by Allen Clifton
Last night I spent some time with a close friend (let’s call him
Jake) and as we often do when we get together, we discussed politics.
You see, he’s a fantastic source for political insight because he
doesn’t really follow politics or have any kind of political
affiliation. Hell, I don’t know if he’s ever even voted.
But Jake is a great source because he has another close friend, let’s
call him Stan, who’s a lunatic fringe wingnut. Therefore he hears
my side and Stan’s side, watches the news, reads the paper and based on
only what he sees as logical and rational he molds his opinion. Which
to this point he often tells me most of the stuff Stan says to him just
doesn’t make any sense.
Last night when discussing Stan and some of what I refer to as his
asinine political beliefs, it occurred to me—Stan is exactly how
Republicans want Americans to behave.
Then, and I kid you not, he apparently followed his “only worry about
your own self interest” speech by pressing my friend on why he’s not
more involved in church.
See, Stan is exactly the kind of person Republicans want to create.
A society of people who only worry about themselves. People who
ostracize everyone that’s not like them. Humans that value possessions
over people, and while they might give money to their cult, it’s only
because their cult is filled with people just like them. And while
these people go to cult and call themselves “christians,” they’ve
somehow convinced themselves that jesus christ was some selfish,
hateful, judgmental person who valued his own self interest over the
betterment of others less fortunate than himself.
And Stan is a perfect example of this. Somehow in one discussion he
preached to my friend Jake on why he should only worry about himself,
while also questioning why he isn’t more involved in church—a place
that’s supposed to emphasize generosity and helping others.
Stan will talk about jesus and how he himself is a christian—then follow
that by calling African Americans derogatory names, claim as humans we
only need to worry about ourselves, thinks muslims should leave the
country (and would prefer they didn’t exist at all) and shows no sign of
any kind of moral obligation to those in society who are less fortunate
than he is.
Because see, in a society of sociopaths, greed is good. Greed is the
driving force behind their existence. It’s acceptable in a society of
sociopaths for people like the Koch brothers to oppose minimum wage and
health care, while being worth tens of billions of dollars, because a
sociopath doesn’t feel they owe anything to anyone.
If their workers are underpaid, overworked, lack benefits or safe
working conditions, in the mind of a sociopath—who cares? Quit and get
another job or stop complaining because they don’t owe workers anything.
They only have an obligation to themselves and their own self
interests. If workers want better pay, safer working conditions or
benefits—find another job. If you can’t find a job which offers any of
that—too bad.
That’s not for the sociopath to worry about. The sociopath is only
concerned about themselves and what makes them feel good.
Which is where cult comes in. These wingnut sociopaths go to
cult, and largely excuse their hypocrisy and lack of morality by
citing cult attendance as why they’re not horrible people.
After all, they go to cult 2-3 times a week, that makes them a
christian, right? They’re not morally bankrupt individuals suffering
from a psychological disorder—they’re “good American christians.”
Because that’s exactly what their leaders tell them that they are.
Which of course is another sign of a sociopath. The ability to charm
and manipulate people into getting what they want.
Kind of like a political cabal that’s convinced millions of low-income
and middle class Americans that their economic salvation is found by
giving people worth billions tax breaks, while eliminating the minimum
wage and cutting programs which the poor and middle class benefit from.
And that’s exactly what Republicans advocate—policies which benefit 2%
of the richest people at the expense of the other 98%. Because they’ve
somehow convinced these people that if they just “work hard enough” they
can become part of that elite 2%.
Which of course, 98% of us will never be a part of.
But Republicans enforce this belief that we must only concern ourselves
with what we need, and any regulations or laws which seek to help others
are the enemy. It’s these programs that help others which cause 98% of
Americans to flounder outside of that illustrious 2%.
It’s not the greed of the 2%, it’s the laziness of the poor.
Which leads us to the rapidly de-evolving Republican cabal. A cabal
that doesn’t care about the environment, health care access for
Americans, children, education, the well-being of our military or the
poor.
They only care about themselves and how much they can possess. People
who place value on inanimate objects like guns or money before human
beings. Then nothing you can tell these people will convince them of
anything, because your opinion doesn’t matter.
Because the sociopath isn’t concerned about what you, I or anyone else
thinks of them—only what they think of themselves. Which is why any
type of disgusting behavior they exhibit is perfectly acceptable. That
behavior got them something that they wanted—and to a sociopath their
own self interests are all that really matter.
And that’s exactly the type of society conservatives are trying to march
us toward.
