Posted on 12/11/2009 12:14:25 PM PST by posterchild
Author Thomas Frank was just another buttoned-down, Ronald Reagan-loving suburbanite when he headed to college in 1983.
The transition from Johnson County to Douglas County proved jarring. Within his first semester at Kansas University his ideals tilted to port. And it wasn’t politics per se that spurred the shift.
“There was a moment I remember vividly to this day when I was in Lawrence and I heard on the radio they were playing The Sex Pistols,” Frank says. “In Kansas City in the early ’80s no one ever played The Sex Pistols. It struck me as so incredibly right. It was ‘(God Save the Queen)’ with the singer’s voice screaming ‘No future!’ It was a conversion experience.”
Flash-forward to 2004 when Frank published “What’s the Matter with Kansas? How Conservatives Won the Heart of America.” Suddenly, the author was the one singing the refrain of “no future” — only this time it was in reference to his home state.
(Excerpt) Read more at 2.ljworld.com ...
His book was a hatchet job on Kansas and Kansans, and there is no reason to expect this “film” will be any different. The author is an intellectually dishonest Liberal toady of the Michael Moore ilk, and the book set out to make Kansans look like loser hicks who weren’t smart enough to vote for the Democrats who might actually help them. What is wrong with Kansas? They didn’t vote a straight Democratic Party ticket. More agitprop from the Left. I am sure all 12 of the people in the film’s audience will love it. And I have nothing whatsoever to do with Kansas.
He mentions avoiding standing outside Fred Phelps’ “church” to describe the right wing - thereby stating that Phelps is right wing - he is not - he hates the military, for one thing. What right winger ridicules our soldiers? That’s commie stuff.
I might like to watch this documentary, though. It sounds interesting.
And there’s nothing the matter with Kansas.
Gee, I wondered what nugget of inspiration caused Frank’s conversion. Who would have thought it would be the Sex Pistols. I wonder if it was before or after Sid Vicious murdered Nancy Spungen.
These ideas are related to the ‘bitter clingers’ stereotype.
I don’t even buy the simplest details of his story. My college town in 1983 was 60 miles from the nearby big city and I heard numerous radio stations from that city. Kansas City is only about 40 miles from Lawrence (Douglas and Johnson counties are adjacent) and presumably had many radio stations in common even in 1983.
The answer to the question is easy. What is Kansas problem? The same problem that is afflicting every other State: the national government is out of control.
It has become so bad that it actually *transcends* being a “left or right” issue. The overwhelming, awful problems that afflict *all* the people are caused by the national government doing what it is not supposed to do.
And the cure for this is “federalism”. Restoring the balance of power between the national government and the States.
I've been to parts of Kansas - Frank's own Johnson County. It's been years ago - early 90's, but from what I remember, Kansas is one of the more educated states in this country and was growing stronger even as some other areas of the Midwest were not growing in that same period.
It is Thomas Frank's crap about us supposedly voting against our best interests that piss me off the most. Thomas Frank does not have my best interest at heart. He has his. I did not vote against my interests. I voted my own interest. I know them. Frank does not know jack.
I think the point is that the major market radio stations like those in Kansas City weren't playing the Sex Pistols back then, but small college radio stations were. As someone else who went to college in those days, I can verify the truth of that.
True. There may have been local low power stations that he couldn’t hear in Kansas City prior to his moving to Lawrence.
LIBERAL (L): Hello, ignorant rural American. I am here with $1,000! All you have to do is vote for liberals.
RURAL AMERICAN (RA): Not sure I like your attitude, but I could always use help paying the bills. But why are you singling out me?
L: Oh, it’s not just you. We’re giving $1,000 to everyone in this county.
RA: I wouldn’t do that. We have some folks up in the hills who don’t do any honest work, and an extra $1,000 is just going to pay for their beer and who knows what else.
L: You don’t seem very compassionate. The good news is we are also going to give money for your schools.
RA: Well, that’s nice. Some of those teachers are just getting by and could use a raise.
L: They will get that. Plus, we have plenty of money for bilingual education and assistance to gay students.
RA: Look, it’s not that we hate people around here. But the truth is that I know everyone who lives within a mile and who I can and can’t trust. If a group of families moves in speaking only Spanish, that puts a wall in the community. If I need their help or they need mine, I’d like to be able to communicate with them. Can’t you encourage them to learn English? My church can help with the lessons.
L: No, insisting on such things is racist. Besides, the church is not a place we want to encourage people to be.
RA: I thought you’d feel that way. And that thing about gay students...
L: I suppose you hate gay people too. I’m not surprised.
RA: I don’t believe in hating anyone. But I have a brother-in-law who may harbor a few feelings that way and is struggling with that.
L: Then we can help him by subsidizing a “coming out” class
RA: And destroy his marriage and hurt his three kids? What good does that do the world? He’s struggling, but he’s getting by, with the Lord’s help.
L: He will be true to himself if comes out. Look, even if you have these minor complaints about God and gays, don’t you still want the money?
RA: I’m not sure now. Where are you getting the money?
L: We will tax the rich. Look at all the money Mr. Harlan has from running the mill. Imagine what would happen if we take it away!
RA: He might just close shop. That would cost a lot of jobs. Look, why don’t you keep your $1,000? I’m going to be voting for the other party.
L: You are voting against your own interests! What is the matter with you? Can’t you see I am trying to help you?
Nothing says shallow more than basing your politics on the music you listen to.
It was obvious from the tone of the article that Frank was trying to undermine the Republican Party from the outside, while faking to offer help from within. Pretty slick dude, this Frank, but let's not be fooled by his tactics.
Or just obtuse. It never seems to occur to him that those benighted voters just might have an understanding of liberty and how it must be defended against do-gooders and their freedom killing redistribution schemes. It also never occurs to him that somebody might have a moral objection to using government to steal from others, and vote accordingly, regardless if little Tommy they make the wrong choice.
ML/NJ
bumpmark
There is an upper limit to the allowed length for post titles. ‘do’ is the first 2 letters of ‘documentary.’
You can imagine that the film would be of the same genre as Michael Moore's "Roger and Me" - a rural version of it. In fact, Michael Moore may have been his inspiration.
Yes, I formed pretty much the same opinion of him before I even saw your post. Please see my posts #s 15 and 18.
Correction: Please see my posts #s 13 and 18.
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