let's play "who's the traitor?"
it's an enchanting parlour game in which partisans on separate teams use character assassination to attempt the personal destruction of members of the opposing team. here's the basic move:   if your team can bait an opponent to react angrily rather than civilly, then you get to label your opponent a traitor (and for good measure, a fool and a poor sport). the real fun begins once each side accuses the other of being a traitor. at that point civil discourse breaks down and increased distrust between partisan sides accomplishes the functional equivalent of a successful terrorist attack. who needs terrorists when we can accomplish just as much social chaos with outrageously self-indulgent personal attacks masqueading as debate?

questioning the patriotism of americans is this decade's equivalent of red baiting from the mccarthy era. with bush's narrow victory at the hands of an ill-informed electorate, look for the divisiveness and mean spirited attacks to get worse. and who profits from rude american discord? can you do the math on this one in your head?
posted by Will Ross at 06:37