Anthropological study of conservatives

I won't comment on this blog post by Judith Warner...yet! I read it yesterday, and have thought about it at length, so I do have some comments. But, I would like to have all of my three or four readers comment on it before I weigh in.

Please, if you visit here, read the item and express an opinion.

ADDED: Since only one of my massive reading audience chose to comment (thank you Miss Brazil) I will go ahead and give my opinion of this piece.

Ms. Warner brought a massive load of condescension to her post. She went forth to laugh and make fun of those conservative women who might think Gov. Palin is something other than evil in a lovely dress. She found, to her horror, that these women were actually nice to her. She has no context for understanding that people with political views other than her own might be rational, thinking human beings. It was embarrassing to read how flummoxed she was to find that these were not people out for her blood.

Her final bit about research showing that conservatives can empathize with liberals, but not vice versa was totally borne out by the commenters. The viciousness and hatred expressed by these people was more eye opening even than her own post.

Evil Texans

Why do I hate so much on people from NYC and California? Here is the explanation for NYC. Michael Hirsh condescends to my whole cultural base and world view. We have a “rather savage, unsophisticated set of mores.” The nation has lost the balance that is brought by “a more diplomatic, communitarian Yankee sensibility.” “On foreign policy, the realism and internationalism of the Eastern elitist tradition once kept the Southern-frontier warrior culture and Wilsonian messianism in check. Now the latter two, in toxic combination, have taken over our national dialogue, and the Easterners are running for the hills.” And of course we Texans are the worst; “In Texas in particular, Lieven writes, we can see "the mingling of the Southern and Western traditions" that made its first appearance during Jackson's presidency, and which today so defines our current politics, culture, and foreign policy.”

You see the Eastern elites world view is correct, and those of us who hold other views are just plain wrong and rapidly destroying the whole country and the world. Never mind that the awful Scots-Irish point of view has been transcendent for the past three decades.

You will note the Southernization of our national politics at the hands of the GOP. This despite that fact that the last three Democratic Presidents have been Johnson (Texas), Carter (Georgia) and Clinton (Arkansas), but it is the GOP that has Southernized national politics.

I certainly do not agree with everything that the national GOP stands for or does, but I am proud of my ancestry and of being a Texan. And I do take it as an insult when some jackass at “Newsweek” assumes he is superior and more sophisticated because my views differ from his. Just one more example of elitism and condescension toward those of us who just don’t realize we are stupid and should listen to our betters, because they will look out for us and make sure we don’t stupidly do something in our own interests.

End of rant.

(Emphasis added.)