Saturday, September 4, 2010
A New American Scare
That, unfortunately, is the thesis of an op-ed I did last week on what to me appears a sudden escalation in anti-Muslim rhetoric and activity in the United States. You can read a version (in Dutch) over on the website of the Nederlands Dagblad. An inaccuracy or two has slipped through the cracks (for example a mention of the CIA as an institution instrumental in fueling earlier "scares"--I meant the Supreme Court, as in its sanctioning of Japanese-American internment during World War II), but they're minor. In the article I argue that the current anti-Muslim campaign resembles the Red Scares of the 20th century, and also the one driving Japanese-American internment 1942-1945, in that in a tough situation, where the country has suffered set-backs in its relationship with the outside world, certain forces (Justice Department, FBI, certain politicians, media organizations) cause many people to hold a certain group as either responsible for the problem, dangerous, or both. The result is a combination of official action (deportation of anarchist Russian immigrants; locking up citizens of Japanese descent) and free-lancing by individual Americans (anti-mosque activities today). For a long time after 9/11, Americans resisted the temptation to blame any Muslim, anywhere for the actions of a fanatic few. At least, at home they did. Overseas, Abu Ghraib and "Guantanamo" made for a much more complicated picture. But now at home things seem to be getting out of hand too. Earlier "scares" eventually passed, but not without severe damage to individual lives and the thing America really ought to be about, namely living up to its own best ideals. Is this a full-blow witch hunt yet? Maybe not. But it's headed that way, in part because a lot of influential individuals and organizations are acting more than a little irresponsibly. The "Ground Zero Mosque" is more a catalyst than the actual issue. Given the impact of 9/11 and other terrorist acts, we've been in a precarious situation for a while now. Add to that the crisis, and you end up with a lot of people, as there are today, that believe the country is on the wrong track. In such times, it doesn't take too much for things to turn ugly. The planned Islamic cultural center downtown Manhattan is clearly a sensitive issue for many. Even more reason for media organizations and prominent politicians to discuss it rationally and dispassionately. But that seems to be the opposite of what we're seeing right now.
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2 comments:
What worries me is that I don't see a plausible set of factors that could put an end to the scare anytime soon. In the case of McCarthyism, a moderate Republican won the White House, the Korean War ended, and McCarthy himself flamed out by over-reaching.
Here, it's not obvious to me that favorable circumstances like those can develop in the next few years.
(1) The global war that creates an atmosphere conducive to anti-Muslim paranoia is being fully pursued by both parties and shows every indication of continuing for a decade or more. If the U.S. or Israel bombs Iran, or Pakistan's government collapses, the war will get much, much worse. Although maybe the U.S. would finally recognize imperial over-stretch for what it is.
(2) Moderate Republicans don't exist any more, and there is zero incentive for the GOP to abandon the extremist policies and rhetoric it now pursues on a host of issues. In today's media environment and depressed economy, the GOP has every incentive to produce a whole army of McCarthys. Even if one of them flames out, it won't matter -- it's a many headed hydra.
(3) Meanwhile, indications are that the bad economy driving a lot of the political insanity will not improve any time soon. I personally find Paul Krugman most persuasive on the reasons why. The U.S. government has pursued terrible, incompetent, center-right "third way" economic policy, and now the extremist right is going to reap the rewards in 2010 and 2012. I suppose a potential "close down the government" train wreck by a GOP House in 2011 could benefit the Democrats in 2012. But if unemployment is 15% by then, it may not matter. Average Fox News consumers will still be enraged, looking for scapegoats and conspiracies.
If I were Muslim, I would get out of the United States while there's still time. While it's still only 1931.
Yup, we've got to wind down those big wars and find some kind of containment policy for Al Qaida and friends (partially violent, I fear). It was encouraging, however, to see the meeting of religious leaders, the other day, condemning the anti-Muslim rhetoric. And I saw somewhere that the Tea Parties' negatives are up as well. Things are very volatile now, but that also means that the fortunes of those apparently riding high at the moment could change quickly. More jobs would certainly help. If things don't get too much worse, maybe in a year or two we'll agree that the worst of the current mess may be behind us.
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