Cal Thomas is an “Old Fart.” There’s nothing wrong with being an old fart. It’s possible you could be a very nice person. To be in this club you have to be of an older age, although that can be subjective, and you have to have a willingness to sit around with other old farts lamenting the good old days. You don’t necessarily have to get out and walk Donald, but it is accepted behavior. Every generation has had their old farts. It is truly a part of Americana. The old farts face two problems. One, they have a selective memory and only remember the good times and how knowledgeable their generation was compared to today’s. And two, they generally misunderstand today’s world and what’s actually going on. They believe people today are lazy, irresponsible, and have no moral values. Of course, they couldn’t be more wrong.
Cal Thomas is one of them. He’s an old fart and if you don’t believe me all you have to do is read his opinion pieces. In case you don’t know who Cal Thomas is, he’s an American conservative syndicated columnist, pundit, author, and television and radio commentator. Usually he’s on FOX News which is a fair and balanced news organization. I would keep that last part a secret because if you say it out loud, people might laugh at you.
Mr. Thomas recently wrote an op-ed piece where he suggests that a return to teaching values will solve America’s ills. He blames the sixties for not teaching values such as personal responsibility, accountability, hard work, capitalism, self-reliance, faith in God, and patriotism. His comment is based on a mythical assumption. That today’s Americans do not posses these values.
Of course Cal has his own ideas of what teaching values means. He makes the assumption that capitalism is a silver bullet for the economy. America has always had elements of socialism in our economic structure. It appears the tension between socialism and capitalism has been good for America. Teaching and adhering to only one economic model might risk the successes our country has had. When he talks of faith in God, he means the Christian God. However, America has always believed in pluralism and the idea that one can have more than one belief regarding religion. This has allowed Christianity to flourish and become by far the largest religious movement in America.
When Mr. Thomas talks of personal responsibility, accountability, and hard work, he is talking about a segment of society many conservatives mistakenly believe exists. These are the needy people who only want a government handout instead of a job. This is how conservatives justify their belief in the trickle down economy. All this policy has accomplished is the largest gap in income equality since the great depression.
In fact, the World Bank’s Voices of the Poor research study of 60,000 people found that the poor want, “… a job, better connections to the rest of the world, a reduced threat of violence, and an end to the regular daily humiliations and disrespect that are too often the reality for poor people.”
Does this sound like people who are looking for a government handout?
So, Cal Thomas meets the criteria for an old fart. He still dreams of an America that looks like Mayberry. America has never been and never will be Mayberry. But he and his old fart friends will sit around and muse about young people who are apathetic, the poor who want a government handout, and how America has lost it’s sense of patriotism. The old farts will sit there until Sheriff Taylor comes and locks the doors and tells them to go home.