Hegemony | hi-ˈje-mə-nē, -ˈge-; ˈhe-jə-ˌmō-nē | noun
1 : preponderant influence or authority over others : domination
2 : the social, cultural, ideological, or economic influence exerted by a dominant group
I am convinced that the Republican Right Wing Noise Machine has as one of its ultimate goals, hegemony within the American culture. The latest example of their efforts to remind people of their station in life is, of course, the Graeme Frost attack.
Here is a family trying to make it within society. Graeme's parents are working to make things better for themselves and for their children, an example of the promise of America. Meanwhile we see suggestions from the noise machine that the solution to the Frost family dilemma is to sell their house and other assets. What will this do? Well, it won't get them the insurance they need because of pre-existing conditions. But, it will allow them to pay their medical bills, at least for a while. But the ultimate result will be yet another family working paycheck to paycheck, with nothing to show for their efforts. At least this uppity family will know its proper place in the social order of America.
I went to graduate school in the UK at the tail-end of the Conservative domination of politics in that country. I studied education and learned about the Tory efforts at education reform. It was kind of like No Child Left Behind, but on steroids. I was struck by a statement a fellow student made one day. "Throughout British history, it's been the Church of England that has kept people in their place. With the church's power waning, it's now the education system that's producing the same hegemonic results."
I am reminded of that statement each time I listen to the Republicans. Hegemony, influence by the dominant, seems to be the underlying motive in all they do. A few examples:
- Iraq: It's obviously a way to extend American domination to the Middle East.
- NCLB: The poor get poorer, the rich get richer.
- Torture: Obvious.
- FCC: Support the large telecommunications companies and make it more difficult for the up-and-coming innovators to gain a foothold.
- U.S. Attorney scandals: An obvious effort to keep those in power powerful.
- Voter Suppression: The voter fraud scams keep the under-classes from exerting any power.
- Prison Population: It costs a lot more to house prisoners than to fix the underlying problems leading to crime. Why do Republic party members accept the huge drain on our tax dollars if there are more effective and cheaper solutions?
- Immigration: It's the Alien and Sedition Acts all over again. Republicans seem to delight in putting brown people in their place (Latin America!).
- Abstinence Education: Sure, it doesn't work as they suggest to the voters, but skyrocketing pregnancy rates among the under-classes sure keeps them on the bottom rung ecomomically!
- Health insurance: As John Tanner, chief of the Voting Rights Section of the Bush Department of Justice said, "...minorities don't become elderly the way white people do. They die first."
There are so many, many more examples. In the end, though, the effect of the Republic Party policies is to keep our society orderly, where everyone knows her or his place. Hegemony.