By John Q. Hosedrinker 
Republican men often express exaggerated fear of American cities, as exemplified by Senator Markwayne Mullin’s refusal to wear a seatbelt in Washington, D.C. This fear, echoed by figures like Donald Trump and others, is a tactic to justify their desire to exert control over and inflict violence on liberal cities, particularly those that embody cosmopolitan values. Despite the fact that crime rates are actually declining in many areas, they are deploying government resources to the cities they dislike. This pattern mirrors historical conservative tendencies towards violence against disfavored groups and suggests a desire to maintain control over these diverse communities. Ultimately, Republicans plan to expand their control over Democratic cities, increasing the potential for violence.
Read the original article here
The subject matter at hand is crystal clear: Why Republicans are seemingly terrified of crime that, in many instances, doesn’t actually exist, or at least isn’t as rampant as they portray it to be. To understand this, you have to consider a few key factors, starting with the very foundation of their worldview: a deficiency in education, a lack of exposure to diverse perspectives, and a noticeable absence of empathy. These foundational weaknesses are then compounded by a relentless diet of biased news sources.
The constant barrage of fear-mongering from outlets like Fox News, Newsmax, and OAN paints a terrifying picture of major cities as post-apocalyptic battlegrounds. This manufactured fear serves a specific purpose. It’s not about genuine concern for safety; it’s about establishing control, justifying the deployment of heavy-handed police tactics, and flexing power in areas that are perceived as liberal strongholds, often characterized by diversity, immigration, and left-leaning populations. The pattern is clear: create fear, then use that fear to justify aggressive actions against groups they dislike. This is the core strategy – the “crime” narrative acts as a smokescreen to harass and control liberal populations.
At the heart of the Republican mindset, or at least the MAGA wing, lies an unwavering commitment to the violent enforcement of a rigid American Caste System. This is the unspoken truth, the Rosetta Stone that explains their reactions. It explains why they cheer at attacks on Black people, brown people, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women who don’t conform to traditional gender roles. Everything else, every contradiction or hypocrisy, fades away in the face of this central tenet.
This explains why figures like Donald Trump can seemingly get away with anything. The actions and words of someone like Trump simply don’t bother them as long as they can continue to indulge in state-sponsored sadism. “Take OUR country back” is the rallying cry, and what they really mean is reclaiming a specific social order, a hierarchy where their worldview reigns supreme. It’s about the “order” that they envision – a world where a strong, white male figures dominate and non-white people live in a state of fear and submission.
The manufactured fear around crime has nothing to do with actual crime. It’s about dehumanizing nonwhite people, labeling them as “criminal races,” and publicly demonstrating power over them. This is what they celebrate, this is why they support leaders like Trump, regardless of his transgressions. A focus on nonexistent crime serves to distract from real issues and the corruption within their ranks, and allows them to deflect.
The fabricated fear of crime is a convenient lie. They use it like they used the “war on drugs” to justify harsh policies and, more importantly, to control. This lie is successful because the reality of it takes time and effort to verify. The guy on the radio, the pundit on TV, the social media influencer – they all perpetuate this narrative, feeding into a delusion of special importance and a fear of the “other.” The result is a population convinced that cities are dangerous, while simultaneously ignoring the corruption and problems within their own communities.
The narrative is simple: crime is everywhere, especially in those scary cities. But this narrative ignores the actual realities of crime statistics and the systemic issues that fuel it. They are often terrified of whatever they are told to be terrified of. It is nothing more than a distraction from the real crimes committed by the wealthy and powerful, and the fear-mongering is a well-worn tactic to control the gullible.
Fear is a powerful motivator, and Republicans have mastered its use. They know that fear can be used to manufacture consent. Newt Gingrich once admitted, it’s not about the facts; it’s about how people feel. The goal is to instill fear and anger about anything and everything except for the consequences of corporate greed, or the failures of their own policies. They are using the fear of crime to deflect from their own problems and to maintain control. They’re terrified of a world that doesn’t conform to their extremely rigid views.