This isn't a book review, but I am pulling the first part of it from the 06/15/04 entry in my old journal, the one that's about to hit the dust:
David Brooks had a fascinating column in the June 15 New York Times. He argues that the electoral divide in this country is between the "aristocracy of the mind," which votes Democratric, and the "aristocracy of money," which votes Republican.
Pollsters now distinguish between professionals and managers. Professionals are "knowledge workers" and tend to vote Democratic. Managers are corporate types, and tend to vote Democratic. John Kerry is a lawyer; George Bush is a business school graduate. Democratic administrations value self-expression (remember Bill Clinton?); Republican administrations value order and loyalty.
We experienced precisely that divide in this household during the last election, between a lawyer/teacher wife and a corporate manager husband. I see it in my father, a product of a New England college with ivy tumbling down its brick walls, who is practically apoplectic over the news every evening, and my brother, who didn't finish college but is a successful businesman who calls me regularly from his cell phone in his SUV.
I'm not sure that it's so simple, however. I work in a school, an institution that promotes the life of the mind, in which the vast majority of both students and faculty are deeply conservative. A few weeks ago I was reading with great interest reports stating that the most accurate predictor of political affiliation is religion: Americans who got to church regularly and are religiously influenced in their voting tend to be Republican. Well, I go to church regularly, and to church classes and committee meetings and prayer groups, and my faith has a profound influence on my vote -- but that vote ain't for the Republicans. (It's too bad that both the media and the Democrats overlook progressive Christian voters.)
So I don't know whether you can pigeon-hole the American voter or not.
A direct link to the Brooks column (that in September probably no longer works):
http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/15/opinion/15BROO.html?th
Update: I spent Saturday night at my brother's. Now, I love my brother very very much. In many ways, we are closer than most siblings, having gone through years of childhood trauma together. We understand things about each other that no one else would be likely even to notice.
But -- he is indeed voting for BUSH. His entire household -- in addition to him, his new wife and college-age daughter -- are not only all voting for Bush, they are all gung-ho Bush. Parts of our extremely brief conversation Friday night:
Brother: Kerry is just a moron.
Me: Well, actually, I would say that the one you are characterizing is Bush. (I am just so incredibly articulate and subtle when astonished.)
Brother: Well, that's what's happening in this election. Each side thinks the other side's guy is a moron. Did you watch the convention?
Me: A little. I discovered that I really couldn't stomach the Republicans for too long. Did you watch the Bush daughters?
Sister-in-law: I thought they were cute.
Me: Cute? They came across as complete airheads.
Sister-in-law: Well, I thought they were cute.
Long silence as I try to imagine how I would feel if my daughter, who is only 17, handled herself in public as the Bush daughters did. (I do feel sympathy for them. Obviously they were paraded in front of the convention as a response to the elegant and genuine Kerry daughters, despite their lack of political experience and sophistication. And they clearly love their dad and are certainly entitled to support him.)
Brother: Look, I don't like Bush's positions on other issues either. But he's the only one who can handle the terrorists.
Me: Bush has no more ability in that area than anyone else.
Sister-in-law: I don't like Kerry's wife.
Brother: You mean Ter-ay-sa?
I decide that silence is the better part of valor. The woman is entitled to pronounce her name as she pleases, and I like and admire her tremendously. I keep my mouth shut.
Brother: Well, hang in there sis. In 4 more years you can vote for Hil-ar-y.
Sister-in-law: Oh, yuk!
Me: You know, I think I'll go to bed.
I really didn't want to give my sister-in-law a hard time. She has hosted me graciously several times this summer as I have used their house like a hotel on some of my many trips. We can agree to disagree. But our conversation was a shocker. I am used to my students' political views -- but my brother's?
In better news, our children are all back under our roof. Last night was the first time in weeks that I went to bed without calculating what time it was in France or the Czech Republic and wondering whether anyone I knew there had actually gone to bed.
Today: Walked 3 miles.
Yesterday (Saturday 9/4/04): Walked 3 miles.
Friday 9/3/04: Walked 3 miles.
4 comments:
That's the problem with talking politics. For me at least, it can cause me to not be able to stand certain people, people that I used to think of as friends! Then you find out their political views, and you think to yourself, "I can no longer be friends with this person if they think like that."
It's true that both sides have demonized the other. Bush the Dimwit. Kerry the Flipflopper. Those kinds of characterizations are very unfair. People need to debate ISSUES!
I have learned that it really does no good to discuss politics with someone whose views are totally opposed to mine. There is no chance of my changing their minds or getting them to "see the light". I've learned to put friendships before politics. When I occassionally get e-mails bashing Kerry, or Democrats in general, I chose to ignore them rather than respond. I've found that most people don't want to listen to or consider other points of view anyway. Instead, most of my political conversations are with other Democrats who are in complete agreement and are generally more along the lines of ""How could anyone vote for Bush? They must be people who don't read and who get all their information from talk radio! The Republicans are adept at getting votes by focusing on emotional issues like gay marriage, religion and abortion and away from the issues that have a much larger impact on their lives like healthcare and the sending of jobs to India and China in the interest of corporate profits. How can people be so easily manipulated by emotional issues that they can persuaded to vote again their own best interests???" Fortunately, with the exception of a few "misguided" brothers-in-law, my entire family is made up of Democrats.
This problem is being played out in my family too. There is a pretty even split between those of us who pay attention. We have to skip any debates though because the gap is so large that there is no common ground. My parents and their neighbors aren't speaking. I feel a chill in a friendship with people who are very gung-ho Bush even though we have barely discussed it.
I'm glad to hear that your whole family is together at least until the boys head back to school. Enjoy the time!
Interesting that some people find the cute airheads endearing and a woman of substance who speaks her mind with an accent annoying. Why choose to make fun of her name? Could we debate an idea here, please?
Post a Comment