"Principally I hate and detest that animal called man, although I heartily love John, Peter, and Thomas and so forth."--Jonathan Swift, letter to Alexander Pope, September 29, 1725.
I've felt like the good Dean most of my life: principally I hate the American people, even though I love individual Americans. We're largely a nation of pig-headed morons who refuse to believe in evolution or global warming, despite there being as much evidence for both as there is for gravity. Many of us claim to be Christians, yet those same Americans are pathologically indifferent to the plight of the poor and adamantly opposed to social justice.
At the moment I particularly hate those Americans who voted Congressional Democrats out of office. These idiots told the press their biggest concern was the economy, and yet they vote into office the party that opposed the stimulus (and then asked for stimulus money) and extension of unemployment benefits.
They're worried about the economy and they vote into office a party that despises the unemployed.
They blamed the banks for the economy and they voted Republican.
The only thing consoles me is that this nationwide stupidity isn't unprecedented. As Juan Cole pointed out on his incomparable blog, in 1942 FDR had more or less ended the Depression, was well on his way to winning a world war, and the Democrats still got pummeled in the midterm elections.
And God, try reading about antebellum elections some time: 1828 was a class act, run on such "issues" as whether John Quincy Adams had pimped for the Czar of Russia.
Democracy. Sometimes it's enough to make me to think this country just needs a king again.
3 comments:
I have often thought that America isn't ready for Democracy. But it's good to know that we've always been this stupid and it's not a new epidemic.
It isn't new, but we now live in an age of never ending news cycles so we are aware of it so much more.
I wonder how many people would have voted Republican if the media hadn't, for the past 3 months, been talking about how every one was going to vote Republican in the Midterms, it is a self-fulfilling prophecy.
That is a good point - damn the media!
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