| GREG-STRANGE.COM |
"If you haven't found something strange during the
day, it hasn't been much of a day." -- John A. Wheeler
day, it hasn't been much of a day." -- John A. Wheeler
PROVIDING SUBSTANTIVE COMMENTARY ON THE
PEOPLE, POLITICS, EVENTS AND ABSURDITIES OF
OUR TIME. SERVED UP WITH ACERBIC WIT, YOU
SHOULD FIND IT QUITE SATISFYING.
PEOPLE, POLITICS, EVENTS AND ABSURDITIES OF
OUR TIME. SERVED UP WITH ACERBIC WIT, YOU
SHOULD FIND IT QUITE SATISFYING.
That Ol’ Time Religio-Hucksterism
Terri Shiavo has finally died. Before that sad event came to
pass, New York Times columnist Frank Rich expressed his
righteous outrage, as only an extreme secularist could, over the
“religio-hucksterism” surrounding the Shiavo affair. Much of
that involved Republican politicians in what was described by
Rich as “a full-scale jihad.” A less hysterical interpretation is
that it was simply full-scale pandering, which politicians of all
stripes are wont to do.
Nonetheless, in his recent column he voiced his profound
displeasure with all the nefarious, right-wing religious
extremists--among them Pope John Paul, the Reverend Jesse
Jackson and Ralph Nader--and their quest to save the life of
Shiavo. To emphasize the extremeness of the extremists’
extremism, he threw in references to the Salem witch trials, the
Taliban and Joe McCarthy.
Well, who in the holy heck is the extremist here? Rich won’
t believe it, but he has absolutely nothing to worry about. No
organized group of conservative extremists is ever going to gain
sway over this big, bawdy, free-wheeling, money-worshipping,
sex-obsessed, narcissistic, pleasure-loving country of ours. Not
as long as extremism of the liberal variety is all the rage, as it
has been for decades. Despite Rich’s scare mongering tirade,
secularism and moral relativism reign supreme.
Funny thing is, I happen to agree with Rich that allowing
Shiavo to pass away was the right thing--or at least an
acceptable thing--to do. But there are two colossal differences
between Rich and myself. First, understanding that issues
involving the sanctity of human life aren’t trivial, I will be the
first to admit that in the case of Shiavo, I might be wrong.
Second, I draw vastly different conclusions about those who
tried to save Terri and the threat they pose to society.
To hear Rich tell it, that good ol’ time “religio-hucksterism”
was just more evidence of an impending theocratic takeover by
right-wing fundamentalists. It all began, according to Rich, on
Election Day 2004 “when a fateful exit poll question on ‘moral
values’ ignited a take-no-prisoners political grab by moral
zealots.” And even though, according to Rich, those “moral
values” voters only amounted to 22 percent of the total, “at a
certain point--and we seem to be at that point--fear takes over,
allowing a mob to bully the majority . . .”
Rich continued: “That bullying, stoked by politicians in
power, has become omnipresent, leading television stations to
practice self-censorship and high school teachers to avoid
mentioning . . . evolution . . . lest they arouse fundamentalist
rancor.”
Hmm. I’m thinking that if schools could be bullied out of
mentioning evolution, then they could also be bullied into
allowing some mention of Christmas again, it being a federal
holiday and all. But during this most recent December, which
occurred after the bible thumpers took over, the siege against
Christmas by secular extremists continued unabated. Rich
wants us to believe that the fundamentalists are powerful
enough to put the kibosh on mainstream evolutionary science,
but not powerful enough to get the singing of a few Christmas
carols back into the schools.
As for television stations practicing self-censorship, would
that really be a bad thing? What’s the downside to society if
television stations were to, for a change, practice some
semblance of responsible stewardship of the airwaves such that
parents didn’t feel quite so helpless as they try to shield their
children from a never-ending barrage of gratuitous vulgarity,
sex and violence? Is it really only the “moral zealots” who want
this or is it the vast majority of ordinary Americans?
It makes no logical sense, but Rich hysterically concludes
that soon documentary films such as “Galapagos” will
disappear “because their references to Darwin . . . might
antagonize some audiences.” Gone also will be biology
textbooks “that don’t give equal time to creationism.”
So, according to Rich, this is a “time when government,
culture, science, medicine and the rule of law are all under
threat from an emboldened religious minority out to remake
America according to its dogma . . .”
Balderdash! If you believe all of this hysterical nonsense,
I've got a bridge I’d like to sell you. In reality, the
secularization of society is moving along swimmingly despite
Rich’s bug-eyed fears. The courts refused to intervene and save
Shiavo, so the bullying “mob” that so mortifies Rich was
defeated--as usual
The Shiavo affair seems to have sent Rich careening over the
edge, but most of us can think of worse things than being
overzealous about the sanctity of human life. Like zealously
jumping on the bandwagon of a perverse culture of death that
is all too casual about dispensing with those who have either
outlived their usefulness or are just sick of it all.
But the fundamentalists aren’t taking over and neither
scientific inquiry, nor films, nor any other form of expression
are going to “disappear” in this freest country on earth. And
neither, unfortunately, will the hyperbolic scare mongering of
people like Rich.
Terri Shiavo has finally died. Before that sad event came to
pass, New York Times columnist Frank Rich expressed his
righteous outrage, as only an extreme secularist could, over the
“religio-hucksterism” surrounding the Shiavo affair. Much of
that involved Republican politicians in what was described by
Rich as “a full-scale jihad.” A less hysterical interpretation is
that it was simply full-scale pandering, which politicians of all
stripes are wont to do.
Nonetheless, in his recent column he voiced his profound
displeasure with all the nefarious, right-wing religious
extremists--among them Pope John Paul, the Reverend Jesse
Jackson and Ralph Nader--and their quest to save the life of
Shiavo. To emphasize the extremeness of the extremists’
extremism, he threw in references to the Salem witch trials, the
Taliban and Joe McCarthy.
Well, who in the holy heck is the extremist here? Rich won’
t believe it, but he has absolutely nothing to worry about. No
organized group of conservative extremists is ever going to gain
sway over this big, bawdy, free-wheeling, money-worshipping,
sex-obsessed, narcissistic, pleasure-loving country of ours. Not
as long as extremism of the liberal variety is all the rage, as it
has been for decades. Despite Rich’s scare mongering tirade,
secularism and moral relativism reign supreme.
Funny thing is, I happen to agree with Rich that allowing
Shiavo to pass away was the right thing--or at least an
acceptable thing--to do. But there are two colossal differences
between Rich and myself. First, understanding that issues
involving the sanctity of human life aren’t trivial, I will be the
first to admit that in the case of Shiavo, I might be wrong.
Second, I draw vastly different conclusions about those who
tried to save Terri and the threat they pose to society.
To hear Rich tell it, that good ol’ time “religio-hucksterism”
was just more evidence of an impending theocratic takeover by
right-wing fundamentalists. It all began, according to Rich, on
Election Day 2004 “when a fateful exit poll question on ‘moral
values’ ignited a take-no-prisoners political grab by moral
zealots.” And even though, according to Rich, those “moral
values” voters only amounted to 22 percent of the total, “at a
certain point--and we seem to be at that point--fear takes over,
allowing a mob to bully the majority . . .”
Rich continued: “That bullying, stoked by politicians in
power, has become omnipresent, leading television stations to
practice self-censorship and high school teachers to avoid
mentioning . . . evolution . . . lest they arouse fundamentalist
rancor.”
Hmm. I’m thinking that if schools could be bullied out of
mentioning evolution, then they could also be bullied into
allowing some mention of Christmas again, it being a federal
holiday and all. But during this most recent December, which
occurred after the bible thumpers took over, the siege against
Christmas by secular extremists continued unabated. Rich
wants us to believe that the fundamentalists are powerful
enough to put the kibosh on mainstream evolutionary science,
but not powerful enough to get the singing of a few Christmas
carols back into the schools.
As for television stations practicing self-censorship, would
that really be a bad thing? What’s the downside to society if
television stations were to, for a change, practice some
semblance of responsible stewardship of the airwaves such that
parents didn’t feel quite so helpless as they try to shield their
children from a never-ending barrage of gratuitous vulgarity,
sex and violence? Is it really only the “moral zealots” who want
this or is it the vast majority of ordinary Americans?
It makes no logical sense, but Rich hysterically concludes
that soon documentary films such as “Galapagos” will
disappear “because their references to Darwin . . . might
antagonize some audiences.” Gone also will be biology
textbooks “that don’t give equal time to creationism.”
So, according to Rich, this is a “time when government,
culture, science, medicine and the rule of law are all under
threat from an emboldened religious minority out to remake
America according to its dogma . . .”
Balderdash! If you believe all of this hysterical nonsense,
I've got a bridge I’d like to sell you. In reality, the
secularization of society is moving along swimmingly despite
Rich’s bug-eyed fears. The courts refused to intervene and save
Shiavo, so the bullying “mob” that so mortifies Rich was
defeated--as usual
The Shiavo affair seems to have sent Rich careening over the
edge, but most of us can think of worse things than being
overzealous about the sanctity of human life. Like zealously
jumping on the bandwagon of a perverse culture of death that
is all too casual about dispensing with those who have either
outlived their usefulness or are just sick of it all.
But the fundamentalists aren’t taking over and neither
scientific inquiry, nor films, nor any other form of expression
are going to “disappear” in this freest country on earth. And
neither, unfortunately, will the hyperbolic scare mongering of
people like Rich.