October 24, 2008
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The Real Americans
NOTE: This post is both on my Xanga site and the smaller blog I’ve started up on my Kizyr for Obama page.
Where is the real America? Who is a real American? Who gets to decide which is which?
There are some interesting, yet troubling, comments recently made by a lot of the folks related to the McCain Campaign. And once again, it offers a huge, huge contrast to the message that Obama’s been carrying throughout. Let me give you the following:
“I wish the American media would take a great look at the views of the people in Congress and find out, are they pro-America or anti-America? I think people would love to see an expose like that.” ~Rep. Bachmann (R-MN) Now, to be fair, this came on Chris Matthew’s Hardball, after Chris Matthews was clearly acting like a jerk. But still, concluding that interview by suggesting some kind of media witch-hunt? No wonder she now finds herself having to apologize, and donations instantly increased to her opponent without him having to even do anything. Second:
“We believe that the best of America is in these small towns that we get to visit, and in these wonderful little pockets of what I call the real America, being here with all of you hard working very patriotic, um, very, um, pro-America areas of this great nation.” ~Sarah Palin Again, to be fair, Palin did apologize for “the way her comments came off”. It’s a bit of a non-apology-apology, but still, her comments are troubling for another reason entirely (which I’ll get to momentarily). Third:
“…the Democrats have just come in from the District of Columbia and moved into northern Virginia. And that’s really what you see there. But the rest of the state, real Virginia, if you will, I think will be very responsive to Sen. McCain’s message. … I mean ‘real Virginia’ because northern Virginia is where I’ve always been, but ‘real Virginia’ I take to be the — this part of the state that is more Southern in nature, if you will. Northern Virginia is really metro D.C.” ~Pfotenhauer, McCain Advisor Now this one upset me the most. Primarily because Pfotenhauer here had the audacity to say that I don’t live in “real Virginia”. Now, let me lay down for you a few facts:
(a) I moved here from Tennessee, not Washington
(b) I pay Virginia state income tax.
(c) I had a choice to go to Maryland, DC, or Virginia, and I chose Virginia. I’m here entirely because I want to be, and I like this state. (The lower taxes, rent in metro-accessible areas, and rich diversity of the state, really helps, too. VA’s state flag is also the coolest out of the 50 states–seriously, take a look.)So tell me, why am I not a “real” Virginian? Oh… I know. Because politically I don’t agree with you. Does that mean that when I was in Tennessee, despite being born and raised in Nashville, that I wasn’t a real Tennessean because I didn’t vote Republican? No wonder Pfotenhauer is now scrambling to retract her comments. But, she was given a fair chance to clarify them on the air, and she simply reinforced them. Her apology now means nothing.
The Danger of the Real/Unreal Divide
All that being said, there’s a far greater problem with trying to classify “real” and “imaginary” parts of the country: it deepens the divide between the people and places that comprise this country.
First, when you try to say this part is the “real America”, and this part “represents American values”, then you’re drawing a distinction between this and that part. It’s interesting that Palin and Pfotenhauer extol the virtues of small towns–as a contrast to large towns and cities–despite the fact that 80% of the US population lives in cities (source). I’m all fine with talking up small towns, but really, why not come up to New York and talk about how its vibrance and diversity is a virtue? Or Atlanta? Or Los Angeles? (Or Greater Washington? There are a few million people living here, you know.)
I really don’t like the idea of a candidate leaving me out, simply because I live in a city, like 80% of other Americans.
But let’s be honest, there are other reasons why McCain-Palin would leave me out… which brings me to my second point. Who is a real American? What does he look like? What kind of job does he have? What’s his religious belief? What does he like to do on Sunday?
Stick to the mindset of someone who wants to narrowly-define the “Real” America, and ask yourself those questions. Stick to the mindset of someone who responds to criticism by calling into question one’s patriotism, and ask yourself who the “Average American” is. I’ll tell you that if you stick to such narrow viewpoints, you’ll come up with a very poor picture of this country, because a narrow-minded definition of America results in a ridiculous caricature of the people who make up this large and diverse country.
You can talk about Joe Six-Pack, Joe the Plumber, Phil the Bricklayer, Wendy the Waitress, and a thousand others… but really, you’re never going to get to “Farooque the Consultant”, “Chaudhry the Doctor”, or “Mohammed the Electrician”. I don’t really care for football and I don’t drink beer, so I’m definitely nothing like “Joe Six-Pack”. I’m not a plumber from Toledo who doesn’t understand the difference between net worth and taxed revenue, so I’m not like Joe the Plumber.
Basically, when you carry it out to the point that McCain and Palin have, you’ll realize that with all their fictitious-name-dropping, they’re not talking about Americans… they’re talking about characters. And it’s easy to get a character you’ve made up to agree with you.
(By the way, on that “not liking beer” part… I kind of wish Mitt Romney had won the Republican primary, since at least he would’ve highlighted the silliness of “wanting a President you can sit down and have a beer with”. Anyway…)
The Choice
I want to finish by quoting something that Barack Obama said, at the end of his exchange with the infamous Joe the Plumber:
“I respect what you do and I respect your question, and even if I don’t get your vote, I’m still gonna be working hard on your behalf, because small businesses are what creates jobs in this country and I want to encourage it.” ~ Barack Obama Now we’re talking. (Although, (a) a “$250k” business isn’t taxed based on net worth, but on revenue–and Obama’s tax plan would still benefit it, and (b) even people making over $250k annually would have a similar tax rate as they had under Reagan. But, I digress; these details are tangential for now.)
It looks like I have a choice. I can choose a candidate whose campaign likes to label people–and, I have a feeling that any label I get from them is going to be horribly negative. Or, I can choose a candidate who prefers to focus on the things that actually matter. I can choose a candidate who wants to redefine “real” America. Or, I can choose a candidate who already accepts all of America as real.
Well, my choice is clear. KF
