The Silent War
Nearly 40 years ago, I went to hear Bernadette Devlin speak about the "troubles" in Northern Ireland. All I knew about the cause of the conflict was what I could glean from the papers — it was all about an irrational, centuries-old hatred between Catholics and Protestants.
So what Devlin said surprised me. "Catholic" and "Protestant" were just the labels that defined the participants in the real conflict — one of political and economic discrimination. Protestants happened to be the class of power and privilege, and they wanted to keep it that way.
My guess is that in more cases than not, class and power are the real, underlying friction points between groups with incidental labels — Catholic and Protestant, North and South, Sunni and Shiite.
I was reminded of this during the Republican debate last night, when the discussion turned to the privatization (Huckabee tried to soften it by calling it "personalization") of Social Security. This radical idea is hardly dead. It's going to be a major battle in the class warfare being waged in America today.
The media talks around America's class war, but doesn't have the courage to call it by name. But that makes it no less real. Hell, even a dolt like George Bush knows that class war exists, and knows which side of it he's on, as indicated by this remark he made to the glitterazzi during a fund-raiser for his first presidential campaign:
"This is an impressive crowd — the haves and the have-mores. Some people call you the elites; I call you my base."
If the Adolescent in Chief is aware of the class war, the rest of us have no excuse not to be. But it seems we talk around it, too, refusing to call it by name. Why?
If the universal mandatory health care plans being proposed by the top-tier Democratic presidential candidates are any indication (and they are), the two sides in this class war are not identified by "Democrat" and "Republican." The anointed parties are just two factions of one side, which happens to be the winning side.
I don't know what the sides in America's class war should be called. All I know is that if those of us on the losing side can't admit that there's even a war going on, we're going to keep having our asses handed to us.
Comments
Well stated. Why the middle class continues to vote for Republicans and against our best interests is perplexing.Paul Krugman in is new book believes that it is due to race baiting (remember Willie Horton). Bob Jones University,fear based strategies etc. I'm hoping we aren't so naive this time and will call it for what it is ... promoting racial fear for political advantage; very nasty stuff.
Posted by: Lev | October 22, 2007 06:33 PM
Thanks Lev. And yes, that so many of us vote against our own best interests is maddening. I do think race is part of it. Generally the right is pretty good at appealing to a very dark, fearful part of our soul.
Posted by: abi | October 22, 2007 07:06 PM
Long time since I've heard about Bernadette Devlin. It's a while since class war has raised its ugly head. But then there are so many alternative divisions...
I'm inclined to think there is a strong 'tribal' element in the whole issue.
Posted by: Dennis Cartledge | October 22, 2007 07:09 PM
To my knowledge, the last time Devlin made the news in these parts was in 2003 when she was refused entry to the US. Said the daughter of this dangerous middle aged terrorist: "Mommy was this close to being locked up." God help us.
Posted by: abi | October 22, 2007 07:33 PM
Leon Uris wrote a good book about the troubles in Northern Ireland called Trinity that basically described what Devlin said about the situation. It was a good read.
(Side note: I read that book years before I met my husband, whose family happens to be from Belfast. We visited there three years ago and were surprised to find that the country is open and you can drive from Ireland to Northern Ireland without having to stop at the border. The only remnants we saw of their trouble was some graffiti painted on the sides of buildings.)
Posted by: Kathy | October 23, 2007 03:45 PM
That's good to hear. Let's hope the Iraqis soon limit their show of hatred of each other to defacing a few buildings ;-)
Posted by: abi | October 23, 2007 07:01 PM