Syn. “de-construct” – a non-word; see “destruction” –
“the act or process of demolition or
slaughter”
We need to be perfectly clear about this:
“de-construct” is a word created to avoid the use of another word, like
“demolish’ ‘destroy,’ ‘decimate’ or ‘undermine.’
What or who might be undermining the United
States of America? It’s looking a great
deal like the Republican Party and its reluctant head, Donald Trump, are the
culprits (with the enthusiastic help of Vladimir Putin). They seem to be following a game plan put
together by the former special advisor to Trump, named Steve Bannon. Although he is out of the White House now, he
seems to be carrying out, and advising on, a Plan to de-construct the
‘administrative state.’
Looking at present circumstances, there
are some elements that stand out as indicators of de-construction. Here are some of the more important ones, in
my opinion:
1)
Attack government as the main
problem confronting our society.
2)
On the other hand, be prepared
to use government infrastructure as the means for destroying democratic principles
3)
Appoint people to run the
departments of the federal government who are dedicated to the exact opposite
of what their departments have demonstrated as their mission. Choose people who
have little expertise for their jobs but who pledge absolute loyalty to the
Executive.
4)
In tandem, attack civil rights
and praise the accomplishments and behavior of authoritarian leaders of other
countries
5)
Withdraw from multi-national
agreements and trade associations, and engage only in bi-lateral agreements and
treaties
6)
Conduct personal business
using government structures and officials
7)
Use the military apparatus and
weapons to threaten, impede and intimidate other countries
8)
Advocate and execute actions
that divide people into winners and losers; good and bad; friends and enemies
9)
Ignore and eschew legislated
laws and ethical standards
10) Denigrate
individuals and groups that oppose or reveal truths about government corruption
or unethical behavior
11) Conduct
legislative functions by means of Executive Orders and informal press releases
like Tweets
12) Appoint
people to the Supreme Court and lower courts who will generally find a way to
support all of the above
13) Lie,
prevaricate, mislead, dissemble, and emphasize distractions from real issues
Most of the above have been addressed by
this author in other posts, so let us focus on what may be too often overlooked
or dismissed:- The
inability of certain legislators to stand up and oppose unethical, illicit
or illegal behavior of the Executive, or of their colleagues. As we speak, there are sexual predators
in the Congress who are known by other members and staff. Still they remain anonymous because
other members will not condemn them.
Why? Because they fear retribution?
Because they are too powerful to challenge? Because whistle-blowers
could lose their jobs? Or is the
silence part of an unwritten pact between colleagues? Probably all of the above. But, the silence undoubtedly goes much
deeper than that because male dominance in this society would be in danger
if women were believed when they say they were sexually abused or
harassed. A change that fundamental
could threaten the myth of male superiority, thus threatening a multitude
of behaviors, myths, stereotypes and beliefs. Allow me to mention just a
few:
- Marriage
as the ’giving’ of a female child by one man (the father) to another man
(the groom), by which transaction a pattern of superiority, control or
power is passed from one male to another.
It is a ritual that encompasses many social remnants of male
dominance: the concepts of the wife “obeying” or of the male as “Head of
household” remain in some marriage ceremonies. However, such ancient symbols have also
been removed by denominations or religions that have recognized their significance.
- The
taking of the husband’s name by the wife is a symbol that still prevails,
although slightly challenged by a hyphen linking last names of both
partners.
- The
mythical concept of the woman victim as the one at fault in a case of
sexual misconduct by a man is engrained in societal folklore to the
extent that it pervades even our justice system. It is based on ancient
myths, folklore and stereotypes that the woman is some sort of siren who
entices a male by her “wiles” – which the dictionary defines as “a
deceitful artifice” or a “beguiling or coquettish trick.” Thereby, the woman accuser is made into
some sort of magician or, more likely, a “witch” with a magical power
that cannot be resisted by a man.
Her clothes, her appearance, her gestures, perhaps her words are
made out to be seductive, and the resulting sexual encounter is therefore
the ‘fault’ of the accuser.
- “His word against hers” is a false standard that gives the male the edge every time, as the stereotype of male power and superiority is automatically accepted by most people, including too many women jurors. When some women defer to a husband by saying “my husband says” there is, indubitably, a hint of acceptance on the part of the wife that what her husband says carries more weight than what she might aver on her own. Such ingrained acceptance of cultural norms or myths overarches gender, just as any bias can do.
Hopefully, these brief examples provide
some insight into the power of the male dominance myth and societal norm. The acceptance of a different scenario or
standard – like calling out a U.S. Senator for unacceptable behavior toward
women - is a challenge not only to the
male club in the Senate or the House, but also a challenge to all the biases and
myths that keep male dominance in control of societal norms and behaviors.
- Another
overlooked but important undermining of our constitutional principles is
the inability of voters to withdraw their support of such behavior and
policies. Voters and non-voters are
contributing in a big way to the destruction of our democracy. How?
- Acceptance
of lies and propaganda leads to a society that becomes unstable because
it has no core – no center – on which citizens can depend.
- One of the most important building
blocks of our democracy is ‘representation.’ And, representation is necessarily based
on the foundation of trust. Trust
that the representative will care what happens to you. Trust, that your representative will
not only provide factual information, but that s/he will put principle
above ideology or politics (“do what is right”). Trust, that the Representative will
make sure that constituents are not harmed by abusive or
politically-motivated legislation.
Trust, that citizens will have every opportunity to be heard and
to be taken seriously. Trust, that
the representative will act to keep his/her oath of office. Trust that truth will be honored in all
dealings with voters and constituents.
- Acceptance of unethical, immoral and anti-social behavior tends to infect the society, and bring about a milieu in which destructive behaviors and actions are more generally viewed as acceptable, leading to a society that is based on harm, hurt, competition, and violence rather than on caring, healing, opportunity and the building of a diverse but unified community.
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“FBI: Hate crimes reached 5-year high in
2016, spiked around presidential election.
A new FBI report documents a five-year high in hate crimes, which
trended upward shortly before and after President Trump won the election last
year. The increase further confirms the explosion of bias incidents we
documented in the wake of the election.” (SPLC) =======================================================================
- Another
building-block of democracy is, of course, elections. Not only is it important to have honest,
dedicated, competent candidates, it is also imperative to have a process
that is fair, equal and open for voters of all persuasions and
circumstances. Restricting the
voter franchise is a danger sign for our democracy and our society. In
the current atmosphere, we are in imminent danger of this right being
undermined and limited. Acceptance
of imposed restrictions, and acceptance of unequal access to the voting
apparatus is another danger sign, not only for our democracy but for our
entire society that has begun to accept authoritarian rule as the norm,
and inequality as the result.
- Moreover, acceptance of inequality in
terms of the weight given to different cohorts, individuals, or
organizations is equivalent to cheating.
PACs, Super-PACs, and unrestricted inducements of private wealth
are all threats to our democracy.
We cannot survive as a democracy under the current weighting of
votes, buying of votes and restrictions on voters.
- In
addition, when Party ideology becomes all-important and trumps
what is best for the country, and what is right for all, there arises a
threat recognized at the very beginning of our country’s independent
existence. President Washington spoke about this in his Farewell Address
and minced no words.
“Washington recognizes that it is natural for people to organize and operate within groups such as political parties, but he also argues that every government has recognized political parties as an enemy and has sought to repress them because of their tendency to seek more power than other groups and to take revenge on political opponents. He feels that disagreements between political parties weakens the government.
“...he
makes the case that "the alternate domination" of one party over
another and coinciding efforts to exact revenge upon their opponents have led
to horrible atrocities, and "is itself a frightful despotism.
But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism."
From
Washington's perspective and judgment, political parties eventually and
"gradually incline the minds of men to seek security... in the absolute
power of an individual",]
leading to despotism. He acknowledges
the fact that parties are sometimes beneficial in promoting liberty...but
argues that political parties must be restrained in a popularly elected
government because of their tendency to distract the government from their
duties, create unfounded jealousies among groups and regions, raise false
alarms among the people, promote riots and insurrection, and provide foreign
nations and interests access to the government where they can impose their will
upon the country.” (Wikipedia article)
=======================================================================
The undermining (de-construction) of
government is well underway, and is well down the road to destruction. Fundamental re-building is imperative, but
will be delayed until we return to the basics of our constitution and
re-formulate the building-stones of our democracy. It is not too late, but the current
administration is intent upon creating a nightmare for activists, liberals, and
progressives. First step: win offices on all levels -- local, county, state and
national. 2018 is our chance to turn the
tide, and 2020 is our chance for a major change of direction. 
