U.S. Culture Requires a Villain


Is it Christianity? Or is it human nature universally? For whatever reason politicians in the U.S. must demonize some other country or class of people to succeed. During the cold war it was "communism." There was a myth that communist countries, especially Russia, had huge stockpile of nuclear weapons and could wipe us out. It did not.

We invaded Iraq because it had "weapons of mass destruction." It did not. For a while our former President said Mexico was sending people over the border. Actually, more Mexicans were returning to Mexico than coming to the U.S. There are people coming from Central America. That requires attention in Central America--it cannot be solved by border guards or fences.

When there is not an obvious villain to "stand up to" one must be manufactured. China as a villain had to be manufactured. It posed no threat and does not today. China wants to be a rich country. That does not mean less for the U.S. 

The Biden Administration inherited voters who are scared of China. Its political instincts are to cater to this foolish fear. Just because a majority of the public thinks it is smart to talk tough to China does not mean the Biden Administration should do it. Biden should treat China as a trading partner. Our countries should buy and sell whatever is in its best interests respectively. Worrying about the balance of payments is more foolishness. 

As the link points out, the fundamental difference between China and the U.S. is that the Chinese population as a whole saves more than the U.S. population. This means there is more money to spend on research and infrastructure. We would do well to look at ourselves and worry less about whether we get a better deal than China in our trade talks.

After Trump bragged he would reverse the U.S. trade deficit by shrewd bargaining, the trade deficit went up every year of his administration. He would have done better politically by merely leaving things as they were with good farm prices and low consumer prices. 

I'm not sure yet Biden will do better with China. The opportunity for votes by chest beating toughness is hard to resist.

Comments

  1. Bryan KMarch 25, 2021 at 5:27 PM

    This isn't an American dynamic, nor is it religious in nature. It can be summed up with something as simple as Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

    There is a reason why people who are cold and hungry are willing to resort to violence in order to secure food and shelter. Because when you're cold and hungry, personal security doesn't matter.

    Most folks in America are in the second and third level of the hierarchy. Therefore, establishing a sense of belonging combined with threatening personal security is the best way to keep folks "in line".

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Maybe the "Original Sin" Should be Reassigned

Image
We can all agree most Catholic priests are fine people and not guilty of sexual abuse. What Catholics must face, however, it that their church harbors executives who are dishonest . There is an incredible story about the Argentine Bishop Zanchetta. The Pope worked with him in Argentina and they are considered friends. Around 2015 Zanchetta sent nude pictures of himself and they began circulating world wide. He also was too friendly with young seminarians and some left because of him.  Three different officials say they made formal complaints to the Vatican about Zanchetta between 2015 and 2017. Yet, in 2018, the Vatican claimed it was unaware of any complaints about Zanchetta. This might be a good time to repeat the Catholic hierarchy claims to have the sole authority handed down from Jesus to what the faith stands for. It condemns as sinners those who practice birth control, have abortions and gay sexual relationships. Handing the hierarchy this responsibility would make som
Read more

The Religious Capitol Invaders May Yet Win

Image
So much about U.S. society and religion can be learned from the Civil War and what happened afterwards. After its defeat, the South started a myth about the unethical soldiers from the North. The South fought for principles of God and states rights. The North did not. It was the South, this propaganda told the country, that had the high moral ground.  The Capitol invaders, encouraged by Trump, swallowed the myth that Biden's election was stolen. Thus, they think they held and still hold the high moral ground. This was reinforced by the cross and prayers during the invasion. Even with Trump is gone, we will see political opportunists like Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley stroking crowds and feeding the same lies as Trump. Like "the South will rise again" these gullible followers will talk of victory over the unclean. After the Civil War the South rallied around the phrase, Lost Cause. For decades, and maybe to this day, there are ceremonies remembering fallen martyrs, Re
Read more

Father Frank Pavone, the Ultimate Crook

Image
Recently, the Vatican defrocked Frank Pavone. His diehard fans are outraged. This is because he cleverly manipulated his fans and the press all the while living well from donations and, apparently, abusing some women. By making abortion the "sin" of the century, and himself the main opposition to this one sin, he himself could get away with any sin he pleased.  As the link points out, Pavone was the perfect priest for the Trump era. Trump is so self-important laws have no role in his life. He felt accountable to no one. Women were there to be had. Pavone and Trump are interchangeable.  Pavone was very successful raising money. In his mind, abortion was so important in Catholic beliefs and he was so important in anti-abortion the money he raised opposing it was his to do with what he liked. The Catholic Church, the brand name he used to raise this money, thought the money belonged to it. When he gave the Vatican the bird, it gave him walking papers. With polls showing the majo
Read more