Those of us who are old enough to have experienced the haunting black-and-white images on television in those poignant days of November 1963 are well aware of the power of myth.
The Kennedy legacy, from the beginning almost entirely a media created phenomenon, has distorted American politics for more than half a century and it is high time that historians revise the myth. Yes, the facts or many of them have been out for decades but now with this account it has become more politically correct to tell the truth.
The Kennedys and alcoholism is something that ought to be thoroughly explored and the addiction of John F. Kennedy certainly cannot be omitted. Someday the account of the Cuban missile crisis will have to be squared with Kennedy's addiction and the world will learn whether JFK was buzzed with amphetamines at the time. Was it Robert who actually was the pilot in that crisis? The Kennedy alcoholism and Phil addiction means that these questions should be addressed by history.
It is important that myths which create larger than life figures not be tolerated in a free society because that in part is what has given us Barack Obama. Add to these tendencies the "martyrdom" of John F. Kennedy and the myth was irresistible for decades.
We conservatives ought to be mindful that this human temptation to create demigods of political champions occurs on our side of the aisle even if only to a lesser degree.
“It is important that myths which create larger than life figures not be tolerated in a free society because that in part is what has given us Barack Obama. Add to these tendencies the “martyrdom” of John F. Kennedy and the myth was irresistible for decades.”
Since the beginning of human history the masses have been attracted to the concept of an all powerful ruler whose wisdom and complete control over the administration of the state allows him/her to quickly settle conflicts, dispense justice, and “fairly” distribute the bounty of the nation. One of the most poignant Biblical lessons is the story of the Hebrew people demanding God give them a king, resulting in the anointing of Saul by the prophet Samuel. Ultimately the wise, strong, and just King becomes corrupted. We’ve seen the same story play out throughout history - Caesar and the Roman emperors who followed, the European monarchs, Lenin, Stalin, and Hitler. In modern times Mugabe in Zimbabwe, Castro in Cuba, Khomeni in Iran, Chavez in Venezuela, Hussein in Iraq are a few of the notable examples. Our current President Obama often publicly voices frustration with the checks and balances of our system and reminds the people how much more effective he could be if he could ignore Congress and rule by decree.
The founders, wise men they were, understood the ability of tyrants to take advantage of the passion in the body politic for strong leadership as well as the willingness of the people to surrender liberty to a ruler during times when the political system seems to be unfair or ineffective. Hence the checks and balances in our system which fragment political power and prevent one man or woman from amassing enough power to become a dictator.
The system was brilliant and worked effectively in an agrarian society in which land was plentiful and the people, were fiercely independent, most government occurred locally with significant citizen involvement, and the upper crust of society lived among the masses.
Today the masses complain about the unresponsiveness, inefficiency, and ineffectiveness of government at all levels. Thanks to skillful manipulation of the media, they do not blame the failures of government on the oppressiveness of a large power state. Instead the masses are being conditioned to believe the failures of government are due to the conflict inherent in the checks and balances of the outdated Constitution. Hence the growing appeal of the celebrity figure who will rule with wisdom, impartiality and efficiency.
The founders did not anticipate a number of issues which have distorted their concept of central government and corrupted the system:
1) The elimination of the states as a check on the power of the central government. The Civil War and the constitutional amendments of the early 20th century shifted focus of the people, and the power of government, from localities and states to the federal government.
2) The aggregation of the media into large corporations allied with the state. No longer do we have a fiercely independent press, with many competing small purveyors of primarily print newspapers, exposing government corruption in extensive detail. We now have large media companies heavily regulated by the central government and serving as shills for the propaganda of the state in exchange for favorable regulatory treatment. The people are programmed through thousands of direct and subliminal soundbite messages daily by the compliant media. Plus the acquisition of entertainment vehicles (sports, movies, books, internet content) by the media companies allows the same messages to be woven into the pop culture.
3) The two party system and the high cost of elections in the modern era which make the parties, and the candidates, dependent on those individuals and institutions that fund the parties. We have reached the point were representatives of the people openly and deliberately defy the will of the people in order to serve the money lenders.
4) The cumulative effective of decades of adding entitlement programs which effectively redistribute wealth from one citizen to the the other.
5) The shift from an agrarian rural society where people knew, respected, and worked with their neighbors through volunteer organizations to an impersonal urban society.
6) The advancement of technology and its ability to deliver to the poorest citizens a lifestyle unattainable by the wealthiest people of the 18th century.
7) The rise of secularism and decline of the Christian religion and moral values associate with religion.
8) The elites of society adopting a philosophy of life and government opposed to the Christian religion, western culture, and individual liberty.
To build on #6 people today are dependent on technology to sustain what for the 18th century man would be a fabulous life of comfort and ease. Limited government is very appealing to the man or woman who provides for his or her own needs on their own land and 100% through the sweat of their own labors. In contrast a powerful government is perceived by the elites and many citizens to sustain the transportation systems and communication systems required for our technology dependent lifestyles not to mention provide security from the global threats to the safety and security of individuals. The city dweller living in an urban apartment will gladly give up freedom to a despot as long as she/he has a roof, food, transportation, a big screen television, a smart phone, access to the internet and the freedom to indulge in whatever sexual fantasies he/she wishes to experience and explore. In fact, the modern urban citizen more likely values the efficiency a supreme ruler can bring to the administration of government than the conflict and gridlock associated with the current system.
Certainly the urban dweller receives more conditioning through the constant use of technology than the rural citizen who still experiences the glory of nature and can feel the spirituality of God’s creation on a daily basis. There isn’t much spirituality in the cold metal and glass of a human created iPhone. The myths of larger than life human personalities are less compelling to the country dweller who lives in the midst of God’s creation than urban dwellers absorbed in a human created and manipulated virtual world.
The American people are being conditioned to demand a celebrity superstar supreme ruler who will dispense with our outdated system of government and bring true justice and prosperity to the nation. The Kennedy legacy was a beginning. The manipulation of the career of the unaccomplished Barack Obama from obscurity to the highest office of the land demonstrates the advancement of the media manipulated myth of the larger than life figure. Even the corrupt Clintons are celebrity products of the modern media culture. The surprise success of Donald Trump in the current campaign, based solely on his celebrity status and brash claims he can “fix” our problems, suggests even the “conservative” masses are ready to accept a ruler in exchange for administrative efficiency.
It remains to be seen when, like the Romans before us, we shed the rule of the republic for the dictatorship of the emperor. It also remains to be seen if our ruler comes from the left or the right or even if it really matters.