So this is broadly how it has gone:
a. climate change denial acclimatised the Right into believing grand conspiracy theories (even though it was not explicitly called such, but what else could it be when scientific body after scientific body, from all nations, continued year after year to not only acknowledge the science was right, but became more certain about it?)
b. Obama triggered underlying American racism and Hilary Clinton became a hate figure over feminism;
c. Trump came along as a leader endorsing the open statement of populist racism, anti-feminism and climate change denial, as well as making explicit a long simmering Manichean view of politics that all opposition to Right wing views is inherently evil and works undercover to destroy the God fearing people with their (ridiculous) figurehead Trump. Conspiracy belief is thus elevated to new heights.
d. COVID response is completely politicised primarily due to Right wing conspiracy belief, which transcends even the views of their idiot leader (Trump) when he recommended vaccination. [I suspect people will quibble about this, and say that libertarian opposition to lockdown is not a nutty as anti-vax conspiracy - I would say that ideological blinkers of libertarianism are only marginally less dire than anti-vax conspiracy - they are still virtually impossible to argue with.]
e. All of this has been able to fester and spread like never before because of both social media and the greed and power hunger of Rupert Murdoch and a cast of smaller broadcasters.
I just thought I would put this summary down again, after reading the absolute rubbish circulating on the post - Catallaxy blogs. (I hesitate to link to it, but this one today by the increasingly obnoxious Arky is typical.) They are in a particular period of pain at the moment because of the Scott Morrison turn around on climate change, with the dis-ingenous endorsement of the Murdoch press.
It never occurs to them that they simply made the wrong call on climate change, and instead of acknowledging that, they choose to double down on grand conspiracy. You know, the education system is just liberal/Marxist indoctrination, etc. And this is readily extended to their approach to COVID - the previously long standing institutional sources of expertise are not to be trusted, just like they cannot be on climate change, and amateurs in their sheds (mostly men) are capable of just a good an analysis as anyone else. And most stupidly, they think it is all about people wanting power over them, when it is they who are supporting authoritarian regimes around the world, as long as they share their conservative world view.
A ship of (mostly) old fools, and with a strong streak of religious conservatism thrown in now as well.
Completely unable to be engaged in reasoned argument.
The problem for conservatives is that they keep losing. They thought Trump was the winner and he got trashed in the election so they must believe it was rigged despite multiple court cases and audits finding no evidence of that. Trump is finished, apparently his business empire is crumbling and politically his base has increasingly distanced itself from him.
ReplyDeleteI have concerns about the COVID response hence have some sympathy with conservatives views on that issue but they take it too far and don't seem to appreciate that the Covid response has nothing to do with a stealthy attempt by governments to exert more control over the populace. Governments clearly have stuffed up, the vaccines are far from perfect, but promoting alternative therapies that lack evidence and claiming COVID is just a bad flu is ridiculous.
The conservatives have left Morrison and Co in a very difficult position. On the ABC last night I was surprised to hear that the reason the coalition is going green is because so many inner city liberal voters take AGW very seriously and potentially will switch their vote to independents; especially with Holmes a Court sponsoring candidates in those electorates. The coalition finds itself snookered because it must retain those seats but at the same time embracing AGW alienates a conservative base that will vote for the dipsticks like Kelly led by Palmer. The only saving grace for the coalition there is that preference flows will most probably go to the coalition.
Steve all this is mute for me. I can't stand the dishonesty of Morrison and the corruption so on display by the coalition; easily the most corrupt government in my lifetime. So while I'm certainly no fan of boring and trite Albanese the lies and corruption of the Morrison government, irrespective of the policy positions, alone compels me to never offer an endorsement of that government. Finally it is very strange that a government led by the most outwardly evangelical Prime Minister this country has ever had should is so corrupt and dishonest.
I don't find much to disagree with there, John.
ReplyDeleteWhat really annoys me is the "doubling down". Instead of admitting being pretty much conned by a handful of contrarian scientists, and a larger number of ideologically motivated commentators, they prefer to deny what the updated graphs show, and even the evidence before their eyes on TV routinely, and prefer to make a charge into ever deeper conspiracy theory or diversion. (Such as - "you liberals think a man can be pregnant, so of course climate change is rubbish.")
I said it a long time ago the further we go the more evidence for climate change the louder will be the denials.
ReplyDeleteWe have small evidence
Its just the persistence of the lies that break the weaker people down and they give up. Takes about 30 years. Same with aether denial, Einsteins rubbish and lies more generally. You dumb leftist retards don't think at all so they make the announcement and you already cave in. But the conservatives all cave after enough years.
ReplyDelete