Another blogger has written a fascinating analysis of the psychology behind Right-Wing Authoritarianism (RWA). Thinking about the conservative people I have seen (either that or the target audience of the movie 300), her ideas make a lot of sense. It’s like the missing center piece of the puzzle, and the satisfaction of watching it click into place perfectly, making sense out of the whole thing.
Of course, as a man, this piece is also highly unsettling:
It takes a sexually mature and capable man to find and woo a partner, father children, sustain the relationships that make a home, and take his place among the valuable men of the community. When you’re a kid, Dad’s sexual competence is the very heart of what makes him the alpha male in your family pack. At five or six, the physical attributes that make him a man are magical stuff — and not only do you not have those attributes, your childish sense of time is such that it’s easy to fear that you never will. The whole issue, as Freud knew, is fraught and uncomfortable.
Maybe it’s just me, but does that scared little kid sound a lot like myself? I certainly don’t feel like I am or ever will be sexually mature and capable enough to live up to this masculine standard. Perhaps blogger Sara is simply writing this because she isn’t familiar with what it’s like to be male (just like I would never understand the female experience). It does sound nice, though, to have this male power.
Anyway, I’m a sucker for great big explanations that sweep up a lot of separate thoughts and behaviors into one framework.
Thanks Pharyngula for the link.
