The Wisconsin GOP’s attack on UW-Madison History professor William Cronon provides an excellent launching point for the exploration of how the hard right has successfully co-opted concepts or phrases once largely attributed to progressives or liberals. Not only has the right co-opted progressive concepts and phrase, they have out right re-defined them with very few noticing.
The Wisconsin GOP’s attack on UW-Madison History professor William Cronon provides an excellent launching point for the exploration of how the hard right has successfully co-opted concepts or phrases once largely attributed to progressives or liberals. Not only has the right co-opted progressive concepts and phrase, they have out right re-defined them with very few noticing.
In the Cronon case, the Executive Director of the Republican Party Wisconsin, Mark Jefferson has issued a Freedom of Information Act request to gain access to Prof. Cronon’s .edu emails, claiming:
…it is chilling to see that so many members of the media would take up the cause of a professor who seeks to quash a lawful open-records request. Taxpayers have a right to accountable government and a right to know if public officials are conducting themselves in an ethical manner. The left is far more aggressive in this state than the right in its use of open-records requests, yet these rights do extend beyond the liberal left and members of the media.
The key language one must pay close attention to here resounds with voices of past progressives in their struggles for citizen’s rights. Jefferson uses language about ‘quashing’ lawful request—often it is those struggling against government or corporate unfairness that are ‘quashed’.
Ironically, he completely adopts the language of those currently protesting his party’s legislative actions in Wisconsin. “Taxpayers have a right to accountable government….” I believe I saw that poster…more or less…in photos of the Wisconsin (and other state) protests.
He ends his “I’m shocked, shocked I tell you” screed by continuing with what is one of the largest language thefts in the last decade or so…he complains that his ‘rights’ are being curtailed.
The language of Jefferson’s “but, the left does it all the time” response tears pages out of the progressive/activist playbook and this is but one example of the right-wing re-appropriation of progressive/liberal activist concept and talking points.
Take for example: American Exceptionalism.
The concept of American exceptionalism—which most likely goes back to soon after the birth of the nation--holds that America is ‘different’ than other nations. While, not necessarily meaning America is better, this exceptionalism holds that since America’s founding, it has been a nation that stands as a true and shining example of the greatness brought forth by freedom, liberty, and all the accoutrements of the American dream.
Abstractly, American Exceptionalism is symbolized in the Statue of Liberty, conceptually in the idea of “streets paved in gold”, and socially in the concept of the melting pot—all of which, when combined, demonstrate America’s Exceptionalism. A concept to be proud of, if it were actually acted upon as conceived above.
The term is attributable to the American Communist party from the Twenties; it is difficult to pin down the birth of concept. However, the contemporary conceptions of American Exceptionalism are far from the original or ideal notion. For example, some equate our exceptionalism some sort of Christian destiny for the nation. Others appear to argue it as a requirement for our continued place as the only super-power in the world.
More so, however, I think it has been used to justify the class division that is growing increasingly threatening to those without a multi-million dollar golden parachute should they lose their job. In discussions about whether the bankers that nearly brought complete economic collapse to, not just the US, but the world, one often hears the following specious argument. Without bankers taking risks, or inventing new types of investments, we wouldn’t have economic growth—if you want in become a banker. It is the same argument used when defending the bonuses doled to the bankers days after the bailouts. Bonuses were required to keep the best and brightest around—the exceptional.
And there you see it. What was once a term used to describe equality, liberty, egalitarianism, is now a term used to describe the exceptional—those excepted often-times from:
● Legal Ramifications
● Taxes Burdens
● Lack of Affordable Health Care
● Need for Public Assistance Programs
● Poor Educational Opportunities
● Fear about Affording Retirement
● Fear of Foreclosure
But mostly, they are excepted from real America—they ARE American Exceptionalism and anything that doesn’t uphold their views and system obviously is Anti-American and doesn’t believe in the dream.
But we do, we conceive of American Exceptionalism as the ability of the nation to ensure all citizens are excepted from the items on the list above. Only when we are all excepted from have to deal with those items will America be truly Exceptional and I will defend American Exceptionalism with pride and vigor.