2012-03-23

Social mood and the political blame game

When there is violence that is seen as politically motivated, the right-wing often takes the blame because the right-wing is out of power in the West (and most of the world). The Western world exists in a left-wing political order established centuries ago and right-wing governments (monarchies and non-universal suffrage republics, as two examples) have been dying out ever since. However, the right-wing doesn't look so weak in Europe anymore. Toulouse: The Dark Side of Diversity
As the gunman had targeted a Jewish school and the bullets were identical to those used in the murders of two North African soldiers and one black soldier, suspicion fell on some neo-Nazi racist.

And in France’s tight presidential campaign, left and center moved swiftly to exploit the atrocities by charging the French right with creating an atmosphere in which such racist horrors can occur.

...When John F. Kennedy was assassinated by a Marxist in Dallas, the Goldwater right was charged with creating an atmosphere of hate that had made it likelier to happen there. When Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot by a crazed gunman who wounded a dozen others and slaughtered six, moral responsibility was laid at the feet of Sarah Palin.
But then the true story came out shortly thereafter:
Unfortunately for the French left, however, by Wednesday, the mass murderer had been identified as a homegrown Salafist jihadi and self-styled member of al-Qaida who had spent time in Afghanistan and Pakistan and been under surveillance for years by French intelligence.

Le Pen seized on the news to blast the left, which had sought to blame the atrocities on her, and charged the French government with underestimating the Islamist threat and being lax on national security.

...“The threat of Islamic fundamentalism has been underestimated. ... (I) have been talking about this for months and months, and the political class has rejected (me). Some are going to have difficulty explaining themselves, but I have a clear conscience.”
The left is losing power in Europe after gaining power for centuries and reaching extreme dominance at the turn of the 21st century. In a situation such as this in America, where the left is still more dominant, the right still ends up taking the blame. Although Gifford's shooter was crazy, the left still blames Palin and the Tea Party for their rhetoric and tone. In France, this strategy is backfiring because the right is ascendant.

No comments:

Post a Comment