Posted on 07/25/2024 5:41:38 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
A UW-Madison professor is revisiting "Hillbilly Elegy"-- JD Vance’s memoir-- eight years after the book was picked by the university as the "Go Big Read" book of the year.
Hillbilly Elegy describes Vance’s experience in Appalachia, Kentucky and upbringing in Middletown, Ohio– diving into concepts such as poverty, addiction, and "hillbilly culture." This was published in 2016, and in 2017 UW-Madison chose to distribute the book through the “Go Big Read” reading program. This program selects one book per academic year to give to all the incoming freshmen and center discussion around the book’s themes, like a massive book club.
“It's our job to help you mix it up,” said previous Chancellor of UW-Madison, Rebecca Blank at the 2017 Fall Convocation. “Hillbilly Elegy is about poverty and about people who have lost hope. It's about the social, economic, and political forces that shaped places like the Ohio steel town and the Appalachian community in Kentucky.”
Hillbilly Elegy was incorporated into the curriculum of some professors and analyzed by academics and students alike. Here and now in 2024, a professor reviews his 2017 notes on Vance's book.
“With the republican vice-presidential pick being JD Vance, you know, I returned to the book and it kind of prompted me to think about what I learned,” said UW Professor of English and Director of the Center for the Humanities, Russ Castronovo.
Castronovo participated in discussions with students and experts in political science, healthcare, and sociology— all for the sake of academic analysis of the book.
“It describes poverty as a personal failing. Right. As really a matter of laziness, and it doesn't really understand there are systemic forces at play,” Castronovo said.
Castronovo says the book oversimplifies poverty and addiction… where Vance draws conclusions on people in society based on his lived experience.
“He really kind of personalizes these issues and making it a matter of one's own responsibility, own agency suggesting, then I think in the book at various points that ‘poor people lack agency,’” Castronovo said.
The professor recalled some of his notes to add quotations— from the book itself— to this claim.
“Quote, 'the rhetoric of hard work conflicts with the reality on the ground,” Castronovo reads off. “He's saying, you know, well, we all talk about how hard work, but the people in rural America or in Appalachia, well, they talk about hard work, but they're not doing it.”
For someone running for a position in office, Vance's book and beliefs don't match up according to Castronovo.
“It's ironic that someone seeking a position in government wouldn't believe or would diminish the role that government has in helping people,” Castronovo said.
“It's ironic that someone seeking a position in government wouldn't believe or would diminish the role that government has in helping people,” Castronovo said.
Anybody seen Hillbilly Elegy? I recommend it.
Jennifer Aniston trending today for her response to his comments about childless cat ladies. I also found it gross, arrogant, and it could hurt the campaign. He needs to zip it about women who haven’t had children.
I haven’t had children, I have no cats, and I do have a stake in what happens in America
Oh dear God, not childless cat lady JENNIFER ANISTON!! Election is over, may as well quit.
They literally, starting with their political leaders, call us racists, Nazis, and domestic terrorists, but if someone on our side calls out Leftist childless cat ladies, that’s just going too far!
He has gone too far. You know there are women who are independents and Gop that have to go through expensive IVF.
Jennifer Aniston has spoken. Trump might as well pack it in. All is lost.
No he didn’t either. The women you described were not included in his remarks. They want children because they want to leave a legacy in this country.
Wrong. Women who haven’t given birth have no stake in America was his message . He included kamala. Btw, trump came out against the Alabama ruling on IVF . If you don’t understand the ruling read his comments about protecting children
He said in 2021 people who don’t have children..which includes men..should not have the same voice in democracy.
That is an issue where I am torn. I DO have cats, but just because we farm and they are a necessary evil. My step-sons are all grown and on their own.
BUT - women who have been allowed to vote themselves perks from the public coffers (IOW: vote for Socialist Democrats) HAVE pretty much ruined everything that was good about America. And THAT is troublesome.
His issue in the book was POVERTY, not cats. Among the causes of poverty IS reliance on Mother Government, which keeps you IN that vicious cycle. And, on purpose!
The author of this article cherry-picked this Socialist Democrat Prof to say, basically, ‘JD BAD! We no like him no more!’
“A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship. The average age of the world’s greatest civilizations has been 200 years. These nations have progressed through this sequence: From bondage to spiritual faith; From spiritual faith to great courage; From courage to liberty; From liberty to abundance; From abundance to selfishness; From selfishness to apathy; From apathy to dependence; From dependence back into bondage.”
~ Alexander Fraser Tytler
It was fun while it lasted! Our demise as a nation is on steroids, now. :(
“Cat ladies” is too far.
Calling us Nazis, threats to democracy, and racists for supporting Donald Trump is perfectly acceptable discourse, though. Just accept it and keep playing nice, I suppose?
Just 60-70 years ago before government abundance and largesse, people could enjoy a stay at home mom, a working father and still afford a home. As government size exploded with government welfare, the moms were forced into the workforce, that's when things started going down hill.
If we just keep playing nice I just know they’ll soon stop imprisoning grandmas who pray at abortion clinics.
Wake up people. Fascists never go backwards and will keep pushing as hard as they can get away with before things always come to a confrontation.
They tried to murder Trump two weeks ago but DO NOT call a cat lady a cat lady!
Notice how the marxists always blame "the system" - in order to place themselves in power & then go about "fixing" the system (when in reality, they screw everything up).
“It describes poverty as a personal failing. Right. As really a matter of laziness, and it doesn't really understand there are systemic forces at play,” Castronovo said.
See? Bee Ess!
His opinion is repugnant.
I have never done IVF. I have no children. I have no cats but I do have a dog.
So in his opinion I am miserable ( I am not) and I have no direct stake in America.
That is ludicrous.
It is also ludicrous that people with no children shouldn’t have as much say in America as he stated in 2021 WHICH INCLUDES ALL CHILDLESS MEN ON THIS FORUM.
And soon they'll be calling us hillbillies, if not already.
So being called a Nazi and a racist by the Left is OK, but calling you a childless cat lady, which you are as you just stated, is REPUGNANT?
OK then.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.