Elitism Trounced
Got some proof this morning that there are some funny AND smart "ultra-liberal elitists" at Dartmouth, thanks to two contributing op-ed writers who thrash that terrible elitism piece that I ragged on last week.
From Syam (who's a friend of mine):
On the subject of Iowa, my home state, I hate it, along with all other states in the Midwest, the South and the West. Actually, I will just say it: we ultra-liberal types hate America, and everything about it. As Monsieur Moore (since we hate America, we never use the word "Mister") suggests, we hate America's culture, heritage and history. Second -generation immigrants like myself even hate that this country accepted our parents with open arms. Yes, in our Satan-worshipping, South-bashing, English-pastry-eating gatherings, patriotism is in fact "derided as a kind of propaganda." Monsieur Moore did, however, fail to mention that we also beat up small children who wear red, white or blue clothing. [...]Often, people from both sides of the political spectrum attempt to paint one side into a ridiculous caricature that really represents no one or almost no one. This sort of caricaturing generates apparition-issues that do nothing to further serious political debate. It warms my heart to know that Moore chose not to construct the threat of a phantom political faction; instead, he highlighted a real liberal-elitist movement that we hope gains in popularity and eventually upends the American political system and way of life.
I wish Monsieur Moore all the best, and please do not be offended if you happen upon us while we drink the blood of a slaughtered patriot.
And from a MALS grad student, who seems pretty cool himself:
With 500 words in The Dartmouth, Moore neither explains the merits of his ideas nor lists the failings of his opponents'. He defines away opposition by portraying ideas as the only American option. "Reverence for God and religion, love for America... are not partisan issues," he writes. "All people dedicated to what America stands for hold these truths self-evident and inalienable."Only two organizations in the last 50 years have presumed to define "American:" the INS and the House Un-American Activities Committee. Moore even includes reverence for our Constitution and love for America in his list of "basic human values." Does "human" include Canadians?
Also, I Facebooked the kid who wrote the original piece. Mr. RA-RA-Red-States-Pass-Me-the-Blind-Patriotism is from a chichi Connecticut town with a three-digit per capita income. He also seems into fetishizing the South (well, the white male country singers of the South). Weird.