Be Afraid. Be Very, Very Afraid

If you'll allow a little belated post-convention analysis, that was the outstanding theme of the 2004 Republican National Convention: "Be Very Afraid." Even Andrew Sullivan had to admit "some" of the proceedings were a little Orwellian:

When your convention pushes so many different messages, and is united with screaming chants of "U.S.A.", and built around what was becoming almost a cult of the Great Leader, skeptical conservatives have reason to raise an eyebrow or two.

Well, since the entire convention swiveled on speeches geared to inspire fear and hate, I'd say more than "some" of the proceedings waxed Orwellian.

What are we supposed to be afraid of?

1. We should fear that if John Kerry wins, we'll retreat into our shells and pretty much let the terrorists have their way with the United States and our freedoms for the next four years. He'll take a holiday from fighting terror. A number (most?) of the speakers touched on this, but Zell Miller (R-GA) essentially howled on about it. Never mind the fact that Kerry has said repeatedly that he'll continue to fight terrorism wherever it appears. Never mind that at the DNC John Edwards summed up his position on terrorists with a sentence that's remarkably difficult to misinterpret: "We will destroy you." We should similarly be afraid that Kerry's some sort of lily-livered peacenik, who'll be overly "sensitive" towards terrorists (Cheney's no doubt intentional mischaracterization of what Kerry actually said), despite the fact that he's the only candidate who actually served overseas (president or vice president) and the only candidate who made no attempt to avoid service in the first place. we're also supposed to be grateful--and this was drummed in again and again and again--that George Bush was president when the terrorists attacked. we're supposed to fear that if a Democrat were president, he would've decided the best reaction was to stay home and hope it didn't happen again.

2. We should fear the imminent demise of the family should gays be allowed to marry. Of course, I doubt a single speaker used the words "gay" or "homosexual," which is always telling, isn't it, that they can't even bring themselves to speak explicitly about the group they're discriminating against. No doubt, in some dark corner of their brain, they realize that it sounds a lot more like hate and much less like family values, when you mention the group you're bashing by name. So the mantra is repeated that if radical judges have their way, "traditional" marriage will be threatened ("gay marriage" again not mentioned--only tacit in its appearance) and good clean society as we know it will (with its 50+% divorce rate) will slip into ugly sinful decadence. It'll be the begiing of the end. Our fall of Rome. This argument is raised again and again--without any supporting evidence and despite all scientific, sociological and commonsensical arguments to the contrary. The truth is we live in a time when people are contemptuous of reason, science, and modernity and slavishly devoted to superstitions, which cannot be supported. And the GOP thrives by nourishing fear in the hearts of those people who desperately clinging to their superstitions.

Well, there are other things we're supposed to fear, too, (John Kerry will raise taxes; the rich won't get to keep their tax break!) but those are the two main things that were hammered on during the convention--and, to be fair, the Repubs devoted 90% of their fear-monguering to making the American public think John Kerry would send out guilded invitations to the terrorists inviting them come do some more damage on American soil--Bush even stooping so low as to refer to the crisis unfolding in Russia to scare us folks, despite the fact that little was even known about who was doing it and why at the time.

Arguably, though, the invasion of Iraq was a guilded invitation for young radicals around the world to rise up, organize themselves and get busy doing damage to the United States and its allies: Little boy George whacking the bees nest with a stick.

Unfortunately, we live in times when it's sometimes difficult not to be afraid. We've got to live our lives. And hopefully, we'll still have time for love and beauty. But if George Bush is re-elected, unfortunately, we'll only have more reason to afraid. If we continue on for another four years, taking a bsaeball bat to the world, disdaining subtlety, nuance and, yes, Dick, sensitivity in battling terror we'll only further undermine this great country's position in the world. We only further increase the likelihood of attacks. And my dear friends that goes a lot further towards bringing this country to its knees than the marriage of any two people who just want to create more love in the world, regardless of what their respective genders happen to be.

So George Orwell must be beating against the walls of his grave. Our country has become a more vicious presence in the world. Like a dog kicked in the belly, we lash out at the ankles of passersby by--whether they kicked us or not. And to justify our method of violence, our leaders enable a culture of fear. Not by reasoning with us. But by repeating words which have no connection to reality. Over and over again.