I think the NRA is merely a symptom of a much deeper problem--a problem that we deny even exists and a problem that, when expressed and explained, generates a circular firing squad within the Democratic Party. That nameless problem is this (flame-retardant suit on):
The Democratic Party is perceived as being female. The Republican Party is perceived as being male. Many men in America today feel emasculated, oppressed, and weak (whether there's any reality behind that perception is beside the point). Guns are an implicit assertion of male power (the power of strength, death, and destruction). Female power, on the other hand, is creative, life-generating, and nurturing, but guns and masculinity are aligned in the American psyche. To the extent we fight against guns in the Democratic Party, we also fight against men and masculinity, and this dynamic is crushing us with the electorate. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that the entire Republican Party of today is, primarily, a backlash against the tremendous gains in power and influence that women have made over the past hundred years. How else can we explain so many people voting against their best interests? How else can we explain the fact that many women who are not millionaires vote for Republicans? (They love the men in their lives, and they see the impact of these social changes on the men that they love.)
This, I think, is the primary barrier to complete Democratic control of government. Whether we can even see this problem (much less address it in a meaningful way) is the paramount challenge for our party at this moment in history (or, if you prefer, herstory).
-Laelth
Edit history
Recommendations
0 members have recommended this reply (displayed in chronological order):
= new reply since forum marked as read