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January 24, 2006
Hypocrisy, Thy Name Is Stantis
Neo-cons always make me laugh, but in a "laugh at" not a "laugh with" sort of way. And they also frustrate the hell out of me. Today's Prickly is a perfect example.
A few weeks ago Harry Belafonte made the following comment while in Venezuela:
"No matter what the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatest terrorist in the world, George W. Bush says, we're here to tell you: Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of the American people … support your revolution."
A very controversial comment, to be sure. And apparently, calling someone names is very, very bad and something Carmen (& Winslow apparently) both abhor.
Funny thing though. They refer to Hugo Chavez as a "dictator."
But he's not. He's a democratically elected leader, winning in a landslide back in 2004. Now granted his presidency has been riddled with accusations of abuse and spying on his opponents - sound familiar? Hey Bushies - it's the kettle calling, he says you're black.
What we see here in action is a device neo-cons love to use called "framing." Immediately they frame President Hugo Chavez as a dictator - something we all know to be bad. He then talks about the comments made by Belafonte to said dictator - meaning no matter what he says, he's bad too. And apparently by expressing HIS OWN PERSONAL OPINION - not the liberal agenda, not a lefty talking point, not a Democratic issue - he's evil incarnate. And now Carmen is going to call him names.
To which I say: Bring It On. Do you really think we're afraid of you, Stantis? Come on - the best you can do is go after Harry Belafonte and try to somehow contribute that to what other Democrats say? Why don't we mention Ann Coulter or Sean Hannity every time Bush opens his mouth? I'm sure the Prez would love to know that Ann Coulter speaks for the entire right side.
Maybe it's because what Belafonte says, while outrageous, hits a little too close to home. Let's check the dictionary:
tyrant
n 1: a cruel and oppressive dictator [syn: autocrat, despot] 2: in ancient Greece, a ruler who had seized power without legal right to it 3: any person who exercises power in a cruel way; "his father was a tyrant"
terrorist
adj : characteristic of someone who employs terrorism (especially as a political weapon); "terrorist activity"; "terrorist state" n : a radical who employs terror as a political weapon; usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells; often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities
I won't make any comments other than to say - do those things remind you of someone? And I'm not talking about a guy who sings calypso songs about bananas.
Comments
So much for Carmen's campaign against civility. You know, this comic might be tolerable if Stantis could at least keep his characters' personalities straight.
Posted by: Annie at January 24, 2006 08:46 AM
Thus cirsumventing [sic] the real issue: when did they move away from boycotting grapes?
Posted by: sacki at January 24, 2006 09:27 AM
Who is Harry Belafonte again? I'm sorry my memory is blinded by the glare of moonbattery.
Posted by: Joe at January 24, 2006 10:15 AM
INCIVILITY. I meant incivility. Call me an optomistic speller.
Posted by: Annie at January 24, 2006 11:51 AM
