Sociology 101

Rats kept to feed her snakes
escape, multiply, take over
house. She is removed.

Barack Obama made an observation reflecting an obvious sociological truth: where you find anomie you find people bitter and angry and lashing out at the conditions they believe have something to do with it. Fortunately he did not use the term anomie itself. Had he done so the response probably would have been even more ridiculous. What he actually said was something to the effect that people in Pennsylvania, who have lost jobs and pensions over the past twenty-five years, under the past few administrations, are bitter and angry and that’s why they cling to (read vote for) guns, religion, and anti-immigration laws, etc. There are really two parts to this issue. First, are the people of Pennsylvania really angry and bitter. As fully 81% of people in the U.S. believe we are on the wrong track and desperately want change it might be reasonable to conclude that yes, they are angry and bitter. If you talk to them, as Obama obviously has, it no doubt brings this point home. The second part of this is more abstract, and this, I believe, is where Obama could have done better. That is, the connection between people voting for guns, against immigration, and turning to religion during periods of anomie, while doubtless true, probably cannot be explained easily in a few words to most people. Obama momentarily forgot to say it in a language that would have been more appropriate: people are pissed off as hell and won’t give up their guns to an administration that has screwed them over for years. Furthermore, they don’t want immigrants coming and taking the few jobs that are left to them. And gay marriages are an abomination against the bible, etc, etc., which is one of the few comforts left to them. Given what has been happening to them for years these sentiments are not hard to understand. In fact, they are entirely predictable.

Hillary Clinton, not one to fail to grasp at any passing straw, no matter how fragile, immediately accused Obama of “talking down” to the people of Pennsylvania. I guess that according to her they are not angry or upset at all, but, rather, optimistic and hard-working (those that still have jobs, I guess). Obama is portrayed as some kind of elitists, out of touch with the working class. If we are to take this seriously we have to conclude that Clinton has encountered a population entirely different from the one Obama has encountered. You also have to believe that telling people who are angry and bitter that they are angry and bitter, is somehow talking down to them. As presumably 81% or so of Pennsylvania citizens are as upset as the rest of us, it’s a pretty good bet they are angry and bitter. If not, the citizens of Pennsylvania are much better off than everyone else. And as far as Clinton and McCain accusing Obama of elitism goes, I doubt they are in a very good position to judge. Obama, raised by a single mother, with modest means, and years of experience working in the Chicago slums, is out of touch? I guess Clinton’s background of elite college, law schools, and years of living in the White House has kept her closely in touch with the “working class.” And McCain, the son and grandson of Admirals, with all his years in Congress, no doubt is also closely in touch with working stiffs. Who are they trying to kid? When you don’t have things going too well I guess any straw is better than nothing. This isn’t even a tempest in a teapot, but watch the MSM play it to death in the next few days. Obama said something intelligent, if slightly abstract, apparently too subtle for the average mind to grasp, and he will now be punished for it. Remember Adlai Stevenson and all those other “pointy-headed inellectuals” from Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and places like that, what do they know. Is it any wonder that Obama’s supporters tend to be better educated than most? Watch out, we might elect someone with an education and a brain (for a change). Obama can’t even bowl, what kind of President could he be?

LKBIQ:
“America believes in education: the average professor earns more in a year than a professional athlete earns in a whole week.”
Evan Esar