Projection and Transference

Elder from Fraters sends me this link, entitled Talking Back To Hate Radio.

We at hate radio are always delighted when people talk back - but don't be surprised if we talk back, back.

The author, Mr. Romm, starts:

Going to the Minnesota State Fair was a bit depressing, since I saw at least two smaller radio stations that I'd never heard of that were spewing the most gawd-awful junk. As one blogger, a self-confessed Reaganite Republican, put it: "The Patriot; talk radio for those who think Jason Lewis is too much a G-dless commie."

Hey! He's quoting me!

Although not in the sense of "comprehending what I was talking about...

The US is becoming Iran.

Dittoheads believe lies and they don't believe the truth. Right wingers are anal in defense of their lies. I used to say that "a conservative is someone who was improperly toilet trained". But that doesn't fully explain the pathological loathing of Coulter and others. Perhaps they were raped by their fathers? Counselling would help. Maybe meds. But until then, you have to match their vehemence, if not their scatalogical insults.

They're lying. They know they're lying, otherwise they wouldn't need to hear the lies over and over.

That's right. We're lying liars, big fat liars, and Bush lied and people died - and we're the ones that need constant repitition.

You catch them in a lie -- and you will -- and shove it back at them, and they'll just sit there with a stupid grin on their face as they desperately pretend that their whole worldview hasn't come crashing down on them.

Really?

Mr. Romm; please stop by the NARN booth at the Fair this year; let us have with both barrels (NOTE TO ARDENT, ADAMANT LIBERALS who believe that conservatives were "raped by their fathers": that's a figure of speech). Tell us what you think. Jerk the rug out of under our worldviews! Shatter our illusions! Or try. In any case, I doubt you'll find a stupid grin in the house, except for the one we get when we collectively think in unison "How sweet - fresh rhetorical meat!".

But I digress:

You will never convince them, at least not in one conversation. Facts will not change their mind. You must match their passion on an emotional level. Remember: You're the good guys and, though they hate you, they are not the enemy. Is it worth arguing with people who get all their opinions from Pravda (aka Fox) and hate radio? Up to you.

Hate you?

In the words of that great icon of conservatism, Rick Blaine, "I suppose if I thought about you at all, I wouldn't think much of you". Don't over-inflate your importance in our worldview, Mr. Romm. Because it's rare when arguing with a "liberal", from Peter Beinart down to the crank union snuffy in the cafeteria, that "facts" of any sort are deployed. The "Bush is AWOL" meme was debunked four years ago, yet otherwise-intelligent lefties still chant it like it's a rosary, committed firmly to memory so it can be recited with no thought.

Bushlied, ThisWarIsForHalliburton, theNewJobsAreAllAtWallmart, BushWasAWOL, theSwiftVetsAreLying, LimbaughFoxTheNYPostTalkradioAreAllLyingAllTheTime, TheMediaIsReallyConservative, ConservativesAreFullOfHate, BushIsDumb, ConservativesAreReallyStupid...

Romm continues:

Aside from simply lying, the Taliban wing of the GOP tend to use three different types of verbal gymnastics. When you make a valid, supported criticism [Rare, indeed - Ed.] of Bush or the oily Bush administration they:

1) Change The Subject, preferably to Clinton. They simply can't defent Bush or the neocons, so they just fall back on their standard rants from a decade ago, often with a newer twist; often a lie.
Counter: a) "Don't change the subject, let's stick to Bush." b) "Oh, so you're not even going to TRY to defend Bush!" c) "Geeze, you're soft on crime."

Huh?

2) Use the "Everybody Does It" pseudo defense. Often a variant of the first defense, since their goal is to NOT talk about Bush and start ranting about someone else. They seek to mitigate their own crimes by pointing using others as similar bad examples. Don't let them generalize.
Counter: a) "Everybody does NOT do it, and certainly not to the same extent. You're making a bad analogy and letting some very bad people off the hook for some real crimes." b) "Oh, so you admit Bush IS a crook. Yes, you just compared Bush with people you insist are criminals. That makes him a crook too, right?" c) "You've been whining about other people for a long time, let's deal with the crooks in power now." d) Geeze, you're soft on crime."

I'm beginning to see a pattern here...

3) Lastly, they resort to the "Are You Drunk?" personal attack. Mud slinging can take many forms. They will demonize you (or the person you cite). They don't dare try to counter the facts you've presented. Heck, I don't think they understand the facts against them.
Counter: I've got to admit, when it gets to the schoolyard taunting level, you might as well have fun with them. You're never going to win the argument. They are MUCH better at personal insults than you are, having spent more time listening to professional whiners like Rush and Drudge than they have talking to their family. You can say something like "are YOU on drugs?" or "were you raped by your father?" if you're in the mood for that sort of thing. But you MUST counter their emotional spew. "Oho, now it's personal insults. You're not even going to TRY to argue facts. That says more about you than about me."

...

...er...

...uh...

...Yeah.

Elder? You're yanking my chain, aren't you? This is really a spoof site written by Man from Silver Mountain, isn't it? It's supposed to make liberals look like smug, incoherent, self-satisfied intellectual flyweights, right? The sort of people who out-"ditto" the dittoheads?.

That has to be it. It's just a crude caricature! Not even those dim bulbs from Pandagon are this vacuous!

Almost had me there, Elder! I know - you're a kidder. You kid.

You can use their knee-jerk hatred against them.

During the Shockwave show where I talked with the guy behind the Jason Lewis Anti-Fan Club, I read the How To Write A Letter To The Editor points from a previous Bartcop-E column. And then had a letter published the following week! Good timing on my part, eh?

Why, yes! Goodness knows the Strib never publishes letters from incoherent cranks!

See you at the fair!

And on the off chance that "Mr. Romm" isn't some sort of conservative parody - bring all your "facts". We'll be waiting.

Posted by Mitch at August 25, 2004 05:18 AM | TrackBack