PrintNovember 28, 2010
Woe Is Me!
In today's America, feelings have replaced facts as our governing policy. Shame has been relegated to the back of the bus, and squeaky wheels have been given the place of honor.
Merit has been replaced by grievance-mongers. Accomplishment and material success are vilified as having been attained on the backs of the have-nots. And that's not fair!
In a rush to attain unearned moral virtue, millions of Americans have bowed to the PC police and advocated issues about which they know nothing in a desperate attempt to appear relevant, compassionate, and non-judgmental. Useful idiots reign supreme.
We now see our elected officials on the floor of Congress debating who has come from the most humble background as they wage a war on those greedy rich people in an effort to show how compassionate they are.
Inconsequential nobodies now have a shot at their fifteen minutes of fame, from the attention-seeking pastor who threatened to burn the Koran to the (shameful) couple who decided to put the question of whether to kill their fetus to an online vote. And let's not forget the founder of Wikileaks, accused rapist Julian Assange, who has put brave lives at risk by his criminal leak of classified documents.
The media has anointed Julian a dedicated truth-seeker instead of a pathetic former nobody so desperate for fame that he is willing to sacrifice innocent lives. The preacher was rewarded with a new car. And the online couple contemplating aborting their child are now somebodies. Finally! No word yet on if the baby will be allowed to live. Stay tuned.
A generation of baby boomers, brought up focused on their rights as opposed to their responsibilities, have turned their gazes from their own navels to register faux disgust as they publicly opine about the current media-anointed bad guys.
"I'm not rich," they exclaim with pride, secretly pleased that their failure in life's arena is not their fault any longer. "Those greedy capitalists are to blame." Whew. It's not my fault that I'm a loser. And if you dare to call me a loser, you're being, gasp, judgmental -- and everyone knows that's a no-no.
America is becoming a nation of squeaky wheels. This race to the bottom is a boon to the stupid and lazy among us as they shrug off the label of loser and adopt the coveted mantle of victimhood. The process relieves them of the need to work hard, attain goals, and become productive members of society.
But there's a catch. The "woe is me" template just doesn't play in Peoria.
We rubes in flyover country understand that the political, intellectual, and educational "elites" who still control and determine the national conversation constitute less than 1% of America's total population.
We understand that the elite's template of victimhood over merit is adopted only by life's losers. And the majority of Americans aren't losers.
Like me, most Americans outside the beltway and away from life in the elite fast lane (the very ones who are paying their bills) still hold fast to traditional values -- values that are continually vilified by the old media. Values like pride of accomplishment, taking care of ourselves, and doing the right thing even when no one is looking. And despite the media sneers, we continue to raise our children to believe in God over man.
For us rubes, respect still has to be earned, and we don't give points for merely advocating the expenditure of other people's money on the cause of the day. We rubes have not allowed the elites to redefine our language.
We have nothing but disgust for those who refuse to help themselves, who are content to suck on the government teat. And we have only contempt for those among us who have succumbed to the politically correct notion that nothing is ever our fault. (Are you listening, Obama?)
We have nothing but disgust for those who refuse to help themselves, who are content to suck on the government teat. And we have only contempt for those among us who have succumbed to the politically correct notion that nothing is ever our fault. (Are you listening, Obama?)
We are ashamed of the notion of dependency, and we abhor the concept of victimhood being promoted by our elected officials as they seek media popularity and face-time at the expense of their principles and sworn duty. For shame.
Here's a news flash for those who celebrate victimhood: You, indeed, are victims -- victims of a political system that seeks to foster dependency in order to accumulate more power. You are victims of a burgeoning grievance industry that seeks profit through promoting misery instead of rewarding virtue.
While the media might comfort you with the notion that you have value and everyone is your equal, the majority of Americans see you for what you are: useful idiots who have chosen the easy path of letting others define you and weaklings who have willingly adopted standards set by others instead of tackling the much harder task of setting your own. And that is nothing to be proud of -- no matter what they say on TV.
Nancy Morgan is a columnist and news editor for the conservative news site RightBias.com. She lives in South Carolina.
