...losing an election.
We've been watching the Right engage in the ritual navelgazing that happens after such a thing. The Democrats did it in 2000, and did it with more vigor in 2004-6. We've got the TeaB*ggers, we've got the Ron Paul crowd, and we have the old Country Club Republicans looking at it all and saying, "what".
Today's ten dollar phrase "epistemic closure". It's working its way all over the echo chamber of the left, and we're all talking about and agreeing that We are better than Them because We allow outside thoughts in and They don't. And They purge whoever isn't Pure enough.
Dr. Crusher: Computer, what is the nature of the universe?The part of the article that gets the most exposure is the one talking about the Right Wing Bubble and how nothing gets in that doesn't fit the universe.
Computer: The universe is a spheroid region, 705 meters in diameter.
-Star Trek: The Next Generation, "Remember Me"
The part that comes later on, and is expanded later, talks about how the purge really isn't a purge so much as a show put on for the base, or consumers, of the chattering class' product - chatter. Right now the hot product is how YOU are a REAL AMERICAN™ because YOU haven't SOLD OUT.
It starts sounding more crazy because people get tired of the same old thing. So, the "crazies" have to get "crazier". Discard old, more new. It's all about the Benjamins, baby.
Now this might make it easy to discard the whole mess as an early "silly season", which usually takes place in August, just before the new products roll out. (we could say it's due to Global Warming and see how folks respond). People are starting to trim freind lists on FaceBook over that little "joke" of a prayer against the President. Members of the group gripe that it's only a joke and nobody really means it. How is one to tell when there really are people in the group posting pictures of people hanging in effigy?
Separating fantasy from reality could get a little more sticky as the early silly season wears on. The Huttaree clan were nicked because they started acting on a false rumor.
Christian Caryl at Foriegn Policy makes a good case for why we need to start taking conspiracy theories and the "silly" stuff a little more seriously. That's all well and good, but we're really not going to see the crazy stop until enough of the right people get scared, and start backing away from the "crazy" product producers.
When the advertisers see there's no market in nuts, they'll pull the plug.
