The Colorado Party of Trump: A Gonzo Editorial on Hate Crimes and Inflammatory Rhetoric
Author’s Note: I had a nice, shiny, completely respectable version of this editorial drafted up. But as I was loading it up into Substack, a nagging voice kept whispering in my ear. The one that tends to get me in trouble with the powers that be when I listen to it while writing. It’s like my own manifested Ghost of Hunter S. Thompson asking me what he or Spider Jerusalem would have to say about this story—how would they write about it? Again, I decided not to follow my best, respectable citizen journalistic impulses and sat down to rewrite the piece into this…
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~JVT
Hold onto your star-spangled cowboy hats, folks. The Colorado GOP has decided to take a plunge into the deep end of the political cesspool, echoing the rabid rhetoric of none other than Donald Trump. The recent email blasts from the Colorado GOP read like a fever dream of right-wing fantasies: urging parents to yank their kids from public schools and calling for the burning of Pride flags. This isn't just a hard right turn; it's a swan dive into the toxic swamp of authoritarianism.
This isn't just policy talk, people. It's a calculated move to stir up fear and division. By painting public schools as breeding grounds for "LGBTQ indoctrination" and claiming Marxist Democrats are out to turn kids transgender, the Colorado GOP is playing a dangerous game of fear-mongering. This isn't new; it's a page straight out of Trump's playbook, where immigrants, the media, and political opponents are the enemies du jour, all to rally the base and keep the headlines rolling.
Edward Bernays, the father of public relations and Freud's nephew, would recognize this strategy instantly. Bernays knew how to short-circuit our critical thinking skills and tap directly into the vein of primal fears and desires of the masses to shape public opinion. The GOP's use of incendiary language bypasses critical thinking and aims straight for the gut, mobilizing a fervent base through emotional manipulation. It's classic propaganda, designed to create a clear enemy and rally the troops.
Who are these enemies? The LGBTQ+ community, public education, progressive policies – all cast as threats to the American way of life. This tactic isn't just divisive; it's a dangerous simplification that stokes hatred and loyalty to a common cause. It's the same kind of dehumanization that fueled opposition during the Civil Rights Movement and was used by the Nazis to scapegoat minorities.
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