The return of McCarthyism
By Brad on May 29, 2008 in Soapbox, Things That Make You Shake Your Head | comments(0)
Often when I read about some of the more outrageous episodes in history, I find myself trying to figure out how the irrational and unthinkable became everyday reality.
I can tell you that the last few years have been eye-opening about how seemingly rational people can succumb to irrational behavior. The key seems to be fear and paranoia. It’s amazing and fascinating just how powerful a motivator fear and paranoia can be, allowing people to suspend rational reasoning, common sense and even their moral compass.
The McCarthy era is a great example of how fear-mongering can result in a suspension of reason and the very ideals that this fear is trying to protect. In an effort to root out “un-American” Americans, the crusaders against America’s enemies themselves engaged in actions and activities that violated the very principles they were purporting to protect and defend.
During this time many thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person’s real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated. Many people suffered loss of employment, destruction of their careers, and even imprisonment. Most of these punishments came about through trial verdicts later overturned, laws that would be declared unconstitutional, dismissals for reasons later declared illegal or actionable, or extra-legal procedures that would come into general disrepute. [source: Wikiepedia; emphasis mine]
As I read about this era during high school and college history classes, I wondered how something so absurd and un-American could ever happen. After the last few years, I wonder no more. Continued
