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.
Apologies.
I think it is likely they knew about the Tucker Carlton Cat ladies comment.
Not sure if they would have known about give parents more votes comment. I would like to think they did the vetting to find it.
No problem.
I haven’t watched it but I’m guessing he was joking. Like when Trump jokes and they faint.
All I want to see is Jennifer’s O-face.
He clearly had/has an opinion where childless people should be treater lesser than when it comes to America. You can see it again in this speech. You can also see it in some posts here where people also think this.
https://www.theamericanconservative.com/a-civilizational-crisis/
And to that I say someone who is childless and makes 20 million a year in residuals has a stake in the future of America. But dwarfing Aniston is Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld. They both have children. But if they didn’t they also would have a stake in the future of America.
So I took a look at some of the billionaires who have no children. Lukas Walton worth BILLIONS of dollars was listed as having no children. Of course he could still have them. But until he does...he is childless. Is Vance going to claim he has a lesser interest in the future of America. What about David Geffin worth Billions. Alice Walton worth more than Lukas.
This whole idea by Vance is ridiculous to me.
Frankly, the statements he made do have certain merit…especially regarding those he targeted…the significant number of people holding power and influence in Washington. I don't see that leading him to recommend significant change in actual policies or laws. So to quote an infamous democrat, “It's a nothing burger.” Of course the perpetually aggrieved will likely be, aggrieved.
I very much like having a candidate who speaks his mind. (At least there was “no mean tweet”, right?) He said it in 2021 and he apparently believes and stands by what he said. That's more than refreshing. We also know he is capable of changing his mind - if facts convince him otherwise. So write him and make your case.
In today's environment, almost anything any conservative Republican says, seems to offend someone. While the most egregious statements of Democrats draw thunderous praise.
He is the candidate. What's to be accomplished by stirring the pot here?
Why does my alma mater hire and tenure morons?
Read the book when it came out. Gifted it at Christmas to others.
I was brought up in the era of, ‘You don’t WORK - you don’t EAT!’
As an accountant, you know all the ins and outs. I made it my life’s work to never pay in more in taxes than what I absolutely owed and to thwart The Tax Man at every turn. The only thing I DON’T mind my taxes supporting are Fire, Cops & EMS and public Libraries - and the Libraries have been very disappointing to me later in life.
We USED to live in a country with LITTLE government oversight. If JD truly DOES believe in smaller government, I’d like proof of that right out of the gate, Please! THAT would be totally REFRESHING! :)
You nailed it.
You’ve MORE than stated your case as to why you won’t be voting Trump/Vance 2024. Thanks for playing. :)
Of course you do, and you demonstrate it daily on this Forum!
I understand the reflex to take things personally; but I'm pretty sure you would not recommend that every other woman go childless. Nor is he likely to be thinking that every invidivual woman is somehow to blame if the parent thing didn't work out, or that every woman is equally fit to be a parent.
He is talking about the large consequences in society shaped by individual circumstances, and probably the toxic anti-family propaganda that brought us to this place where the elites frown on big families but then cheer for an uneducated, often morally poor class of people via illegal immigration.
Jeez, childless women, and single mothers (except for Laura Ingraham) get bashed by the GOP.
Are Jennifer Anniston’s words somehow less valuable than Kid Rock’s?
Do you have to crap on every thread. WE DO NOT CARE ABOUT ACCEPTING LEFTIST TALKING POINTS!!
There are many ways to have “not nearly the same voice.”
I would like to see parents of children having the majorly controlling voice in what goes on in the schools.
I would like to see parents of children having the trump card when a new alcohol establishment, nightclub or drag queen revue applies to open a business in their neighborhood or near a school; or when a nudist from the nudist beach a mile down the sand behind shrubbery walks over to the family beach to have lunch at the beach hamburger stand wearing only a G string (this happened in front of my 6-year-old).
I would like to see parents of children having a larger share of the state and local recreation budget.
I would like to see an end to "no-fault" divorce, in which the cheating or ruinous parent gets the same legal rights to the children's upbringing as the one who upheld the vows and the commonly accepted values of marriage.
Etc, etc...
None of these things affect a childless individual's ability to vote in elections.
Saw the movie, waiting for the book. Quite a story about his early life. Impressive.
I don’t know. You would have to ask someone who cares about Jennifer Aniston.
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