The audacity of condescension 2
I’ve been reading “What’s the Matter with Kansas?”, by Thomas Frank. This is the book-length version of Obama’s pithy remark about “bitter” voters clinging to guns and religion. TTB provides a link to an article-length rant.
The common theme is that there is something wrong with people who vote Republican. There is a vast right-wing conspiracy to get people agitated with religious issues so they will vote against their own economic interests while big business ships their jobs to Mexico, while Wal-Mart destroys small businesses, and while big agriculture destroys the family farm.
Meanwhile, there is a mirror image of this narrative: there is a vast left-wing conspiracy which has taken over the universities, controls Hollywood, and is systematically undermining traditional values. Thomas Frank says there is no liberal conspiracy; television is driven by advertising (business), and Hollywood is simply giving people what they want (the market in action).
I say there are conspiracies all over the place. It is somewhat amusing to try to explain the behavior of others in terms of what is wrong with them, but mostly I see myself making relatively simple decisions. I can watch reality TV or not watch reality TV, I can vote or not vote, just decide and move on to something more interesting.