By Allison Cepis
Senator McCain and Governor Palin have been evoking hatred and ignorance of the participants of their political rallies. These McCainiacs, who are worked into a frightful frenzy during these rallies, have been heard to sling insults about Senator Obama such as, “treason” and “terrorist”.
Some rally-goers have even shouted “kill him”
and “off with his head” when referring to the democratic presidential
candidate. In front of crowds of McCain
supporters at a rally, a speaker referred to Senator Obama by using his full
name Barack Hussein Obama.
However, this is not to say that all
McCain supporters act in such a horrible and unrespectable manner. Most McCain supporters at these rallies are
hardworking, middle-class Americans who are just supporting their preferred
candidate. It is only a select and
unknown few that try to turn these political events into hate rallies. Unfortunately, they are only encouraged when
Governor Palin describes Senator Obama as someone who “pals around with
terrorists”.
Frank Schaeffer, author of the
personal memoir, Crazy for God, wrote
an open letter to Senator John McCain, in which he declared that McCain is,
“deliberately feeding the most unhinged elements of our society the red meat of
hate, and therefore of potentially instigating violence”.
It appears that the dystopia George
Orwell described sixty years ago is being demonstrated today in none other than
our own great nation. This grotesque
hysteria is reminiscent of a particular scene in Orwell’s prophetic 1984. Within the novel, citizens are encouraged to attend the “Two Minutes
Hate”, at which they are worked into such a horrid craze that their hatred of a
man they know little of is nearly insurmountable. Orwell’s character Winston describes the
scene as, “…it was impossible to avoid joining in… A hideous ecstasy of fear
and vindictiveness, a desire to kill, to torture, to smash faces in with a
sledge hammer, seemed to flow through the whole group of people like an
electric current… And yet the rage that one felt was an abstract, undirected
emotion which could be switched from one subject to another like the flame of a
blowlamp” (14).
One can see the similarities between
the dystopian scene and the mania which is encouraged at these present-day
political assemblies. It is revolting to
witness such blatant encouragement of negativity and falsities within the
political campaign of a once respected veteran and self-proclaimed
maverick.
Although it is unknown whether or
not McCain or Palin actually heard the violent threats shouted by their
supporters during these rallies, it is a fact that both of these politicians now know what is being said by a few bad
apples from the bunch. Despite this
fact, they have yet to put a stop to such offensive and aggressive hostility
towards their opponent. McCain and Palin
are providing nothing but fuel beneath this ignorant and unjustified hate. Senior political analyst, David Gergen, said
on The Colbert Report, “The months of the campaign are your first governing
months”. Perhaps the candidates should
take this into consideration when racing to the White House.
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