A few years ago Al Gore released his movie / book aptly named “An
Inconvenient Truth.” Hardly anyone desires to know the world as-we-know-it is
ceasing to exist in a condition suitable to human sustainability. We’re on the
fast-track to extinction, but one wouldn’t know it listening to major media or
pandering politicians. Gore’s film failed to gain the notoriety of “Star Wars”
or “Avatar.” The only horror/adventure movies that do sell are fiction. Human
nature tunes out imminent danger – at least of the factual. Imagining myths is
convenient; reality is not.
Meanwhile, the polar caps melt into the sea, oceans cover low lands, raging storms pound coastlands, and whole species evaporate into history. There’s no doubt among scientists, just the world’s myth-lovers – the religious right – which obstinately stands on its prophetic interpretation of Messianic Millennial where the righteous chosen rule over the defeated unbelievers on a salvaged planet distinguished by a theocratic caste system. They’d rather believe a lie than be damned by truth. “Planet of the Apes” is more acceptable than a human race dying of self-inflicted climate change.
As we approach the point of no-return, the political focus will reverse course, naturally. But too late. How often do we hear of environmental issues during these critical decades?
Republicans are trapped in their self-built bubble while Democrats are too timid in alienating fence-sitters and the few fundamentalists among them. Blue dogs are as damaging as rabid rightwingers. Nothing of importance can squeak through gridlock – no gun safety, no affordable, universal healthcare, no jobs-bill, no budget, no immigration reform, no fair taxes. And, of course, no environmental legislation; it’s last on their list. Only ceremonial bills of insignificance make it past Boehner’s block and McConnell’s filibuster.
As long as there’s a sizable minority of Republicans, all good for the country will be choked, DOA if even proposed.
Last fall, Arkansas elected its first Republican majority in both state houses since Reconstruction. The GOP’s focus during the fall, of course, was “jobs-jobs-jobs.” (Same as the national party’s emphasis during campaign seasons.)
As Republicans assumed position in January of this year, it was like someone opened the gates of hell in Little Rock. First things they did were to go after women’s bodies, African-American voters, and making it legal to carry guns in church. Impressive. They scream “JOBS” but act like rabid lunatics the moment they arrive.
The reason people of the right act as they do is because they accept CONVENIENT LIES – commonly known as “myths.” They don’t believe in science, but believe fairy tales. Like children tucked in bed, they’d rather hear fantasies than facts. After all, storybook accounts improve a night’s sleep; science doesn’t.
FOX and right radio serve enabling roles of the good parent at the child’s bed. Nothing of truth or contradiction to myth may come out of their mouths or their roles would be compromised. The child is the mass of rightwing believers that deny the truth in order to arrive at the fantasyland of their imagination – a land built on myths and religious dogma. The nation remains immature as a result, unable to avert an environmental catastrophe of biblical proportions because of their biblical interpretations.
As the intensity of hurricanes increases, crops fail under blistering summers, deserts creep and oceans rise, the political focus will gradually change, but too late. The fingers of blame will be worthless at that point. But we all know at this stage what will have been the cause for no adequate prevention to world calamity. Nothing of progress can now be accomplished given our political climate; so how can we affect the physical climate? Our individual efforts of green behavior will certainly be canceled by a rightwing mesmerized U.S. and an emerging China.
Truth is stranger than fiction? Perhaps fear of the “strange” is the power behind the movement to hide from reality. At least in contemporary U.S. There is something drastically wrong in America when the same political party that tries to take away voting rights, civil rights, human rights, religious rights, social rights, and constitutional rights encourages people to take up arms in the fear that “government” is taking away their rights.
The same myth-believing, self-righteous charlatans that crucified Christ are certain to crucify the planet. If only Republicans would shrink into a powerless minority by 2014, but they won’t – given our traditional voting pattern and gerrymandered districts. Some progressive Democrats are voicing optimism, but I cannot due to reality check. The people of convenient lies are fated to overpower those of inconvenient truths.