SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
The "Lock and Load" Rhetoric of American Politics Isn't Just a Metaphor
Jan 08, 2011
I'm not saying that putting a bullseye
on Arizona Democrat Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' congressional race - as
Sarah Palin did - was an explicit or intentional invitation to violence.
Nor am I saying that the "Get on Target for Victory"
events held by the guy Giffords beat - "Help remove Gabrielle Giffords
from office Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly" - was the
reason her assassin went after her. This tragedy is still unfolding,
and the questions of motive and incitement will be argued about for a
long time to come.
But I am saying that the "lock and load"/"take up your arms"
rhetoric of American politics isn't just an overheated metaphor. For
years, the language of sports has dominated political journalism, and
discourse about hardball and the horserace and the rest of the macho
athletic lexicon has been a factor in the trivialization of our public
sphere. This has helped dumb down democracy, making a serious national
discussion about anything important too wonky for words.
The "second amendment solution,"
though, does something worse than make politics a branch of
entertainment. It makes it a blood sport. I know politics ain't
beanbag. But words have consequences, rhetoric shapes reality, and much
as we like to believe that we are creatures of reason, there is
something about our species' limbic system and lizard brainstems that
makes us susceptible to irrational fantasies.
If you're worried that violent video games may make kids prone to bad
behavior; if you think that mysogenic and homophobic rap lyrics are
dangerous to society; if you believe that a nipple in a Superbowl
halftime show is a threat to our moral fabric - then surely you should
also fear that the way public and media figures have framed political
participation as a shooting gallery imagery is just as potentially
lethal.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
I'm not saying that putting a bullseye
on Arizona Democrat Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' congressional race - as
Sarah Palin did - was an explicit or intentional invitation to violence.
Nor am I saying that the "Get on Target for Victory"
events held by the guy Giffords beat - "Help remove Gabrielle Giffords
from office Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly" - was the
reason her assassin went after her. This tragedy is still unfolding,
and the questions of motive and incitement will be argued about for a
long time to come.
But I am saying that the "lock and load"/"take up your arms"
rhetoric of American politics isn't just an overheated metaphor. For
years, the language of sports has dominated political journalism, and
discourse about hardball and the horserace and the rest of the macho
athletic lexicon has been a factor in the trivialization of our public
sphere. This has helped dumb down democracy, making a serious national
discussion about anything important too wonky for words.
The "second amendment solution,"
though, does something worse than make politics a branch of
entertainment. It makes it a blood sport. I know politics ain't
beanbag. But words have consequences, rhetoric shapes reality, and much
as we like to believe that we are creatures of reason, there is
something about our species' limbic system and lizard brainstems that
makes us susceptible to irrational fantasies.
If you're worried that violent video games may make kids prone to bad
behavior; if you think that mysogenic and homophobic rap lyrics are
dangerous to society; if you believe that a nipple in a Superbowl
halftime show is a threat to our moral fabric - then surely you should
also fear that the way public and media figures have framed political
participation as a shooting gallery imagery is just as potentially
lethal.
I'm not saying that putting a bullseye
on Arizona Democrat Rep. Gabrielle Giffords' congressional race - as
Sarah Palin did - was an explicit or intentional invitation to violence.
Nor am I saying that the "Get on Target for Victory"
events held by the guy Giffords beat - "Help remove Gabrielle Giffords
from office Shoot a fully automatic M16 with Jesse Kelly" - was the
reason her assassin went after her. This tragedy is still unfolding,
and the questions of motive and incitement will be argued about for a
long time to come.
But I am saying that the "lock and load"/"take up your arms"
rhetoric of American politics isn't just an overheated metaphor. For
years, the language of sports has dominated political journalism, and
discourse about hardball and the horserace and the rest of the macho
athletic lexicon has been a factor in the trivialization of our public
sphere. This has helped dumb down democracy, making a serious national
discussion about anything important too wonky for words.
The "second amendment solution,"
though, does something worse than make politics a branch of
entertainment. It makes it a blood sport. I know politics ain't
beanbag. But words have consequences, rhetoric shapes reality, and much
as we like to believe that we are creatures of reason, there is
something about our species' limbic system and lizard brainstems that
makes us susceptible to irrational fantasies.
If you're worried that violent video games may make kids prone to bad
behavior; if you think that mysogenic and homophobic rap lyrics are
dangerous to society; if you believe that a nipple in a Superbowl
halftime show is a threat to our moral fabric - then surely you should
also fear that the way public and media figures have framed political
participation as a shooting gallery imagery is just as potentially
lethal.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy