Morono-con populism

Politics as usual. Just cite the appropriate tribalisms and you'll save time and effort; the work's already been done.

Rod, I've been thinking about this issue for some weeks since you've mentioned it. It seems to me there is a prejudice among American conservatives against growing your own food--maybe a stigma from the Depression?--it's okay to express solidarity with the Small American Farmer but they have to grow "normal" foods like potatoes and carrots and lettuce, not endives, bok choy and golden beets. Or they have to be "traditional" ranchers, not those grass-fed beef or pastured chicken people making waves (by going back to an even more conservative way of farming!). It's okay to eat Farmer John's produce and like it but you're not allowed to make too big a deal out of it or compare Farmer John with Farmer Bob and say one guy does things right and the other (who follows big agribusiness practices) isn't good enough.

I don't know what the name is for this kind of thinking (somehow retardocon doesn't seem to cover it) but it's as ingrained as Americans eating pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving but recoiling in suspicion and distaste at pumpkin puree used in pasta.

Maybe we could hire someone to do some Schoolhouse Rock type cartoons of the Founding Fathers growing and eating all kinds of All-American foods that are now rarely eaten (quince?) and considered frou-frou food for "commie liberals."

Maybe among American conservatives it's now more important to be seen as "just regular guys" rather than truly conservative, as in conserving and protecting our heritage. That's populism, right? Popcons?

OK, Dale, I changed it to "Moronocons."

I read Schwenkler's post earlier and thought he made god sense. I think Mr. Pizza is the type of conservative who solves every debate by labeling someone a liberal or conservative. If you are a liberal, you are evil and wrong about everything. If you are a conservative, you are correct about everything. No gray. All shades of black and white. No real willingness or ability to think critically. Will not speak critically, in a constructive manner, about conservatives or conservatism. Bet he listens to Rush every day, or Hannity.

Steve

"It's tribalist, anti-intellectual, moronocon populism. If that's what conservatism has come to, then ... who cares? Honestly, who cares?"

Unfortunately, this is what has happened to the conservative movement, at least its most public and (seemingly) powerful wing. Witness the following post on another conservative Beliefnet blog.

blog.beliefnet.com/reformedchicksblabbing/2008/07/republicans-to-filibuster-unti.html

"He's right, high gas prices are a drag on our economy and our household spending budgets. Nothing impacts us more right now than the high price of oil. We know that we'll have an immediate drop in prices when they finally vote to end drilling because we saw a $10 drop when Bush lifted the presidential ban on drilling (and yeah, I know that the Bush admin isn't taking credit and attributes it to a drop in demand, sorry not buying it, the timing of the drop was too closely tied to Bush's announcement, demand has been dropping since April and there hasn't been a drop like this). Who knows how low it will go when the Congress finally commits to doing something."

The conservative movement has become identified with the most selfish, materialistic aspects of our culture. Market is glorified above all, and the individual be damned. Short-sighted solutions prevail over long-term, more well thought out ideas.

Thus our nation finds ourselves in this position.

"Moronocon" seems a bit cumbersome. May I suggest "proctocon?"

Here's a really simple conclusion we can draw about the aggrieved "moronocon" reader: he's not a conservative! He may vote Republican, go to church, and consider himself a "cultural conservative, but a true conservative would actually care about preserving the institutions that make up true culture.

This reader's alleged conservatism is confined to mockery of effete liberals. This may be a particularly vitriolic example of heartland snobbery but it's unfortunately relatively common. I think the reason people react this way to criticism of the American way of life is because they have been conditioned to react to liberalism emotionally rather than rationally. For all the good that folks like Rush Limbaugh have done for the movement, the blame for this kind of thinking lies squarely at their feet.

I know that you were being humorous, but neither you nor Schwenkler should have responded. In no way was the response by the reader to Schwenkler that you quoted an argument.It was an insult disguised as an argument.

I'm not big on government spending, but I do wonder how much it would cost to get everyone in this country a basic book about logic and argumentation. The role of name-calling in lieu of argumentation is at an epidemic level in this country.

You and Schwenkler should just keep mustering facts and arguments that support your position. Anyone who actually has anything intelligent to say doesn't need to resort to poisoning the well. They let the facts and arguments speak for themselves. Oddly, I consider that a conservative position, where conservative means that one needs to be shown the absolute necessity for changing something before one signs off on it.

Morally speaking, the idea that one doesn't need to reflect on what one eats and where it comes from refutes itself. In Judaism, the laws of kashrut, many of which I personally disagree with, are meant to remind one that a moral life with God means that the consequences of all of our actions deserve attention. Looking the other way just doesn't cut it, morally speaking.

Nothing is wrong with pizza and spareribs, and John Schwenkler never said so. You should read Schw's article, not the idiotic caricature of it that this robo-winger typed up. The robo-winger's answer to Schw's essay was, "He's just a liberal who don't like normal American food like the rest of us. String him up!"

I say "folks." I also go to farmer's markets and like pizza. :)

Don't forget 'freedom fries'.

Moronocon.com ... there's an idea for a web site.

Once again, conservatives slam head-on into the consequences of a bogus but successful meme - in this case, sliming people as elitist or not really American when they eat real food instead of processed cud, drink microbrews instead of industrial "beer," broil instead of deep fry, etc.

"If that's what conservatism has come to, then ... who cares? Honestly, who cares?" If you had asked that question when George H.W. Bush was burnishing his just-folks cred by munching pork rinds and complaining about broccoli in 1988, maybe you wouldn't be fretting about the cultural blowback from eating arugula now.

It's tribalist, anti-intellectual, moronocon populism. If that's what conservatism has come to, then ... who cares? Honestly, who cares?

Truer words were never spoken . . . at least, not on this blog. Why not just give in, Rod, and admit that you're not a conservative? "Feel the fear and do it anyway," as a popular self-help book advised. I can attest that it feels very nice to move about freely once the "mind-forged manacles" are released.

I know you can't do this right now, but I'm just planting the idea so you'll remember it when the time comes. You know you feel it . . . rising within you, like Mole from "The Wind in the Willows," climbing, climbing into the light after giving up on the spring cleaning of his dusty underground home . . . .

. . . till at last, pop! his snout came out into the sunlight and he found himself rolling in the warm grass of a great meadow.

"This is fine!" he said to himself. "This is better than whitewashing!" The sunshine struck hot on his fur, soft breezes caressed his heated brow, and after the seclusion of the cellarage he had lived in so long the carol of happy birds fell on his dulled hearing almost like a shout. Jumping off all his four legs at once, in the joy of living and the delight of spring without its cleaning, he pursued his way across the meadow till he reached the hedge on the further side.

Just think about it. You know it could happen to you. ; )

Irony:
The Free Market true believers will not sanction for a moment the disbanding of the engorged farm bill which dictates lockstep what farmers will grow, and how much it will go for. They refuse to acknowledge that this policy swamps us with more corn than we can reasonably use, and so gets transmogrified into High Fructose Corny Syrup which can be, and often is, added to most anything, much to the detriment of our collective health and well-being.
They will not question the unholy matrimony between the USDA and the gigantic agribusiness corporations that have driven small family farms out of business in most places. The ones who yell the loudest about exporting jobs don't seem to care that we've also exported a lot of agriculture, leading to apples from China and grapefruit from Chile. They don't seem to care that cheap food NECESSITATES illegal labor - or at least work permits for short-term agriculture jobs young Americans aren't exactly lining up for.

I needn't go on, really...

"Why not just give in, Rod, and admit that you're not a conservative?"

Of course he is, just as am I, and as are the rest of the 'minority' conservatives in the Burke/Kirk/ISI stream. The fact that Fox and the talk hosts, who are of a different stripe, are the ones who dominate conservative discourse in this country is what confuses the moronocons (and a lot of liberals too, apparently).

Hence, I submit that a certain amount of slack may be cut for some moronocons, due to a species of invincible ignorance.

Sigaliris & Allen:

You both read this blog, so I'm not about to say anything you don't know, but it needs saying:

For those of us who are conservative in politics and temperament, and *consequently* also believe in freedom, tradition, and stewardship, it is critical we remind people of our existence. Furthermore, those masses of "moronocons" have leftward dopplegangers for whom it has never occurred there are Republicans and Conservatives who are not wealthy, and do not spend their time twirling their waxed mustaches, smoking pipes, and plotting against brown people. Although I plead guilty to pipe-smoking.

There's plenty of ignorance to go around. To questions Rod's conservatism, actually, makes me wish I could speak with you at more length so it could be manifestly obvious that he IS a conservative. It makes no sense to suggest "Why don't you switch teams, already." You may as well ask why he doesn't become a Trotskyite, because he likes borscht.

Finally, I do also think it is important for us to note that the "moronocons" and their left-wing cognates are often great, upstanding people. Many of them simply don't think about politics much. I am friends with some moronocons who are as politically nuanced as ICBMs. Sometimes their opinions revolt me a little. I can't think of many other people, though, who'd I rather have in a foxhole with me.

Also, while the "moronocon" label has an amusing ring to it, lets be honest that the people we're talking about here are more frequently known as "rednecks". Anyone care to deny that?

These folks are my family, my friends, my coworkers, fellow churchmembers. I love 'em dearly, despite political and social views that make me long for a vodka martini the size of a Cadillac.