Creative Politics

No, I’m not talking about how some politicians either take both sides of the issue to be covered on all bases, or to make their single decision sound like it encompasses all people, I’m talking about something more sinister.

I am growing more and more convinced that, for their own ends, people have taken issues that hopped along quietly in the background without controversy and turned them into political hot-button debates designed to split the public into “red” and “blue”.

My theory is that big cities, especially high profile cities like New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles (Boston’s population isn’t huge, but it clings tenaciously to the perception that it’s one of the foremost cities in the nation – it is one of my favorite cities for sure, but its own illusionary preeminence could stand to be ripped down a peg or four), are targets for these groups or people. After all, where you have millions of people (again, Boston special case) you are going to find hundreds if not thousands of people who are either 100% malleable or who actually feel strongly that ONLY Peruvian hemp should be used in ropes and any other kind of material is dangerous to the world’s ecology, threatening a complete destruction of all life on the planet.

Thus, in order to gain special interest money, or to hamper efforts of normal citizens attempting to continue our country’s success, they create a special interest group. Some groups have solid facts. Some groups represent ideas that really do make a difference. Most groups are either completely based on junk science or have created controversy over an issue that was not controversial until they stuck their noses in it for their own reasons.

There are many problems with this system, but I think perhaps the gravest, and the one about which I am blogging, is that when you shine the light on these issues, these background “non-controversies”, eventually the fact that your issue is TERRIBLY minor, and supported (or at least tolerated) by perhaps 5% to 15% of the population, causes legislation and restriction to be put into place that decides very much against what you wanted. You end up with LESS freedom and MORE restriction rather than legitimizing your cause.

I believe this is done intentionally and maliciously by those who would undermine our country (and you don’t have to be a conspiracy theorist to believe there are well funded groups out there who can afford to spend a little money here or there to get these special interests started). I believe they are successful because what they end up doing is besmirching those who are simply trying to run the country in a sane, logical manner. I believe their theory is that each one of us has a special interest (and if you don’t, God love you, FIND ONE!) and that eventually they will have turned us all against the voice of reason.

That is why it is creative politics. They are creating issues in order to destroy their political adversaries. Next time someone tries to start up a movement to raise awareness about your special interest I hope you give them a swift kick in the ass and point them to the border. They aren’t out for your special interest. They’re out to manipulate you through fear-based anger.