Addicted to oil? Shifting the blame

Reading the comments to this post over at Media Matters for America and this one jumped out at me. (Emphasis mine)

The identification of Liberals as "HATERS" is a carefully calculated tactic. If Liberals can be portrayed as irrationally emotional, then NONE of their criticisms is valid. They can be dismissed as "haters" and "fringe radicals". Even when we seek to have the Constitution honored.

Bush used this same tactic in his SOTU speech, claiming America is ADDICTED to oil. Why choose such a loaded word? Because the oil companies are raking in obscene profits, because Bush's foreign policy is driving up prices, because Cheney had "SECRET MEETINGS" to establish our current policy of windfall profits for oil companies, and the BLAME has to be shifted.

By identifying ALL AMERICA as "addicts", this puts the BLAME for America's energy/gas woes ON THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. Thus, the Administration escapes all blame. An ADDICT causes his own problems, and the ADDICT has both physical and mental flaws which make him the scapegoat in nearly every circumstance. The ADDICT's behavior is his own, and so nobody else can be blamed. Since we are "addicted" to oil, then whatever befalls us price-wise is OUR OWN FAULT. Further, by identifying ALL AMERICA as ADDICTS, this puts the "character" onus on THE PEOPLE. The Administration can claim VIRTUE, but all those ADDICTS out there have no character, no strength of will, no self control, and so the Administration has an impossible task.

Make no mistake; these "identifying labels" are carefully crafted, to be both subtle and wide reaching, with the ultimate goal of ABSOLVING those with POWER of any blame, and shifting ALL blame to those who suffer the most.

Exxon and Halliburton posted RECORD profits in the TENS OF BILLIONS. Why? It's not their doing; the American People are just ADDICTS.
- tex / Thursday February 2, 2006 01:10:14 AM EST

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