Culture wars

After watching Wednesday night’s Republican convention, I realize that our disagreements in this country are much more over personality and culture than they are political. Sure, there are plenty of political disagreements. But Sarah Palin’s selection as John McCain’s VP, her speech and the speeches that led up to it were not overt arguments for a conservative government. They were based on cultural divides between small towns and cities, educated and uneducated.

I’ve lived in both worlds — growing up with a blue collar libertarian dad who owned a gun collection rivaling that of a small nation, but living well today because of the power of higher education and upward mobility provided by public schools. I know both, understand both and am not here to condescend on either.

This country is going to continue in a very bad direction if we can’t right our discourse back to the virtues and vices of policy, rather than our cultural division. Keep in mind, America is a country that has grown because of the introduction of new cultures and the recognition of social and economic change. If we turn inward and divide among ourselves, our days as a world power are numbered. If you don’t care, that’s the problem.

Comments

  1. Man, oh man. Palin had one job with her speech. She didn’t have to seem knowledgeable or even likable for this first speech, she just had to show she could dish out some crap if the need arises. Instead, she seemed timid.

    You should get a tape of Palin’s speech to show your speech classes. Her body language was disastrous. She hesitated on every gesture, she stuttered repeatedly, she kept moving her eyes without moving her head, making her seem unsure of herself. Worst of all, when the crowd booed an injustice she mentioned, she didn’t cut them off for like 20-30 seconds, until it almost seemed as though they were booing her. The whole thing made me cringe.

  2. Paul, did you watch the same speech that everybody else did? I guess I didn’t pay close enough attention to her “gestures”, but it was a terrific speech.

    Aaron, I totally agree that this election is to a certain extent between small towns and cities. Although one could also argue that it’s between cities, suburbs, and small towns. But at the same time, Palin’s speech had plenty of references to a conservative government. I disagree about the educated and uneducated point though. I have never ran into a single person, Democrat, Republican, or Independent, who doesn’t think education is important. The debate is the best way to educate kids. In most circumstances, Democrats will argue that the government needs to give unlimited resources to public schools, Republicans will argue that parents should be able to choose whether their child goes to a public or private school, Independents may go one way or the other. And I know that you didn’t mean to say it that way, but educated people own gun collections as well.

    I agree with your last paragraph that we need to get the discourse back to policy. The education point in my previous paragraph is one of those. The issue of aborion will always be around as well. While I lean slightly towards the pro-life side, it bothers me how both sides have made it more about power. Everybody (well, almost) thinks abortion is a bad thing. Given the present circumstances, how do we minimize the number of abortions that take place? The arguments over the legality of issues like abortion will always be around whether we like it or not. As for health care, what is the best policy for people to get the best possible care at the lowest price?

  3. Hey Todd — Thanks for commenting.

    Yeah, thanks for picking up that I wasn’t implying that gun owners were uneducated … you’ve got to have a good job to afford a decent gun collection. I watched my dad sell his guns when he lost work, one by one, all the way down to nothing. That’s not the point, though. Anyone who looks at the electoral map can see the divide. Red in the rural counties, blue in the urban counties, with the exception of special cases like up here on the Iron Range, Indian reservations or other such anomolies in the conservative culture of rural America.

    My point in saying what I did is that these two American cultures (not necessarily rich and poor, white and minority, but rather something deeper) are talking right past each other. You brought up great examples. Why can’t we all just agree that reducing abortions is a widely accepted policy goal. There are a few ways to get there, some that will anger liberals and others that will anger conservatives, but it can be done. Why can’t we agree that ensuring the availability of equal health care access for all is a national goal everyone would adopt. The system chosen would not be loved by all, but would serve all.

    I get that this sounds trite to some, overly idealistic to others, but it’s why I’m supporting Obama. I know others who support McCain for the same reasons. (I supported McCain in 2000 for that reason). But if America votes out of division and fear again this year I fear that we may pass the last bridge before the waterfall.

    To me, it’s simple. Obama laid out a message that blended traditional politics (angering half the country) but with an underlying message of America’s shared values.

    Palin used the divide and attack, speaking past the half of the country she disagreed with instead of to them. That’s the difference to me.

    Naturally, I expect some to disagree with me.

  4. Aaron, I think you are on the right track, but it is, indeed, about the cultural divide between educated and uneducated because that’s where the Repugnican party takes the dialogue. It’s too bad, really.

    While listening to Palin, I kept thinking that except for her gun toting husband, and right to life beliefs, everything about her screams Democrat. How the hell did she end up as a Repug? It has everything to do with religion and guns. Obama was right in his much derided comment – there is a significant portion of our population that is indeed clinging to their guns and religion as their bulwark against those who are better educated, better off financially, and higher in the workplace pecking order. I know. I come from that stock.

    It sickens me to see the current round of Repug advertising that paint Obama with a nuclear starburst behind him. It’s the same BS that worked in previous elections, and it could work again. Never mind that it has nothing to do with reality, and never mind the so-called “democrat characteristics” they decry are, in fact, those of the Repug party. The electorate isn’t well enough versed in what is actually happening to sort that out. They believe the US Chamber of Commerce is “the” chamber of commerce, not some PAC that is attempting to sway them on an emotional level rather than an intellectual.

    Argh!

    I don’t know if I can tolerate another round of this Rovian crap!

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