The real world....Dennis Perrin at
Red State Son has written a characteristically thought-provoking
piece on the
Edwards blogger controversy. Although this one hits closer to home than usual for me, as Melissa at
Shakespeare’s Sister is my friend.
I find myself in the unusual position of disagreeing with Dennis, perhaps simply
because Melissa’s my friend and I fear for her safety. I wonder if the target of death threats and verbal assaults had been Dennis’ wife or daughter, would he have responded differently? And I ask this sincerely, not snidely.
Or maybe I just shy away from the concept of martyrdom in general. I fled the US, after all, rather than commit civil disobedience against the Iraq war and risk prison. Most of my reasons for this relate to being ftm and fearing incarceration in a male prison. (Exactly which prison they’d put me in is open to question, but that’s another discussion.) Am I merely lacking the strength of my convictions? Am I just a spoiled citizen of a privileged nation, unwilling to make any real sacrifice for the principles I profess to support?
It’s quite possible.
On the other hand, it’s extremely important to pick the causes one's willing to die for. In the case of Melissa and Amanda, is John Edwards or the American Democratic Party worth potential martyrdom?
I think not.
One element largely missing from the discussions of the blogger controversy has been the utter lack of mainstream institutional support for the two women. Take the media. Melissa's and Amanda's perspectives have been missing, while the Right’s has been fully presented.
Equally missing was support from Edwards and the Democratic Party. The designated “far left” candidate cravenly hung Melissa and Amanda out to dry by his failure to unequivocally defend their freedom of expression and hit back hard against Donohue, Malkin, O’Reilly, et al. Protected by the best security money can buy, he put right-of-center voters --who will never back him!-- ahead of the safety of two of his most ardent (and idealistic) supporters. To say his cowardice is emblematic of the Democratic party is a gross understatement.
Imagine how differently this whole travesty would have played out had Edwards not hesitated but come out guns blazing in support of freedom of expression and religion (or lack of it) and gone after Donohue’s bogus tax-exempt status as soon as the right-wing assault dogs started their mad baying. Imagine if other Democratic candidates had added their voices to his.
Instead, after rumors of firing and 24 hours of silence, Edwards issued a “statement of support” that read like a backhanded slap, accompanied by clearly forced statements from Melissa and Amanda that offered their throats to Donohue’s blade. I feared then that their resignations would follow.
The weakness of institutional resistance to the Right in America is central to this controversy. Chris Hedges points out in his brilliant book,
American Fascists, the significance of the destruction of traditional institutions—labor unions, liberal churches, a strong, independent press, healthy families and communities—that used to present an organized resistance to the American right. I’d add to this, the transformation of the Democratic party into an institution more fiercely committed to the corporate gravy train than to the progressive principles held by its core supporters.
In the absence of institutional resistance, martyrdom becomes mere murder.
The political becomes personal, to perversely twist the famed feminist catchphrase. For examples in microcosm, regard how rightwing detractors attacked Melissa and Amanda in comment threads on their blogs.
You’re fat. Ugly. Potty-mouthed. Just need a good fuck. Hate Catholics. Deserve what you got. Bwah ha ha, you were fired! You're gonna burn in hell. The attacks ignored issues and were almost entirely ad hominem.
When an organized and well-funded right-wing noise machine drowns out lonely voices of dissent, the context and meaning of personal injury are lost. Why put yourself at risk of bodily harm if a (god forbid) assault against you would be seen as an unfortunate but isolated event by most Americans, rather than the predictable outcome of a series of well-planned, funded, and orchestrated actions?
The progressive blogosphere offers a slight counterbalance to the rightwing monolith, but the Net also provides a breeding ground for rightwing extremists. Extremists who are, like the larger rightwing, much better at suppressing internal dissent and presenting a unified front to opponents.
The end result of all this is that, were Melissa or Amanda harmed by some rightwing lunatic inspired by Donohue’s mad ravings, the vast majority of Americans would remain ignorant, unconcerned and solidly convinced that America remains the “best democracy in the world.”
Last but not least, when I hear news that another woman has been murdered somewhere across the globe for acts of resistance, such as Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, Afghani teacher Safia Amajan, Irish reporter Veronica Guerin, and many many others, I find myself awed by their incredible courage. Would I think less of them had they decided instead to put their own lives or those of their families first and flee or remain silent in the face of injustice?
No, with the proviso, “As long as they weren’t actively collaborating with the forces of repression.” Every person has the right to chose their fights, especially those that carry the risk of injury or death. My decision to walk in an anti-war march with tens of thousands of others carries little potential of harm beyond bad blisters. My choosing, on the other hand, to chain myself to the gates of the White House (probably not even possible in this era of “Free Speech Zones,”) is riskier. More dangerous still, would have been for Melissa or Amanda to continue working for the Edwards campaign in face of a deluge of death threats and surprise visits by enraged strangers.
In light of all this, I believe Melissa and Amanda were wise and totally justified in resigning from the campaign, and Dennis’ post, in this unusual instance, unreasonably harsh and judgemental.
