The ‘Othering’ of Ted Cruz

The Washington Free Beacon ^ | April 3, 2014 | Andrew Stiles

[2ndDivisionVet]

Liberals don’t like Ted Cruz. Many hate him. But why? Is it his conservative politics? That might have something do with it. The most plausible explanation is that liberals fear any politician who dares to be non-white, non-conformist, and non-complacent, and who challenges their 1940s Rooseveltian worldview.

Whenever someone like Ted Cruz comes along, liberals cling to their outdated values, and immediately set out to neutralize this threat via a process known as “othering.” According to Yahoo! Answers:

Othering is a way of defining and securing one’s own positive identity through the stigmatization of an “other.” Whatever the markers of social differentiation that shape the meaning of “us” and “them,” whether they are racial, geographic, ethnic, economic or ideological, there is always the danger that they will become the basis for a self-affirmation that depends upon the denigration of the other group.

For example:

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Bashir also compared Cruz to Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh. Meanwhile, Bashir’s former colleague Chris Matthews has accused the Texas Republican of being “arrogant,” a classic racist code word, and recently criticized Cruz for comparing himself to a white man:

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Al Sharpton has “othered” Cruz on numerous occasions by portraying him as non-human:

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Sharpton has also made use of alarming stereotypes, such as the notion that all Texans play poker and take hostages:

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Ed Schultz has gone so far as to portray Cruz as Mr. T:

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Some have dismissed Cruz as “crazy,” and mocked him for not “having any money whatsoever.”

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The ‘s Tina Brown has suggested that Cruz is an actual member of the Taliban, while some mainstream publications have sought to portray Cruz as a master of the dark arts:

That’s tame compared with what liberals are saying on the social networking application Twitter. Classic “othering” tactics on display here:

Heather @EveryDayBella89

Ted Cruz go die in a hole

10:43 PM - 27 Mar 2014

Franky Ramone @FrankWearsPants

Ted Cruz can lick my butthole. That slimeball.

4:54 PM - 28 Mar 2014

Virgil Texas @virgiltexas

can we start a rumor that ted cruz is a bastard

2:13 PM - 28 Mar 2014

1 Retweet 8 favorites

Crazy Smart Guy @crazysmartguy

I shaved my butt and found a mole that looks exactly like Ted Cruz. Then I realized it was actually a dangling piece of sh*t.

8:37 PM - 26 Mar 2014

1 Retweet Reply Retweet Favorite

And what about the liberal blogosphere? You betcha:

The campaign to “other” Ted Cruz is just beginning. If he decides to run for president in 2016, or even vice president on a Gohmert-Cruz ticket, the professional left will stop at nothing to derail his American Dream, so determined are they to restore a white Democrat to power.

Wake up, America!

Haters are going to hate

[marron]

Sad to say, Ann Coulter has taken her shots at him.

[Politicalkiddo]

The man is making the right enemies.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks 2ndDivisionVet.

[Martin] Bashir also compared Cruz to Branch Davidian cult leader David Koresh. Meanwhile, Bashir’s former colleague Chris Matthews has accused the Texas Republican of being “arrogant,” a classic racist code word, and recently criticized Cruz for comparing himself to a white man... Al Sharpton has “othered” Cruz on numerous occasions by portraying him as non-human... has also made use of alarming stereotypes, such as the notion that all Texans play poker and take hostages... Ed Schultz has gone so far as to portray Cruz as Mr. T... Some have dismissed Cruz as “crazy,” and mocked him for not “having any money whatsoever.” ...Tina Brown has suggested that Cruz is an actual member of the Taliban, while some mainstream publications have sought to portray Cruz as a master of the dark arts...

I have no money whatsoever, and would prefer Mr T to the jackass currently in the White House, no wonder I like Cruz.