Why American Swinishness?
The phenomenon of Bible Belt racist, homophobic, uneducated and overall ignoble White ‘Christianity’ is a bit of a mystery to me. It can’t be explained by the mere presence of Christianity, as that has not posed any such problem in Canada, Ireland, France etc. Here are some explanations I can think of behind why such groups exist in that part of the world in particular:
1. A general problem of swinishness in American culture, probably caused by:
1 (a). The excessive individualism/lack of communal spirit (including trust in the government), and hardiness of the people.
1 (b). Wealth inequality. Pockets of poverty exist in America, a ‘rich’ country that can’t be bothered to spend any of its money on its own people. And we all know how differently poor and alienated people behave from those who are well-integrated and comfortable.
America as a culture is so lacking in any sense of social feeling, that it makes me wonder if there is not a deep pathology running through the entire society. There are exceptions, and indeed, the popularity of these exceptions makes sense in this context (the ‘counterculture’ may be an example). In fact, the 60s might have been a collective psychological breakdown from the unnatural individualism that has been foisted upon America by its powers-that-be; a swinging to the opposite extreme.
2. The secularism of the state. Ironically, the Catholic Church seems to exert a sobering effect on people in Canada and elsewhere. This might be because the Catholic Church has a relative religious-institutional monopoly, thus inhibiting the growth of crazies.
P.S. - Speaking of Ireland, I would highly recommend the film Angela’s Ashes, and second to that The Magdalene Sisters.
I agree on the point of individualism being the cause of the cited phenomenon.
| Posted 1 month, 3 weeks agoSocial aloofness within a society may brings out the potential of the individuals but it sure entails many disastrous by-products.
I’m not convinced that such a high level of individualism unleashes the potential of the individual. A person might need a certain level of discipline and social support to have their potential realized.
| Posted 1 month, 3 weeks agoIndividuality brings out the immediate brilliance of individuals by giving them space to nourish and manifest it.And it was perhaps this that lured an entire nation into the delusion that this was the best way to be better than the rest.
| Posted 1 month, 3 weeks agoHowever, I agree, in the long-term balance of gains, social order of some sort sure outweighs these benefits of individuality.
A certain level of individuality brings out the potential of the individual. Any more than that and it makes it more difficult for a person to inhibit useless or harmful urges, thus making their own expressions more wasteful. That could be seen as preventing the growth of the individual rather than allowing it.
| Posted 1 month, 3 weeks agoI agree with this assessment. I hope I am an exception.
Additionally, I haven’t seen mentioned here our culture of fear. This was demonstrated well in Michael Moore’s film “Bowling for Columbine”. The Puritans came here because of their fear of religious persecution, we enslaved Africans, then became afraid of them when their population grew so we had to keep them oppressed, etc. More recently, the government kept us in the Cold War from the 1950’s to the 1980’s, and we were very afraid of the evils of Communism and nuclear attack.
Now, instead of Communists, we fear the terrorists. Of course we don’t fear our home grown terrorists, nor do we suspect them first when a terrorist act is committed. I remember thinking when Oklahoma City was bombed that 1. it was prejudiced to be looking for someone of Middle Eastern descent so automatically, and 2. it was probably a right wing, anti-government, religious zealot who attacked Oklahoma City, which was eerily accurate. However, in Gore Vidal’s book “Perpetual War for Perpetual Peace” he expresses an interesting understanding of McVeigh’s motives, and they are based on the fearful war machine this country has continually built and re-built and used to dominate its citizens and the world since WWII.
We are a culture of fear. While provoking fear to control the masses isn’t new (lest we forget the Crusades, or the Third Reich’s propagandist, Goebbels), right now it is uniquely American. I find it ironic that the first country to establish the vital concept of separation of church and state in its constitution is the same country that has the unique brand of Christianity that instills such fear. So much of what is wrong with our country is this bizarre vitriol that perpetuates the fallacy that our “founding fathers” were all God-fearing Christans.
Sadly, I don’t know what the answers are when it comes to correcting these colossal problems in American society. I try to be positive and focus on helping my fellow Americans to be empathetic and open toward each other and people from other countries. It has to start within one’s self, and hope for a critical mass of shift in thinking.
| Posted 1 month, 3 weeks ago