Humans are very good at denialism. We all do it to some degree or another. And in fact, it's not always a bad thing. Contrary to popular belief, depression isn't always a sign that a person has an unrealistic view of the world. It's often the opposite. We need a certain amount of healthy delusion to believe we have a chance of being the homerun champ, or getting the girl of our dreams, or winning at poker. Statistically speaking, for practically every one of us, the odds are stacked against us in most things we try to accomplish.
So denialism is good -- in the proper context. But it also has a dirty underbelly. Every mother knows that her child never does the things those other boys and girls do. And just last week, a mother whose child has done far worse than other children proved the point. David Mabus, internet loony and originator of hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- of verifiable death threats, is finally being investigated. And what did his mother have to say about it?
Mabus’ mother defended his actions saying that she does not interfere with what he does because “he wouldn’t hurt a fly” and “it’s [his behaviour] his job for what he believes” [paraphrased, translated from French]. (LINK)
On a grander scale, denialism extends to beliefs about one's own peers. When faced with incontrovertible proof that many, many Christians are truly hate-filled, what's the most common response? "Oh... that's just a few loonies. Most Christians are really very good, very loving, very compassionate people who wouldn't hurt a fly." When further pressed by the evidence that there are many, many Christians who would most definitely hurt people, the denial becomes even more profound.
The fact is, nobody wants to believe their world is going to a dark place. But the world does go to dark places with startling regularity. And the U.S. is far from immune. We are not a shining beacon of democratic hope and freedom for the rest of the world. We are the nation that tortures detainees for months and even years. We are the nation that allows millions to go bankrupt from expenses for basic medical care. We are the nation that invades other nations unilaterally. We are the only nation NOT to sign international treaties for human rights. We are the world's most gluttonous consumers of... everything. We are ruled by a cabal of brobdingnagian corporations and ultra-rich individuals.
We are already in a very, very bad place.
It could get much worse. There are three Republican candidates left standing for the 2012 presidential race. Of the three, two are clearly and unequivocally associated with and sympathetic to the ideals of the Dominionists. And of all the denialism in America, denial of the danger of Dominionists ranks at or near the top. This is a group whose express purpose is to take over the American government and turn America into a "true" Christian nation. Not a nation with a lot of Christians in it. Not a nation that looks favorably on Christianity and allows prayer in schools and government meetings. Not a nation that allows the teaching of Creationism in science classes. Much, much more Christian than any of that.
This is a group that wants Biblical Law in America. Death for abortion. Death for homosexuality. (This is the group that was instrumental in organizing Uganda's effort to make homosexuality a capital offense.) State religion. You know... like Pakistan. Or Iran. Only the Old Testament instead of the Koran.
Even among non-believers, the standard reaction to this story is denial. They aren't really in favor of that sort of thing. They aren't really that dangerous. America would never really become a fascist state.
And all the while, we creep closer and closer to what we would never really become. The Tea Party gets elected, and holds the entire world hostage over a lunatic economic policy. The entire state of Kansas bullies all but one abortion provider out of business. Rick Perry has a prayer meeting while a hundred thousand poor citizens are turned away for lack of school supplies. Ann Coulter becomes a gay icon. Thousands of Christians wish death on atheists for petitioning for what they believe is Constitutionally correct. A sheriff arrests a woman for being an atheist.
And a Dominionist -- a person who believes America should have Biblical laws -- is the leading candidate for president. This is the guy who let people in his own state have their air conditioners turned off rather than give them money already earmarked specifically for keeping them turned on.
There is no more time for denial. America is not potentially heading for a bad place. It is a bad place. Conservative Christians have had thirty years to run the country, and in that thirty years, America has been in a death spiral in nearly every category of human progress. We are nearly last among First World nations in so many categories that it's much easier to try to find one or two things we're NOT last in. Some of the statistics are positively Third World. In America today, the average net worth of a black woman is five dollars. In America today, a man stole a dollar so he could go to jail to get healthcare.That is not First World. It's not equality. It's not compassionate. It's a humanitarian outrage.
The answer to America's problems is not prayer. It is not more Christian laws. It is not ending abortion rights. It is not denying healthcare. It is not tax breaks for the rich. It is not unlimited donations from corporations to political campaigns. It is not preventing gay marriage. It is not putting girls in jail for having miscarriages. It is not demonizing anything that hints at socialism. It is not hating atheists even more.
The answer to America's problems is this and only this: Every American -- EVERY SINGLE AMERICAN who agrees with this article must become an activist and put an end to this madness through politics. Because history is clear on something else we humans like to deny. Once radicals have siezed control of a country, political struggle is no longer an option. And there are simply no good options left for the sane once that happens. We must not deny this truth any longer.
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