Chelsea Clinton & Elephants: Subconscious Conservative?
Chelsea Clinton and I may have more in common than I would have ever imagined. This week she announced to the world, she fears her baby would grow up in a world without elephants. So do I.
In this highly charged, pre midterm election, political climate, I wonder if Ms. Clinton’s statements weren’t more of a Freudian Slip rather than an effort to champion the plight of ivory producing pachyderms. The spontaneous shift from progressive individual to maternal nurturer/protector, that happens when we become mothers, in an interesting one. I see her comments more as a commentary on the progressive culture in which she was rasied. After all, how could a lack of ivory be a moral, ecological disaster, and a security threat, even in the most resourceful and twisted spin of the progressive agenda?
“Chelsea Clinton said the African elephant crisis is not only a ‘moral’ and ‘ecological disaster,’ but also a ‘security threat,’ as ivory is increasingly being used by the world’s most nefarious terror groups, such as the Lord’s Resistance Army and Boko Haram. She pleaded that “it’s in all of our interests” to stop the growing practice.” ~ABC News
Which Candidate Do You Support in the Republican Primaries?
Let’s examine the symbolism of the elephant and what it means to the political culture. Being no GOP cheerleader, myself, as I too am disheartened in the present progressive Republican agenda, I can remember a day when Republican meant conservative, family strong, self governing and self reliant. This translated to most of us, into a culture of security and strength in which we were comfortable in planning futures and families. I miss those days.
It is unlikely, the symbolic image of the GOP pachyderm was absent from the Democratic Party (donkey) home in which Chelsea was raised. In fact, I don’t think it’s a stretch to surmise there is a huge chasm of indoctrination, between the family values philosophy of the GOP and the nanny state government philosophy of the Democrat Party, in the Clinton home. But, I doubt the threat to the family structure it poses was clearly defined there. However, as one approaches motherhood, certain instincts just may overcome the erroneous indoctrination of the liberal/progressive agenda. In this case, I believe it oozes out, all over the place, in her comments. I believe her subconscious is screaming a desire to return to a moral and safe way of life espoused by traditional, Republican, family values, symbolized by the great and lumbering African elephants. Certainly the destruction of the pachyderm, and its symbolism brings instability to the family foundational, Constitutional, American culture, and “its in all of our interests to stop this growing practice.”
In 2012, the left wing publication, The Huffington Post, reinforces the validity of the Freudian Slip. They quote New York psychoanalyst and Long Island University professor, Dr. Geoff Goodman as saying, using the wrong word or name “reveals a secret desire forbidden by society or one’s self.” He explains that before the mind goes into censor mode, “the unconscious, hidden thoughts can spill out.”
He goes on to say,
“Though calling someone the wrong name feels like an error, Dr. Goodman says all psychoanalysts agree, “that there are no accidents.” Though the word wasn’t supposed to get air time, it was no random coincidence.
In the most basic sense, the Freudian view of the mind is that the mind is in conflict with itself — so there are different parts warring against each other.” When a person botches a word, the unconscious wishes have won over the part of the mind that tries to repress them.”
So, can it be an accident that Chelsea connects morality and security to the symbol of the elephant? Maybe, … if you are willing to ignore more than 100 years of established psychological science.
As the Clinton family welcomes the arrival of its newest member, I wish them the peace that comes with knowing that all mothers want the same things for their progeny; safety, security, opportunity, prosperity, and loving, strong family foundations. I appreciate the idea this sentiment lives, albeit subconsciously, even within this country’s most fervent progressive ideologues. It gives me hope that soon the pendulum will swing back to common sense, conservative values, with the birth of the coming generations.
Like many women who were awakened to the true political culture and the importance of conservative values, when we became mothers, along with Chelsea, I don’t want to see her child, or any others, grow up without elephants.
