As a substance abuse counselor, I’ve become familiar with a lot of 12-step literature and sayings, both official and unofficial. There’s a saying in the Big Book of A.A. about “Contempt prior to investigation.” I always thought it was a confusing message when applied to alcoholism, but it has certainly resonated with me this election year when hearing conservatives engage in their seamless narratives that defy all logic. It’s a discouraging picture out there, and yesterday I had a sort of “Aha moment” about how it works and why we never get anywhere talking to people on the right — whether Trumpists or just plain old right-wing uncles.
I had just replaced the battery in my truck, and so the radio stations were all erased. So when I hit “seek” the radio went to WLS 890. (A station I grew up with in the Beatles era, but now apparently a purveyor of wall to wall right wing garbage). It was the Rush Limbaugh show, but instead of Rush it was some guy with a British accent who was making jokes about being a foreigner (he said he is from Canada).
He started the hour with the announcement that “Israel is ablaze — it’s on fire.” Like, the whole country is on fire. And, he explained, it’s arson — the work of terrorists. Specifically, jihadists. (I had to go look this story up online when I got home, and found the NYT story reporting that , yes, there are a number of wildfires burning in Israel, fanned by hot, dry weather; and yes, there is talk among some in the security establishment in Israel that at least some of them are arson. There was even a tweet from some anti-Israel person that expressed satisfaction that Israelis may die as the result of the fires. Imagine that. Someone tweeted a sentiment that would agree with this theory. It’s on Twitter! That must mean it’s all true, right?)
Anyway, I kept listening (morbid fascination). This guy then launches into a diatribe about an “imam in Canada” who supposedly laid out a “strategy” that Muslims will take over the United States by immigrating here and having babies and thereby taking over the country by sheer numbers. (Little babies outfitted with suicide bombs, apparently).
After a couple of other supposed quotes from alleged “jihadists” expressing similar sentiments, our brave Canadian comes to his point: So we have to crack down, right? We have to stop these people from being here. Not just crazy Imams, but the tools by which they are going to carry out their nefarious plan: Muslim people coming to the U.S. and having babies. Muslim babies. And don’t tell HIM about any of your “Safe space trigger warning” stuff. (Yes, he actually said that). Remember, Israel is burning. Do you want the same thing to happen here?
So I’m thinking of how the mind of the 72 year old guy in the next lane, retired from his job as a foreman at Reynolds Metals, with the US Navy Veteran ball cap on the back ledge of his Grand Marquis, on his way home from buying a case of Cutty Sark and a massaging recliner chair at Sam’s Club, will process this. Do you think he’s going to try to deconstruct these assertions and think about each one critically, the way I did? No, he’s going to nod at his radio and mutter, “Hell, yeah! Frickin’ liberals! They hate America, with their safe spaces and their Mul-tee-culcheral-ism...”
The thought that really slammed home to me was that we’re wasting our time trying to point out that the things Trump and others are saying is hate, or bigotry, or intolerance. Your typical conservatives believe they’re good people. They don’t hate anyone. But dammit, we have to protect our country, don’t we? It’s just doing the right thing and facing down our enemies. Right? You say I’m full of hate because I’m a white man? Well, you’re the racist.
What hit me was how this kind of iron-clad narrative moves them from righteous indignation to what we would consider bigotry, without disturbing their value system in the slightest. Because they are led from one frame of reality to the next without even thinking about it, much less questioning it.
So that’s it. I already knew that it was useless to argue with most conservatives, and pretty much understood why, but this really kind of drove it home to me. It was depressing to see how this is such a sealed system of narrative that brooks no questioning our doubt. How do you get a person to even consider that any part of this narrative might be questionable when the whole thing fits together so well and FEELS so right to them? One piece of outrage feeds all the others and creates a complete barrier to questioning any of it. And it’s not just the Muslim and immigration thing. It’s all of their narratives. Of course Hillary belongs in prison. Of course “political correctness” is what’s destroying our country. Of course our brave police officers are losing the battle against those animals that Black Lives Matter wants to coddle. Of course there’s a War on Christmas.
So that’s my little thought for the day… not really anything profound, but writing helps me avoid feeling helpless and depressed this week, and I’m fresh out of steely determination to keep fighting the good fight. I’m in one of those Garrison Keillor phases where I just want to hike in the woods with my dog and forget about politics. Yeah, I know, that’s partly my privilege talking, but it’s the weekend and I’m worn out.
