Friday, January 14, 2011

More Sanity From the Right

Both of these stolen from Salon.

A bullet scarred billboard:

And a clip that reminds me, at least, of Jason or Freddie Krueger or something that goes bump in the night:

Also note the reflection of teleprompters that have been inserted by the lamestream media to make Sarah Reagan look Obamaesque.

And since I’m pillaging Salon here’s an interesting article from Peter Kramer who’s a professor of psychiatry at Brown. I don’t believe the right is directly responsible for Jared Loughner. Maybe there are some who do. I do believe there are those on the Right who have created a poisonous atmosphere with conspiracy theories, slurs and veiled (and not so veiled) threats.

Respected colleagues and columnists have been quick to say no. Shall we give Fox News, Glenn Beck, Sarah Palin and the others a quick pass? It is true that the biology of mental illness has its own imperative. But along with most other people, I do imagine that in a general sense social forces can mute, inflame or redirect impulses. That's what the time in the clinical office is about, in part: the use of interpersonal influence to moderate or channel emotions. Much political speech has the same aim.

The work that I do makes me suspect that creating a hysterical political environment has its costs. Many writers have commented on the corrosive effects of casual references to violence, along with the demonization of public figures and the glorification of gun ownership. I want to add a further consideration, implicit in the others, but worth separating out: tolerance, in the public sphere, for paranoia itself.

8 comments:

  1. I understand that billboard has been taken down. What hasn't stopped, sadly, is Limbaugh's toxic hate speech. His latest temper tantrum is over the fact that a majority of the FAUX NOOZ pundits praised Mr. Obama's speech.

    Limbaugh succeeds only when he stirs up hatred and paranoia in his ditto heads. If everyone stopped demonizing their opponents, Limbaugh would be out of business. He knows this. It is in his best self-interest to keep Americans at each others' throats.

    He's an unapologetic swine, but a very wealthy unapologetic swine who deserves nothing more thant a boot up his ugly and prodigious arse.

    As for that Palin video--it's the only time I've heard her make any sense.

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  2. So, the Fox News types aren't crazy enough for Rush? He's still standing by Palin too, I guess. Crazy little country we got here.

    Thanks for coming by, Shaw. Hope the New Year will be a good one for you.

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  3. The eyes of a psycho mistress who wants to kill you because she loves you but you have been so cruel and she can't quite forgive you and she strangled your cat and put a perfumed letter in your mailbox...

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  5. Magpie, do you think she might start calling Rush and requesting Misty?

    See if I can embed this one right.

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  6. Well... Limbaugh is a such a slender handsome fellow and with such a cool voice and all that Bridges of Madison County nice guyness. What woman wouldn't desire him obsessively?

    Great film, "Play Misty For Me".

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  7. Careful. Sarah is quietly reloading as we speak. She'll need an elephant gun for Rush.

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  8. Trying to comment

    Oh okay I have to use my old google account..Man sometimes you have to jump through hoops..

    The blob (rush) is untouchable. The only thing he fears is the fairness doctrine and that's not in the cards.

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