The Culture Wars
At last count, there are about 175 far-right nonprofit organizations operating in the country. By ‘far-right’ I mean on the spectrum of thought, political and otherwise, organizations that are not just conservative, but radically so … the ultra-nationalists, the authoritarians operating in their own ecosphere. It is not a pejorative term, it is actually a description they prefer and are immensely proud of. They want you to know that in their considered opinion the country has lost its way. They also want you to feel terrible about it. The hard core seek to infuse academic legitimacy into studies such as Project 2025, though calling it a study is a very long stretch. It’s a manifesto, an ultra-nationalist wish list … and hit list.
That list is long, led by the most obvious and most contentious: abortion, gun control, separation of church and state, privacy issues, environmental realities, sexual orientation and preference, censorship, even art and history. That the last two are even on any list is remarkable all by itself, though the ‘warrior patriots’ who are the most adamant, the angriest, are those demanding much of the country’s history be erased, forgotten, buried. They proclaim their motives are pure, their cause is for our preservation, and that Jesus was white. They will not tolerate otherwise.
Now, is this all Republicans? Not at all. It’s just that over the past few years, the GOPers making the most noise and waving the largest flags — including ones that desecrate the real Stars and Stripes — the ones dominating the news cycles with the most provocative and absurd claims, have drowned out the otherwise thoughtful and sane in the party; the conscientious Republicans, the ones who would be bipartisan on issues and who were once in charge; with some notable exceptions, they seem to have either gone into hiding or voted out. More’s the pity, because a healthy debate usually produces the best result. Debate has been replaced by defamation. A badge of infamy has replaced the American flag on their lapels. And it’s not ‘just what happened’ to them, they chose to be what they’ve become. The culture wars have poisoned politics and has metastasized into the most basic systems that allow clean air to flow. Anything with even a whiff of inclusiveness is viewed as some sort of Marxist plot. Some days it’s hard to breathe.
For many, it’s about the so-called Cult that’s been formed, a lost, pissed-off, omni-directed hate group seemingly incapable of rational or coherent thought. This group has conflated gossip with real news. Taken to where we are now, they have seamlessly and disingenuously conflated what is real and what is not, and it’s not taken them very long to get there. Social media has done its job, and done a job on us. Whoever could have imagined that conflation, just combining two things into one, would result in such hysteria, such loss, such cruelty.
Jokes and memes aside, the culture wars have spiraled into real ones, the kinds that kill. With the help of a Court that has fueled the country’s divide:
Denying a woman’s right to choose what to do with her own body has caused an increase in maternal mortality in every single state that has imposed restrictions.
Ignoring any restrictions on the sale of assault weapons has resulted in the deaths of thousands of children and adolescents over the past three years alone. The fact that most people in the country are aware of this, and yet continues, is as much of an indictment on sanity as its possible to have on any subject. Any subject. Why? Because some ‘gun enthusiast’ needs an AR-15 to shoot at ground squirrels in the backyard? It’s sick, and the majority of Americans know it’s sick.
Separation of church and state is enshrined in the U.S. Constitution, but the majority of the GOP who claim to know and wrap their arms around this document will tell you otherwise. Why? Because it’s central to the authoritarian rules they wish to impose. It’s also a convenient tool to introduce the one religion that has met with their approval. There’s just one, mind you, and it’s a version not found in the Bible. And we must not forget censorship and book-banning that’s become part and parcel of their new doctrine.
Right now, it seems as if the country has doubled-down on the dangerous divide these culture clashes have created. Civility and debate can so easily give way to real violence. We’re seeing incidents rear its ugly head way too often now, particularly as arguments grow into class-culture conflicts and move beyond the boundaries of religiosity. Extremes on both sides, left and right, are perilous. But when one side proclaims theirs is a position rooted in biblical or ecclesiastic tradition, when there seems no middle ground, no place for compromise, leadership must prevail. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz must win this election.
Must.