Americans are succumbing to irrationalism presented by right-wing conservatives said Bill Fletcher Jr, a labor, racial justice and international solidarity leader. Americans must question leaders and commentators about the validity of their accusations.
On Monday, March 29, Fletcher addressed about 30 UT students, faculty and staff in the Jesse H. Jones College of Communication, as a guest of the college’s Senior Fellows Honors Program. Students and faculty from the Center of Africa and African American Studies were also in attendance.
There are currently three crises occurring in America: the financial/economic crisis, the environmental crisis and the legitimacy of the state, said Fletcher.
“When these three crises come together, it encourages the growth of irrationalism,” said Fletcher, “Irrationalism lies within a political system.”
Since President Barack Obama’s Democratic nomination for the 2008 presidential election, several Republicans have criticized the legality of his citizenship.
Fletcher used this claim as an ideal example of irrationalism. He said the moment Obama was nominated, Republicans had every resource at their disposal to find out everything about Obama’s life, especially his citizenship. If there were any questions about the legitimacy of his citizenship, the entire world would know.
“It’s scary that 58 percent of the Republican Party believes that Obama is not a citizen of the U.S,” said Fletcher. “There is no way [the statement] can be true and yet people still believe it.”
Fletcher said that right-wing conservatives such as John McCain, Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh are playing on people’s fears about the world falling apart and steering them away from rational answers to the crisis in America.
The financial crisis is an interest of nearly everyone. The term “economic recession” is heard on nearly every form of mass media. In 2009, the U.S. reached a $1.4 trillion deficit, leaving many unsure about the financial state of the U.S. economy.
Economic recessions are apart of capitalism said Fletcher, the level of damage is unknown and is unpredictable in terms of timing but in a time of financial crisis, conservatives look for scapegoats.
Fletcher said conservatives point fingers at minorities and lower class Americans for borrowing money and purchasing homes they ultimately couldn’t afford. He said they are faulting everyone except bankers, who tricked people into signing adjustable mortgage rates.
“Bankers knew what they were doing…they went into black and Latin communities and gave people sub prime loans when they qualified for standard fixed mortgages,” said Fletcher, “The rights [conservative Republicans], instead of blaming the banks…they blamed people for wanting a better life.”
Politicians and political parties continue to debate the issue of global warming. Many Republicans believe that there isn’t enough evidence to support global warming, while many Democrats such as Al Gore, are advocates for educating the public on the issue.
Last winter, the East Coast witnessed two of the worst snowstorms in decades. Many anti-global warming conservatives said the presence of snowstorms was evidence that global warming was not occurring.
Fletcher criticized the conservatives and the mainstream media for entertaining the idea and giving it as much publicity as it did.
“What’s troubling is that the mainstream media treated this as if it were a legitimate point of view. Global warming is not about the absence of snow storms…it’s about the rise in extreme weather events,” said Fletcher.
Lastly, Fletcher discussed the legitimacy of the government. In this discussion, he addressed the uneven distribution of wealth in the U.S and the world.
Fletcher said when there is a great polarization of wealth in an economic system, at some point, people from the bottom are left with two choices: fight for a fair and equitable redistribution of wealth or fight each other.
Fletcher referenced the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of civilians were murdered and the Darfur genocide crisis in 2003.
These genocides were a “combination of an economic and environmental crises that left people fighting for survival,” said Fletcher.
In order to challenge irrationalism, people must ask questions and demand more from their government, but it’s not easy. In the past, people who questioned and criticized the distribution of power and wealth were often called communists.
People need to look for collective solutions to the crises occurring in this country instead of individual solutions, said Fletcher. “There needs to be a social movement to force the government to meet the need Fletcher said that right-wing conservatives such as John McCain, Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh are playing on people’s fears about the world falling apart and steering them away from rational answers to the crisis in America.
The financial crisis is an interest of nearly everyone. The term “economic recession” is heard on nearly every form of mass media. In 2009, the U.S. reached a $1.4 trillion deficit, leaving many unsure about the financial state of the U.S. economy.
Economic recessions are apart of capitalism said Fletcher, the level of damage is unknown and is unpredictable in terms of timing but in a time of financial crisis, conservatives look for scapegoats.
Fletcher said conservatives point fingers at minorities and lower class Americans for borrowing money and purchasing homes they ultimately couldn’t afford. He said they are faulting everyone except bankers, who tricked people into signing adjustable mortgage rates.
“Bankers knew what they were doing…they went into black and Latin communities and gave people sub prime loans when they qualified for standard fixed mortgages,” said Fletcher, “The rights [conservative Republicans], instead of blaming the banks…they blamed people for wanting a better life.”
Politicians and political parties continue to debate the issue of global warming. Many Republicans believe that there isn’t enough evidence to support global warming, while many Democrats such as Al Gore, are advocates for educating the public on the issue.
Last winter, the East Coast witnessed two of the worst snowstorms in decades. Many anti-global warming conservatives said the presence of snowstorms was evidence that global warming was not occurring.
Fletcher criticized the conservatives and the mainstream media for entertaining the idea and giving it as much publicity as it did.
“What’s troubling is that the mainstream media treated this as if it were a legitimate point of view. Global warming is not about the absence of snow storms…it’s about the rise in extreme weather events,” said Fletcher.
Lastly, Fletcher discussed the legitimacy of the government. In this discussion, he addressed the uneven distribution of wealth in the U.S and the world.
Fletcher said when there is a great polarization of wealth in an economic system, at some point, people from the bottom are left with two choices: fight for a fair and equitable redistribution of wealth or fight each other.
Fletcher referenced the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which hundreds of thousands of civilians were murdered and the Darfur genocide crisis in 2003.
These genocides were a “combination of an economic and environmental crises that left people fighting for survival,” said Fletcher.
In order to challenge irrationalism, people must ask questions and demand more from their government, but it’s not easy. In the past, people who questioned and criticized the distribution of power and wealth were often called communists.
People need to look for collective solutions to the crises occurring in this country instead of individual solutions, said Fletcher. “There needs to be a social movement to force the government to meet the needs of the people.”
