>Finally, let's not forget the racial aspect to this,
> which I alluded to above. The bellicose assholes that Woj wonders about
are almost
> exclusively white: It's highly unlikely that any of these online political
scientists !
> are black, Hispanic, or Asian. Many, if not most, white American men are
scared shitless
> of everything, particularly those in precarious economic situations. They
believe
> themselves to be unjustly assailed and beleaguered on all sides, so they
adopt a façade of
> mock-ferocity to show the world how tough they are, that they won't take
any shit from
> anyone. It's all pretty pathetic.
You are absolutely right, I noticed that too. I find it difficult to talk politics with white males in this country outside the academia, but my political views are pretty much in line what non-whites have to say, save for their tendency for conspiratorial views.
However I would not use the term "scared shitless of everything" in reference to white males. I do not think it is as "reasoned" (if the word is appropriate here) as that. Methinks it is more of the groupthink, male chest-thumping, and being one of the pack thing. Men are like sheep, they tend to babble what they thing other males expect them to say or otherwise lose their respect. They would never say anything that makes them appear weird, weak, feminine, or gay, even if privately they may agree with that. Much of the right wing propaganda takes advantage of that and casts itself as tough, red-blooded, masculinity.
The question remains why such attitudes seem to be more widely spread in this country than elsewhere - to the point that I find it rather difficult to interact with most white straight males in this country in social situations. I tend to hang out with women, gays and foreigners in such situations, because you are more like to have an intelligent conversation as opposed to male arrogance and showing off. My explanation is that it’s the manifestation of petit bourgeois folksiness well documented in literature (cf. Mark Twain, _Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg_ or Sinclair Lewis, _Babbitt_; not the mention the immortal HL Mencken).
Wojtek