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No individual that has $150-grand to toss out on anything as superficial as clothes, electronics, or cars can call themselves a commoner, a populist, Jane/Joe Six Pack, or any of the sort. If anything, Sarah Palin has demonstrated that she identifies more more Jane Three-Pill out of the O.C. This useless splurging on wardrobe - to the tune of nearly three times my annual income - is far from regular-folk behavior. Now that I think about it, my house's value has depreciated to that level thanks to the deregulatory, speculative economic policies of the right. Do these assholes really expect folks like me to believe that they give a shit about us?
I'm sick of seeing bourgie motherfuckers like Palin claiming to be populist. They don't give two shits about us. That's a fact. Enter reason I'm a Democrat.
In other news, Palin mocked fruit fly research that is being done to find out more about autism. She is a definitely world-class asshole.
2008-10-27 06:12 pm (UTC)
http://theridiculant.metro.co.uk/2008/1
2008-10-28 11:16 pm (UTC)
But is Yomama any better? He's got the jet, he's got millllllllions of campaign money, and he's very, very, very wealthy thanks to speaking fees and book sales.
I know very few politicians who can claim a middle-class income.
On the other hand, isn't all this money (Palin's and Yomama's) just evidence of their hard work? Since when was it bad to do something well and get paid for it?
2008-10-28 11:18 pm (UTC)
I think it is possible to have all that money and still identify with joe/jane six pack. It's all about how much that person remembers what it was like to have the $40k/yr job.
I wrote about this, but i can't find it so i'll have to give you the short version:
At a party at my house, one of my wife's co-workers (elem. school teacher) came with her husband, a successful masonry guy who worked from the shit-bottom up and ended up creating his own company. My sister and a friend of mine proceeded to lambast this guy for being so "hoity toity" and rich.... basically indicting him for being successful. I think that shit's wrong. Reeks of class envy.
"Yomomma?" Are you fucking kidding me?
2008-10-29 05:52 pm (UTC)
Someone who came from a middle or working class background and becomes wealthier later in life sure as hell can identify with folks like me, so long as they remember where they come from and prove it like Obama has. McCain is the son of an Admiral. Palin comes from a wealthy background as well, and has used her political clout to do dirt.
Bourgie-ness (yeah I made that up, shoot me) is not the only thing that turns me off about the Republican ticket. The main problem I have with Republicans and conservatives in general is their failed economic policies, their social darwinism, and their cynical beliefs when it comes to fellow human beings.
There is no indictment, at least on my part, for folks being successful except, as I've said before, that in capitalism, one's success depends on another's misery. Some successful folks give back in order to compensate for that misery. Some think they don't have to. The one's that think they don't have to are despicable human beings because they don't want to give back to those responsible - those from who they took - for their success. No one can say they're self-made. That's the main flaw of "libertarianism," as I see it. That's the difference to me - people who know and acknowledge their debt to society and those who are too goddamned arrogant to acknowledge anyone or anything for their success. Even worse are how these arrogant ones have the audacity to ridicule those who do give back (i.e. ridiculing Obama for being a community organizer). Funny how everyone has to do the work, but only one asshole gets to take the credit.
If the masonry guy in your story calls himself "self-made" and refuses to give credit to the positive influences that he had on the way to the top and refuses to acknowledge the backs he had to step on to get there and the backs off of which he now makes his money, he is worthy of contempt due to his arrogance. On the other hand, if he knows and acknowledges the value of the people he employs that help him make his money - as well as the folks who helped him get to the top, he deserves every bit of the success that comes to him.
In too many cases, I've seen "successful" people claim that they did everything by themselves and on their own, which is bullshit. You're not the only one who has to pay a price for your success. Never. Obama knows this and has given back to his community everywhere he can. McCain has not. Neither has Palin.