The elites and the little people
Peggy Noonan’s been on a roll lately, and this column of hers about quarantine is especially fine. I recall similar stories to the one she tells, from my in-laws.
My own parents had no immigration stories. My father virtually never talked about his parents, and they were the ones who’d come through Ellis Island, and my mother’s ancestors had come in the 1840’s and so the stories had faded (and would have been pre-Ellis Island anyway).
Here’s Noonan on what it all signifies at this point:
It must be noted that all this””the quarantine argument, the travel ban””is another expression of the deep, tearing distance between America’s professional and political elites, who operate as if they are estranged from common sense, and normal people, who are becoming more estranged from the elites, their oblivious and politicized masters.
That distance has been growing all my adult life, but the Ebola argument has brought it into sharper relief. The elites should start twigging onto it. They are no longer immediately respected, their guidance is not reflexively taken. They seem more immersed in political thinking””what is the ideologically enlightened position to take, where’s the boss on it?””than in protecting public health.
When Noonan describes the rift between the elites and the regular Americans, it really rings true (it also reminds me of what’s happened to Europeans via the EU). Among all the other dreadful attitudes that the Obama administration has conveyed, one of the most obnoxious and dangerous is this elitist “we are so smart we know it all” mindset, coupled with a deep contempt for Americans and their wishes, topped off by a startling incompetence that fails to justify their hubris at all. It’s quite a combination.
By the way, such an attitude is not limited to Democratic politicians. However, Democrats make more of a pretense of caring about us proles.
But back when she dissed Sarah Palin she aligned herself with the political elites and against the “normal people” estranged from the elites. Because the Palin ciriticism was classest, elitist, degree-ist (is there such a thing?) snobbery. But she’s right now.
I’ve often wondered if Sarah Palin and Peggy have ever met, and if so, what has been said. Maybe something like Palin said earlier this year about one of Noonan’s “good” columns:
“Great article, Peggy, but where the heck were you when I and other commonsense conservatives were sounding the warning bell in ’08? You joined the ‘cool kids’ in mocking and condescendingly criticizing — ultimately demanding that we ‘sit down and shut up.’ Better late than never, though, Peggy and your ilk, because, meanwhile back in America…”
One of the “cool kids”. Perfect.
Ann:
Yes, I forgot to mention that when I read Noonan’s column I was thinking of how elitist she was back in 2008 when she criticized Palin.
People are not always consistent, to say the least.
This is the second article today that I saw the term “twigging”. That article was a tech article about the Mac uploading files to the iCloud without permission. It was a Johns Hopkins prof who used the word.
Online dictionaries have the word as being a British informal term meaning to look at, observe, to understand.
So, this appears to be an east coast term or am I just not up to date with some new words?
Will I be twigging in the future?
This actually confirms what I now see as a tipping point in the effectiveness of big government.
The government elites are dominated by the like minded who promote because of ideology rather than competence.
This is bringing some really inept people into positions wildly above their core competence levels.
Just take a look at the clown car posse on parade at the Congressional investigations into the antics of the IRS.
The agencies they supervise will get stupider and stupider and will be easily out maneuvered by anyone with something on the ball.
Neo:
Always remember that an elite will loudly champion the “normal people”…when they are on the outside.
KRB
Perhaps the ship listing motivated Noonan’s realignment.
I couldn’t read the linked Noonan column, but I would agree with the parts you’ve excerpted regarding the the rift between the elites and the regular Americans.
With Ebola and so many other current legitimate and progressive-pushed issues, it feels like common sense is dead. I don’t know when this officially happened, it was no doubt decades in making. Nowadays I find it hard to comprehend the current thinking of our president, elites, and the media on most issues when they so easily disregard or demonize obvious truths.
My grand daughter, who is finishing her senior year of college this month (after a one year break to beat back leukemia) visited this morning to interview us for a paper about the experiences of our generation.
Upon reflection, one always marvels at the enormous technological and cultural changes over the course of the past 70 years. I really believe that the pace of change may have accelerated more during my life time than during any other period if history.
One question that brought this to mind was: “Were you the first generation in your families to finish college?”. The answer was “yes” in both families.
Relating this to Neo’s post, and Noonan’s column, we might grasp that although there was always a great divide between the “elites” and the common person, in terms of education and sophistication the divide has narrowed. The Elites would like to believe that the gulf is just as wide as ever; but, the so-called common person is not so willing to grant them the same lofty status that they once enjoyed. Conflict results.
Lizzy: if you run a Google search with the text of the headline that shows at the protected link, you’ll probably reach a link to the full text. This usually works for me with the WSJ.
How can anyone over the age of 30 grow up in the USA without realizing a very high percentage of the political class msm axis looks down on the common sense values of the peasents? We are merely tax cows every single day of our lives and a source of votes every election.
*they* even look down on the incredible talent of the *peasants*. I read that Patsy Cline was going to perform at Carnegie Hall in the 50’s.
The very FIRST Country performer so honored.
Apparently Carnegie *knew* what a musical genius was. Cline ‘s voice has been compared to a human violin, she had a 4 octave range & was a tour de force singing without today’s dubbing, re dubbing & lip synching. Well the Manhattan ites , snobs of those days blared in their Newspaper columns (Killgallen was one & Carlisle) “leave town everybody the *hicks* from the sticks are coming to NYC !”
From the past an example of the snobbery that is in their DNA !
“America’s professional and political elites, who operate as if they are estranged from common sense, and normal people, who are becoming more estranged from the elites, their oblivious and politicized masters.” Peggy Noonan
“Among all the other dreadful attitudes that the Obama administration has conveyed, one of the most obnoxious and dangerous is this elitist “we are so smart we know it all” mindset, coupled with a deep contempt for Americans and their wishes, topped off by a startling incompetence that fails to justify their hubris at all.” neo-neocon
There’s always the societal corrective of the guillotine.
Being right is about action, not talk. People can talk over their guilt, but it remains still to this day.