When somebody does something idiotic, like hold up his fist in solidarity with a bunch of people who are about to storm the building he works in (which is also one of the most important buildings in the world), you should just label the person a moron and move on it with. I guess that’s why I’m more surprised that I’m actually surprised Missouri congressman Josh Hawley would blame pornography addiction and video game addiction on feminism and liberals. Yup, he did that over the weekend and The Guardian, one of the best newspapers in the world, was sharing the article early this week.
This site has seen a lot of new people lately. Those who have been here for years know I’m socially liberal and fiscally conservative, but for the most part, I’m just against idiocy, whether they wear a button that’s blue or red. The day I release this, for those checking it out in the future, is Election Day. I’m not voting. I don’t know the candidates in local races and neither of the state referendum questions mean anything to me.
After two decades in journalism, I avoid news. I read Google headlines and then I learn stuff people tell me. It’s part of creating balance in my life. But when a good friend sent me The Guardian article yesterday, I winced. I didn’t wince because somebody who likely is a little dense said something very dense. I winced because even denser people will listen and follow.
Highlights from Josh Hawley and His Misinformation
When I worked in journalism, I was taught not to quote somebody who says blatantly false information unless the mere fact of someone sharing wrong information is bigger than the story itself. I believe this is such a situation. If you have not experienced Midwest or Southern conservative Christianity, it’s a different deal. As my case worker at the second rehab I went to in Texas told me, “You’re in the Bible Belt and this is the buckle. And the buckle is nowhere near the brain.”
So, I’m not going to refute everything this power-hungry misanthrope had to say with logic and facts, but I want to highlight a few of those intellectually-insulting statements:
- “Can we be surprised that after years of being told that they are the problem, that their manhood is the problem, more and more men are withdrawing into the enclave of idleness and pornography and video games?”
- “While the left may celebrate this decline of men, I for one cannot join them. No one should.”
- “The left want to define traditional masculinity as toxic. They want to define the traditional masculine virtues – things like courage, and independence, and assertiveness – as a danger to society.”
- “For centuries, lovers of liberty have praised these qualities as the highest standard of manhood. That’s not to say that women don’t possess them. But it is to say that these virtues are the bright side of the aggression and competitiveness and independence that psychologists, no less than philosophers, have long observed in men.”
How Does Josh Hawley Continue to Get Support?
I don’t think I need to counter his arguments since his arguments are so poorly delivered. Josh Hawley doesn’t cite studies, surveys, facts, or any data that supports his position. He accuses the other side of doing something that they most certainly aren’t doing. And, he shits all over women as largely useless. The saddest part? There are going to be plenty of porn addicts, video game addicts and women who support and vote for him.
I can get into theories of GOP branding over the years and how they’ve captured that base in a way Democrats never could capture their own. I wrote Josh Hawley off after the Capitol Building riots. He described a scene unlike one the rest of us saw. You can lie to me. Or you can try. But when I see evidence on live TV to the contrary, time to be quiet. This isn’t about the riots in January 2021. It’s about standing up to people who are spreading dangerously incorrect information.
We’re at a place in the United States where, while most won’t say it directly, you’re either for Donald Trump or against. That’s it. Those are our two camps, and they are stronger than any Democrat vs. Republican tussle from the past. I give Trump credit for whipping up crowds and being able to foster an environment where his followers support him no matter what. Few people have had that kind of magic touch. Some, like Lincoln and Churchill used that power wisely. Others throughout history have not. We are at a place where many would rather be told what they already believe, even if those are dark, unkind, blatantly untrue beliefs.
Politicians Should Not Be Trusted…Ever
And I say this having been a politician. If it’s as sketchy at the state and national levels as it is on a local level, we’re screwed. I have a feeling it’s even worse. When I was on a city council, it wasn’t really divided by political parties. It was seven people with seven different views and before anything happened in the meeting room, everything was decided. We showed up to play our parts on a popular cable access show, mostly. And if you ever hear a local politician saying, “I’m getting a lot of feedback” or “I’m getting messages” all it means is “I agree with this opinion, but I’m going to put it on this person.” Plenty of people give feedback you don’t agree with as a politician. You just don’t claim those.
Here’s the problem with the world: It’s a complex place. Whenever I think I’m a Democrat, they do something really boneheaded. Whenever I think I’m a Republican, they do something really mean. I come from Maine, meaning people like Margaret Chase Smith, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins and Angus King are names I’ve been raised with and raised on. These are all Senators that can be honestly described as moderate or independent. I didn’t grow up in a blue or red state. My congressional district, one of two in Maine, was the only one in New England to support Trump in the last election.
I’ve interviewed tons of politicians over the years. Smith (who singlehandedly told Joseph McCarthy to fuck off with his communist witch hunts) is the only one on that list I haven’t interviewed multiple times. I admire the three I did interview and have voted for, and against, each of them. All three were decent people, but all three were kind of off. When I say “off” I mean not wired like us, which is weird because we choose them to represent us. They have agendas and motivations most of us don’t have. It’s not pure narcissism, but there’s a desire to prove somebody wrong and prove somebody right. That’s not healthy.
Unlike Josh Hawley, I Know What I’m Talking About
Foreign policy? I pass. Infrastruture? Nope. I can’t tell you what the Secretary of the Interior does or why the Sargent at Arms in the Senate doesn’t carry a big gun. I don’t fully understand monetary policy. Frankly, I just don’t find so many aspects of serving very interesting. I would never want to be a senator. I admire those who take it on themselves, even with delusions of doing the right thing. Or that they can make a difference. The good ones feel not-so-good and leave quickly. The ones who can play the power and social game stay. And Hawley is the kind of partisan chameleon who knows how to preach to his base.
Here’s the thing though: Addiction is real. I know. I’ve been there. I also know because I’ve spent a lot of time studying and researching it. I know I’ve actually done more of my own scientific study and research than Josh Hawley. Addiction is 100% real. And no Democrat, Republican, man or woman turned me into an addict. The lack of coping tools as a child is what led me to it. Yeah, we’ve all heard the stories about my babysitter, but I don’t blame her. She was sick, too. You don’t cure mental illness and addiction with political rhetoric.
Instead, Josh Hawley gave this speech to rile up people and because of the midwesterners who are his base, and not just in Missouri. He’s got future plans and if extremists (and they exist on both sides, Mr. Sanders and Ms. Pelosi) like he and a few others who would rather rewrite history because their vision doesn’t match up to what happened, his base will allow it. Why worry about truth when you can just agree with people who tell you what you like to hear?
A Couple Final Thoughts
Again, I don’t care what political party you support. I truly don’t. I support your beliefs if they are somewhat rooted in truth, provability, science and as long as you’re not hurting anyone. Want to skip church? Cool. Want to go to a church where you speak in tongues and snakes bite you? Enjoy. Just don’t bother each other, and don’t lie to one another to suit your overall agenda.
I think we’re in a strange, strange time in society and the history of the world. I’m not going to get deeply into it here, but I think nature is in charge of what’s going on right now and it’s the delusional and power-hungry who can’t see it. It’s not about racial unrest, abortion, or a virus, or voting rights. I think we glom onto the ideas that these are man-made problems with man-made solutions. The problem is that the Earth and Mother Nature is trying to eradicate a large segment of the population, for its own good. If you were Mother Nature and somebody is polluting you, wouldn’t you fight back? And when it comes to the natural world waging battle against us, we will never win. You can’t fire a gun at Mother Nature or impose tariffs on her exports. She’s detoxing. And even if it takes 20 years, she’s gonna get a lot of the toxicity out of her system.
The world will always be full of people like Hawley who seek to control others. First, cozy up to the people who are easily marks for manipulation, then work on the others. If we were all in the other category, dipshits like Josh Hawley who make things up about addiction, or treason, to fit their story wouldn’t have the power that they do. Citizens of Missouri, for crying out loud, your kids deserve better. And so do you. And so do the rest of us.
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