Paradigm shift

Argentine man tried for
passing counterfeit bills
acquitted for incompetence.

Change, for human societies, is always difficult. But the most difficult changes of all involves major paradigmatic shifts. Think how difficult it was for humans to deal with what was once termed the four great blows to man’s ego. The Copernican revolution was truly a massive shift from an earth centered universe to a heliocentric one and, as you will recall, did not occur easily or overnight. Darwin’s theory of evolution was a similar blow when we had to confront the fact that we were just as much part of the animal kingdom as other animals. Freud, of course, demonstrated that far from being the rational beings we believed we were, we were subject to all kinds of unconscious and emotional constraints we had not previously thought about. Then, as the great age of (European) exploration began, and as more and more information was gathered about other peoples and their behavior, it became clear that values were not fixed and unchanging as we tended to believe, but were, in fact, relative to their cultural context. All four of these developments were resisted, sometimes violently, and in some circles may still be resisted. These kinds of massive changes do not occur easily or quickly.

I suggested previously (Morialekafa 8-29-08) there was a fifth great blow in store for Western-Europeans if Barack Obama was somehow to be elected President of the U.S. This was so because it would challenge the basic paradigm that had informed Western-European thought for hundreds of years. The notion of a Great Chain of Being in which all creatures were ranked from the lowest to the highest on a scale of value with white Western-European males at the very top of all creation. Remember, everything was so ranked, cultures (from savage to civilized) and even races (with blacks at the very bottom), and so on. Thus if a black man (even a part black man) was elected President it, would not only represent a precedent in race relations in the U.S., but would also violate this most important cultural belief system. And, of course, it happened. When Obama was elected our most basic paradigm was finally shattered (Morialekafa 11-5-08). Thus it is not at all surprising that Obama has been subject to far more threats than previous Presidents, that the sales of firearms has increased dramatically, and that white males have come out shooting. Most Americans (whether they have thought much about it or not) seem willing to accept a black President (or at least give him a chance), or they do not actively oppose him, but those who are much more true believers in white superiority (and the Great Chain of Being) are obviously having a great deal of trouble. To these believers it was unimaginable that we would ever have a black President, and to many it still is. They don’t want to (cannot) accept a Latino on the Supreme Court (Latinos not being at the top of the scale), and they cannot bear the thought of a black President, a development that threatens their most basic beliefs. Indeed, some are so threatened by an American black man as President they are denying he is who he claims to be, and insist he is some kind of plant from Kenya or who knows where. Jews, too, are not considered to be high on the scale, and anti-Semitism fits easily into their lost world. This is for some a very serious, personal, and frightening business because it tears at their most fundamental beliefs. Some people fear we may be seeing the beginning of a revolution. A large-scale, serious revolution is not going to occur, but it is not at all surprising that there is a real upturn in violence against minorities, authorities, and cultural symbols of various kinds (Wall Street, Banks, Museums, Abortion Clinics, Synagogues, Mosques, etc.).

Surely there is a correlation between level of education and beliefs about racial inferiority. And there must also be a correlation between social class and the desire for revolution. The much touted White Southern Republican “base” can easily be seen as a hotbed of such beliefs and desires.Think of how different things might be if we had a better educated populace and everyone had a decent job and health care, a condition incompatible with a capitalistic free-market economy. We must continue to have uninformed voters and cheap labor. It’s the American way.

You have to give credit to the American Medical Association for being consistent. They have now come out once again against changes to our Health Care System, just as they did against Truman, Carter, Reagan, Clinton, and now Obama. I guess the Doctor’s credo, “Do no harm,” doesn’t apply to society-wide medical care. Perhaps if we are lucky, people by now realize that Doctors are not as god-like as they perceive themselves to be. I bet we could import well-trained Doctors from Cuba who would be happy to be part of our new Universal Health Care System, especially those American Medical Students who went there where they could afford to be trained. With Cuban/U.S. relations beginning to thaw perhaps we could start an exchange program – wheat for doctors. Anyway, don’t bet that Insurance, AMA, and big Pharma won’t kill Universal Health Care again.

LKBIQ:
Capital is reckless of the health or length of life of the laborer, unless under compulsion from society. Karl Marx

TILT:
Both male and female Mountain Goats have beards, short tails, and black horns.