DECONSTRUCTING THE MYTH
 There
have been many "MOVEMENTS" that have changed history and people's
minds. They are characterized usually as being led by a charismatic person
with the ability to convince and energize.
But the prime requirement
is that, for the leader, the cause is the reason for his dedication and
purpose. In other words, he does not seek to elevate himself through convincing
others to support his cause. He seeks to elevate the cause.
This is why the
mean-stream media is wrong in lionizing Barack, calling his campaign a
movement and putting him forth as the next messiah. Barack
Obama's cause is Barack Obama. He seeks to elevate himself, he is campaigning
to become president.
For clarity, consider
the Movement of the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. whose birthday we
celebrated a few days ago. In this short space we cannot even begin to
tell of all he did for his race and for this country. He was not looking
for any rewards for himself. He sacrificed his time, and finally his life
to serve the people he led. His efforts made this country and its people
better.
He wrote many books
and delivered passionate speeches that electrified and incited us to join
him in this struggle. He was not a divisive leader and cautioned his followers
against violence; he revered Gandhi.
Another example
of a movement leader that draws the comparison between movement and campaign
even finer was activist, Ralph Nader, in the early 70's when he powerfully
incited the enthusiasm of young people, to go after corporations that could
and did kill and maim for profit. ("Nader's Raiders" under Nader,
investigated government corruption, publishing dozens of books with their
results.)
He worked tirelessly
to fight the corporations and put programs, called PIRGS (Public Interest
Research Groups) into colleges and universities. He lived frugally and
never married. He dedicated his entire being to this cause until the 90's
when he began to seek political office. At that point he ceased being an
activist, leading a Movement, and became a politician seeking public office
for himself.
These two activist
leaders united and encouraged their followers to actively and peacefully
work for a cause that affected everyone.
They were both superb speakers who could sway and influence crowds of people
into the movement.
In stark contrast,
the Obama campaign divides and sets age groups against each other by denigrating
age and wisdom in his stump speeches. He encourages youth to laugh at seniors
by making thinly veiled Viagra jokes aimed at his opponents. http://blogs.suntimes.com/sweet/2007/12/sweet_obamas_erectile_dysfunct.html
(Lynn Sweet is Long-time Chicago columnist and Washington Bureau Chief.)
It is a pattern
for him as he was doing this in the Illinois senate when he called Senator
Kennedy old, tired and spineless in 2003.
Many of the followers
of Obama are threatening, overly vocal and prone to violence. They feel
he has given them the right to force their beliefs on others. He encourages
his mostly youthful followers to throw off parental constraints and does
not demand anything of them in the way of helping themselves and others.
Rather, all he asks is that they vote for him and he will do everything
himself, but he is not specific as to how or exactly what.
He speaks to the
baser child-self in all of us that wants our controlling, old parents out
of the way. This frees us to play at a campaign that excuses us from any
real effort since a new young parent (Barack) will do all the work for
us while we bask in the light that he shines on himself.
gapperserve-at-peoplepc.com
http://gendergappers.blogspot.com
2008-005
Copyright
2008 Renee T. Louise and Ruth M. Sprague, Ph.D. These articles may be republished
for noncommercial use only, provided that they are copied intact, and that
this copyright notice is attached. Address all queries to: gapperserve@peoplepc.com.
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