I watched Apocalypse Now last night, and ... has anyone ever considered how strange it is, the right wing male's fear of being directly observed?
Marlon Brando's effective performance of Colonel Kurtz reminded me of this facet of right wing male behaviour. How rarely do they dare to reveal themselves as they are. Whenever a photo or a genuine idea (unstolen or unborrowed) is presented, it is always shamefaced, bashful. The right-winger appears to know that his public face is an illusion, based upon a fixed game, an uneven powerplay.
Of course, Kurtz is very much more than this. He is genuinely brave and misguided.
Yet his lurking in the shadows is something else -- this is what fatefully resonates with a psychological disposition that I have seen, time and again, from those whose moral courage and honesty with themselves are severely limited.
8 comments:
Its a symptom of Forced Conformity. The Right Wingers know what lays in wait for them if they step over some line, real or imagined that could identify them as *other. So they are humble, shy, like Girl Groups, not committing the sin of TOO, especially trying not to sin at all.
That must be it. They sure lose those qualities when they think they've managed to effectively close in on you. Once familiar, they are more inclined to many condescending and patronising remarks.
Jennifer,
You have some good stuff on your blog.
But a question for ya: Is Colenel Kurtz the best example of conservative males to use? How about Mel Gibson in Patriot? Certainly a conservative believer in God. Certainly, there are conservative counterexamples to Kurtz who are wholly unashamed, unabashed, etc.! Ahem!
Perhaps some of the restraint you sense is due to living with moral standards (founded in objective truths about reality). Excellence in manners and character is indeed a battle one wages with oneself, but one happily embraced. And each of us fails. In Nietzsche's rubric, the "drives" need to be controlled in order for a man to lead himself.
What say you?
HI Aaron
I think you are in danger of stereotyping conservative males. But you do raise an provocative idea -- that a conservative male may lead himself. Fascinating.
There are surely as many kinds of conservative males as there are sizes of asses. No argument on that.
But a man can, and must, guide himself. But just what is a man Jennifer? I would argue that a man consists in a mind infused with reason and a conscience. Those faculties, so essential, must be properly formed in order for the man to live and lead himself. It is not well for a child to be raised by racist nazis, for example, for he could turn out like Odinga.
So my question for you: where do we get the proper formation of reason and conscience? How do we, in a word, conjure standards?
There are surely as many kinds of conservative males as there are sizes of asses. No argument on that.
But a man can, and must, guide himself. But just what is a man Jennifer? I would argue that a man consists in a mind infused with reason and a conscience. Those faculties, so essential, must be properly formed in order for the man to live and lead himself. It is not well for a child to be raised by racist nazis, for example, for he could turn out like Odinga.
So my question for you: where do we get the proper formation of reason and conscience? How do we, in a word, conjure standards?
How do we, in a word, conjure standards?
two words you have there.
Advisable to hit the books, rather than trying to conjure your standards.
Weird (fascinating) film - and great post.
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