The Anger --- is it about health care---
The anger that we see on live news and the bitter attitudes, uncrossable opinion boundaries, that we see among the health care opponents are, in fact, not about health care. Most people already know this. It's so much bigger, and the radio and media inflamers along with the Republican right wing have lit the match. What's the fuel?
It's undoubtably real! Beyond that it's plain old resentment, the residue of change, and old style exploitation. Isn't it apparent that most of the people filmed disrupting meetings and shouting and crying about their vanished American look like they and their families could benefit from a revamp of healthcare in this country. For manipulators, it's a new twist on the oldest of American games.*
In southern Virginia in the 1950's there were three classes, the white, the poor white, and the blacks. Sure there were multiple classes among the white, the old rich, upper middle class, middle class, and not quite middle class but still educated, but beneath that 70% of the population was poor, poor white mill workers, many illiterate, and poor blacks, many illiterate and scraping by on farming and service, or servant, jobs. What made this society function when the 70% overwhelmed the 30% was that the poor whites felt superior. Why --- because they viewed and were societally reinforced in believing that they were better than the blacks. Simple human nature unfortunately and, I just guess, you always need someone to hate. This is not a Woodstock moment in my writing.
Today we see an outpouring of hatred, no other word for it, in two ways perhaps, One, that reflecting the diminished hopes and opportunities of people that have been left behind in this economy(unfortunately in some cases, unfairly in some) and Two, a residual clinging to old ways of societal hatred as a haven from any change. Both can be intense, but the latter is more likely to be ugly.
Healthcare is for the moment the issue, and the media component that exploits these fears for profit pushes that for now. It could be energy, education, anything, this large group would be against it if their Obama button is pushed. They are mean righteous, attention seeking, and aggressive about their "values". Their issue is not healthcare, unless it's their next diabetes attack. Sorry, good luck with your diabetes and if you lose 75 pounds the VA will pay for your knee replacements.
That's too harsh. This radical righteous group, however, may become either too powerful to be ignored or impotent enough to be ignored. I would like to bet on the latter, but history tells me to be wary of the former.
Heathcare is not the issue. This is something else.
It's undoubtably real! Beyond that it's plain old resentment, the residue of change, and old style exploitation. Isn't it apparent that most of the people filmed disrupting meetings and shouting and crying about their vanished American look like they and their families could benefit from a revamp of healthcare in this country. For manipulators, it's a new twist on the oldest of American games.*
In southern Virginia in the 1950's there were three classes, the white, the poor white, and the blacks. Sure there were multiple classes among the white, the old rich, upper middle class, middle class, and not quite middle class but still educated, but beneath that 70% of the population was poor, poor white mill workers, many illiterate, and poor blacks, many illiterate and scraping by on farming and service, or servant, jobs. What made this society function when the 70% overwhelmed the 30% was that the poor whites felt superior. Why --- because they viewed and were societally reinforced in believing that they were better than the blacks. Simple human nature unfortunately and, I just guess, you always need someone to hate. This is not a Woodstock moment in my writing.
Today we see an outpouring of hatred, no other word for it, in two ways perhaps, One, that reflecting the diminished hopes and opportunities of people that have been left behind in this economy(unfortunately in some cases, unfairly in some) and Two, a residual clinging to old ways of societal hatred as a haven from any change. Both can be intense, but the latter is more likely to be ugly.
Healthcare is for the moment the issue, and the media component that exploits these fears for profit pushes that for now. It could be energy, education, anything, this large group would be against it if their Obama button is pushed. They are mean righteous, attention seeking, and aggressive about their "values". Their issue is not healthcare, unless it's their next diabetes attack. Sorry, good luck with your diabetes and if you lose 75 pounds the VA will pay for your knee replacements.
That's too harsh. This radical righteous group, however, may become either too powerful to be ignored or impotent enough to be ignored. I would like to bet on the latter, but history tells me to be wary of the former.
Heathcare is not the issue. This is something else.
posted by John Borden at 9:11 PM
1 Comments:
These complainers don't know shit from shinola about healthcare but they're still going to ruin the deal. It's bizarre friend. In my country there is no debate. Get stiched up, smile, no charge, back on the street. Here you must want to fill out your papers all the fuckin' time, watch the queue for the have be's in front, you finally have a chance and you complainers, the whole lot of you, look almost ready for intensive care. Sometimes, you are finally going to need to admit, that some other country does something better than you.
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