Insane is the new norm

[Cyrano]

It seems as though the Bush years were just a launching pad for the insanity we are currently seeing nationwide. Palin, Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, Michele Bachmann and countless other head cases seem to be escapees from asylums who have slipped their straight jackets and are running around loose. Not to mention that Limbaugh, Beck, Gingrich, Fox “News” and the entire Republican Party are getting crazier by the hour.

But as whacked out as the fringe right is, it’s appalling and frightening that many people want to see them running the country. I know that bad economic times always bring out the worst in people. But it seems we’ve crossed over into some parallel universe where stupid and/or crazy is considered normal.

I have friends who say “This too shall pass” and others who believe we’ve fallen off the edge of the cliff and there’s no getting back.

Europe went through a few hundred years of barbarism that was called the Dark Ages which finally ended with the renaissance. Do you think we’ll see an American renaissance in our lifetimes? Or do you think we’re fucked up beyond repair?

[no_hypocrisy]

1. More like bullying than insanity.

They want what they want, they want it now, and they don't want to discuss it.

[RandomThoughts]

2. I don't have beer or travel money.

Was that the question?

Because that is insane.

[Cleita]

3. I think we will get over this period.

When I was a child, the kind of nonsense we are hearing from our own ruling class today was what the Nazis and Soviets spewed to their captive audiences, not to mention any number of smaller nation states ruled by despots or a minority party. This was in the days of FDR, Truman and Eisenhower. We always made fun of those political systems and propaganda. Our political cartoonists pointed out the foibles of those ruling classes and elites, not to mention the editorial pages of our newspapers were packed with brilliant essays on those topics.

I imagine we are being made fun of overseas as well considering how stupid those people you list appear to outsiders. Maybe instead of fighting them we need to laugh at them. Go to the rallies and fund raisers and make fun of them. Point out how ridiculous they are. Write LTTE of your local fish wrapper and make fun of them. Then maybe we can have our renaissance.

[Cyrano]

4. Going to their rallies and laughing at them could be dangerous.

Many of them are married to their guns and take them everywhere. And some of them are crazy enough to shoot you for laughing at them.

[Cleita]

6. I agree. We do need to cautious, but damn these idiots

need to be shown the mirror one way or the other.

[grilled onions]

5. The Problem With Waiting Is Damage Control

For every step forward we made the idiots,the ranters,the stark raving lunatics push us back two steps. We can't afford to sit and wait for people to come to their senses.We have to somehow convince them what is wrong with todays political picture. We have to tone down the hate and crank up the compassion. We need to channel the money that is used for destruction,greed and get that flowing into more humane ventures. The world is always watching and right now they have little respect for our ways much like watching a spoiled brat throw a tantrum. We used to be respected in the world,not laughed at. Many thought we were a shining example in so many ways. But today we are a tarnished nation full of hate to so many and allowing a minority of narrow minded individuals,banked by an even narrower minded group. One only sees dollar signs and the other sees total destruction of mankind as the solution but first they have to weed out all those who are not like them. This is NOT what America was meant to be.

[The_Commonist]

7. Renaissance Schmenaissance...

I guess you've forgotten that Europe in the 20th century was the deadliest time and place in human history.

Things are cyclical.
Yes, we are in a new "dark age."
We will get through it.

[Cyrano]

12. Yes, but

between the U.S. and the British Empire, we were able to end the madness of the mid 20th century. No one seems to be available to end our current insanity.

[damntexdem]

8. In the kingdom of the blind, the one eyed man is ...

considered to be deluded.

;-)

[snot]

9. The impt. thing is, efforts to help can lessen the damage, shorten the bad times, etc.

[jberryhill]

10. I have a lot of faith in young people

I'm generally impressed with young people these days.

I wish the boys would pull up their pants but, hey, I think the kids are alright.

[Karenina]

11. Insane is the OLD NORM and we never got enough heads cut off the Hydra.

I vote it's FUBAR! :rofl:

[snagglepuss]

13. Could this situation be a prime example of unintended consequences, namely

the sixties meme which continues to this day to 'question authority'? And before I get I flamed I have lived my life according to that principle and have scars to prove it. What I am saying is that over the years it has been applied to all authority including anything that is a product of higher learning.

Anti-intellectualism has always had a strong presence in America but it seems to be gaining ground, being embraced tith unmitigated pride. Ironically it still enpowers people but never in a way that was intended.

[Cyrano]

15. Anti-intellectualism is why I find it ironic that

Newt Gingrich is popular among so many fringe nuts. His utterances make him seem informed, when in truth he is nothing more than a very dangerous, ignorant, arrogant hate monger. Yet, many to whom Newt is a hero consider him to be "educated" and "enlightened." Go figure.

Palin, on the other hand is among the stupidest people in the world. Her dumbness should be apparent to any casual observer, but she's brought every know nothing in America out of the woodworks.

[Stevepol]

14. Problem is this: when you don't take criminals to trial but just want to look forward,

every nut job in the country comes out from under his or her rock, knowing that there's no cop on the beat and nobody's going to do a damned thing. And the every day person begins to think, "Oh, lying to get a country into a war that kills a million people and destroys a country, that's OK, and destroying a governor elect because he's of a different party, or torturing people, or etc. etc. etc. etc., all that seems to be accepted, so if I talk smack about everything and everybody and steal and lie and do anything I damned well please, that's fine and dandy and in fact that's really the right and moral thing to do."

Refusing to impeach and try criminals etc. has consequences.

[Weird Liberal Head]

16. Response to Insane is the new norm

Well, this has been going on for a while. The conservatives
and the GOP have been radicalizing themselves, with help from
talk radio and Fox News. The reason Bush was a "launching
pad" for all the far-right craziness was because he was a
far-right crazy himself. He appointed far-right Cabinet
members, attorneys, and Supreme Court nominees. He pandered to
the Evangelist and hard-core base of his party. Basically, he
encouraged the far-right-wingers to come out of the woodwork.
It didn't start with him, but he helped it snowball. Sharron
Angle wasn't exactly a prominent politician until she decided
to challenge Senator Reid. Michele Bachmann used Hardball to
air her personal McCarthyist beliefs, and got rewarded with
loyal fans and admirers. Sarah Palin would never have gotten
elected to national office in Alaska if it wasn't a solidly
red state. Rand Paul won the primary because of his family
name, (and the people who practically worship his father).
Glenn Beck came out of nowhere (actually, CNN, where he was
more moderate) and launched a relatively popular Fixed News
show. Limbaugh and Gingrich have revamped themselves to be
even more extreme. The Republican Party and Fox News have been
sliding further and further right. This stuff has been going
on for a while, but it has only recently accelerated with the
Tea Party.

I share your fears. The mainstream public is growing more and
more accepting (or at least more tolerant) of the extreme
political positions of the Tea Party. It is possible that the
Tea Party will make shift the entire nation rightward. It is
possible that our country will descend into anarchy. Your
fears are not unfounded.

But whether or not they will come to pass is up to the nation,
it's government, it's leaders, it's military, but more
importantly, it's up to us.

Not bad for my first Democratic Underground comment, eh?

WLH

[Cyrano]

17. Welcome to DU, Weird Liberal Head

Unfortunately, our government, our leaders, our military, our media and every other entity that holds power is wholly owned by corporate America. They will all follow orders and we know where that can lead.

[KurtNYC]

18. Those people are soldiers in the "War on Culture"

dark ages here we come.

[Cyrano]

19. Dark ages, here we are.