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napkinz

(17,199 posts)
Thu Jan 2, 2014, 03:55 PM Jan 2014

From Phil Robertson To George Zimmerman: The Cult Of The Right-Wing Folk Hero





by Joseph Guyer
December 30, 2013

... More than anything else, this whole duck-tastic chapter in our nation’s ongoing war of ideologies has led me to try to pin down what exactly constitutes an American right-wing folk hero. There are a number of them, including Zimmerman, Nugent, Palin, and now Robertson. What characteristics do these highly-admired conservative figures share other than their political leanings?

[font size="3"]Folk hero defined[/font]

A folk hero in general is one who embodies the characteristics, beliefs, and attitudes of a group of like-minded people. Rising from humble beginnings, this person typically confronts some great challenge of his day — social injustice, for example — and somehow finds the courage to do and say the things we wish were in our nature to do and say. Although he is often derided and punished, his words and actions inspire and live on in the collective consciousness of his followers.

For perspective, let’s look at some American left-wing folk heroes. César Chávez immediately comes to mind, as does Rosa Parks and Harvey Milk. Supporters continue to rally around these individuals’ memories because they seemingly came out of nowhere, like a bolt of lightning, to challenge the social norms of their time. They sacrificed their personal security to “be the change they wished to see in the world,” to paraphrase Gandhi (another figure greatly admired by American liberals). Of the three mentioned above, one was assassinated (Milk) whereas another faced persistent plots against him (Chávez). Despite the risk, they were the catalyst that led to the improvement of millions of marginalized people’s lives and, as a direct result, all Americans’ lives — whether they want to admit it or not.

[font size="3"]Meet the right-wing folk hero[/font]

Right-wing folk heroes such as Phil Robertson, on the other hand, are a different breed of “hero” altogether. Instead of facilitating social progress, they emphatically stand in the way of it and are venerated for doing so. Instead of challenging the status quo — whether it be the pervasiveness of gun violence, widening economic inequality, or prejudice against the LGBT community — they perpetuate the myth that all would be right with the world if we just followed the Bible, dismantled the government, returned to the lawlessness of the Old West, armed our teachers, and kept Christ in Christmas. ...

read entire article: http://samuel-warde.com/2013/12/phil-robertson-george-zimmerman-cult-of-right-wing-folk-hero/






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From Phil Robertson To George Zimmerman: The Cult Of The Right-Wing Folk Hero (Original Post) napkinz Jan 2014 OP
Decent read... Wounded Bear Jan 2014 #1
K/R + I will send this out. Dawson Leery Jan 2014 #2
Well written piece. I like this author. n/t lamp_shade Jan 2014 #3
Your favorite Right-Wing Fuck Hero sucks Blue Owl Jan 2014 #4
kick napkinz Jan 2014 #5
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