I have always been somewhat bothered by the chorus of voices here from otherwise kind, thinking persons about the apparent stupidity we see displayed by so many of those on the right. And yes, we have seen LOTS of evidence of it on display in the last week or so. I am often stunned by it myself. But I think we need to look at it in context, and perhaps alter our language and approach to what I call Stunningly Ignorant Citizens(SICs).
I spent a lot of time last weekend on a newspaper's forum trying to rebut some of the appalling claims from the right and general ignorance about health care. On the first day, it felt like I was playing whack-a-mole, rebutting things over and over again. On the second day, I went on offense. I used my research skills (I am an assistant professor) to find all sorts of facts about HC costs, etc. and posted away. I used the exact language from HR 3200 to preemptively counter the false claims. To my surprise, it worked. The tone of the whole forum began to change, and more and more liberals joined in to support me. Because the conservatives couldn't easily dispute me, they stopped trying, or just resorted to calling me names.
I noticed immediately that the liberals who posted not only made better arguments, but could spell and used proper grammar. And, they were far less likely to resort to profanity and name-calling. Once I was able to shift the debate, it was fun. I gloated a little over being able to outsmart them.
But then I realized that I had probably not changed one single conservative mind, and that I may very well have reinforced the image of Dems as elitists to many of them. (By the way, I have never had a latte in my life.)
This morning I read a string of comments posted here on Daily Kos about how stupid the conservatives are. The comments got me thinking: does it help us achieve anything to gloat over their stupidity? And where does this rather stunning level of ignorance come from? I thought of the people I grew up with or others I know who hold this world view. Many are not "bad" people, and while they are often less educated, they are not dumb. They see themselves as "ordinary Americans". But they are definitely threatened by smart people. They are the ones who made fun of me for being smart as a kid, so I learned to hide it and under-perform. (I got over that. I was the first, and am the only one among my 14 cousins and siblings to graduate from college).
I thought about the people living in rural parts of this country. In particular, I thought of the folks living in lovely but economically ravaged parts of mid and northern Michigan, my home state. Yes, they are more likely to spout this nonsense, to believe the scare tactics, and to follow those who stir up resentment or offer slogans and simple solutions. But why?
I think what we are seeing is a combo of poor education, made worse by the Republican-led cutting of corporate taxes in some states and the resistance to paying more taxes to support better schools in some areas. [Keep in mind that low-income earners are more sensitive to and hurt by property tax hikes.] A low property tax base persists in the areas they live in because people with $$ who want better schools move elsewhere, so then there is even less money for schools. Parents who themselves are poorly educated, who are not critical thinkers, who don't read set a bad examples and undervalue the schools and education in general.
In Michigan and other rust belt states, it wasn't very long ago when someone could have a high school education or less and still find a job with decent wages and benefits. The prosperity of the auto workers spread to those "Up North." People made money by using their muscles and hands, and were not required to think much, make decisions, or stretch beyond a limited skill set. Those days are long gone, but many mourn for that lifestyle. The live in a time where there are no guarantees. It is now clear that they will never match their parents level of income, nor achieve their sense of security. They are angry and are looking for someone to blame for their sense that the world is no longer under their control, even just in their small part of the world.
Lack of high speed internet access in rural areas occurs because the infrastructure is expensive; because it costs more, folks in rural areas often cannot afford it. Lack of access to diverse information means they are exposed to disinformation since they can get Faux News in most places, even without cable. And lack of internet skills and high speed access further limits the jobs they can hold.
In addition, jobs are not created in their areas because of the lack of affordable high speed internet combined with the poorly educated workforce. The inferior schools may mean that the business executives and other skilled, educated people who want good schools for their own children are dissuaded from moving there. So wages stay low, with few good job opportunities for the young. Those who do manage to get an education or those who have the energy to chase after a better future leave.
Awareness that they are not up to speed and are falling more and more behind leads to anger, fear, resentment, and backlash against a changing society. Poor self-image is defended against by calling smart, successful people elitists, which allows them to discount whatever they might have to say, valid or not. Because conservatives (and we liberals) live, work, befriend, and attend church with others with the same background, education level, interests, etc. they (and we) rarely hear a different point of view.
All of these things (and others I may not have considered) reinforce themselves and one another.
It may be fell good to tell ourselves how much smarter we are than they, but it may also be short-sighted and self-defeating. It may take a generation or two, but we need to bring them along, which means moving them forward so they can feel less alienated and looked down upon,and less likely to believe half truths, lies, and conspiracy theories.
I am not sure where to begin, but showing respect and empathy for their concerns might be a start. Maybe it would help to understand that while their facts are wrong, their fears are real, at least to them.
And, please, when you are calling Congress about health care, put in a plug for expanding affordable internet access in these areas. It has the potential to bring jobs to places like northern Michigan, where some counties have unemployment rates as high as 20-26%. And who knows, maybe internet based high school classes could both improve education while cutting costs in tiny school districts. Lastly, high speed internet might even allow the SICs to encounter information and ideas that might change their point of view and their politics.