Understanding Conservative Anger

I have always been astounded by the intensity of anger and fear that conservatives express at every perceived threat, no mater how nonsensical or benign. This astonishment is part of the reason I study them so. It seems unnatural for human beings to act this way, with what can only be described as vitriolic hate that cannot be reasoned with.
    There was a time when I thought it was just misguided ignorance that was being manipulated by greedy talk radio, which capitalized on stirring paranoia. How else could otherwise sane people continually believe lies that are patently false? Sooner or later, they would see they were wrong. Right? Surely they would see that they are not surrounded by enemies ready to destroy their way of life, or enslave them, or put them into concentration camps. After all no one is doing that. In fact, the majority of Americans, who believe in freedom, tolerate their presence well despite the insults and provocations. Americanism is alive and well among liberals and independent-minded people.
    You would think that, sooner or later, they would realize that the sky isn't falling, and the enemies they conjure in their minds either are exaggerated or just not there.
    But they don't. Their anger merely gathers steam, ready to blow at any provocation, no matter how ridiculous.
    So, how should we understand this? Is there anything in their fears that might be real? Then, one day, revelation hit.
    In the quiet neighborhood I live in, let's call it America, we sometimes hear a dog barking from a few houses down. Why does he bark so ferociously? Who can say? But he does it often enough for us to know that the threat he perceives is probably inconsequential. No bears in our neck of the woods, and I haven't heard of any burglaries lately either. Let's call this dog, for lack of a more realistic name, Rushie.
    When Rushie barks, other dogs in the neighborhood follow suit, and we soon have a whole chorus of dogs barking. Some go on for hours and it's quite annoying. Can't blame the dogs. They are just responding to instinct. I blame their keepers, who feel no qualms about disturbing the peace of our rural setting. Somehow they feel this falls under free speech.
    Now, that first dog, Rushie, a burly, crazy kind of dog who likes to pull on his collar and do anything for attention, did sense something he perceived as a threat, which put him into the attack mode. This terrible threat is usually a passing cat. Let's name him Libby, who isn't bound by leash and collar, and likes to explore new things and places.
    The other dogs responded in kind when they heard Rushie's warning. After all, Rushie is a dog just like them, and wouldn't bark about nothing. Would he? He understands about threats. There had to be one of those house-stealing cats out there. Or maybe one of those damn squirrels that the world would be better off without. If it weren't for these leashes… we'll call them laws.
    These dogs believe that they are protecting their homes and everyone who lives there. The threat of feline socialism, or fascist squirrels, both of which remain largely undefined, seems real to them. If ever Rushie had a doubt about his anger, the fact that Beckie and Coulty and Seany are barking too, encourages him to go on — although he sometimes wonders why Becky whimpers so. Runt of the pack, I suppose.
    Try to convince the dog that there is nothing to worry about. It can't be done. The reasoning power just isn't there compared to instinct. He smells the kind of danger that could destroy his leash-defined circle. I mean, we're talking cats here! If he could, he would arm himself with claw triggered automatic rifles and form canine militias. He doesn't understand how democracy was meant to alleviate us of the rule of the jungle. Democracy is just talk to Rushie, and talk is just barking that does not make sense.
    The root of the dog's instinct is territorial protection against a perceived and inherently evil enemy. Usually cats, but it could be anything that is unknown or threatens staid routines, like evolution, or strangers, or unfamiliar smells. There is usually nothing evil in any of these things, but dogs don't understand that. Hence the collar and leash. These loyal companions have their freedom limited to digging up the yard and peeing on the flower beds, and occasionally tearing apart something valuable, like our Constitution. We love the furry creatures, and so the trade-off. If they ever figure out how door knobs work, we will be in trouble. Poodle patriotism would truly end our civilized way of life. Why? Dogs find it easier to destroy things rather than build them. No articulated thumbs. Sort of like conservatives. Bark, bark, bark!
    Conservatives see threats where there are none, and you can't convince them otherwise. The conclusion comes first, and then reasons are conjured by the likes of Rushie Limbaugh and his latest Mini-me, the teary-eyed, Glenn Beck. They don't have to make sense. All they need to do is provide gibberish that validates feelings of paranoia, and they have done their job, and get well-paid.
    Feeding this anger, despite no real threat, makes it grow. When all the conservatives start barking at once, they feel that their on-going paranoia, congenital perhaps, is somehow being fulfilled. The threats gain definition. Turning a Town Hall meeting into a bark-fest makes it all more real.
    Reason doesn't matter. The only truth they recognize is how they feel, and the pack-like solidarity that the barking of other conservatives generates in their hearts. Personal frustration becomes a crusade, against an enemy that does not exist. Poor Libby sits on the sidelines wondering what is going on. Crazy dogs. Why not relax and enjoy life. It's not so bad, with a little cat nip now and then.
    Dogs are not allowed to vote for the very reasons described above, and their inability to be toilet trained.
    Conservatives do vote. Although most of them are toilet trained, they do make a smelly mess of politics, and are ruining our democracy. Why? Because democracy does not function well on paranoia and purposeful disregard for truth.
    All this is well and good for their leaders, perhaps, who detest truth and prefer the mob mentality of indoctrinated confusion that empowers them. Because conservatism doesn't trust reason or intelligence, just what is it based on? Whatever it is, lies are just fine.
    The tragic error in their harsh ideology is that they think they are defending and fighting for freedom. Even when it succeeds, it fails. This is where conservatism dangerously falls apart, and has to be bolstered by emotional propaganda. It makes them enemies to the American Dream, despite their patriotic fervor.
    Is freedom maximized by denying healthcare benefits to millions of Americans?
    Is it maximized by dismantling safety net programs for those who need help?
    Is freedom served in any respect by denying certain people equal rights? Or segregating them? Or insulting them?
    Is freedom encouraged by spreading the kind of fear that inhibits clear thinking?
    Are we really more free under the iron will of amoral corporations than a representative government of our own choosing, safeguarded by checks and balances?
    Think about the nonexistent logic of these misguided patriots, who prefer a long term depression that safeguards deregulation, than the stimulus programs that pulled us from the brink. What kind of patriotism is that? They say they are the defenders of American and family values, but have you read some of their placards at demonstrations? Hardly virtuous. More like the spewing of bigots and bullies to me. Hardly the ideals articulated by our founders, who, by actual standards of conservatism, were intellectual, elitist radicals.
    Conservatives! In your deafening chorus of tired, spiteful clichés, and desire to win at all costs, no matter what, you have lost your moral integrity. And you don't see it. Your anger is blinding. You are trying to destroy our constitutional government in the name of saving only two or three amendments. And what will you put in its stead? A charter of anger and hate and violence? Wake up! This is not the American Dream. You have lost your moral foundation to paranoia.
    Paranoia is an emotional addiction. The first step to recovery is to recognize your illness. You need to see that your fears are largely insubstantial. The United States will never be a socialist society. Socialism simply does not fit who we are. Marx and Lenin hold no threat to any of us, and never really did, despite all the panic. It is your tunnel vision that is the real threat now.
    When the majority of Americans seek to maximize the freedom of all Americans through healthcare reform, it is you who are denying them that. It is you who want to deny targeted groups equal rights. It is you who would like to form a theocracy in the name of religious freedom. It is you who fuels the flame of global warming that would destroy all our freedoms.
    And for what?
    In the end, is it your hatred for liberals, or for yourselves?

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