Here in North Carolina over the past election cycle, we had a despicable human being named Vernon Robinson who challenged Brad Miller, one of our most progressive Congressmen. Somewhere along the way, I took to calling Mr. Robinson, “Vermin” in honor of his sleazy ways. In the wake of the election, several people – including my wife – questioned the wisdom of my stooping to being a name caller. I decided they all deserve an answer:
Why I’m a mean old name-caller.
Name-calling hasn’t always been my style – I used to be profoundly reasonable. But then the neocon cabal came into power. It started with the Hunting of the President (Clinton) and culminated in the Swiftboating of John Kerry. And got even worse from there.
And all the while, the reasonable people on the left steered clear of hitting back hard. They zipped their lips and tried to make logical arguments that would persuade the muddled middle to think things through. It didn’t work. The muddled middle slid farther and farther to the right, while a natural tendency toward political correctness emasculated the left. Without the neocon “killer instinct,” the left languished, the right flourished. And the mainstream media ignored the intellectual progressives.
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When I started blogging in earnest earlier this year, it became clear that even the mainsteram media were part of the problem, firmly under the spell of the free-market fundamentalists. Here in North Carolina, that gave free rein to a conservative think tank called the John Locke Foundation. Ted Vaden at the Raleigh N&O described the John Locke Foundation as a “multi-million-dollar opinion manufacturer” – and he was right. All that money was buying a lot of influence, wiht no one calling bullshit.
I decided to join the fight and found I was armed with a pea shooter in the middle of heavy artillery. Nobody paid attention to my rational criticism and I got pissed.
My first naming opportunity emerged spontaneously. Following the trail of JLF money in the run up to the primaries, it became clear that a man named Art Pope was pulling lots of strings. And thus “the Puppetmaster” was born. His executive director, John Hood, soon became the “Stagemanager,” and all the little flunkies generating opinions for JLF became known as “Puppets.” The nicknames came in handy as I dissected their organization, and they soon caught on among my friends at BlueNC. Why? Because they were accurate descriptors of the individuals and organizations involved.
From there, the trend toward accuracy in naming continued. Up Chuck Taylor. Flipper Hayes. Vermin Robinson. AWOL George. Names chosen to evoke negative reactions to individuals who shill for the Party of Greed.
Some have called this practice childish, others say it just alienates independents. Neither of those criticisms bothers me one bit. I don’t pretend to represent the mainstream anymore. My job is to attack and ridicule people who are destroying democracy, to stir up the base, to make thoughtful people on the left seem all the more reasonable by comparison.
I hope I don’t have to keep this up forever, because I don’t much like it. But keep it up I will until balance has been restored. I am not prepared to “play nice” with criminals and profiteers who have quite nearly destroyed this country. My practice of name-calling is nothing compared to the obscenity of their beliefs and actions.
I believe that our side needs to be pulling hard to the left if we hope to move this country back to the middle. Some folks will do that through fighting for progressive policies, but we need the equivalent of Bill O’Reilly and Rush to push left-wing frames.
To me, the name calling like Puppetmaster, Stage Manager, and Flipper Hayes just reinforce left-wing frames. No problem.
Like I said on many of time I say much of anything that is my opinion…we have to fight fire with fire to win. That is the only thing the other side seems to understand…That is just who they are..so fight we much with the same ammo that use…no? otherwise, I am mild mannered little old lady out here that likes peace…hugs A….
As a old rhetoric teacher, I’d like to point out the importance of knowing your audience. I use names and words here that I wouldn’t use if I were addressing a more general audience. Here, I can vent my frustration at the nastiness of the BushCo GOP. But I wouldn’t say “BushCo” if I were addressing, say, my co-workers. Some of them are Repub’s. Why alienate them right off and guarantee that they won’t listen to me?
THIS IS IMPORTANT: The content stays the same, but the style changes to fit the audience. If you think this is slimy, consider this. You are really angry about something you care about. What words you use to tell to your closest friends about it? What words would you use to tell your grandmother about it? Your preacher? Your child? Your bartender?
Nothing is ever lost by doing the right thing. Doing the wrong thing is never right. The ends do not justify the means. Nasty means lead to nasty ends. I don’t think we need to get in the mud with the Swift-boat types. You can be be forceful in response and attack without using nasty personal assaults. We need to be an alternative to the Rush, O’Reilly,& Roves, not a mirror reflection.
Devilstower addressed this topic over on big orange . He so far exceeded my sparse comments that I urge everyone to follow the link and read his diary. This is an important issue right now.
Thanks for the link to the Devilstower diary. Interesting and provocative.
Maybe I’m rationalizing, but I feel like my use of ridicule and attack is very tactical and effective for specific purposes. But it’s good to be reminded that getting carried away can be destructive.
Most days I swing between punch punch hug hug, and I do notice a deep energy drain when I get too hostile. Which is a problem since I’ve been hostile for almost six years now.
Thanks again.
NO problem, happy to supply the link. You brought up a provocative topic that we all encounter everyday in blogs, the MSM, at work, etc. I don’t read people who write obscenity laced diatribes. What’s the point? There’s nothing productive there.
Satire definitely has a place in politics. Making people laugh at candidates is an effective tool to use. But satire is tricky. If the tone is off, satire becomes vulgar name calling. Satire must have wit and build on the truth. Molly Ivins is one of my favorite Texans and favorite writers. Her use of satire is devastating.