A mashup that showcases two of my biggest intellectual interests

[snowywolfowl]

What can I say? I've always enjoyed learning about periods in history where a country experiences dangerous mass insanity (like Rwanda, or the Khymer Rouge) and I also love dystopian art, literature and other media.  This video is just a perfect mash-up of those two interests.

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So why did I post this? Well lets just say sometimes art can hold up a

Comments

[snowywolfowl]

I had a weird moment a few months back during the Canadian federal election where I realized that in my daily thought experiment of "who would I vote for right now" I have NEVER had a moment where the answer was the Conservative or the Republican*. To be honest it floored me to realize that because that's going back all the way to the early 1990's. In all that time, through countless disappointments with other parties, major scandals, episodes of governmental incompetence and serious character flaws that side of the political aisle has NEVER been able to put anyone forward that I felt even "ok whatever" for. That is the sign of a dying party when a middle of the road swing voter like myself can't find a way in over 20 years to like them.

There's a lot of reasons for that and the leadership vacuum you mentioned is a huge one. When a Nixonian figure like Stephen Harper is the best and most successful right wing politician in North America then things are bleak. There's also the fact that the right wing has made its tent too big and invited inside individuals who have truly radically different values than what the Republican and Conservative parties say they stand for. Its fine to have passion but it must be tempered with an understanding that one has to be willing to compromise in order to govern. Deeply held beliefs are worthy of respect but they can't be allowed to overrule facts, nor can they be an excuse to deny the research needed to discover those facts. Lastly violence can never be part of the political dialogue. You don't get to take over federal buildings with guns and say that's a valid expression of protest. Likewise you can't have a presidential candidate saying lets beat up protesters and muzzle the press and pretend that is civilized democracy. It wasn't in the 1930s and its not now. Hopefully Trumpo Mussolini can be reminded of that.

You are right that you and your fellow citizens are living in interesting times. America is at a very serious crossroads in its development as a nation. This election and how the parties respond to it will likely determine if America remains a democracy with an ironclad committment to rule of law and civil rights or if the 1776 experiment is over.

I don't envy you. I don't envy any of us.

*Its a hypothetical thought experiment for myself and not meant to tell anyone how to vote. Since the US has such a massive influence on Canada we sort of have to watch what's happening there and plan for how it will likely affect us.

[padawansguide]

"That is the sign of a dying party when a middle of the road swing voter like myself can't find a way in over 20 years to like them."

This is the crux of it here too - the GOP has gone SO far right that though they revere Reagan, he'd be WAY too liberal for them now. The conservatives have strengthened their extreme base, but lost nearly everyone else. I am not the only moderate Republican they lost back during the Bush era. (Palin was the last nail in that coffin.) And they have actually sent me scrambling the other way in reaction. The candidate I now most agree with is Bernie. Though I would vote for pretty much anyone over Trump/Cruz/Kasich/Rubio.

The fact that they couldn't come up with a single person who seemed reasonable to anyone but their extreme base just shows they have lost the ability to appeal to anyone but extremists.

This article someone posted this morning does a good job summarizing the GOP's issues and the rise of Trump.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/03/how-trump-re-branded-the-gop-213745

I do have hope that the majority of the country is horrified by Trump. He's got a very vocal minority of followers. (What's scary is how loud and proud they are about their offensive viewpoints.)

[snowywolfowl]

Sorry to take so long. I'm in the crazy season at work right now but you make some great points (and the article is good too).

I think ultimately the reason I'm so disappointed with the right side of the aisle in North American politics is that there are some things on the traditional right side of the aisle that I agree with. Its just like you said the extremists have hijacked the party and are so far right that they're unrecognizable anymore to moderate Republicans or Red Tories, which is something I suspect I might be if it still existed as a credible presence in Canadian politics. What can I say? I agree with a properly run social safety net, individual freedom and liberty, reasonable taxes and fiscal prudence, a reasonably equipped military, science based policy, environmental protection, and capitalism that isn't so completely unfettered that its allowed to destroy the economy.
But since that seems to be practically Maoist in today's climate all I can say is go Bernie! He crushed it in today's primaries too. :-)

Oh, and did you see the bird that landed on his podium? If I believed in omens that would be a good one.

[padawansguide]

No worries - things are busy here too.

"But since that seems to be practically Maoist in today's climate..." Yep - and that is the crux of the problem, really. The right has shifted SO far right that Nixon and Reagan look like liberals.