chris on Nostr: npub1trdnq…gussx npub17x8re…4gr2x npub1hykuc…73p33 Oh, the deplorables are ...
npub1trdnqrfstufc45awha43p6xy2n0v6czuhapzh4r09hap08dg0c6s9gussx (npub1trd…ussx) npub17x8relntlm5hr7xxdkcyxeujzfgl3zgp7mcrz3rvc90sacdw8uxqg4gr2x (npub17x8…gr2x) npub1hykucplphuhelaxutcw4jw3vuu7gcg42czhqmk7jhchs8vdga4fsj73p33 (npub1hyk…3p33) Oh, the deplorables are quite real. I was raised to be one. I know right-wing talking points so well that I could probably have a successful run in conservative talk radio or journalism and receive some of that sweet, sweet wingnut welfare.
But then there’s also the fact that a lot of the bigotry you see from the “basket of deplorables” is literally just based on fear and ignorance. A lot of these people are deeply hurting. The person who raised me to be a racist shitlord certainly was. People who are hurting are even more vulnerable to fear. Add to the mix that there is a class of fear-stokers in the media, pointing the finger at some other powerless group, be it gay people, or black people, or whoever, and saying “Don’t mind the man behind the curtain who is literally robbing you blind. Look at these people over here instead. They want to destroy your way of life blah blah blah.” Divide and rule, a time-tested strategy.
Oklahoma – the place where I grew up – had a very healthy socialist movement and political party in the early 1910s. It was destroyed by World War I and the Red Scare of the early 20s. Part of the reason Oklahoma is full of deplorables now is that the ruling class destroyed the alternative almost a hundred years ago.
And none of this should be taken as an excuse for or endorsement of the behavior of so-called “deplorables”. I don’t wanna dialogue with these people. The ideology that I was exposed to from a very young age quite literally destroyed my soul. It explains, but not excuses.
We need a society that works for everyone. Once we have it, my suspicion is that the “deplorable” mindset will wither on the vine. The fire will die out for lack of fuel.
But then there’s also the fact that a lot of the bigotry you see from the “basket of deplorables” is literally just based on fear and ignorance. A lot of these people are deeply hurting. The person who raised me to be a racist shitlord certainly was. People who are hurting are even more vulnerable to fear. Add to the mix that there is a class of fear-stokers in the media, pointing the finger at some other powerless group, be it gay people, or black people, or whoever, and saying “Don’t mind the man behind the curtain who is literally robbing you blind. Look at these people over here instead. They want to destroy your way of life blah blah blah.” Divide and rule, a time-tested strategy.
Oklahoma – the place where I grew up – had a very healthy socialist movement and political party in the early 1910s. It was destroyed by World War I and the Red Scare of the early 20s. Part of the reason Oklahoma is full of deplorables now is that the ruling class destroyed the alternative almost a hundred years ago.
And none of this should be taken as an excuse for or endorsement of the behavior of so-called “deplorables”. I don’t wanna dialogue with these people. The ideology that I was exposed to from a very young age quite literally destroyed my soul. It explains, but not excuses.
We need a society that works for everyone. Once we have it, my suspicion is that the “deplorable” mindset will wither on the vine. The fire will die out for lack of fuel.