Submitted by: Mike Spindell, Guest Blogger
Last night Ann Coulter, a person I loathe, appeared on the Bill Maher Show. She was pushing her new book “Demonic: How the Liberal Mob is Endangering America.” Cringing as I watched her the thought nevertheless occurred to me that “She really believes this crap she sells.” This minor epiphany led me on to other thoughts. The battle in American politics has essentially devolved into a two sided affair between opponents convinced of the “demonic,” to use Ann’s term, nature of their ideological opposites. In this ongoing struggle one can’t merely disagree with us on a given political/societal issue, without our believing them to be hateful and worthy of being despised. Their motivation must undoubtedly be sociopathy and/or undemocratic. I must admit that I myself often feel that way about those who disagree with me and I say this with the rueful knowledge that when I do I am allowing myself to engage in stereotypical behavior.
This has been the American condition almost since its inception and was implicit in Ben Franklin’s question about our ability to maintain our Constitution and the freedoms it provides. In order to begin to find solutions for bridging the gaps between us all in the attempt to govern the body politic, we must first understand the fact that much of this division is the result of conflicting mythologies of what we are as a society. If we can identify the underlying mythologies that guide us, perhaps we can see beyond the constraints that limit our ability to see beyond them and discover basis for true negotiation between apparently irreconcilable differences.
In 1988, I watched a many part conversation Bill Moyers had with a Columbia Professor Joseph Campbell: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Campbell and_the_Power_of_Myth I was fascinated by the man and by the concepts he was teaching. I found it so compelling that I ran out, purchased, and read most of his books. The books that were the most informative to me were “The Masks of God” series and “The Hero With a Thousand Faces”. What Campbell showed was human history was influenced greatly by the mythologies of various political states and ethnicities. These myths indeed reflected not only religious belief but also social and political philosophies. I don’t pretend great expertise in this area to explain it to you cohesively and the topic is one that has produced untold volumes of throughout thousands of years. Suffice it to say that the mythology of a people is a strong influence of not only its behavior, but of its interactions with other believing different myths. I’m sure as a general concept this idea is not a new one to readers here, especially when it comes to religious beliefs.
Stemming from Campbell reading I embarked on rediscovering the books on mythology I had previous read, but with the new perspective of Campbell’s insights. I later discovered: “TheGunfighter Nation: Myth of the Frontier in Twentieth-Century America” by Richard Slotkin. Using literature, history and even the movies, Slotkin persuasively posited that much of America’s domestic and foreign policy was dictated by the false mythology created of our frontier expansion, “Wild West” and rugged individualism. This myth was portrayed in the newspapers, literature, “Dime Westerns”, Wild West Shows and later on in the Movies.
The nature of myth is such that it’s ingested not only intellectually, but also viscerally. Seeing Gary Cooper in “High Noon” when I was seven in 1951 influenced my own life greatly and actually dictated some actions years later. John Wayne, a college football star spent WWII making innumerable, heroic war movies, while others such as James Stewart actually fought in action. Yet Wayne remains an iconic American Hero and that is pure, though deeply believed mythology. I would be safe to say that many who consider themselves conservative’s today look up to John Wayne as a role model and a hero. That myth becomes meme and that meme becomes point of view.
We of the left are no different in our choice of heroic figures to follow, mythologizing their activities and persona’s into something heroic. JFK, a man I admire on many levels and who I idolized in his time, was a serial philanderer of such epic proportions as to be pathological. Eldridge Cleaver, Bobby Seale, Jerry Rubin, Abby Hoffman were people who my generation followed with veneration and yet in retrospect, given their future lives, were hardly heroic.
We absorb both past and current myths and allow them to cloud our judgment, limiting our ability to make informed political choices, by shutting down our options of reacting to our environment based on the facts at hand and not the reality we perceive colored by the blanket of our mythology. We see people applying “What Would Jesus Do?” to a broad spectrum of possible decisions and yet isn’t even the concept of WWJD, different based upon ones particular Christian denomination. This is true conceptually for most other religions, all of which have subsets of varying belief.
We need to individually work to understand just what myths guide our own actions in order to be able to react appropriately to the to the decisions we need to make in reacting to the environment of life around us. If we can do that honestly perhaps, we can then comprehend what motivates those with which we disagree. Maybe then, in understanding the other’s mythological viewpoints we can find ways to bridge our differences. This is most probably an over optimistic view from the perspective of possibility.
So let me end on a less positive, but perhaps more practical note. We ignore the influence of our surrounding mythologies at our own peril. The human organism has a need to interact with its environment in such a way that it draws the sustenance it needs from that environment. If our perception of that environment is skewed by preconceptions of reality, we are unable to benefit fully from the interactions, to our detriment.
The country today is engaged in a deadly battle with itself. The rage and hostility on each side seems to be growing. There is a conflict of fundamental mythologies, neither of which holds all the answers, yet blinded by its own preconceptions. These types of battles can end in a total victory and concomitant harsh defeat for the loser; a continuing stalemate and ongoing struggle; a total collapse of our society; and/or perhaps understanding and cooperation by the parties leading to a synergy of ideas. I’d much prefer the latter, but I am sanguine about it’s’ possibility.
@mespo, thanks for proving my point yet again.
caderosa said: ” All those insults are just expressions of frustration with being unable to adequately defend one’s opinions and arguments. I collect them like ears.”
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Stop it now! You’re making me sick laughing. I mean it, you two could earn big money with that act.
I am sure that as many insults as you’ve justifiably collected, we could call you “corn field.” I think I will. I redub you, “cornfielderosa.”
@Elaine, School Boards and schools are governed by Island Trees School District v. Pico and their rights are not nearly as broad as you may think for removing books.
kderosa,
I should add that in some communities the decision to ban a book or have a book removed from a school library may be made by the local school board.
kderosa,
Children attend public school until the age of 17-18. High schools have school libraries too. I doubt high schoolers would want to read a children’s/kiddie’s edition of the Bible.
BTW, it’s not the private citizens who decide whether or not a book is banned from a school library. It’s usually the school administration.
Sometimes people will demand that other people pay for the medical and retirement needs via taxation so that they don’t have to save for themselves.
Lots of people are stupid about lots of things. But, in our democratic system we must take the good with the bad.
@Elaine, you mean in a children’s bible that may be appropriate for a children’s library?
“Sometimes people will demand that a book that they haven’t even read be banned/removed from a library.”
Yes. I recall that when I was at the University, a traveling performance of Jesus Christ Superstar was held on campus. There was a hue and cry in the newspaper with letter writing and lots of pickets around the ticket booths when we went it. It was almost like running the gauntlet at an abortion clinic. The hate was palpable by people who admitted the only thing they knew about the play was the title.
@Elaine, those are not necessarily on religious grounds, some parents might think that occult topics aren’t suitable for children, regardless of religious beliefs.
Because broadly speaking, freedom of speech only applies to government action, not action by private citizens. Mind you, I’m not saying it’s smart to do so. There are plenty of things you are prohibited from doing in many communities: you can only paint your house certain colors, maintain your yard certain way, park you car in certain areas, etc. The solution is to move to a better community.
kderosa,
Are there any sexually explicit or violent stories in the Bible?
kderosa,
“And which ones were banned on Conservative Christian religious grounds…”
Books that include magic, witches, witchcraft, the Harry Potter books.
Why should certain books that some people in a community don’t approve of be banned from a school library so that no children in the school can read them?
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Otteray,
Sometimes people will demand that a book that they haven’t even read be banned/removed from a library.
Elaine, that is an interesting list. The explanations on the web site are informative and maddening. Some people, in their smug self righteousness, cannot let others–or their reading preferences–alone. When I was young, you could not get a legal copy of Lady Chatterley’s Lover or the Kama Sutra. Nor could you find a copy of Mein Kampf or Das Kapital on the shelf of any library. I recall that some pro censorship activists wanted to ban Chaucer and Shakespeare. Ovid was in the cross-hairs as well.
It is funny but none of those books or authors are in the list above. That does not mean that somebody, somewhere, would not like to ban them if they could.
@Elaine are you saying that there are no parents in these pressure groups and that at least some of the people are applying pressure to affect what their children read? One of the problems with our public school system is that it’s usually an all or nothing deal with getting the school to to take action. It’s zero sum. For some parents to win, another group of parents on the opposite side of the issue must lose.
And which ones were banned on Conservative Christian religious grounds, as opposed to other grounds like, sexually explicit themes, profanity, racial slurs, violence, drug-use, etc.
kderosa,
Who said anything about parents? I’m not talking about parents. I’m talking about pressure groups who want to ban specific books from school libraries and from reading lists. They want to censor what other people’s children read.
From the American Library Association
Top 100 Banned/Challenged Books: 2000-2009
http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedbydecade/2000_2009/index.cfm
Note: The top four books on the list are children’s books.
1. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
2. Alice series, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
3. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
4. And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson/Peter Parnell
5. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
6. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
7. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
8. His Dark Materials (series), by Philip Pullman
9. ttyl; ttfn; l8r g8r (series), by Myracle, Lauren
10. The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky
11. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
12. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
13. Captain Underpants (series), by Dav Pilkey
14. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
15. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
16. Forever, by Judy Blume
17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
18. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
19. Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
20. King and King, by Linda de Haan
21. To Kill A Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
22. Gossip Girl (series), by Cecily von Ziegesar
23. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
24. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
25. Killing Mr. Griffen, by Lois Duncan
26. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
27. My Brother Sam Is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier
28. Bridge To Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
29. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline B. Cooney
30. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
31. What My Mother Doesn’t Know, by Sonya Sones
32. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya
33. Snow Falling on Cedars, by David Guterson
34. The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things, by Carolyn Mackler
35. Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging, by Louise Rennison
36. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
37. It’s So Amazing, by Robie Harris
38. Arming America, by Michael Bellasiles
39. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
40. Life is Funny, by E.R. Frank
41. Whale Talk, by Chris Crutcher
42. The Fighting Ground, by Avi
43. Blubber, by Judy Blume
44. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
45. Crazy Lady, by Jane Leslie Conly
46. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
47. The Adventures of Super Diaper Baby, by George Beard
48. Rainbow Boys, by Alex Sanchez
49. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey
50. The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini
51. Daughters of Eve, by Lois Duncan
52. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
53. You Hear Me?, by Betsy Franco
54. The Facts Speak for Themselves, by Brock Cole
55. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Green
56. When Dad Killed Mom, by Julius Lester
57. Blood and Chocolate, by Annette Curtis Klause
58. Fat Kid Rules the World, by K.L. Going
59. Olive’s Ocean, by Kevin Henkes
60. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson
61. Draw Me A Star, by Eric Carle
62. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard
63. The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney
64. Mick Harte Was Here, by Barbara Park
65. The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien
66. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor
67. A Time to Kill, by John Grisham
68. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
69. Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
70. Harris and Me, by Gary Paulsen
71. Junie B. Jones (series), by Barbara Park
72. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
73. What’s Happening to My Body Book, by Lynda Madaras
74. The Lovely Bones, by Alice Sebold
75. Anastasia (series), by Lois Lowry
76. A Prayer for Owen Meany, by John Irving
77. Crazy: A Novel, by Benjamin Lebert
78. The Joy of Gay Sex, by Dr. Charles Silverstein
79. The Upstairs Room, by Johanna Reiss
80. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
81. Black Boy, by Richard Wright
82. Deal With It!, by Esther Drill
83. Detour for Emmy, by Marilyn Reynolds
84. So Far From the Bamboo Grove, by Yoko Watkins
85. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes, by Chris Crutcher
86. Cut, by Patricia McCormick
87. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
88. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
89. Friday Night Lights, by H.G. Bissenger
90. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeline L’Engle
91. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
92. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
93. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
94. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
95. Shade’s Children, by Garth Nix
96. Grendel, by John Gardner
97. The House of the Spirits, by Isabel Allende
98. I Saw Esau, by Iona Opte
99. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
100. America: A Novel, by E.R. Frank
It seemed that the books being banned are offensive to a lot more people than fundamentalist Christians. Shouldn’t parent’s get a say in what books are appropriate for their children? It is more than just a free speech issue. And while we may disagree as to why some of these books are banned, who are we to presume to tell parents what is appropriate for their children?
Roco,
I never said anything about your being a conservative Christian. You read that into my comment. I explained that I was trying to make a point. I don’t know what “laissez faire” has to do with my comments about fundamentalist conservatives wanting creation science taught in public schools. Do you deny that many fundamentalist Christians want creation science taught in public schools? Some fundamentalist conservatives/Christians are big on the censorship of books that children read, on the censorship of school reading lists, and on the banning of certain books from school classrooms and libraries. I wouldn’t call that “laissez faire.”
Elaine M:
“Many of those fundamentalist conservative don’t want people who can think critically. They want people who are believers…people who will take things on faith.
Should we be teaching the youth of this country that the Earth and everything on it was created in six days? That the Earth is approximately six thousand years old?”
You and others here have the same “faith” in government which has been inculcated in the “religious” schools of the left, the public school system.
It is very subtle, take the movie Unknown for example. The movie had an ex Stasi agent as the hero, a guy who would pass up a patent on a superior corn seed and evil capitalists as the bad guys.
Come on, a former Stassi agent as a hero? That was too much for me. I could accept the absent minded professor giving away a super corn ( I would probably do that myself) and the evil capitalists (such a leftist cliche) but the hero as a person who used to persecute people and send them to long prison terms or their death?
The same is true with public schools, the ideology of the person teaching is bound to show up in ways they may not even notice or think they are being partisan.
It showed up in your post and OS’s post. You just assume since I believe in laissez faire I am a conservative Christian. I have news for you, classical liberals like Jefferson, Madison, Say, Bastiat, and others believed in laissez faire.
It is part of true human liberty.
Elaine, what science textbook out there teaches such things? Hoe many school districts have adopted that textbook. Most states have teaching standards, which states have such a standard in place? For state’s without standards, what school districts teach such a thing as part of the curriculum?