Patriarch or Domestic Terrorist, the News Media Will Decide

Hate, the U.S.'s Newest Chemical High

Today, I'm pondering the quote by José N. Harris, “There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Forget the bad, and focus on the good. Love the people who treat you right, pray for the ones who don't. Life is too short to be anything but happy. Falling down is a part of life, getting back up is living.”

What brought this to mind was last night when I clicked to another channel to avoid the commercials and accidentally landed on Fox News.  So against my better judgment, I watched for as long as my bowels would allow.  Talk about drama queens and do they have the hair flick down! 

I know of a person whose TV is stuck on Fox News most of the day and night.  For my own sanity, I can not visit with this person any more.

 And I ponder, how many home-grown terrorists like Frazier Glenn Cross Jr. are we incubating with constant threats coming from the NRA, the insane rants of Rush Limbaugh and the paranoia from Glenn Beck?  Is our society seducing certain individuals with anti-government delusions and right wing fantasies, thus paving the way for more Timothy McVeigh’s to crawl out from under the dark shadows? 

I have never been one to favor BLM's activities toward the wild horses and burros.  However I do have some friends who are BLM rangers and also very nice people.  Nonetheless, this drama at the Bundy Ranch has left a very bad impression of the U.S. Government and law enforcement.  Protesting is the America's freedom of choice, but I can bet my bank account that if I showed up at my state capitol armed to the teeth, using children and women as shields that I would be locked away in a manner of seconds. 

Freedom of speech is a wonderful privilege that we Americans enjoy.  I use the word "privilege" because where does freedom end and terrorism begin when hate is used as a drug more powerful that meth, heroin or crack? 

If the drama of suspicion, paranoia and intolerance continues at what point will innocent people be able to walk away from the drama, I ponder?

The Psychology of Hate

 Dangling the Shinny Object to Manipulate Us

My pondering's of recent have been over a comment that I read from Patty Culhane where she wrote that "to stop a small child from having a tantrum, just hold up a spinning disco ball, it works every time".  Culhane further states that when she wants to describe how to easily distract someone, she says: "Look! Something shiny!"  I can imagine how well this distraction works on a small child, furthermore I see it being used in America today to manipulate adults.  Unfortunately with so many adults, the psychology of hate is being used in place of the shinny disco ball. 

Just consider these examples: 

One such individual has cleaned himself up to appear as the average straight laced dude who wears the baseball cap and is a spokesman for NRA.  He publicly decries: "I'm terrified by where Barrack Obama and his radical America hating leftist goons are leading this great country."  So many see him as a defender of the Second Amendment and our Freedom that they over look the fact that he was once a draft dodger who urinated and defecated on himself to avoid the draft.  And if that is not enough, he was known to advocate enslaving underage females as sex slaves in the lyrics through his music. 

The other example is the Duck Dynasty, which to me in reality would be considered White Trash.  Nonetheless, they are portrayed as a God fearing family that love and care for each other while speaking openly about their faith.  Oh! and their faith just happens to condone intolerance and judging others, while making excuses for them selves.  I recently saw a post on Facebook and was appalled at some of the people who are Liking and identifying with these characters--and in the real world just happen to be clean cut yuppies and nothing like the characters they are portraying. 

Yes, The Psychology of Hate is alive and useful in American society.  In the words of Nichlas Epley, "... we deny human beings their humanity.....from slavery to genocide, society has shown a terrifying ability to disregard the person-hood of others.”

  So the shinny object is dangled to the people using the psychology of hate and many are just too foolish or naive to recognize that they are being used or manipulated for an ulterior agenda.