dispel the distrust and misunderstandings that divide the two worlds. We need to understand them, before they can begin to understand our complexities. The Republican party is well aware of this divide and they do an excellent job exploiting it. If the Democrat party hopes to regain its strength, it needs to find a way to close this divide between the two sides of American culture and find some common ground on which to build a concise and clear message.
I like country people. The more time I spend with them, the more respect I have for their lifestyle. I don't think they are stupid or evil for voting Republican, because no other party is speaking clearly to them. However, I do not like the Republican party (particularly it's current radical right leaders). I do not believe that party has the best interests of country people in mind. I do believe the core of that party is made up of a bunch of selfish rich fat cats who win elections based not upon the merits of what they've done for the country, but rather through clever manipulation of people's hearts and exploitation of the Democrat party's lack of focus for a large percentage of the voters.
Now, I'm going to do the bad thing. I'm going to end this post without coming up with concrete ways of achieving this goal of mutual understanding and message building. I'd rather save that for another post, as this one is getting pretty long.
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no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 10:38 pm (UTC)The outcome was exactly what I expected: close, but a Bush win. It was nail-biting when it looked like Kerry might actually pull it out of his hat.
This election proved how full of crap the media is.
Date: 2004-11-05 10:46 pm (UTC)Plus, why on earth did the Democrats put up such a non-starter of a candidate.
Even after giving Kerry a change, I don't think anyone could really get behind him and say "he's got what America needs". He was too much a politician, not enough of a leader.
The Presidency; beaurocrats need not apply.
Re: This election proved how full of crap the media is.
Date: 2004-11-05 10:49 pm (UTC)Take a look at a public post I made earlier today, linking to an article suggesting that what Democrats really lack is a clear vision. Where do they want to take the country? What do they want?
Policies, yes: tons of them. Vision, not so much.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 11:39 pm (UTC)I didn't mean to imply that the media was spinning things to convince us Kerry would win. I should probably adjust my general statement about media, and perhaps specifically say popular culture--the type of media to which the masses generally choose to expose themselves. I'm intrigued by how our popular culture is typically defined by geographically small areas of the country. I know you're not a TV watcher. My exposure to it is dwindling, too. But I'm pretty certain that New York City and California are the most common settings for American movies and television, and consequently the values of those areas are reflected most in our popular culture. For anyone living in urban areas, it is very easy to tune out the fact that there is a large percentage of American voters who are very different than them.
So, I wanted to explore that idea a little bit and suggest that as a possible place to start for defining the clear vision Democrats lack. They don't seem to be able to communicate with a large portion of the population and perhaps have lost touch with them enough to not be able to create clear vision that appeals to a variety of people.
Ah, but the failure lies in both sides...
Date: 2004-11-05 10:44 pm (UTC)Here's the hipocracy at work; the Christian core of this country (meaning heartland America, those who beleive in the President (be he Bush or anyone else for that matter), do not like to be told what to do unless they can see you face to face on the street every day. They are members of the NRA because the "liberals" want to take away their guns. They are members of the 700 club because the pastor preaches like Oral Roberts. They are against the Democrats because they want to raise taxes (a strange over generalization, though, from everything I've seen, not too different from reality). They like the Republicans because they stand for "smaller government". They like the Republicans because they stand for lower taxes. They like the Republicans because, well, they already go to church like good Christians, so putting a little more Chistianity into government doesn't bother them. They know how to do good work and raise their family in the same traditions they were raised. End of story.
And yet, they also want to stop women from having abortions. They want to keep things the way they are for civil liberties (not just racial and ethnic, but social and sexual). They want to define marraige by law, not just by religion (which that whole issue could be fixed in 2 simple phrases; "marriage is not a legal institution, it is a religious statement only". Or, simply enough, just fucking don't have secular marraiges at all, just civil contracts, fuck it, I want to have a civil contract with my cats, then maybe they'll stop clawing up the furniture if they have a legal holding in things.).
Gah.
So much shit.
So few transcriptionist.
I'm going to meander over here and mumble about how much I hate having this great idea in my head and no way of expressing it except to yell at everyone "JIM SAYS NO!!!".
Monkey.
Re: Ah, but the failure lies in both sides...
Date: 2004-11-06 12:31 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 10:48 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 11:45 pm (UTC)I think you give too much credit...
Date: 2004-11-05 10:58 pm (UTC)The vast middle of this country has come to be dominated by those that bullied me around in 7th grade. People who are terrified of anyone with half a brain in their head. I'm not sure this is about religion or anything else, but rather a fear of those who are smarter than them--a gut level ugly reaction. That is why they so fear complexity, for complexity requires complex people to deal with it--and that requires turning to those they fear.
The fact that the Bush people can paint Kerry with the "Massacheusets Liberal" brush and have it work is truely terrifying. It is basically saying "vote for me, I'm stupid, and my opponent is smart." They can dress it up in "out of touch with the voters" but truth be told, that is not what they are saying.
This administration is the most corrupt, lacking in human kindness, and in many ways just plain evil that has ever held the office. They spent the entire campaign spreading lies, fear, and untruths, but they still manage to hold the moral highground because they hate like those in the "heartland."
There are three kinds of people in the red states, the core Bush supporters, those that don't pay attention, and those that listen.
The core Bush supporters would rot in a special circle of Hell if there were any justice in this world--they are unredeemable. They have choosen a life of ignorance dominated by their view of a bad translation. They will never vote for anyone with a brain, or who doesn't align with their idiotic view of the world.
Those that listen voted democratic.
Those that didn't pay attention--those are the ones we have to get. The people who don't obsessively listen to NPR. The people who don't pay attention to what counts as news. I talked to my Dad. He doesn't know the issues. He doesn't know what is going on. I think those on the left, who are compelled to pay attention--who cannot turn away--don't understand what it is like to not be like that. To mostly go about one's daily business, and not not think about the greater complexities. Many of those don't have time--their minimum wage jobs (all three of them) don't really give them that. They should be democratic voters, but what has the government ever really done for them (blame Reagan).
We need to do the following...
1) Clean up the news media. Fox News is an evil beast that must be put down. We need fair and honest news that tells the truth in an engaging way. ABC, NBC, CBS, all of them gave Bush a pass for 2 years of scumminess after 9/11 that he should not have received. The real news media has to get off it's Crossballs crap and get onto doing real investigative reporting, and fact checking. Tell us who is telling the truth. The Democrats can win that battle easily, although they need to clean up their act a bit too.
2) Find a way to inform those besides the news media. The internet is a great organizing tool, but it really doesn't extend beyond the blue states. Rush does that kinda crap and lying on the right, as does their evil bastard churches. The left needs to find a conduit to these people where they live. Keep them informed of what's going on; show them the truth.
3) Be more compelling. Have a personality. That would help. Barak Obama, if I could spell his name right, Bill Clinton, etc. were effective because they were halfway decent public speakers. Kerry improved as he campaigned, particularly after the convention, but he gained a reputation before that of being a bad public speaker. He wasn't--but the news media perceived him that way.
4) Fight aggressively against creeping religion into everything. Fight to defend Roe v. Wade.
5) Talk to everyone we know. Make them know why we feel that things are so bad. Organize.
Maybe it will work...
Kenn
Re: I think you give too much credit...
Date: 2004-11-06 12:22 am (UTC)It, too, bothers me that middle america is full of people who are terrified of anyone with half a brain in their head. But this comes as no surprise to me. I guess I'm wishing there might be a way for the stupid and the intelligent to communicate better rather than continuing to head down the road of making relations worse. Once they accept themselves and their position in society, I think they are basically threatened by the fact that intelligent people only respect people that are equally intelligent and consequently distrust anyone with a brain as someone who could take advantage of their inferior intellect. It's true, intelligent people can be just as insular and prejudiced as against those that aren't mental giants. If we could come some mutual respect of each other's positions in society, then maybe we can start communicating.
But, it's also true, talking to stupid people isn't always useful. When I'm on the ground being kicked by an idiot, I'm probably not going to save myself by crying out, "I understand your frustration and I feel your pain. Let's talk about it."
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 11:37 pm (UTC)i don't like country people.
mainly because they made my life hell in precisely 7 different locations in 4 different states, just because i wasn't like them. and i grew up there, so i still, to this day, am not sure HOW i wasn't like them.
but it's that insular nature that i thought would work for us this election. i thought they'd vote for their privacy rights and for a better economy. but Kerry didn't push those two like i wanted him to. i feel just as betrayed by him.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-05 11:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-06 06:51 am (UTC)I frankly can't see a middle ground even though I've looked. You have the wealthy few with the good educations in all the power jobs, then all the people who MIGHT have a GED or a high school diploma, who've been raised with yes, the simplicity you speak of but also the concept that anything that isn't exactly like that what grandaddy did/had is EVIL. Anything different is EVIL...it's a very blind devotionalism, and it's terrifying.
no subject
Date: 2004-11-06 06:38 pm (UTC)But given that the race was pretty close, even in several red states, I'm betting that even if we ignore the crazy religious types, there might be just enough swing voters to give an edge to the blue. Just enough people looking for the simple combination of the right charisma and clear vision. If the Democrat party had had a well developed message and focus (like the Republican party) that targets those people, they just might have gotten enough of those people to win.
Hopefully they can learn from that and apply it in four years. Hopefully elections will still be held in four years :(
no subject
Date: 2004-11-06 11:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-11-06 06:29 pm (UTC)I wonder if the electoral system actually applied percentages of votes, rather than handing over an entire state to one side or another, if things would be very different. But unfortunately, that's not the case and our little blue counties get lost in the red states.