A conservative friend pointed out an article by the
conservative talk show host, Dennis Praeger.
Praeger opines that America is in its second Civil War. His reasons seem to be focused a lot around
the notion that schools and universities are brain washing good American
children to become radical left wingers who are opposed to all that America
stands for. And he adds a hit list of exaggerated left wing atrocities.
In addition to being paranoid, isn’t it unpatriotic to call
for Civil War in America?
But I have a
different view of Mr Praeger’s article – he’s competing for an audience.
Praeger, like all good conservative talk show hosts,
communicates so as to boost his ratings.
So, isn’t sowing paranoid visions that those who disagree with them
are unpatriotic and that nobody can be trusted to tell the public the truth
other than themselves primarily just their marketing strategy?
Limbaugh was probably the source of that strategy, and he relentlessly
rails against the “mainstream media” or “drive-by media.” The idea is - don’t pay any attention to
those other guys, just come to us on the radio and Fox News and Brietbart, etc.,
and we will tell you the truth and you can’t trust anything that you don’t hear
from us.
This is a remarkably effective marketing technique, and has
built massive audiences and fortunes for the Right Wing Media Complex. But isn't it terrifying when the real President of the United States literally disbelieves
actual news offered by the mainstream media (who are genuine trained reporters
who professionally gather and report news rather than just google it). Doesn't it send up warning flags when we have a president that thinks
Infowars is a news source? I find this
pretty scary.
I think conservatives are seeing the opposition to Trump as
being opposition to conservatism.
Although liberals can be counted on to differ with conservatives, the opposition
to Trump goes way beyond opposition to conservatism. It is a desperate opposition to someone they
see as a madman, a mentally and emotionally unstable threat to America and the world. He is seen as either someone who will kill
millions by accident, or become an American Caesar that our Founding Fathers
fought so hard to prevent when they drew up the Constitution.
I don’t see Trump as a Republican. I don’t like Republican ideology anymore, but
my disgust for Trump has to do with his incivility, crudeness, childishness,
and desperately fragile and needy ego.
It’s not about the programs (which I will likely write against as they
are revealed) but it is about the danger of the character of a tyrannical
child being given the keys to space ship America.
