Conservative worldview = fear of cooties

I posted the following note on Facebook:

Pagan "AVATAR" Peddles Nature Worship

By Deshpal Sandhu (in India)The purpose of such 'Native' ceremonies has always been to arouse animal passions in man. This is the not so hidden message being sent out by these devilish avatars in Jimmy's movie. Become natural, become animal, do not think for yourself, let your nature spirit guides guide you.I added:This is what many conservatives believe about minorities and liberals. That they're irrational and emotional creatures. That they're governed by animal passions for sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. That they have no concept of personal responsibility or hard work--that they want everything given to them on a platter.This led to the following exchange:Ruth:  In other words, to the conservative mind: women!

(And thus bad. So help me, the entire conservative agenda can be reduced to fear of cooties.)Yes, I thought about tying this to women too. I usually think of them as an honorary minority, even if they're a majority. Good job making the connection explicit.

The cootie connection

I then posted the following note on Facebook:Fear of cooties: the conservative agenda in a nutshell. (H/t Ruth.)Which led to the following exchange with Tom:If by "cooties" you mean high taxes, excessive business regulation and government intrusion into the private sector, and foreign aggression/terrorism, then yes, that is the conservative agenda.No, I mean a fear of all things soft and brown and feminine.

Excessive business regulation = telling white men they can't do what they want.

Government intrusion = helping the poor and needy = acting like softhearted, gullible women.

Fighting Muslim terrorism = showing the world that Christians are the toughest gunslingers with the biggest penises pistols.

Yes, I guess we're talking about the same thing after all.

Your comment is funny considering the conservative approval of the racist Arizona immigration law permitting more government intrusion in private affairs. But then, you've been hypocritical about government intrusion throughout the Bush years.

When Bush was expanding the size and power of the US government, you had nothing to say about it. Which is how we know you and your teabagger brethren are insincere frauds and liars.

America the gunslinger

As I've said many times, Americans have a cowboy mindset. Ours is "a culture that confirms the stereotype of the individual as solitary gunslinger and society as a hostile frontier," as one LA Times article phrased it.

Naturally, we define ourselves by our mastery of wilderness (the frontier) and savagery (Indians). We were and are the shining city on the hill--bringing the light of civilization to the world's dark-skinned people.

Because we tout Indians for their warrior prowess, you'd think we'd respect them as equals. Many Americans did until it became clear they wouldn't give us their land and go away. Then we had to demonize them as not quite human--i.e., not man enough to deserve being treated as equals.

How did we do this? See the quote at the beginning. In part, we did it by associating them with weak, feminine traits. Indians sing and dance. They wear feathers and skins. They smoke peace pipes. They speak eloquently and at length. They tell stories. They have dreams and visions. They make decisions by consensus. They pray a lot. They worship nature. They respect elders. They share things. They don't have science or technology. They feel rather than think. They're like women and animals--instinctive and impulsive.

It became a case of "Cowboys Are from Mars, Indians Are from Venus." Indians signed treaties and expected us to obey them. We laughed at them because they danced like wolves. They beseeched us to stop killing and starving them. We treated them like nagging shrews, knocked them around a bit, and told them to quit whining.

Summing it up

Americans = cowboys = men = rationality.

Non-Americans = Indians = women = irrationality.

Americans don't want to be contaminated by weak, idle, irresponsible "others." They don't want to degenerate into people who believe only in existing and enjoying rather than doing and achieving. In other words, they don't want to get cooties from women and minorities.

For more on the subject, see Xenophobia Behind Wilson's "You Lie" and Conservatives' Pro-White Agenda.

Below:  "Don't touch me, Pilgrim, or I'll blow your brains out."