yeah, this stuff by Chopra on Sarah Palin is quite amazing; you will never see this in mainstream media
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "benjaminccollins" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Full article is here: http://www.chopra.com/node/1064 > > > > Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national > psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly > illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the > Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she > outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given > her negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. > Her state of Alaska has less than 700,000 residents, which reduces the > job of governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By > comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin's > pluck has been admired, and her forthrightness, but her real appeal > goes deeper. > > She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding > his idealism and turning negativity into a cause for pride. In > psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides > out of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with > qualities we are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, > selfishness, and suspicion of "the other." For millions of Americans, > Obama triggers those feelings, but they don't want to express them. He > is calling for us to reach for our higher selves, and frankly, that > stirs up hidden reactions of an unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly > clear, I am not making a verbal play out of the fact that Sen. Obama > is black. The shadow is a metaphor widely in use before his arrival on > the scene.) I recognize that psychological analysis of politics is > usually not welcome by the public, but I believe such a perspective > can be helpful here to understand Palin's message. In her acceptance > speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing call to those who want to celebrate > their resistance to change and a higher vision > > Look at what she stands for: > > * Small town values a nostaligic return to simpler times > disguises a denial of America's global role, a return to petty, > small-minded parochialism. > * Ignorance of world affairs a repudiation of the need to repair > America's image abroad. > * Family values a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim > for social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't > need to be needed. > * Rigid stands on guns and abortion a scornful repudiation that > these issues can be negotiated with those who disagree. > * Patriotism the usual fallback in a failed war. > * "Reform" an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out > corruption and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who > doesn't fit your ideology. > > Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which > has been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, > that minorities and immigrants, being different from "us" pure > American types, can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much > effort and globalism is a foreign threat. The radical right marches > under the banners of "I'm all right, Jack," and "Why change? > Everything's OK as it is." The irony, of course, is that Gov. Palin is > a woman and a reactionary at the same time. She can add mom to apple > pie on her resume, while blithely reversing forty years of feminist > progress. The irony is superficial; there are millions of women who > stand on the side of conservatism, however obviously they are voting > against their own good. The Republicans have won multiple national > elections by raising shadow issues based on fear, rejection, hostility > to change, and narrow-mindedness > > Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a vacuum. > The shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives > possess a shadow we all do. So what comes next is a contest between > the two forces of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or > has its furtive appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best > thing about Gov. Palin is that she brought this conflict to light, > which makes the upcoming debate honest. It would be a shame to elect > another Reagan, whose smiling persona was a stalking horse for the > reactionary forces that have brought us to the demoralized state we > are in. We deserve to see what we are getting, without disguise. >