The Myopic Madness of the GOP
August 20, 2011
Pretty much the entire field of Republican presidential candidates embraces hostility toward the federal government, driven either by religious fervor or a belief in unregulated capitalism. The GOP hopefuls are appealing to a large subset of the U.S. population that resents the modern world and the lessons of history, as Lawrence Davidson notes.
By Lawrence Davidson
A phenomenon that I call “natural localism” concentrates most people’s attention to the limited geographical area within which they live, work and study.
Inside their local zone, people can have first-hand knowledge, but they are also led (again quite naturally) to conform their views to those of their neighbors, their friends, their fellow workers, their religious congregations, etc.
In many of these categories, there will be personalities who stand out as leaders and they often have great influence in shaping the perceptions of local populations.
Beyond their local zone most people know little of what is real. Many folks are simply indifferent to the world beyond their own personal sphere.
And, most of those who might periodically become interested in what is happening on the other side of the hill, will tend to go with the opinions of their community leaders and, of course, the mass media.
continues...
http://consortiumnews.com/2011/08/20/the-myopic-madness-of-the-gop/
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