The danger of buzzwords.

I've been reading Al Gore's new book, The Assault on Reason. I really love this book, even though I'm not very far along yet. He speaks of things that I've been waiting, dreaming, wanting desperately for someone to say right out loud for awhile. One thing he speaks of is the clever but dangerous use of buzzwords in politics: terrorist, liberal, libs, patriotism, support our troops (that one makes me want to gag).

Everyone who isn't a conservative is asking the same question these days: since when is it bad to be a liberal? When did America begin hating us? The answer is, of course, that it's not bad and it never has been. Given that, in the last election, the majority of people voted Democrat, one can't even logically say that America hates us. In fact, liberals are looking mighty damn fine right now.

So why is it such a bad thing to be a liberal today? Is it because we're reasonable, sensible people who don't agree with the current administration? My God, what a coup that was. In his new book, Al Gore mentions that there was more press coverage on his inappropriate sighing during his debate with GWB than there was about any of the issues they discussed. As much as I hate to generalize about a party's behavior, I have to say that certain Republicans have turned our free press into a propaganda free-for-all since the middle of Clinton's second term. They took the election away from Gore by making him look like a crybaby because some votes weren't counted correctly and he wanted a recount in the opposing candidate's brother's state--wahhhhhhhhhh, wahhhhh, our democracy is being tampered with, someone is trying to usurp my rightful presidency, I'm telling my Mommy!

If I don't want our troops invading a more or less innocent country, I am unpatriotic. If I don't think it's right to spy on me, to tap my phones, to create long lines at airports and give up all of my privacy, I'm pro-terrorist. If I want the Earth to be a safe place for my children's children, I'm a selfish hippie tree-hugger. If I want to use environmentally safe fuels and natural materials, well, I'm still a tree-hugger. If I want to raise taxes to decrease the deficit, boost the economy, and fund government programs, I'm accused of wanting to tax the poor out of existence. Let me tell you something, honey--I've been poor, I'm still poor, and the Bush tax cuts didn't help me a damn bit. Three hundred bucks spread over a period of a year is about 25 dollars a month--what poor person wouldn't sacrifice $25 or so a month to increase their health care benefits, their child care opportunities, their educational opportunities (didn't we all notice a tuition hike right after Bush's election?), and ensure some sort of retirement so that they don't have to wait tables or scrub floors their entire lives?

This is the effect of buzzwords in politics. Things that all reasonable people would want are made into evil, heinous, fear-provoking issues that get 'talking point'-ed to death on Fox News until they are completely unfeasible. Buzzwords only work if people believe them, though; they also only work if people hear them in the first place. For the sake of America, maybe we should all turn off the news.