Where do the labels come from? I mean, really, now, what the hell is a NASCAR Dad? Do pollsters have exit polls at auto races to check on a fan’s politics? Among pollsters is there no sense of place? Is that how they derive a label for Soccer Moms? And why not Soccer Dads and NASCAR Moms? I sometimes think it is a media conspiracy to divide the country into myriads of subcultures just for the excitement. It’s not news if there’s boring concordance. Circulations and ratings would be down, I suspect, if there weren’t on the road hummers and SUVs versus electric and economy cars. Also we’re supposed to assume that suburban housewives are respectable and therefore Republican while welfare mothers are trash and vote Democratic.
Such unabashed nonsense the media come up with. And now we’re supposed to believe that “reality” shows are really reality, let alone presidential debates are actually debates!
The media contrive these from the pollster myth spinners, such as all of us are psychotic and monolithically concede the preemption of regular programing in behalf of “March Madness.” We’re stuck with the iconic Dad who has mechanic’s grease under his fingernails, is manly, wears boots and a Budweiser or Champion Spark plugs cap, has a family member in the armed forces, and six-packs with the President, but would never argue with him...well, maybe meekly about the price of gasoline. What then would a University Dad be like? An effeminate prig who devours books rather than Big Macs, prudently sips all sorts of wines with his circle of colleagues paring their fingernails while discussing a liberal agendum or comparing the matriculation of their respective offspring and at which prestigious university.
We’re also bamboozled into the bias — that all those who make $200K or more are necessarily opposed to tax hikes and those making more or less than 10K should not pay tax at all; that a minimum wage will bankrupt small businesses; that a 401k is only for rich people; that public works is government work and does not include untold numbers of private subcontractors; that social security checks are negative without spin power in creating millions of jobs for the younger generations; that all corporations are corrupt and possess no long term vision; that in spite of our national calling card “give us your poor” we reluctantly tolerate immigrants; that only the wealthy know how to save a buck; that there is the pride of competition we must hate each other, ad nauseam.
We used to think that team spirit was emblematic of a united people; now, however, there are just too many damned teams.
Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: March 22, 2004.