Every now and then, I drop in on a few blogs that are home to Republicans, particularly that strand of Republicania known as the white, religious conservative.
The worldview emanating from these sites is incredibly small and narrow. These folks seem genuinely shocked and puzzled that Iraqis aren't jumping on the capitalism and democracy bandwagons. Their comments reflect the thoughts of Generals Abizaid and Pace who, last week, placed the failure of American policy in Iraq squarely on the Iraqis.
When one has an extremely narrow world view, the possibilities for the development of any given situation are quite limited.
Judging from my visits to these sites, I can only guess that their views on the mess that is Iraq must go something like this...
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Don't we all have the same dream? That the rest of the world get to enjoy the good life that suburban white America enjoys?
You know... SUVs, endless shopping malls, a membership to a top-flight gym, a Starbuck's in every strip mall, Christ in our lives, well-sedated children, plenty of fast-food choices, just a few people of color nearby to make us feel okay about ourselves (but not enough to scare us because that's why we moved out here in the first place), an eight-year-old home on a cul de sac in a lovely development that has either "Estates" or "Victorian" in its name and that can only be reached from the next development via SUV?
And don't Iraqis want the same things we want, as described above?
And if they don't want all these things, then can't we rightly assume that there is something seriously wrong with these people? That they don't deserve our help? That they don't understand how great democracy and capitalism are?
And if you, as an American -- white, black, brown, yellow, red or blue --- don't want all of these things, aren't you unAmerican? Unpatriotic? A terrorist sympathizer?
Why can't (or shouldn't) everyone be just like us?
That's the impression I get from reading thousands of comments from folks who wear their religion and conservatism on their sleeves.
On the one hand, it must be a relatively easy way to live, to have the field of choices so narrowed down. Not particularly interesting or exciting or even relevant, but easy, nonetheless. (This is akin to the decision-making prowess of the Bush administration which first determines the answer then shapes questions and information to fit this desired result.)
But how can this crowd ever measure success in Iraq if their yardsticks are only shaped by their own, narrow frames?
Why can't (or shouldn't) everyone be just like us? After all, this is the right way to live!
I suppose we're all guilty of this to an extent. But the narrower the world view, the more mistakes one is likely to make, especially when venturing beyond one's tightly-constricted and constructed boundaries.