Honey, Where's My Super Suit?

Unfortunately, like most Democrats, we sent our super suits to the cleaners because we thought--given how supremely badly the Bush Administration has performed and how summarily they screwed over their own base--the culture war was over.

I’ve always been able to respect the fiscal differences between liberal and conservative ideology. The core of each argument has a solid base, the end state is nearly always the same. The main difference between the two ideologies is the means by which we reach that end state and within that debate a lot of good compromise and good policy can be made. Where I get nearly tyrannical in my opposition to conservatives is in the “culture war.”

The election of Bush, particularly in 2004, drove me near crazy. And the reason for my rabid hatred of him has in its foundation the people who elected him and why, at least those voting for him based on the “cultural” issues.

From Salon (apologies if you can’t see the entire article; I’m never sure what is and isn’t accessible on Salon for those not subscribed):

The culture war: It's back!

The culture war is driven by resentment, on the one hand, and crude identification, on the other. Resentment of "elites," "Washington insiders" and overeducated coastal snobs goes hand in hand with an unreflective, emotional identification with candidates who "are just like me." Large numbers of Americans voted for Bush because he seemed like a regular guy, someone you'd want to have a beer with. As Thomas Frank argued in "What's the Matter With Kansas," ideology also played a role. As hard-line "moral values" exponent and former GOP presidential candidate Gary Bauer told the New York Times, "Joe Six-Pack doesn't understand why the world and his culture are changing and why he doesn't have a say in it." The GOP appealed to Joe Six-Pack by harping on cultural issues like the "three Gs," gods, guns and gays.

It’s this “just like me” identification that so gets to me. Because it’s not just that they want their president to be just like them. Then want all of us to be just like them. And I don’t want to be just like them. I don’t want to take away their rights or abilities to be whatever it is they want to be. But I emphatically do not want that for myself. So when they vote in someone just like them, it’s for the underlying purpose, I suspect, to make us all the same. Joe Six-Pack has every say in the changing culture. It’s just that I don’t want to listen to him. I don’t want to live like him. I want to protect his right to live whatever way he chooses, but I’m not Joe Six-Pack. I’m more Susie Oenophile.

Turn on the television and there are plenty of wholesome programming for their kids and families. What they hate is that they want their HBO and keep it clean too. No. I want my raunchy shows on HBO and I’m willing to pay for it. I want edgier content, but I don’t expect to see it on the networks. That’s why I have cable. Go rail against the cable companies if you don’t like the way they package their programs (trust me, I could do without paying for Toon Disney and Blues Clues or whatever). But don’t rail against my culture as there’s plenty of room on cable for all of us.

Don’t like wine-drinking, latte-sipping, educated coastal types? Then stay in Kansas and stay out of my way. ‘Cause I like cuisine, fine wines, extensive and exotic travel, literary classics and writers that make me think, a film/television culture that pushes the envelope, gays, and the right to do whatever I want with my uterus. And my having that takes nothing away from the culture warriors’ lives unless they themselves let it. And if they do allow it, obviously they didn’t want it all that badly to begin with.

I want a president who is smarter, more experienced in how to use those smarts, and who has a broader vision of the world than just me, just Joe Six-Pack, or just anyone. I don’t want a president “just like me.” I’m not fit to run the country and neither are the majority of Americans.

Think Before You Speak

GRRR! ARRRGGH!

I just watched Chris Matthews tear apart a radio talk show host for not knowing what he was talking about. Not an hour later I’m in a debate with someone on an entirely different subject who was taking an issue where he didn’t even know the definition of it.

Nothing drives me crazier than people who do that! C’mon folks, say you don’t know something and after you do a little research (like Wikipedia or Google) you’ll come back with your opinion.

This—in my opinion—is the single biggest cause of the piss-poor state of public discourse in this country. This need we all have, for some weird reason, to have a position on something whether we know what we’re talking about or not. This compulsion we seem to have that we can know a little and say a lot. Just watch The Daily Show asking small-town people about small-town values. These people have no idea what they’re talking about. But they’re voting based on what they’re saying. That’s terrifying.

Another example, from earlier this morning (yeah, three instances in one day!), was a coffee shop conversation I had with a woman about Ayn Rand. I overheard her criticizing her writing but what she really hated about Rand was her philosophy. So debate me her philosophy (which we did) but what’s that got to do with her writing style? Even when this woman would attempt to make a criticism about the actual writing style, she couldn’t get half a sentence through without resorting to what Rand was saying rather than how she said it.

Then it was patently obvious that she’d only read an article about Ayn Rand, not any of her books, since she didn’t know who Gayle Wynand was. I don't care if you don't know who Gayle Wynand is. I care only if you want to engage in a debate about Ayn Rand with me. 'Cause believe me, I know who he is.

My point being, ask questions and think before you speak. If it’s an obvious question (like how many senate seats each state has*) I will make fun of you. But I will still give you an answer. Or just wait until you get the answer before committing an opinion. There is nothing wrong, nothing embarrassing, nothing demeaning about saying “You know, I don’t know enough about that. Let me look it up and I’ll get back to you.” Or, “You know, can you tell me more about that? ‘Cause I don’t know enough to have an opinion.” Or even, “You know, I don’t know anything about it and I don’t care. Here’s another topic of conversation.” Or if you make a mistake (as I do, as does everyone), simply say something like, “Really? I thought I knew more about that. Thanks for the new information.”

I don’t remember what the particular subject was, but it was when I was in junior high and I pretended to know something about some band or book or topic or whatever and was found out in about two sentences flat. I don’t think I was ever more embarrassed. I don’t think I ever pretended to know about something I didn’t know anything about again.

*Yes Anonymous, that one’s a zing at you ;-)