Easier to be a peacock than a wise owl

The Commonwealth is no stranger to immigration woes. Our feud with Uncle Sam and immigration policy is one wrinkle. The boats of Chinese refugees we’ve intercepted, fleeing the iron hand of socialism, are another.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Elian Gonzalez case has mushroomed into a headline event, and one that has inspired extremely emotional reactions. Seemingly everyone has an opinion on the kid. Should he stay, or should he go?

Well, I have no opinion on it. I wish him well, but he’s not the only kid in the world.

There are lots of kids outside of the limelight, quietly suffering anonymously from famine, war, disease and poverty. Elian, though, is the only one worthy of media attention, and, face it, he’s a lot better off than a lot of other kids are. Miami sucks, Cuba really sucks, but at least you keep your arms and legs attached, unlike in Chechnya.

Yet the public is eating the story up. What’s the deal with that? The cause for the fixation on his case is a question I pose to the sociologists.

Elian has become what we know as a “poster child.” His is the face appended to political arguments.

Most people relate easier to a persona than to an abstract concept. That’s where the poster boy concept works. And, face it, it’s the driving force behind politics. Most supporters of the President–any president, at any time–won’t cite some valid, well-thought out reason why his policies promote the Constitution’s goals.
They will, by contrast, say “I like him” or “He’s a good man.”

How do they know? They’ve never met the Prez.

Being telegenic and evil will get you elected to office a lot more certainly than being awkward and honest will. The hoi polloi don’t want to follow the nuances and causes and effects of policy. They want a “feel good” man to love and trust and even fear a little bit. They want somebody to pat them on the back sometimes and to punch their perceived enemies in the nose. They don’t want to be regarded as individuals, they want to sit at the political dinner table of America. And, at the head of the table, they want a Super Daddy.

So, when making a political point, why not a Super Son? Elian would certainly fit the bill. He’s a telegenic kid, certainly the perfect image of an ideal child. So: poster child status.

Folks in one camp of opinion can jump up and down and hoot and rave about the evils of Castro’s socialist Cuba. Sorry, but let’s consider the facts: Americans are not averse to socialism as a matter of principle. For all the mitigating circumstances, it remains a fact that the United States was a Stalin ally. And in point of economic principle, Americans are generally in favor of domestic policy that–in terms of pure economics–is certainly socialist.

As far as jack booted authoritarianism goes, Havana might be worse than Los Angeles, but only by a matter of degree. Revelations about the LAPD’s reign of terror are just beginning to come into the light of day, and I’ve written about the topic before. Ditto New York City.

The one dimensional poster boy approach to the Cuba issue masks some fundamental issues about socialism that America should be asking itself about itself. To do so, however, would require some degree of honesty and clarity of thought. No, it’s far easier than to adopt a Super Son, puff yourself up like a peacock, and strut around clucking all the righteous indignation you can muster. Ah, the American way!