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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (June 21, 1996)
9 4 ▼ jim * 2 1 . 1 9 0 0 T ju st ou t P harr R ight 3 J**scrrts In her new book, local activist Suzanne Pharr outlines strategies fo r countering the politics of domination ^Antiques ▼ Fine Furniture, Jewelry, Silver and Objets d ’ art by Kristine Chatwood 622 Southwest 12th Avenue Portland, Oregon 97205 (503) 242-2998 1-800-306-2998 A Tues. - Fri., 11-6 Sat., 12-4 or by appointment VISA t the 1992 Republican National Con vention an abrasive television com mentator, who also happened to be a former speech writer for Richard Nixon, took the podium during prime time and proceeded to declare war on just about everyone in the United States who was not white, male, rich, heterosexual and rabidly Christian. As Patrick Buchanan’s vitriolic words spewed from televisions across the country, many people— Mastercard 925 SW 10TH PORTLAND 227-3535 • Buying Antiques • 91 S STATE ^ LAKI OSWIOO 636-3521 m m From vintage pin-up mags to unhealthy new funnybooks, we’ve got it all, and for all orienta tions! And to celebrate our opening, take 10% off everything in the store through June 30th with this ad! CounterMedia. 927 SW Oak (1/2 block from Powell’s). 226-8141. Open 12-9, Tue-Sun. More than a sexy cover and mood music, this disc features some of America's most respected composers along with some of today's newest talents. A surpris ing and enjoyable new look at American classical music. Featuring music by Ned Rorem, Lou Harrison, D avid Del Tredici, Lee Hoiby and many others! Be one of the first 10 people to purchase a copy of the G ay American Composers CD and receive a free Gay American Composers t-shirt. Offer limited to supplies on hand. ................................................................»..........................MM ........................... M i n i .......... stunned by the viciousness of Buchanan’s speech— wondered what had possessed George Bush to give this man a premier slot at the convention. Almost as stunning as Buchanan’s words were the cheers of the convention delegates when he declared a “cultural war” was afoot in the land. Where had Patrick Buchanan come from, and who were these people who were cheering him? Many of the cheering delegates were the men and women who form the core of the so-called “religious right.” Buchanan was a conservative colum nist and com m entator who spotted the rising power of the religious right in the R epublican Party and jumped on the bandwagon. What at first appeared to be a small, fringe element of conservatism had now taken control of the GOP. Members of the mod erate wing of the GOP were not the only ones taken by Suzanne Pharr surprise. As Suzanne Pharr points out in her new book, In the Time o f the Right: Reflections on Liberation, “Though now entrenched in the po litical mainstream, the right has not always been taken seriously. However, over the past three decades they were developing strategies and build ing a base. There were many signs of their in creasing presence and strength, but many of them were unrecognized or discounted by progressive people.” Pharr is a long-time activist for social justice and progressive politics who now lives in Port land. It was not until she traveled to Oregon from her home in Arkansas to help with the fight to defeat the Oregon Citizens Alliance’s Ballot Measure 9, however, that Pharr began to put the pieces together and to “recognize that this is a well-organized army on the march.” She decided to focus her work on the rise of the right. The result is this book: a primer on extreme right- wing politics in the latter part of the 20th century. In just 122 pages Pharr explains her theory of domination politics, defines the right-wing agenda, discusses homophobia and racism and how the right wing uses both to divide and con quer, and finally, shares her thoughts on how the progressive movement might begin to build com munity and fight the right. Pharr believes there are two kinds of politics: liberation politics and domination politics. Domi nation politics she defines as a politics where “the few seek to have power over the lives of the many, gaining it through systems of oppression and exploitation.” She cites numbers illustrating the growing economic disparity between the rich and the poor, which according to Pharr, experienced a tremendous surge during the Reagan/Bush years. This she attributes to the Reagan tax breaks, which benefited the rich; corporate downsizing, which put thousands out of work; cutbacks in salaries and benefits; government tax write-offs and bail-outs; and companies moving jobs to foreign countries to take advantage of cheaper labor. “Unjust economic systems,” Pharr says, “fos ter social chaos and require the imposition of strong methods of control to keep order. Eco nomic injustice requires oppression to maintain social stability.” Those in power maintain their power by pit ting the powerless against one another. Although Pharr’s book deals with current political and economic times, “divide and conquer” is a tried- and-true strategy. One centuries-old example of the success of this tactic is the “trouble” in North ern Ireland. The English, determined to hold on to their industrial base in Ulster, moved Protestant working-class Scots to Northern Ireland and put them in direct competition with Catholic work ing-class Irish. What is generally portrayed as a religious war began as a bitter struggle among natural allies for a limited piece of the economic pie. Pharr sees the religious right—which she calls the “theocratic rig h t”— as agents of big business. As corporate leaders wreak economic havoc, the theo cratic right follows behind, providing a stabilizing force by “proposing to bring order to this chaos by providing an authoritarian vision and by diverting our attention away from cor porate greed to instead fo cus scorn and indignation on groups struggling for inclusion as equal partici pants in society.” The right plays to people’s fears that there is not enough to go around, that if someone gets something, then someone else loses something. And so affirma tive action becomes a program that robs white men of jobs; civil rights for lesbians and gay men become a threat to the rights and superiority of heterosexuals; and feminism becomes an instru ment of emasculation. Pharr concludes her book with a section on liberation politics, which she defines as “seeking social and economic justice for all people; sup porting inclusion, autonomy, choice, wholeness; building and honoring relationships; developing individual and institutional integrity, responsibil ity and accountability; redefining and sharing power.” She outlines strategies useful for those who embrace liberation politics to counter, and hope fully, overcome the right, and calls upon progres sive people from across the country to “create a multi-issue, multi-racial and multi-cultural libera tion movement.” In the Time o f the Right is a simple, easy-to- understand explanation of the political and cul tural differences between progressives and the right. Things are presented in an either/or, black/ white, good/bad construct. The book does not break any new theoretical ground, but it is an honest and heartfelt contribution to the current political discussion. In the Time of the Right: Reflections on Liberation by Suzanne Pharr. Chardon Press, 1996; $10.95paper. Pharr will speak at a celebratory event marking publication o f her book on Tuesday, June 25, from 7 to 9 pm at The Old Church, Southwest 11th Avenue and Clay Street in Portland. Thomas Lauderdale will perform.
