“Kingism” is the New McCarthyism

First, for our younger readers (or anyone who needs a history lesson), here is what McCarthyism is, from the Wikipedia entry on McCarthyism:

McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Second Red Scare, lasting roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s and characterized by heightened fears of communist influence on American institutions and espionage by Soviet agents. Originally coined to criticize the anti-communist pursuits of U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy, “McCarthyism” soon took on a broader meaning, describing the excesses of similar efforts. The term is also now used more generally to describe reckless, unsubstantiated accusations, as well as demagogic attacks on the character or patriotism of political adversaries.

How does this relate to today? Why through these new hearings by Republican Peter King (NY). Here, take a look:

Oh. My. God. Here comes a man who thinks that being a Muslim is tantamount to being a crime. He’s trying to radicalize an entire religion based on his own prejudices and hates. This is the sort of bullshit we as Americans need to be aware of to counter it.

During the McCarthy era, thousands of Americans were accused of being Communists or communist sympathizers and became the subject of aggressive investigations and questioning before government or private-industry panels, committees and agencies. The primary targets of such suspicions were government employees, those in the entertainment industry, educators and union activists. Suspicions were often given credence despite inconclusive or questionable evidence, and the level of threat posed by a person’s real or supposed leftist associations or beliefs was often greatly exaggerated. Many people suffered loss of employment, destruction of their careers, and even imprisonment. Most of these punishments came about through trial verdicts later overturned,[1] laws that would be declared unconstitutional,[2] dismissals for reasons later declared illegal[3] or actionable,[4] or extra-legal procedures that would come into general disrepute.

Sound familiar to anyone? Here is the definition of Kingism, as it will be remembered in the history books:

Kingism: Kingism is the practice of making accusations of disloyalty, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. The term has its origins in the period in the United States known as the Muslim Scare, lasting from 2001 until now and characterized by heightened fears of Islamic influence on American institutions and espionage by Islamic agents. Originally coined to criticize the anti-Muslim pursuits of U.S. Senator Peter King, “Kingism” soon took on a broader meaning, describing the excesses of similar efforts. The term is also now used more generally to describe reckless, unsubstantiated accusations, as well as demagogic attacks on the character or patriotism of political and religious adversaries.

Peter King on Wikipedia.