24 July 2005 - 11:05am
HerdThink among the so-called liberal bloggers
We've all seen it this week.
"Don't talk about Roberts, talk about Rove."
"Rove 24/7."
"Roberts is a distraction."
And so on.
It wasn't all that long ago that the so-called liberal bloggers were complaining about the mainstream media's penchant for herd mentality. In the MSM, few will go out on a limb. Their continued ignoring of things like the Downing Street memos has been rightfully criticized.
But now we see the herdthink pressure among the SCLB. "Shut up about Roberts!" they admonish. "Shut up about abortion! I'm pro-choice but it's not important shit. Rove is the real story! Don't divide the party with your pet issues!"
Herdthink. Everyone must toe the line. Everyone must talk about the same thing. Everyone must get behind the leaders.
It's a shameful display. If these SCLB refuse to embrace women's equality and reproductive rights, and are afraid of or reluctant or opposed to going after threats to those very real human rights matters, that's fine. They can think what they want.
But I resent the admonishing that comes from these SCLB, telling us all to follow their lead or risk doom. In their strutting around, fanning their tail feathers, they reveal their true colors. And they emulate the very behavior they themselves have criticized in the mainstream media.
Herdthink.
I'm sure many of these folks fancy themselves leaders, and some of them perhaps have martinet notions that leadership means bullying and browbeating people into following them. One hopes that if any of them make it into public office, they will have learned something about true leadership, consensus building and listening -- really listening -- to the people they claim to represent.
And given the miserable state the Bush administration and their congressional and corporate allies and minions have taken this country in the few short years since 9/11 (when the entire world stood with us), a degree of untoward behavior on the part of opponents from the center and left can be understandable. People are frustrated and angry and afraid.
But now is not the time for the anal retentive response. Now is not the time to be telling people who have legitimate grievances with the way this country is going to just shut up and get in line. Now is not the time to be prescribing certain topics and proscribing others. There is enough dittohead mentality in this country already. Do we really need herdthink on the left? Does it serve anyone's interests besides those leading the herd?
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Comments
Please, MG, keep on beating your drum. Herdthink, as you call it, is indeed destructive.
--|PW|--
If people don't speak up, how can they be heard? The silence from 40%+ of the eligible voters speaks volumes, but to what I have no idea.
Actually, Virginia provides a good example of what's happening. In the gubernatorial race, the Democrat -- Lt. Gov. Kaine -- is dodging bullets on cultural issues and sticking to the meat and potatoes of state governance -- employment reasonable taxes, responsible stewardship of the budget, education, and transportation. Atty. Gen. Kilgore, his opponent, has tried to make inroads with cultural issues such as gun rights and gay rights.
Meanwhile, another Republican, Russell Potts, has entered the race as an independent. He's polling about 9 percent, but he's siphoned votes away from Kilgore with an emphasis on roads and a definite turn away from cultural issues. Meanwhile, the latest polls say that about a third of Virginians are undecided about the whole governor thing.
I think the rousing silence you hear is a slice of the electorate that has lost patience with both parties' extreme wings and tends to pay attention to politics only around election time.
--|PW|--
MG, this article made me want to give you a kiss. I am so tired of the self-proclaimed VERY IMPORTANT BLOGGERS deciding that they know what's best for everyone else and marginalising any and all issues that they deem unimportant. I am beyond puzzled by the sheep-like response of their herds of regular readers. This whole issue is what finally got me blogging, actually. If the Dems keep narrowing their focus in pursuit of the elusive soccer mom & NASCAR dad and deriding abortion, gay marriage, and racial justice as "minority issues" what the hell do they stand for anyway?