The shocking atrocity in Orlando was an act of hate and anger committed by an American citizen who was influenced by the rhetoric and ideology of radical Islamic terrorism. His actions were evil, and were intended to cause fear and terror and more hatred.
Lives have been cut short. Families are grieving. Innocent people are dead. Caring for the survivors and honoring the lives of the innocent victims is the first order of business. We need to respect the grieving process and start the healing following this tragic event.
Unfortunately the 24 hour news cycle and endless opinion mill does not allow much room for a period of grace and dignity and healing following tragedy. Almost immediately there were calls to blame guns and Muslims. Almost immediately there were discussions of who was at fault, and an almost incomprehensible claim of responsibility for the carnage by the Islamic State.
The propaganda produced by the leaders of the Islamic State is not an appeal to our rational side; it is an appeal to emotion. And it is nothing new or even unusual. People are not driven, generally speaking, by rationality. People are driven by emotion. If you want people to act you will be ill-served by lofty intellectualism, and better served by stirring up strong feelings.
The reason the calls for banning guns and Muslims came so quickly was because it was necessary to take advantage of the strong emotions Americans were feeling in response to the tragedy. Politicians are not fools; they understand that timing is critical. Never let a crisis go to waste, because in a crisis you have people listening not with their brains but with their hearts.
Patriotism and nationalism depend on those same emotions. Have you ever noticed the emotions you feel when a patriotic song is played? The same is true of our religious ceremonies. We use music to stir emotions and get people engaged. We use music and images and key “trigger” words, designed to stir people’s emotions and get them to feel a certain way.
Advertisers know this better than anyone and the best ones do it without you ever being aware of it. If you are aware you are being sold you may form some resistance. Madison Avenue is more powerful (and devious) than we may think.
Every great cause needs a villain to focus on. In politics it is readily available in the form of one’s opponent. They are never just another good person seeking the same office. Your opponent has to be dangerous and bad and have evil intentions. Occasionally it is true but usually your opponent is a public servant, just with different views on how to solve the problems in society.
I have been appalled to witness the “coming out” of white racists on social media. They have become bold lately, stating their love of and pride in their “white race” publicly and without embarrassment. They call themselves the alt-right, and they like to pretend that their white heritage is under attack. They refer to it as “white genocide”, and they are out to make sure it does not happen. The idea of being “proud” of something you were born with and did not achieve is not rational, regardless of your skin color.
I am not going to pretend that racism is a new thing, but this latest incarnation is largely a reaction. They are told that all white people are inherently racist and that they have “white privilege” that they are simply unaware of. They are told that Black Lives Matter, but not All Lives Matter. They watch as Ferguson and Baltimore are burned in anger. White people have been painted as the cause of this misery and they feel threatened.
Unfortunately all of this has created in many people’s minds a class of enemies to hate. Some black people have been taught that all white people are bad racists and some white people have been taught that all black people are out to get them. Neither is true, but without fear and anger people remain apathetic. If you want to stir things up you cannot use logic, you have to use emotion.
The notion that people of different religions can peacefully coexist does not fit the agenda of radical Islamic leaders, whose goal is to gain power and control territory. They need fighters who are willing to die for the cause. Suicide bombers are not motivated by powerful intellectual arguments. They are motivated by strong emotions like fear and anger and religious fervor.
Likewise, those who would fight against radical Islam will need to be motivated by the same exact emotions. They must see Islam as the enemy in the same way that the Islamic suicide bomber sees western civilization as the enemy. They must feel that their religion and way of life is threatened. Once they are convinced, every bit of evidence will seem to support their belief.
For both sides, the idea that most members of the other team are actually innocent and peaceful is anathema. It robs them of conviction and the negative emotions that fuel them.
The Supreme Court decision that upset so many by legalizing gay marriage was one that probably could have won gradual (if grudging) acceptance by even the most hard core conservative Christians over time. Unfortunately, the demand that Christian bakers be forced to bake cakes for gay weddings stepped over a line and created a backlash. The issue became more than simply one of tolerance and coexistence; it was seen as an assault on basic liberty. Similarly, the bathroom issue was a misguided one that did more harm than good and once again created backlash against transgender people.
Perhaps these are merely unfortunate coincidences, but I don’t think so. People with agendas need enemies and controversy in order to stir emotions and force people to act. Religion and sexuality are powerful emotional triggers than accomplish that nicely. So is money. Another popular tool of those with agendas is class warfare, either hatred of the rich or fear of the poor.
Obviously we are being hit with all of the above right now, and “enemies” are being created everywhere. From race and religion to money to sexuality we are being told constantly that the sky is falling. Instead of positive plans for bringing people together we are presented with villains to be defeated at all costs.
Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are both master manipulators and both are going to appeal to our emotions and fear of the other as their campaigns heat up. The name calling and fear mongering is skillfully crafted to appeal not to our intellect but to our emotions. They need to motivate people, and they know exactly how that is done.
This is nothing new. Hitler was evil, but he was also intelligent enough to know he needed an enemy to blame his problems on. He chose the Jews, and they became the scapegoat for all that was wrong in German society. When the United States entered the war we used patriotism and nationalism and a fear of Germans and Japanese to motivate our side.
Long before there was ever a Saul Alinsky there was Niccolo Machiavelli, and their ideas are as old as humans. Leaders manipulate people and get them to do their bidding by dividing them into groups and pitting those groups against one another.
As we stop and reflect on the atrocity that occurred in Orlando we have to realize that there are people among us who are falling prey to the propaganda produced by the Islamic State, and those people represent a real threat that we must find a way to deal with. ISIS itself is a threat similar to the Nazis in Germany and we must deal with that threat as well. We must understand the propaganda and find a way to neutralize it, which will not be easy.
At the same time each of us must be aware of the propaganda that is being directed at us. We must examine every “enemy” that we are presented with and try to turn off our emotions and instead engage our intellect. We must be wary of calls for patriotism and nationalism. And we must not make decisions based on fear or anger.
We each need to stop and realize that peaceful coexistence with people that may look different or have different ideas is not only possible but beneficial for all. We need to stop demanding special treatment and instead respect the right of others to live their own lives. We need to stop fanning the flames and instead fight the hysteria with calm and a return to values and civil discussion.
Most people on this planet are good people who just want to live their lives in peace and raise families and make a better future. There are some who have been corrupted and are filled with hatred and mistrust for other groups of people. And a few are sitting back pulling strings and manipulating events to pit us against one another. Those are the truly evil people that we fight against. We will never get rid of those people; new ones will simply take their place. But we can begin to recognize them and be aware of the tools they are using to control us.
The thing the manipulators fear is that we will see through the charade and realize we are not all enemies and that most of us on each side are good people. If we can disarm ourselves and let go of the fear and hate we can rob them of the intense emotions they need to keep us motivated to keep fighting one another. It is a tall order, but we can all at least try.
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