What exactly explains the move to gay marriages and other progressive changes in profoundly conservative Catholic countries like Ireland and Spain while in the US the populations are succesfully stopping these developments? I would put forward one idea: the sexual revolution occurred later than the US and northern Europe in both of these countries. Because of this the backlash has yet to happen? I'm not sure.
2 comments:
I propose this explanation:
Religion--specifically, Christianity--is different in the United States. Why? Because in the United States, Christianity is a profitable industry.
When I was growing up and attending fundamentalist churches in Indiana, preachers such as Robertson, Falwell, and Swaggert had mastered the TV medium and were making huge amounts of money. (Fundie preachers were, and are, all over the radio as well.)
They did this in part by talking about how good Jesus was and how bad communists were. Anti-communism was not their only message, but it was one of their primary ones. They constantly used it to raise money, by saying they were sending missionaries, bibles, etc. to China or wherever.
When communism was abandoned by all but Fidel, the Christian entrepreneurs had to find new fundraising causes. Gays quickly became the new red flag to wave.
I propose that the unique combination of unregulated (for all practical purposes) broadcasting, tax-exempt churches, and wild-ass craziness that the fundamentalists in this country have embraced go a long way to explaining why they have this singular need to demonize people who want to make a committment to each other.
IFS,
The church/business political/anti-communism explanation is very appealling to these ears but I would posit something deeper. As the social movements-civil, gender, environmental, gay rights of the 1950-70's were on the ascendency in this country the inustrial base along with the predominantly white male labor movement was on the decline. The Right at this time were very adept at tapping into this white male anxiety. Who is responsible for you losing your job, your decent wage and your pension? It's women and blacks of course.
My uncle worked at a factory in Milwaukee that made parts for the Navy from the day he left high school in the 50's. As the industrial capacity of Milwaukee was smashed in the early 80's by Carter's man Volcker affirmative action was required with the government contracts. My uncle argues causality; race and class are the reason for the decline of industrial America not the Monterists.
Gays represent the corresponding moral decline and decadence as right ring religious types have been embraced in the rust belt and white rural America by the millions. Just turn on AM radio for these themes. They have been blaring for decades.
Thomas Frank and Barbara Ehrenreich inspire these ideas-Market Populism and Stiffed.
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