Today I am reading and commenting on an essay written by Dr. J.C. Hanges at Miami University on the Schiavo case, given her death. The basic argument is really compelling; that the ultimate culpability lays with God, though none in the right has made that argument. Most of them were looking for one of the Bushes to stick their neck out; which of course was not going to happen. It amazes me that this is more or less the same group of people who complain about judges legislating from the bench but when Judges uphold the law that they dont agree with they persistently come down on that same branch of government for not upholding the will of the people or God. The Christian Right is the most dangerous movement in the United States. By that I mean that they are the most dangerous section of the society in relation to the very idea of the United States, particularly the first amendment of the Constitution. They need to be outed for the lunatic fringe that they are in EVERY INSTANCE. When they invoke faith as a principle, they must be asked what is Faith. When they retort with something like well if you dont know then I cant explain it. We must respond with, some stance about having a personal understanding of faith but with a vigilant curiosity about what these public officials mean. We need to do this with every rhetorical vacuum that they present to the public. Freedom, Faith, Values, etc, furthermore, we need to ask it of all of them, each and every one of them, whenever they raise their voice of insanity. Call them out, be persistent, do not get bored, and stay on their asses. This is the Socratic way, and by questioning we take the offensive and force them on the defensive.
Currently I am sitting in a coffee shop completely surrounded, on all fronts by youth in Bible study. They keep to themselves here, but they are oppressive in every expression. The next generation of the Jesus Freak movement of the 70s is the prideful conservative who often takes on the rhetoric of victimization in order to gain a seat at the table of weak post-modern identity politics. This is a movement that is fundamentally regressive; it has no interest in knowledge or creativity, only self-preservation and reproduction. By these sheer activities alone this movement claims to make the world a better place.
The fact that college campuses are dominated in the US by these groups along with the (now)-established Mooks and Midriffs should be a point of concern for the population in general and the nation as a whole. These kids are equipped in a terribly inadequate manner for dealing with any concerns beyond bible study or their individual social dramas. Their taxonomy of fun is increasingly limited; experimentation and exploration play little part in it. Substance abuse is limited to Alcohol, Marijuana, Cocaine; psychedelics play little role in their chemical exploration. When they do there are offer terrible consequences; as huge percentages of these kids are diagnosed with some sort of psychologically medicated condition. In fact they often travel, perhaps more than previous generations, but it is largely to practice their particular brands of fun in other locations.
Currently I am sitting in a coffee shop completely surrounded, on all fronts by youth in Bible study. They keep to themselves here, but they are oppressive in every expression. The next generation of the Jesus Freak movement of the 70s is the prideful conservative who often takes on the rhetoric of victimization in order to gain a seat at the table of weak post-modern identity politics. This is a movement that is fundamentally regressive; it has no interest in knowledge or creativity, only self-preservation and reproduction. By these sheer activities alone this movement claims to make the world a better place.
The fact that college campuses are dominated in the US by these groups along with the (now)-established Mooks and Midriffs should be a point of concern for the population in general and the nation as a whole. These kids are equipped in a terribly inadequate manner for dealing with any concerns beyond bible study or their individual social dramas. Their taxonomy of fun is increasingly limited; experimentation and exploration play little part in it. Substance abuse is limited to Alcohol, Marijuana, Cocaine; psychedelics play little role in their chemical exploration. When they do there are offer terrible consequences; as huge percentages of these kids are diagnosed with some sort of psychologically medicated condition. In fact they often travel, perhaps more than previous generations, but it is largely to practice their particular brands of fun in other locations.