The Civilized & Enlightened Pt.2

I had lunch with a friend today who told me about a friend of his who hates George W. Bush so much that she gets beside herself every time his name comes up. She is a smart person who shares his love for science and knowledge but has no interest in entertaining a single idea that might portray the President in a favorable light. Why?
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My mother-in-law recently returned from Europe blaming Israel for all of the blood and gore that has been featured in the 24 hour news cycle lately. Why?
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I saw another in a long line of pundits on television recently blaming politicians and business leaders for the violence that plagues the inner-cities of our country. His reasoning that societal neglect left young people with no option other than criminality to make money was accepted without debate by the reporter conducting the interview. Why?
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The answer to all of these questions is that it is easier for most people to blame the messenger than it is to accept the frightening message they bring.

We are a civilized and enlightened people who find it difficult to believe that the world is chock-full of uncivilized and unenlightened enemies of peace.

Because we know the fruits of civility and enlightenment it is hard to accept that anyone else would knowingly choose anarchy and bloodshed without good reason. Many people reason that we must have done something to deserve this level of wrath from those who target us for everything from terrorist attacks to common muggings.

This transference of blame allows those in denial to cling to the notion that the rest of the world is every bit as enlightened and peace-loving as they are. This is why so much of the criticism of the Prez, Israel, and big business is bolstered with conspiracy theories that create a rationale for their supposed evil behavior.

According to these critics Bush pursues war in Iraq in order to line the pockets of his Big Oil buddies. They can regale you for hours with tales of Haliburton and cross-country oil pipeline deals.

These same folks will seize on any weakness in the Israeli form of democracy to prove that Israel is no more freedom loving than its Arab foes. And if you stick around long enough they’ll take pains to point out that the lack of a boost in the minimum wage over the last decade has left inner-city youth with no choice but to join a criminal enterprise to make good money and get ahead.

This myopic vision of a planet full of like-minded peace-loving citizens being forced into abhorrent behavior as a form of self-defense from American and Geo-Corporate hegemony is a complete fallacy.

But it serves to shield these enlightened souls from the painful truth of local neighborhoods enslaved by a conscience-less criminal element that takes control and sets the rules of the street.

Or worse yet- the reality of a large slice of humanity held hostage to the whims of bloodthirsty dictators with an eye on regional and world domination.

No one could be that cruel without legitimate provocation, right?

It must be Bush.

It must be the Israelis.

It must be the big corporations.

Right?