I wonder if there might be some magic elixir, as the Bradbury short-story hinted at, that could take us away from the madness and anger swelling up around us these days in the public realm. A very narrow but loud and aggressive demographic has been ignited against health care reform and climate change policy and this sparking fuse is growing closer to the combustible source. There is unquestionably a close parallel between the people who have been motivated to erupt at town hall events and those who have been hurt the most by the economic downturn over the last year. Two things seem abundantly clear about this dynamic. First, a large number of these demonstrators, wielding their egregiously misguided Nazi posters and references to both socialism and fascism (can’t have it both ways folks), are no doubt highly influenced, prompted, and indoctrinated by extremist right-wing pundits, bloggers, and others with a stake in failure of these initiatives (including linked business organizations, think tanks, public relations firms, and lobbyists). Unfortunately, like it or not, these desperate people are highly suggestible and while their pain is real, their willingness to seek out the facts, rather than naively swallow ideological pablum, is lacking. Given that, the remaining fraction of demonstrators are well-trained activists from the hard core far right who represent a mindset that no longer seems to tolerate a two party system. They likely provide the spark of mob enabling behavior that is reminiscent of the behavior of crowds that sought to provoke violence in the election last Fall. As I spoke about back then, these groups and individuals who view this as strategic have no idea whatsoever how these promptings may manifest themselves. There is a real possibility of losing control.
Apparent in these town meetings is the lack of interest on the part of skeptics to listen to the arguments, valid or not. The level of civil discourse is astoundingly low and many have sought to disrupt these events with chants, shouts, or other poor behavior. As William Rivers Pitt described it in his recent article on truthout.com, “No debate. No conversation between intelligent parties. Just yelling.” The Bush administration actively kept opponents out of public meetings. Correctly noting that such banishment does not promote democratic ideals, the current administration has opened up town hall meetings to everyone. Unfortunately, they reap what they sow on that front and these disruptions could have easily been predicted. Given the likely reaction if organizers were to become more selective now in their crowd mix, they have little choice but to continue with the current model. Alternatively, many have noted the lack of energy and passion on the part of reform advocates. No doubt unfamiliar with strategic mobilization and high energy politics until last years election, they do not seem to have the energy to sustain their passions and agendas. And even if they were out there in force, matching signs and slogans with the detractors, who know how long that dynamic could be kept peaceful. One brownshirt operative could spark a major conflagration. Note that the website crooksandliars.com described the advice being provided to “teabaggers” that includes being disruptive early and often. At the local government level, I’ve experienced this dynamic at zoning hearings where rational discourse is often a low priority and physical threats over property disputes are quite common. Disagree? Have a gripe? Fine, express yourself civilly when your turn comes and respect the process.
The second issue is that due to the conditions of the economy, unfortunately, the health care issue needs to be removed from the table. We can discuss alternatives to this full frontal assault on the health care problem but there are larger and more acute structural and existential problems that the current administration needs to solve. Frankly the future of the American union is at stake and politicians should be taking these threats a bit more seriously. But how can this be accomplished without the naysayers claiming an astounding political victory over a key presidential priority? That will be difficult to craft. It’s unfortunate that the administration chose to seek this legislation at this juncture give the economic mess we were and are still in. Maybe it was intended as a diversion from economic malaise. But what wasn’t understood was that as the unemployment rolls expanded, so did the potential pool of candidates for town hall disruption. So I don’t know how they extricate themselves from this now…and if they do, and they lose Congress in 2010, it’s all over for this latest Democratic blip.
So what should a candid dialogue include? A serious reconciliation of the future of free market economics based on a consumer and throw-away culture must be conducted. Open and honest discourse must occur regardless of the shock, pain, and cognitive dissonance that will result. As difficult as it will be for most people to reconcile, the lifestyle that they have been leading or striving for over the last century is coming to an end. The remaining vestiges of this culture can only be subsidized with the blood and bullion of others. The resources needed to continue the “show” largely belong to other sovereign nations and they get it, they understand what’s at stake. The only way to loosen their grip on their own property is to take it by force. Obviously nations that need to conduct this form of aggressive resource acquisition don’t like it to be called stealing. So we can expect other euphemisms like “preventive attack” or “provocation” to be utilized. This is what we can expect if we want to continue supporting and pursuing our current lifestyles and practices. Is the latest iPod or acid washed jeans worth holding the rest of the World hostage and devastating the ecosystem? Your answer will firmly place you in an ethically clear position.
But the time to level with the public is slipping away. The economic downturn contributed to by a moldy stew of contributing factors like energy scarcity, lack of financial market regulatory oversight, erasing the lines between financial instruments and categories, and development of a system based on continuous consumption and acquisition, is an omen. It is a signal that the train of consumer capitalism is entering the station at full speed. The lack of acknowledgment by institutional and other leaders of our cultural predicament is deeply unfortunate, but not surprising. The short-term risk of exposing our circumstances is unquestionably deadly politically and perhaps societally. But the risk of keeping the lid on is less acute but more fundamental. Climate change, peak oil, and a host of other threats are all too real but our cultural denial is, as I’ve previously stated, epic. Maybe the thinking there is that history ends with the folding of our tent and that nobody will remember who turned out the lights.
Either way, there are larger and larger groups of people, spearheaded by largely uninformed/misinformed, spirited, and hurting individuals who are ready to take it to the next level of confrontation. When this happens, it won’t matter what the reason was for suppressing the truth from the public. While there will be blood, pain, and hardship either way, for the long-term prospects of the project that is humanity, I’d rather err on the side of candor. Tell the public that we must seek a new direction with the economy and energy, mobilize those who can champion this message proactively, and face the consequences with a clear conscience. If you think the health care debate has been difficult, see what happens when and if the real debate begins on our very way of life.
