What's really the matter? We're tone deaf and politically correct
I hoped for more from Thomas Frank in terms of an explanation as to why people did not vote their economic interests, other than just the simple--"because they're stupid and brainwashed." There's got to be more going on than that. (Doesn't there?) This article in Dissent criticizes the left for being tone deaf to the real concerns of working people and for being too hampered by political correctness to realize it.
Why Don't They Listen to Us? Speaking to the Working Class
posted by Victor Laszlo @ 3/09/2005
5 comments
5 Comments:
Does this analysis lead to tacking right?
Tacking right would be the easy way out, developing a better vision and message is the harder work alternative.
I feel like I'm going around the net posting this same comment over and over: You can't beat people up for voting against their economic interests. Why? Because we liberals take pride in doing the same thing all the time--voting for higher taxes on our own incomes, say, to fund social programs that we care about. We take pride in putting our values above our interests.
Find another approach. Make clear to people that their values line up with different candidates than they think; that the questions should be considered differently; that there are things going undiscussed. But don't insult their intelligence for behaving just the same way you yourself do.
Hi,
I actually think this article is spot on. I believe most on the left will find that article insulting - and saddly - that's the point.
It's not about "tracking right", "tracking left" or economics - it's about being the party of the big tent again. The party of optimism. The party for the every day joe. And have some backbone while doing it.
I'm a heavy metal loving, wrestling and nascar liking Democrat.
There are far too many in my party that look down on me and thumb their nose at my culture.
Thank you ACM. You're absolutely right.
-Karl
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Not sure where to begin on this one. Maybe to Arthur's surpise, I'm mostly in agreeement with him.
Sorry, but that stuff about the problem with the left is its political correctness, in my opinion, is garbage. And yes, it's tacking right, and oh, by the way, how is it any different than what Rush has to say? While there's some measure of truth in the individual observations, they don't support the overall conclusion. The same is true for the right wing propganda. Let's look at this one:
No doubt the prospects of African American youth have been seriously affected by the massive neglect of our public schools, very high levels of unemployment, crushing poverty, police practices that criminalize behavior that's treated like a boyish prank in white suburbs, and a long history of prejudice and discrimination. But,,,,, BUT??!! Sure, then the author goes on to talk about how black culture is part of the problem, and gives examples of well respected black academics (and of course, Bill Cosby) agreeing with that contention. Sorry, any attempt to correlate crime with culture, and in doing so, weakening the association of crime with economics, is blaming the victim. And my saying so isn't political correctness, it's just fact: Find basically any impoverished community, and you'll find the same blights that plague poor black communities. That is not to say that poor African Americans wouldn't, in an ideal world, be effective at staving off the negative effects of poverty in their community. Nor is it to say that the left hasn't been queasy about saying or hearing that fact. But to then say that such political correctness is the reason Republicans rule the political landscape just doesn't add up. There's no causal link in the cause/effect relationship postulated this example, nor in the formula the author uses this argument to examplify.
And I can't agree with ACM, or with Karl either. Sure, I don't think we should abdicate the values argument, it's an important one, and we should talk values; and I listen to AM sportstalk radio. Even though I can't for the life of me imagine how you could possibly stand Nascar (heavy metal is at least somewhat understandable), I'm not going to try to throw you out of the polling booth because you do.
The problem with the Democrats isn't that they hate Nascar, that they're hypocritical when they mock poor and middle class Republicans for not voting Democratic, or that they need to prove to folks who have racist or homophobic tendencies that they tolerance is a value too.
The problem is that the idiots who rule the Democtratic party haven't offered any real economic policies that would benefit working class whites, working class blacks, or anyone who doesn't already have a reason to prefer taxes on income to taxes on capital; or anyone that would benefit from the minimum wage approaching a living wage. The Democratic Party is part of the liberal elite -- economically (just as most Repubicans are). If there's no significant difference in terms of economic policy between the Republicans and the Democrats, then it's not a matter of stupidity -- it's not that people are voting against their own economic interests by voting Republican. If a former labor union member, who now works at Micky D's, votes for a pro-life candidate, is he voting against his economic interest? Only if you assume that the pro-choice candiate would offer a better economic option -- and although he should stick to exploding Pinto's, Nader is right; the Dems are just as much corporate lackeys as the Repubs.
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