Schiavo & Churchill: great metaphors for RW version of best/worst citizen

Schiavo is a metaphor for the RW version of the ideal citizen: you exist to create profit for a hospital and give insurance companies a reason to charge people high insurance rates. You don't ask any questions, and you don't complain. In fact, you don't do anything. Your body is just an instrument in making rich people wealthier and it's a symbol for consersatives so they can pretend they stand for something that is supposed to say something about their morals and ethics. Think of The Matrix.

Churchill is the metaphor for the RW version of the worst kind of citizen. If you think and question and doubt -- especially if you ask questions about the role of the citizen as merely the instrument for the transfer of wealth and power up the ladder to people much wealthier, who have no interest in your health, wealth or welfare -- then they don't want you to even have any job. You're a problem citizen. They'd prefer it if you were dead and gone.

NT

If you want to make it happen, I'll run eyes over if you want.

peace,
Beth

far and wide.

I'll do everything I can to get it out, to help with development. WhatEVER.

It's a very powerful and communicative contrast.

You let me know. Pm me or don't. Thank you for sharing your thought.

B.

/damn spelling :)

Terri Schiavo & Ward Churchill: metaphors for conservative version of "good" and "bad" citizenship

In the last few weeks two stories dominating the press offer interesting metaphors of conservative versions of good and bad citizenship. In Florida, we have the story of Terri Schiavo whom state judges have ordered off life support in accordance with her wishes as they were expressed to her husband. At the University of Colorado, we have Ward Churchill, the professor who speculated that victims of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center may have been complicit in a system that produces terrorism.

What is it about these two stories that has made them lightening rods for conservatives? Terri Schiavo is a metaphor for the conservative version of the ideal citizen: you exist for the gain of others -- not unlike Keanu Reeve's character Neo in The Matrix before he takes the red pill. In Schiavo's case, she exists to create profit for a hospital and to give insurance companies a reason to charge people high insurance rates. According to this metaphor, a good citizen doesn't ask any questions, and doesn't complain. In fact, the good citizen doesn't do anything. Her body is an instrument in making wealthy people wealthier, and it's a symbol used by conservatives to allows them to represent themselves as standing for morality while they cut funding for care and stem cell research which could make a real difference in the lives of people like Terri Schiavo.

Ward Churchill is the metaphor for the conservative's version of the worst kind of citizen. Churchill thinks and asks questions and doubts for a living. He ask questions that criticize the forced role of the citizen as an instrument -- a corpus -- for the transfer of wealth and power up the ladder to people much wealthier, who have no interest in the health, wealth or welfare of the individual. The punishment for that transgression according to the Churchill metaphor is that conservatives want to tear down your life's work and they want to take away your livelihood.

It may seem incoherent and illogical -- the conservatives want life for the lifeless and no life for the lively -- but it is not. In these seemingly contradictory metaphors is a lesson for all of us about whom conservatives believe is the ideal citizen. It's the person who takes the blue pill.
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It's too long, so feel free to edit it. Also, feel free to sign in Anna Paquin or Anthony Paglia, or maybe Declan Urqhardt or Donna Underwood.

Then, we'll get it out. Brilliant comparison, imho.

B.

Good Citizen Shiavo, Bad Citizen Churchill


In the last few weeks two stories dominating the press offer interesting metaphors of conservative versions of good and bad citizenship. In Florida, we have the story of Terri Schiavo whom state judges have ordered off life support in accordance with her wishes as they were reportedly expressed to her husband. At the University of Colorado, we have Ward Churchill, the professor who speculated that victims of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center may have been complicit in a system that elicits terrorism.

What is it about these two stories that has made them lightening rods for conservatives? Terri Schiavo is a woman who, against all odds, has survived years of hospitalization, disabled by a brain injury that rendered her helpless. And while the consequences to herself and her family are very concrete, in a way her life is a metaphor for the conservative version of the ideal citizen: you exist for the gain of others -- not unlike Keanu Reeve's character Neo in The Matrix before he takes the red pill. In Schiavo's case, she exists to create profit for a hospital and to give insurance companies a reason to mind their ratess. To expand this metaphor, a good citizen doesn't ask any questions, and doesn't complain. In fact, the good citizen doesn't do anything. Her body is an instrument in making wealthy people wealthier, and it's a symbol used by conservatives that allows them to represent themselves as standing for morality while they cut funding for care and stem cell research which could make a real difference in the lives of people like Terri Schiavo.

Conversely, Ward Churchill is the figure for the conservative's version of the worst kind of citizen. Churchill thinks and asks questions and doubts for a living. He ask questions that criticize the forced role of the citizen as an instrument -- a corpus -- for the transfer of wealth and power up the ladder to people much wealthier, who have no interest in the health, wealth or welfare of the individual. The punishment for that transgression according to the Churchill model is that conservatives want to tear down your life's work and they want to take away your livelihood. Don’t pipe up, or else.

This contrast may defy our expectation of conservatism: to want life for the lifeless and no life for the lively. In these seemingly unrelated figures, there’s the current governing lesson in the conservative model for ideal citizenship. It's the person who takes the blue pill.
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Two recent stories dominating the press provide metaphors of conservative versions of good and bad citizenship. In Florida, state judges have ordered Terri Schiavo off life support in accordance with her wishes as they were expressed to her husband. At the University of Colorado, critics have excoriated Ward Churchill, the tenured professor who supposed that victims of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center may have been complicit in system in which terrorism is inevitable.

Why have these two stories been lightening rods for conservatives? Terri Schiavo is a woman who, because of a brain injury has endured years of hospitalization with no quality of life. Her life is a metaphor for the conservative version of the ideal citizen. She exists for the gain of others -- not unlike Keanu Reeve's character Neo in The Matrix before he takes the red pill. Doctors, hospitals and insurance companies profit from her existence while her wishes are ignored.

According to the metaphor Schiavo's story implies, good citizens don't ask any questions and they doesn't complain. The good citizen's body is an instrument for making wealthy people wealthier, and it's a symbol used by conservatives that allows them to represent themselves as moral while they cut funding for every social program (including stem cell research) that could make a real difference in the lives of people like Terri Schiavo.

Ward Churchill's story is the conservative metaphor for the worst kind of citizen. Churchill thinks, asks questions, and expresses doubts for a living. He asks questions that criticize the role of the citizen as a powerless instrument -- a corpus -- for the transfer of wealth and power up the ladder to people much wealthier, who have no interest in the health, wealth or welfare of the individual. The punishment for that transgression is that conservatives want to tear down his life's work and they want to take away his livelihood. Don’t pipe up, or else.

Life for the lifeless and no life for the lively -- on the surface these positions are contradictory. However, in these two stories we can read the lesson for the rest of us. The good citizen according to conservatives is the person who takes the blue pill.
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(I hope this isn't annoying you, tinkering is fun for me. Anyway, another swipe.)

Two recent stories dominating the press provide metaphors for conservative versions of good and bad citizenship. In Florida, state judges have ordered Terri Schiavo off life support in accordance with her wishes as they were expressed to her husband. At the University of Colorado, critics have excoriated Ward Churchill, the tenured professor who supposed that victims of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center may have been complicit in system in which terrorism is inevitable.

Why have these two stories been lightening rods for conservatives? Terri Schiavo is a woman who, because of a brain injury has endured years of hospitalization with no quality of life. Her life is a metaphor for the conservative version of the ideal citizen. She exists for the gain of others -- not unlike Keanu Reeve's character Neo in The Matrix before he takes the red pill. Doctors, hospitals and insurance companies profit from her existence while her wishes are ignored.

(Need a clear explanation of the pills here. Sorry – I’m the only person on Earth who didn’t see the movie :))

Like Shiavo, good citizens don't ask any questions and they don't complain. The good citizen' is an instrument for making wealthy people wealthier; it's a passive body used by conservatives to merely signify their “morality” while in fact, they cut funding for every social program (including stem cell research) that could make a real difference in the lives of people like Terri Schiavo.

In contrast, Ward Churchill figures what conservatives consider the worst kind of citizen. Churchill thinks, asks questions, and expresses doubts for a living. He asks questions that criticize the role of the citizen as a powerless instrument -- a corpus -- for the transfer of wealth and power up the ladder to the already wealthy, a class that has no interest in the health, wealth or welfare of the individual. The punishment for that transgression is that conservatives defame his life's work and seek to withdraw his livelihood. Don’t pipe up, or else.

Life for the lifeless and no life for the lively -- on the surface these positions are contradictory. However, these two stories are also complements: the good citizen, according to the conservative view, is the person who takes the blue pill.

AP, I don't think these people are conservatives. What do you think? I've met conservatives, and while I disagree with them, they don't think like this criminal, corporate cabal.

Maybe that's the biggest fraud or "front" -- Bu$hCo passing as conservatives when they're corporatists (to avoid the "f" word).

A mind is a terrible thing to use

Two recent stories dominating the press provide metaphors for conservative versions of good and bad citizenship. In Florida, state judges have ordered Terri Schiavo off life support in accordance with her wishes. At the University of Colorado, critics have excoriated Ward Churchill, the tenured professor who supposed that victims of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center may have been complicit in an economic system in which terrorism is a predictable consequence of huge disparities in cultural, economic and political power.

Why have these two stories been lightening rods for conservatives? Terri Schiavo is a woman who, because of a brain injury, has endured years of hospitalization with neither quality nor human consciousness of life. She exists for the gain of others -- for doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and moralists who profit from her existence while her wishes are ignored. She is not unlike Keanu Reeve's character in The Matrix before he takes the red pill that will open his eyes from a dreamworld and into a reality where his body is nothing more than an energy source for machines which control the world, except that there is no red pill that will bring her back to the world.

Like Shiavo, good citizens, according to this metaphor, don't ask any questions and they don't complain. The good citizen is an instrument for making wealthy people wealthier; she is a passive body used by conservatives to signify their “morality.” However, after the prayer sessions are over, they cut funding for every social program (including stem cell research) that could make a real difference in the lives of people like Terri Schiavo.

If Schiavo is the ideal citizen, then Ward Churchill is the worst kind of citizen. Churchill thinks, asks questions, and expresses doubts for a living. He asks questions that criticize the role of the citizen as a powerless instrument -- a corpus -- for the transfer of wealth and power up the ladder to people and institutions that have no interest in the health, wealth or welfare of the individual. The punishment for that transgression is that conservatives demean his life's work and want to see him lose his job. Don’t pipe up, or else.

Life for the lifeless and no livelihood for the lively -- on the surface these positions are contradictory. However, these two stories have a coherent logic: the good citizen, according to the conservative view, is the person who takes the blue pill, who doesn't act up, who doesn't ask questions, and who is content to remain an instrument for someone else's accumulation of power at the cost of her own.

:toast: