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Recognize that the Right is a Complex Movement (2)
(Continued)
This advice is from a Political Research Associates (PRA) document titled "Ground Rules and Tips for Challenging the Right." There are three sections--Do Your Homework, Stay Cool in Public, and Keep Organizing--each with several suggestions. I'll start with the last point first, then talk about researching the right, with a big list of resources. Be alert to evidence of the Right’s “new racism.”As Color Lines magazine explains: "For three decades, conservative thinkers have worked mightily to discredit race-based considerations in public policy and cement the belief that America today is, as it should be, a colorblind society." This framing of the issue is also based on false assumptions about how far our nation has advanced toward full democracy and real equality. There is a wealth of statistical evidence showing that as a nation there are still substantial disparities based on perceptions of race, in which people who identify as "White" receive unfair advantages in terms of power, privilege, and access to financial assets. Some of the groups PRA turns to for information and advice are Color Lines, and its publisher, the Applied Research Center; the Poverty and Race Research Action Council, and the Center for Third World Organizing. Here are two useful books:
No one organization “controls” the RightNo single funder is “behind” the Right. There are important funders, but much of the money is raised through televangelism, radio programs, and direct mail appeals to grassroots constitutents. The foundation funding is important because it allows significant Christian Right organizations to weather dry spells when money is tight. Foundation money also funds specific projects. But there is no "Mr. Big." Some large organizations are important, but many others appear to be more influential than they really are. This means that individual high profile Christian Right leaders can get caught in financial or sexual scandals, their organizations can fail, and the Christian Right still will exist as a huge network of social and political movements. Every time this happens, some inside the beltway pundit announces the demise of the Christian Right. These pundits are either lazy or ignorant or both--but no matter what causes these types of idiotic projections, don't fall for the line. There have been Christian Right political activists on our soil since the 1600s. The brief period in the 20th century when conservative Christian evangleicals retreated from the political scene was the exception. Tell the pundits to get a library card. Recognize that there are multiple networks of organizations and funders with differing and sometimes competing agendas. The split over global warming among Christian evangelicals is a perfect example of this. And, contrary to much clueless reportage, this split goes back many years (see references above to library cards). There are also splits over the war in Iraq, poverty, and health care, among others. If we lump all Christian evangelicals into one amorphous stew of toxic political belief, we miss opportunites for highlighting wedge issues that can change the outcome of electoral and legislative initiatives. Find out as much as you can about the groups you see. Incorporate this information in your educational work. It is helpful in organizing to know a great deal about your opponents. Developing tactics and strategies for confronting the views of the Christian Right requires solid information about who they really are, what they really think, and what they are really doing. If most of your information about the Christian Right comes from direct mail fundraising letters form liberal and progressive groups, your time would be better spent reading the Harry Potter books (or watching the films), since the information in both direct mail and Harry Potter has the same relationship to actual events in the real world, and the kids at the Hogwarts School are far more entertaining. Here are a set of further resorces that will help you understand the complexity of the Christian Right and the U.S. political right in general. Resources:
For serious investigations, consider this book: Dennis King, 1999, Get the Facts on Anyone, New York: Arco. And do not confuse serious investigation and analysis with the many conspiracy theories that are rampant. Sociologist G. William Domhoff has a great website based on his many books on power structure research, including a special page on why conspiracy theories are not useful. Other Research Resources
Ground Rules and Tips for Challenging the RightMaking Distinctions - Seeing Possibilities (1)Recognize that the Right is a Complex Movement (2) Respecting the Right to Hold Religious Beliefs You Find Offensive (3) Decode the Right's Agenda on Your Issue (4a) Ideology, Frames, and Narratives in Right-Wing Social Movements (4b) How do Social Movements Gain Political Power? (4c) Chip Berlet, Senior Analyst, Political Research Associates The Public Eye: Website of Political Research Associates--- Chip's Blog
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