Dangerous Right-Wing 'Victimhood'

[Joanne98]

The full story of the bloody Tucson, Arizona, rampage that killed six and grievously wounded a U.S. congresswoman has yet to be pieced together, but the tragedy reminds us of the risk to democracy from both violent political rhetoric and reckless exaggerations about "victimhood."

Indeed, the wallowing in "victimhood," especially among relatively privileged groups like white American Christian conservatives, can be particularly dangerous because these groups hold substantial political and media power. Thus, they are largely insulated from the consequences when some unstable individual carries out violence in reaction to their angry propaganda.

We saw this in 1995 when right-wing anti-government extremist Timothy McVeigh bombed the Oklahoma City federal building. Though some on the Left linked that terrorist act, which killed 168 people, to the hateful rants of right-wing radio hosts such as Rush Limbaugh, the mainstream Washington press corps quickly rallied to Limbaugh's defense.

Similarly, within hours of the Tucson shooting, which left Arizona Democratic Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in critical condition with a bullet hole through her brain, former Washington Post media critic Howard Kurtz was out with a commentary establishing a defensive perimeter around former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who had put Giffords' district in a rifle's crosshairs.

http://www.opednews.com/articles/Dangerous-Right-Wing-Vict-by-Robert-Parry-110110-659.html

Exactly! The conservatives have an endless well of self pity when they are the most evil, mean, unjust, greedy, selfish spoiled brats in all of recorded history!

AND THEY KNOW IT'S TRUE!

[DirkGently]

1. Nice piece with a good point. Rightwingers are always "defending" by viciously attacking.

Hatred is born of fear. And rightwing fear and the resulting rage / hatred have become an important tool in the American landscape. Keeps Glenn Beck in bad haircuts and, more importantly, it kept us from reforming healthcare under the theory that "the government is coming to kill you," which is the core rightwing paranoia.

Meanwhile, corporations are coming to kill us. We just don't dress up like it's 1776 and threaten to shoot everyone over it.

[LiberalEsto]

2. It's ALWAYS about them nt