STAY CALM AND CARRY ON
The only reason that "stay calm and carry on" is hard to understand is because we spent years under Bush talking about 1% solutions, "winning", and NOT dealing with facts or emotions, the emotions that Bush called "blood lust" in one interview. So, William Saletan is dead wrong.
There was nothing terribly introspective about Juan William's comments or O'Reilly's blank meta-analysis. Starting with Krauthammer's disgusting salvo over the Park 51 project, this entire election season has been about fanning flames, not helping to resolve America's "discomfort with Islam". That's the context.
They poll and see what issues people feel strongly about, like immigration or losing religious freedom, and then they use it to divide the electorate, usually against their economic interest.
People who see in their crafty propaganda the facade of having a 'fair and balanced' discussion that might be helpful to the nation or national security just seem daft. Rather, their focus is the energetic votes of confirmed bigots, like Pamela Geller and the evangelical cosmic strugglers and any independents who dare to think that an anti-muslim bias is a useful or truth-telling 'policy framework'.
Every time you hear O'Reilly say, "you decide", he already knows which prejudices are going to decide the issues he brings up. Check how many of his facetious, pinhead-patriot polls actually go "against" him. He's not there to elucidate, but to wage culture war; not to challenge people, but to help them to retain their prejudices. And that's a difference between his ilk and rightwing radio and, say, Maddow or O'Donnell or, to some extent, Olberman. The latter set would all actually go and live among and converse with America's muslim community, showing that there is nothing fearful going on in their daily lives, or that Park 51 is not "at ground zero", that "Burlington Coat Factory Mosque" might be far more descriptive of physical reality than the constantly repeated propaganda, "Ground Zero Mosque". FOX would not do that, as a matter of course.
Pay attention to the propagandistic way that O'Reilley and others deal with contrary facts and opinions. Look at the techniques he uses to introduce them, to verbally shade and minimize them. Notice how all information is politicized, especially by source. If a liberal says, "that's a ham sandwich", you can't believe it, unless a FOX mullah agrees. There is no independent appeal. Instead, look at the parade of experts and commentators they find. It's like a circus act, most days.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
William Saletan is Wrong
