African American
Related: About this forum‘Fraidy Cat
I thought I would share this with my friends here. A longish read, yet very well done, so appropriate for today. Please take a few minutes. I promise you won't regret it. sheshe~*************************************************
Note: This essay first appeared on Stonekettle Station in April of 2013. Given the current state of affairs, an update seemed in order // Jim
Theyre afraid of the government. Theyre afraid of the president, theyre afraid of congress, theyre afraid of the judges. Theyre afraid of socialism. Theyre afraid of Nazis and communists. Theyre afraid of liberals and progressives and RINOs and feminists and Prius-driving vegetarians. Theyre afraid of their neighbors. Theyre afraid of the North and afraid of the South and afraid of people from Chicago, and New York and Washington D.C. and California. Theyre afraid of gangs and crime and terrorism. Theyre afraid of know-it-all college educated long hairs. Theyre afraid of political correctness and affirmative action. Theyre afraid of minorities and theyre afraid of immigrants and theyre afraid of uppity blacks and strong-willed women and smart Asians and dirty Latinos and murderous Muslims. They fear their own supposedly loving God and theyre afraid of everybody elses deity too. Theyre afraid of the Rapture and the Anti-Christ and the End Times. Theyre afraid of Sharia Law and theyre afraid of the Pope and afraid of the Jews and yet theyre afraid of atheists too. Theyre afraid of immorality and pornography and the internet and cable TV and that Rock&Roll music. Theyre afraid of social media, theyre afraid of Twitter and Facebook and the bloggers and the Goddamned lamestream media. Theyre afraid the military might just take over and theyre afraid that the military isnt powerful enough. Theyre afraid of death and afraid of taxes. Theyre afraid of science, of evolution and climate models and plate tectonics and carbon dating and sex education. Theyre afraid of abortion and birth control and the morning after pill, but at the same time theyre also afraid people might be having sex and theyre afraid those people might be having a whole bunch of welfare babies that theyre afraid theyll have to pay for. Theyre afraid of North Korea and China and the long defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Theyre afraid that somebody might be coming to take all their guns and theyre afraid of all the crazy people with guns and theyre afraid that the government has too many guns. Theyre afraid of being poor but theyre afraid of the rich too. Theyre afraid of the Bilderbergs and the Illuminati and the New World Order. Theyre afraid of the the banksters and yet theyre deathly afraid of any laws that might restrict those self same power brokers. Theyre afraid of losing their entitlements and theyre afraid the undeserving want entitlements too and more than anything theyre afraid that somebody somewhere might be getting something for nothing on the taxpayer dime, but theyre afraid of making those same takers pay for their own healthcare. Theyre afraid of chemicals in their food and genetically engineered crops, but theyre afraid of laws requiring that those same ingredients be fully disclosed by food producers because theyre afraid that might be bad for business. Theyre afraid of obesity and heart disease and that our kids are a generation of blubbery little couch potatoes, but theyre afraid of Mayor Bloomberg and Michelle Obama. Theyre afraid of Hollywood violence and yet theyre also afraid that Sesame Street might be making their kids into prancing pacifist pisswillies. Theyre afraid well run out of oil or that some America hating dictator somewhere will cut the oil off and yet at the same time theyre afraid of solar panels and wind towers and electric cars.
What it comes down to is this: theyre afraid of the past and theyre afraid of the present and theyre afraid for the future.
snip//
And theyre here with us today. And its the same old fear. America should be taking the lead in climate change, in energy, in transportation technology, in solutions to violence and disenfranchisement and social justice, in health and medicine, in exploration of our world and others. Instead we refuse to even discuss it. Our leaders will filibuster, gridlock, delay, rather than face the worlds problems.
You cant fix the problem if you cant talk about it.
Hell, you cant even define what the problem is, if you cant talk about it.
Read More: http://www.stonekettle.com/2016/03/fraidy-cat.html
Jackie Wilson Said
(4,176 posts)It is all about fear.
Earlier today I heard this guy who was afraid what will happen if trans folks are allowed to use bathrooms and locker rooms.
Yesterday it was a guy afraid of what will happen if we dont patrol Muslim neighborhoods.
The day before that it was a guy afraid of women having total say over their own bodies.
etc
etc
sheshe2
(83,746 posts)The whole essay was an incredible read. Sadly, I read those comments you listed above.
In the end we need to be fearless not fearful.
Thanks for taking the time.
rusty quoin
(6,133 posts)What a powerful essay about holding opposing views in one's head. No wonder they are so confused: It explains the whole "Thanks Obama" phenomenon.
Fox News points and says look over there who is to blame. Oh, that must be it.
There is a documentary out there in selected cities, "The Brainwashing of my Father." I have been waiting for it to show for a couple of years.
I can't wait to see it, and she explains how her normal father went to the dark side after he got a job in which he traveled in his car and listened to Limbaugh hours on end.
JustAnotherGen
(31,816 posts)This is why I can't give them an ounce of understanding or compassion. They have no precedent for their "fears" being made a reality. Human Progress is going to have to happen without them.
I don't have time or tolerance for anyone who fears calls for healthy eating and exercise (how humans evolved) or windmills/solar power (how humans can survive).
These fraidy cats are stupid.
sheshe2
(83,746 posts)Thank you so much for reading this JAG. Yes, it was an excellent read.
Fraidy cats will cower forever more, what kind of life is that?