I just watched a rather disturbing interview on the PBS Newshour website with author
THOMAS EDSALL about his book "The Age of Austerity: How Scarcity Will Remake American Politics."
http://www.pbs.org/...
He talked about the basic difference in world views between conservative and progressive—that boils down to a more limited sense of “fairness” held by the conservatives. With resources becoming more scarce, the fear is that the “me and mine” values of the conservative, does and will continue to bring about a more desperate tone along with the willingness to do whatever one has to in order to get their “fair” share. The “will do anything” set of means often ascribed to people like Dick Chaney, Karl Rove and Rupert Murdock, comes to mind.
I want to briefly sketch a possible solution (Edsall didn’t see any current solution). The underlying notion of the piece seemed to be that progressives are in trouble because they are less willing to “get nasty” like the conservatives. The overt warning was that Republicans want desperately to gain full political power in 2012, so that laws can be bent to insulate them from non-insiders within “the bubble”—those who are “not-white or ‘good dark’ enough”, or of “right religion”. People who would take away a greater share of the shrinking pie then they deserved.
The current splitting of “them versus us”—conservative versus progressive, Democrat versus Republican—is in my mind, a way of picturing reality that is just all wrong--and very dangerous in itself. I could go on and on about this in the long form but instead let me put it like this: The real enemy of us all is The “Master Race”; the “dumb elite”. A laundry list of characteristics of this “dumb elite” would include a sense of being “better” because:
“I control your employment”; “I have a gun and can shoot you”; “I’m of obvious advantage because of the many books I’ve read”; “I’m a triumphant religionist who has gained special favor with God”; “I own the building you live in”; “I hang out with only good-looking, witty people and belong to the clubs that won’t let you in”; “I can con you because you are naïve”; “my ability at analytical reasoning means I’m smarter”; “I have a better lawyer”; “I have advanced skills in reading demographic statistics and will take advantage of you”; “I’m so cute, blessed and special”; “I can kick your ass”; “I know there’s no God and can make you look like a fool for not excepting this belief”; “I have special qualities that make me popular”; “I have dark, sardonic wit and can control you in a variety of ways”.
We should all strive to tenderly reject the arrogance of this “Master Race”. If we do so it won’t have a chance against the “real 99 percent”. For those who feel they have to limit “fairness” to themselves, their families and their insider group, let me just say this: you’ll get as you give. The Bitch That Starts The Dog-fight isn’t something you really want to be.