“It has been an easy formula throughout history – in politics, religion, and business – that if you can keep people afraid and give them an enemy who is responsible for their fear, you can get people to do just about anything. This is the playbook for authoritarian leaders throughout the world. Daring and ethical leaders fight against this brand of leadership. — Brene Brown”
A tip of the hat to my brother, for this quote.
In my lifetime, I have watched the two political parties totally swap positions on some issues. Is it just to oppose the other and keep people afraid and unhappy? Perhaps.
For just one example, Republicans fought for equality when Democrats passed Jim Crow laws and prevented blacks from voting or integrating schools. Eisenhower sent in federal troops to enforce integration in the South. Less than 10 years later, LBJ courted African Americans with Affirmative Action and other ideas and the Republicans flipped to opposition. Why?
If we ignore what we know about his place in history, JFK would be way too conservative for Democrats today and wouldn’t stand a chance in the 2020 election. Richard Nixon would be a raving liberal to today’s Republicans and would never make it past a primary.
I have never seen a wider gap between the parties than exists today. The extreme socialism (called progressive) of some Democrats makes FDR look conservative. It may split the party. It may also get Trump reelected.
The Republican party is already split between extremes. It was so bad that even when they controlled the Presidency, House, and Senate, they couldn’t pass hardly any effective changes. Now, they have a President many dislike even though he is of their party while others tow the party line.
The news media has had a field day with all the divisions. It plays them, feeds them, encourages them, exaggerates them, and takes sides.
Social Media has done the same with sites like Facebook and Twitter controlling what is allowed and what isn’t. The fact people can hide behind typed words, fake news, false memes, and radical opinions adds to the division.
And so here we are – people are afraid, angry, and unwilling to listen or compromise. Division destroys friendships, divides families, and clouds reason. I see posts here that are false and the people who post them know they are false but say things like, “if it is anti-Trump, I like it and I will post it.”
None of us is immune from the stirring of emotions. I get spitting mad myself sometimes. Other times I get depressed. Then I get sad.
I stop watching news because it just upsets me.
“… if you can keep people afraid and give them an enemy who is responsible for their fear, you can get people to do just about anything.”
We have been duped into seeing each other as the enemy, the “other party” as the enemy, the press as the enemy, immigrants as the enemy, Russians as the enemy, etc.
Walt Kelley nailed it years ago:
