I have a theory as to why all the doom and gloom. Ready?

[belle]

Because if you watch too much of that shit, it's going to affect you. No, really. You, too.

You THINK you're getting depressed because of all those *other* people who are presumably watching this and happily drinking the "four more years" koolaid. you feel like the only sane person in a world of insanity, right? Newsflash: you're SUPPOSED to feel that way. you're SUPPOSED to get depressed and scared. they all ooze it from their pores. it's like spiritual Kryptonite. and it works on anyone who watches too much of it, regardless of political affiliation. You feel demoralized, hopeless. The difference is only in how you interpret the feeling.

If you're part of the "base," the intended audience who already believes in this worldview, you interpret spectacles like the RNC as "The world is a scary and bad place, and I'm alone and helpless in it. and there's no one else out there who can help me. Anyway, no one else is speaking up. And so I must turn to these forceful people who are offering me protection."

If you're NOT part of the intended audience, then the message is, "The world is a scary and bad place, because these insane asshats are making it so. And there's no one else out there who can help me. Anyway, no one else is speaking up. I feel alone and helpless. There is no one to turn to."

Nutshell? The power of the Rove machine, BushCo, and the rightwing media, such as it is, is in this: it's about energizing the base, yes, but it's at least equally about depressing the hell out of every sane person who happens to turn it on.

Look, I'm not trying to invalidate anyone's feelings here. I'm not saying that we should all take happy pills, take victory for granted, and go on our merry way. What I'm saying is, I don't think we're in any real danger of that, really. If anything, I think the real insidious danger is in getting just dispirited enough to not quite push this thing through. That's what they want.

Bottom line? If you're really feeling blue? Turn the damn TV OFF. seriously. Even go off DU, if it's driving you crazy. Stick to the Daily Show; hell, turn on Cartoon Network or something.

I say this from the admittedly somewhat craven position of not having watched any of the damn spew-fest except for the juicy bits (i.e. Miller meltdown) that other intrepid souls have vetted for me. Unlike the Republicans, I give thanks to the people who've braved horrors so I don't have to. I will just say: damn, i feel SO much more mentally healthy for having spared myself that. Seriously. There's a point where it stops being "politically aware" and starts being "masochism." This shit is toxic, and there's only so much any one person can take without it seriously getting to you.

This message has been brought to you from the I-Ain't-No-Fucking-Pollyanna,-but-the-glass-is-far-from-empty party.

[DenverDem]

1. Exceptionally good point.

They don't call it mass mind control for nothing.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. They are Dementors.

They suck out all the hope and joy from your soul if you let them. That's why I haven't watched any TV all week except for the Daily Show -- Republicans make me want to stick my head in the oven.

[Tsiyu]

3. What belle said...

:kick:

[Robbien]

4. Very good points

My spirits were lifted though when I turned on CSpan and saw Kerry/Edwards rally in Ohio. It was amazing how fast the doom and gloom cloud dispersed.

[T Town Jake]

7. Good to see...

...an on-point and timely response by the Kerry Team to the RNC. Just watching on television, I thought it went well for the Kerry campaign.

[eridani]

11. And dang, what a Patronus charm it was!

Expecto Patronum! OK, those of you who were there in person, what silvery form did you see coming from Kerry? From Edwards?

[Zan_of_Texas]

5. It's not just a theory -- it's a psychological study!

Fear of Death Wins Minds and Votes, Study Finds

July 29, 2004
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20040729/pl_nm/campaign_fear_dc&cid=615&ncid=1963&sid=96378800

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush may be tapping into solid human psychology when he invokes the Sept. 11 attacks while campaigning for the next election, U.S. researchers said on Thursday. Talking about death can raise people's need for psychological security, the researchers report in studies to be published in the December issue of the journal Psychological Science and the September issue of the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

"There are people all over who are claiming every time Bush is in trouble he generates fear by declaring an imminent threat," said Sheldon Solomon of Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York, who worked on the study. "We are saying this is psychologically useful."

Jeff Greenberg, a professor of psychology at the University of Arizona in Tucson, said generating fear was a common tactic. "A lot of leaders gain their appeal by helping people feel they are heroic, particularly in a fight against evil," Greenberg said in a telephone interview from Hawaii, where he presented the findings to a meeting of the American Psychological Association. "Sometimes that may be the right thing to do. But it is a psychological approach, particularly when death is close to peoples' consciousness."
<snip>
The students who thought about death were much more likely to choose the charismatic leader, they found. Only four out of about 100 chose that imaginary leader when thinking about exams, but 30 did after thinking about death.
<snip>

[LunaSea]

6. Fear

Is all they have despite the fact we spend more than all other nations combined on our defense.
The only thing I really fear is ill-concieved policy.

[DeadHead67]

8. ABSOLUTELY !!!!!!

I get so goddam sick of people posting these stupid fucking polls about fifty times a day, showing * ahead, either that or some right-wing ding shithead's spin on something Kerry's said. My favorite lately was a link to an AOL 'straw' poll that showed Kerry ahead only in Vermont for God's sake. And what does this crap do? IT CAUSES PEOPLE TO LOSE FAITH IN THIS STRUGGLE!!! DO NOT FORGET!!!This is War! This is a real struggle which will determine what happens here in the USA and by extension THE ENTIRE WORLD for many years to come. This is neither the time to sit on our hands, nor to be dis-spirited. LET'S GET TO WORK!!!:kick: :kick: :kick:

[leftofthedial]

9. spiritual kryptonite

yup.

[NJCher]

10. very good common sense point

I haven't watched any of their convention, either, and part of the price I paid was I didn't get to see the Zealot Meltdown.

OK, so I can deal with that, maybe watch it at CNN or something.

But my point is that I don't allow "toxic people" into my life so I sure as hell am not going to open my living room to republicans for a week.


Cher

[Selwynn]

12. Yes, when you stick your head in the sand things do look rosey.

[SammyWinstonJack]

22. Except then, you leave your ass in the air to get kicked

[dbt]

13. I nominate belle's post for the homepage. Can I get a second?

Excellent points here about Toxic Feces and "going off DU if it's driving you crazy."

:toast:
dbt

[NeoConsSuck]

14. I had plenty of Doom & Gloom, but not for those reasons..

I do not watch broadcast or cable television. I have not turned on a TV since 1992 to watch anything other than a rented movie. Any news that I acquire comes from the Internet. My news sources are CNN.COM, USAToday.COM, Yahoo, DU, WSWS.ORG. Since my employment involves Internet development, I spend the entire day, and my leisure time on the Internet.

I used to be an avid reader and contributor to MediaWhoresOnline.com. I know there is a right wing tilt to cable news websites.

With that background, I can tell you, it was like night and day between what I saw on cable news websites for the two conventions. For the DNC, almost 1/3 of their news coverage was of the repukes rebuttals. For the RNC, the Dems took the high road, and to me, it looked like once again, the Dems were afraid to attack the Rove smear machine. And before anyone chimes in with "Smearing doesn't work", tell that to Max Cleland.

Kerry fought back last night, but it was like a lone wolf trying to protect himself against a pack of hunting dogs. Attack machines shouldn't be using their candidate to do the fighting. How many Democrat senators are there? Every goddamn Democrat senator should have been calling a press conference to rebut Rove and his gang of thugs. How many Democrat congressmen are there? Same advice goes to them. Their silence was deafening.

[Disturbed]

15. Most Dems In Congress..

only work on getting themselves re-elected. This takes more time than anything else. They work for the Plutocracy and their benefactors. The Dem Party is not unified at all. When 90% are against the war on Iraq but both candidates are for it and wish to stay the course there is a disconnect. Dems only worry that The Neo Fascists don't gerrymander most of them out of their jobs.

J. Kerry has to talk about domestic issues because he lost his chance to challenge The Neo Fascist about Iraq. When Kerry said that he would vote the same way even if he knew there were no WMDs he lost this issue. It doesn't matter if he meant something else. The perception is that he agrees with the Neo Fascists on Iraq. Saying that the Pres. mislead the American people into Iraq is true but most Americans don't care about that. Saying that mistakes were made after the initial invasion has been admitted by the Neo Fascist, so that is not an issue. Most still believe that Saddam had some involvement with 911 Attack. Sure, it is bogus but they have been brainwashed into believing that and no amount of talk will change their minds.

[masshole]

16. I wasn't depressed after the RNC

but I still feel better after reading your post, Belle.

Thanks! :hi:

[tom_paine]

17. That is well said, and yes, even spending too much time on DU

can cause it.

[PatriotGames]

18. You nailed it on the head.

[Zorra]

19. "Bottom line? If you're really feeling blue? Turn the damn TV OFF."

Bravo, belle. Great points.
:toast:

You folks that watch all this Rot Wing political shit on TV or who listen to Rash Slimebag or the other Borg assimilators on the radio are buying right in to their program for you and your America, and you are in fact supporting their efforts by boosting their ratings.

If you do something more positive with your time, like register voters for Kerry, or anything that increases our chances of winning, it could make your attitude more positive also. We have 2 months left. Make every moment count that you possibly can. A Kerry/Edwards WH means never having to say you're sorry.

"Most of the cats that you meet on the streets speak of true love,
Most of the time they're sittin' and cryin' at home.
One of these days they know they better get goin'
Out of the door and down on the streets all alone."

From Truckin' by the Grateful Dead

[tlcandie]

20. I don't watch TV except to turn on LINK TV or FSTV...

In fact, went to Goodyear to have oil changed and turned their satellite tv to DemocracyNOW! :bounce:

[sangh0]

21. You are absolutely correct

As someone who has been following the RNC propoganda for decades, I can speak from personal experience that even if you are familiar with what they're doing, you will still be affected by it. One can't expose oneself to such vitriol without being affected.

[citizen]

23. The only way to maintain your sanity..

is to get out and actively support Kerry....make a statement!

Yesterday, I wore a "Proud Veterans for John Kerry" t-shirt on some routine errands that took me around town. A clerk at one of my stops said "Thank God there are people who are not buying their bullshit!"
We are not alone! Get active!

To quote from a Hopi messsage of peace....

"We are the ones we have been waiting for."

Empower yourself to actively join the fight for truth!

[wildeyed]

24. Nothing banishes the doom and gloom like registering

a new democrat to vote. I find that taking action helps keep me positive. And I would do it if Kerry was 30 points behind in the polls and I would do it if he was 30 ahead. It's about me doing the best I can for my party and for my country.

I am currently in a semi-news break phase, too. I didn't watch the convention at all and I only read cursory accounts.

[LearnedHand]

25. Thanks, belle!

Excellent summation of the problem. Nominated!

[YIMA]

26. Nice Try

And I appreciate your efforts, but I'm much to depressed after all these fascists have said and done this last week to even think. Thank goodness we have the weekend but I'm certain more than ever now that they're going to hold onto power.

:evilfrown: :mad: :argh: :grr: :scared: :nuke: :thumbsdown: :(

[deutsey]

27. TV = Lucifer's Dream Box

That's what the late, great Bill Hicks called it.

I've yet to hear a better name for it.

[AgadorSparticus]

28. YES!YES!YES! this needed to be said......thans, belle. nt

[obiwan]

29. Right on target...

... all this is designed to affect the psyche of the opposition (us). Remember how the FBI/ATF tried to affect the Branch Davidians (Waco) with loud obnoxious rock music? Didn't work then, won't work on us. But might work on those blind and ignorant Dem loyalists with no spine. One of our jobs here is to educate them with facts.

If you want to bring the media around, you will have to give it a collective blow job.

[Bake]

30. Good point. Here's another side of it:

We were so shocked and disappointed in 2000. We literally could not believe that that BUFFOON ended up in the White House. And we want so badly and work so hard to see that he does not get another four years. And yet we know how dirty they play the game. And we continue to hope, all the while afraid that "it" can happen again. And we're afraid to get our hopes up too much, lest they be dashed again as in 2000.

Bake

[T Bone]

31. If you watched a lot of corporate advertised coverage of the RNC

You have the 'feeling' the advertisers paid for their commercials. You got what they paid for. What do you think they paid for?

And now you are hear spreading the meme infection they paid for. Unless you are fully innoculated to it.

[dddem]

32. Fear keeps us in line.

When I took my kids to see "The Village", I was amazed at the lengths the elders would go to keep the villagers from questioning their rules and authority. Hmmmm..... Of course when the kids (older kids - I wouldn't bring little ones to a flick like that)asked fearfully what was in the woods that everyone was so afraid of, my first thought was - Republicans of course!