Watch the first 13 seconds to get my point. The rest is good but can be offensive.
Fox News, the new Liberals
There are no such things. Those two words are opposite. You can't be both average and exceptional. And I know it's just semantics, but this is symptomatic of a weakness in American thinking that seems to be growing: placing the "average American" on a pedestal. Is that really what this country is based on, exalting the average? When we look back on our founding fathers, do we say I really look up to the average signer of the declaration of independence like good ol' John Penn or William Ellerly? No, our Nation was born on the back of ordinary people who refused to be ordinary: Washington, Adams, Jefferson. And what's really upsetting is that it seems to be a lot worse on the right:
Palin on the Hewitt Show
Regular Joe-six-pack Americans certainly contribute to the country, and I appreciate them and recognize that they have as much right to anything in America as anywhere else. But they are not what makes our country great. What makes America great is those who are always striving for something better, to advance, to excel. When did the middle class become the heart of America? The heart of America are all the people who don't settle for being average, or spend their time drinking beer and watching the game but those who spend their energy trying to improve themselves and their community. The right is supposed to be the champion of the free market, a role which is vital for our economic well-being. But the free market is not designed to benefit the average or the contented, but to encourage the inventive and the hard-working. When did populism come to equal liberty for the right?
Of course, it's not just the right. The left has no problem peddling to middle-class and the average to gain a large voting block:
Obama supports middle class, unions
It's just a lot more symptomatic on the right. Sarah Palin was not as dumb (dumb, I realize is harsh, un-smart, maybe) as she tried to pretend she was. Glenn Beck is not as scared of America collapsing as he pretends to be. If the right really wants to redefine themselves (and they should) they need to stop pretending to be so dumb so as to be seen as "average."
It doesn't matter what your situation is in life, I've seen it in professionals and students and Target employees. There are those that give it their best effort and there are those that coast, just do enough to get by. Those who are just getting by certainly contribute and have their place, but let's not hold them up as the ideal. That's communism, not democracy.
What do you think? Am I just blowing this way out of proportion or just flat out wrong? Let me know.
I totally disagree on one of your points. The middle class is more than average. If you look around, it's not all that easy to become middle class. It's actually a lot of work. Just like any class of people, there are are spectrum of people from lazy to exceptionally hard-working. The same goes for those who are in poverty. You become rich, poor, or somewhere in between from a combination of what you chose to do with your time, luck, and education.
ReplyDeleteFrom the top. I think the first clip was a little far fetched. I think he meant "average great American" to mean, "Here are some Americans that may appear average but unite together and voice their opinions." Isn't that what you are saying Americans should do rather than sit around. But like you said, semantics. By the way Jon Stewart threw some of those comments out of context (I enjoy Jon Stewart most of the time and since he runs a political satire he does things like that from time to time, but we shouldn't really just believe whatever he portrays.) I happened to watch the O'Reilly Factor where he clarifies this as well and looked for it on the tube of you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eslo4ItxlVs
ReplyDeleteI also don't really understand how you think we are exalting average. No one is saying you should not try to be something great. It just means that here is the situation is that most Americans are in, let's try and figure out what they need. I am just so sick of everyone catering to all the minorities- which supports what Palin said, lets go back to doing what is best for the AVERAGE American. I can use that term to refer to their social, political, and financial prestige...where they ARE average, and where it's okay to be average if you choose, but I am not saying that their character, or accomplishments, or ideals are average. I understand what you are saying... let's not settle for average. Which I agree with. I even agree with some of what Obama said (I didn't see it all because it wasn't loading, but he can support the middle class, and that is great. I don't think a lot of what he is doing WILL help them in the long run, but that is a discussion for another time.) Much like the previous comment- you can be dirt poor and be an exceptional American. Take a look at you and me, Tim.
-Westin the Incredible
Since when is calling something communism a valid criticism?
ReplyDeleteA few responses. First of all thanks for the thoughtful comments.
ReplyDeleteGordon-Calling some communist is a valid criticism when it is being purported as democratic. And if you're talking to any church member in the 50's through 70's. If I felt like a lot of these comments were coming from communists who are the ones who usually exalt the average worker, then I wouldn't have said anything.
Westin or Chatzy, you need your own account - Thanks for that O'reily factor clip. I think they compare well to each other. After watching I still think a lot of what Stewart said was valid, especially describing Foxnews as one of the biggest sources of mainstream media. But you're right, that video doesn't go a long way to back me up. It's 13 seconds. I've just been getting that feeling a lot, like a college republican convention on c-span that Cait was telling me about where they said what they liked about Sarah Palin was that she sounds like she's not really educated. Like I said, maybe it is just me, but haven't you kind of noticed it too?
And I think you're absolutely right that government needs to do what is best for the average american, that's their job. I also think you'll agree with me when I say that what they need to do for the average American is just stay out of their way, as much as is piratical. (I do think that government efforts should be focused on the poor, which do include a lot of minorities and are a minority themselves, which requires taxes from the wealthier). And a lot of what also want to say will be in my response to...
Cass- Of course it's tough to get into the middle class. It's probably also even tougher to get to be rich. But it's also tough in other ways to be poor. But not for all people. Some people are born into enormous wealth, like the Kennedys or Paris Hilton. I and lots of other people were born into being middle class. I've gone to good schools, had a good upbringing and have all the tools I need to be comfortably middle class without too an extraordinary amount of effort (whether I end up being middle class or expend my educational efforts on non-money-producing fields of study is to be seen). And some people settle in very comfortable to a life of poverty, just using the system. And some people work very hard to move between the three. What I'm saying is that what class you belong to doesn't determine if you're average or not, how much effort you make to contribute to your family, community and society as a whole. The average american is works fairly hard, is nice to their neighbor and doesn't cause any trouble. That is great, I guess. Let's just not settle for that.