Liberal Talking Points to Right Wing Lies
Posted: Tuesday, August 23, 2011
by e
Dhammabucha Rocksprings Meditation
These are counterarguments to right wing lies. This may also be the last chance at civility. If this doesn’t work with the kind of sociopaths that we hear all day on hate radio and faux news, then there is perhaps no other option than what Danny Schechter suggested in his article on Al Jazeera:
“Some of us argue with them, thinking our facts can refute theirs - but at bottom, fanaticism is not neutralized by rational argument. You need countervailing power and a willingness to fight for another vision.”
Manipulative and con artists - people who never recognize the rights of others and see their own self-serving behaviors as permissible. They appear to be charming, yet are covertly hostile and domineering, seeing their victim as merely an instrument to be used. They may dominate and humiliate their victims.
They have a Grandiose Sense of Self and feels entitled to certain things as "their right."
They are pathological Liars and have no problem lying coolly and easily and it is almost impossible for them to be truthful on a consistent basis. Can create, and get caught up in, a complex belief about their own particular Evangelical religion as the only one that counts, and their own powers and abilities. They are extremely convincing and even able to pass lie detector tests.
They have at their core a lack of Remorse, Shame or Guilt, and a deep seated rage which is split off and repressed. They do not see others around them as people, but only as targets and opportunities. Instead of friends, they have victims and accomplices who end up as victims. The end always justifies the means and they let nothing stand in their way.
They have very shallow Emotions. They show what seems to be warmth, joy, love and compassion, but it is really more feigned than experienced and serves an ulterior motive. Outraged by insignificant matters, yet remaining unmoved and cold by what would upset a normal person. Since they are not genuine, neither are their promises.
They have no capacity for real Love.
They have diabolical needs for stimulation
They love living on the edge. Verbal outbursts and physical punishments are normal. Promiscuity and gambling are common.
They have a callousness and lack of empathy, unable to empathize with the pain of their victims, having only contempt for others' feelings of distress and readily taking advantage of them.
They have poor behavioral controls and impulsive rage and abuse, alternating with small expressions of love and approval produce an addictive cycle for abuser and abused, as well as creating hopelessness in the victim.
They believe they are all-powerful, all-knowing, entitled to every wish, no sense of personal boundaries, no concern for their impact on others.
Many times they have had early behavior problems and juvenile delinquency and sometimes a history of behavioral and academic difficulties, yet "gets by" by conning others. They have problems in making and keeping close friends; they have aberrant behaviors such as cruelty to people or animals, stealing, etc.
They are fundamentally irresponsible and unreliable and not concerned about wrecking others' lives and dreams. They are oblivious or indifferent to the devastation they cause. They do not accept blame themselves, but blame others, even for acts they obviously committed.
Usually they hide a promiscuous sexual behavior and infidelity
They lack a realistic life plan in lieu of a parasitic lifestyle tending to move around a lot or make all-encompassing promises for the future. Usually a poor work ethic but exploits others effectively.
And here is how they lie, hoping that if they repeat it enough, people will believe it. This is what they espouse as truth, followed by the actual truth.
Lie #1. The Constitution is based on a belief in God Almighty.
The Truth: It has often been seen on the Internet that to find God in the Constitution, all one has to do is read it, and see how often the Framers used the words "God," or "Creator," "Jesus," or "Lord." Except for one notable instance, however, none of these words ever appears in the Constitution, neither the original nor in any of the Amendments. The notable exception is found in the Signatory section, where the date is written thusly: "Seventeenth Day of September in the Year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven". The use of the word "Lord" here is not a religious reference, however. This was a common way of expressing the date, in both religious and secular contexts. This lack of any these words does not mean that the Framers were not spiritual people, any more than the use of the word Lord means that they were. What this lack of these words is expositive of is not a love for or disdain for religion, but the feeling that the new government should not involve itself in matters of religion. In fact, the original Constitution bars any religious test to hold any federal office in the United States.
Lie #2. Marriage can only be between a man and a woman.
The Truth: Homosexuality is a natural biological occurrence and not allowing people to marry based on that is blatant discrimination.
- Legally in a secular country you cannot side with religious dogma. Above all the constitution guaranteed freedom of individual rights.
Lie #3. Women should be subservient to men and married.
The Truth: This one is too ridiculous to even comment on but is an underlying belief of right wing radicals.
Lie #4. The government has no business interfering between a parent and their child.
The Truth: Yes, the government, or anybody else, has not only the legal right, but the responsibility of protecting a child from an insane parent. If the child is being abused, beaten, or not being provided with medical treatment in lieu of some voodoo religious belief; the parent needs to be removed from the situation.
Lie #5. No family unit except the family unit as prescribed by Christian fundamentalists is allowed.
The Truth: Individual rights trump fundamentalist beliefs. Nobody has to wear head scarves in America. Nobody tells real Americans what to do. Two men in love can raise a child and many times can do so better than an alcoholic bible thumper.
(Make sure and read part 2 coming soon, and please include in the comments section anysuggestions you may have for more taking points. I'll include them in Part 2).
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)e,
Lucid and well made points. Sociopathy is often misunderstood. Even in my philosophy forum group, the initial consensus during a discussion several years ago was that a sociopath/psychopath is a serial murderer. Not true. Although all serial murderers are sociopaths, not all sociopaths are serial murderers. Some, many are in positions of power and appear as upstanding and proactive community and business leaders. It opened a new and very thoughtful discussion.
I agree with your point about it being 'pointless' to use rational argument with such people. This is true. I encounter this often. But, to me, rational and temperate argument is what I am inclined towards, even when it is an obvious 'failure'. There are times, however, when the irrational and heated 'opposition' will ultimately concede they are more intimated by being wrong than they are by my being right. I don't care if I'm right or wrong, that is never my point. It is always about rationality and logic, and encouraging others to think. A real reward would be in only changing their attitude, but of course that is completely in their power and should never be in another's. It becomes difficult when we are looking at the possibility of fundamentalism or rigidity becoming the status quo and/or the direction of governance. Then we head back to something equivalent or reminiscent of the Inquisition, whether religious based or something else. As it is with unsustainable climate issues, it is something which affects us all and beyond ourselves, and therefore cannot be ignored.
What I believe we can do is provide the rational and the alternative viewpoint to open pathways for those who are not fundamentalists in whatever beliefs so they don't get sucked in to the single quagmire. Most beliefs, if not driven by some form of sociopathy, seem to be driven by fear and self-doubt. That makes them easily preyed upon, for sociological reasons, because the most natural thing to do when afraid is to take the hand which is proffered, no matter whose hand it is.
I'm glad you wrote this article.
Thanks Hannah for a terrific response. Gadhafi is a good example of a sociopath, an unenlightened dictator. There is no reasoning with this kind of power freak. The Libyans with a little help showed him the door. When I was in high school, three bullies taunted me. One day I got fed up and almost put one of them in the hospital. That ended that. As much as we hate to admit it, life at times requires fighting fire with fire. Nobody should ever be subject to oppression. The right wing is oppressing the working man and woman, especially the defenseless poor children and has been doing so for 30 years since Reagan. I draw the line. No more compromises. It's my way or the country goes down in flames. I don't care. My idealism now is the important thing. I would rather that happen than be subject to an insane theocracy. Let the chips fall where they may. I've had it. (Stay tuned for Part 2 as soon as this gets off the front page.) Oh, and if you have any suggestions regarding talking points, let me know.
If the preservation of our constitutional republic depends on the rational thought of a few good men we are in deep, deep doo-doo. Hitler was the latest, greatest example of how intoxicating the promise of power can be to an emotionally repressed society. If what we're experiencing in America today is not the same show that we saw in pre-WWII Germany, the road is certainly fraught with many of the same signs. Ignorance is quickly becoming a nationally accepted behavior, and elimination of competing views has already become a nationally accepted action.I suppose it will have to come down to the point where workers are no longer respected and put out into the streets. Although this is beginning, where people cannot even afford housing any longer, and only low paying jobs are available with no benefits, people have not woken up to the fact that it is not their fault - it is directly the fault of the obstructionist Republicans. These are bad people. If you are a Republican and don't think that you are bad people, look at your representatives. They are you.
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