There is a NYTimes "style" section article on the idea that some Obama supporters are naive. The article mentions that some consider "hope" really "naivete." Apparently, the election results can be seen as evidence that our country has become a "vast Kool-Aid tank."
“Something bad happens, like 9/11, it’s the death of irony,” Mr. Whitehead said in an e-mail message on Thursday. “Something good happens, like Obama’s win, it’s the death of irony. When will someone proclaim the death of iceberg lettuce? I’m sick of it making my salads boring.”
Article
It's going to be wonderful to have an administration that does not consistently act in opposition to logic and decency. It's going to be harder to mock this administration. I'll give them that.. but
I have to agree with Mr. Whitehead's quote. I think that there will still be to roll your eyes about for the next several years, if not eternity.
What's struck me about the article is that some of the most sophisticated and literate people with the most encompassing and knowledgeable world views are being described as naive. Remember the administration that told the press that we would be greeted with flowers in Iraq?? Remember the administration that thinks that global climate change and international opinion can both be ignored without consequence?? Remember the idea that the "trickle down" theory was valid and that debt was good??? Now, that's naive.
I think that the notion of "hope" equalling "naivete" is particularly sad and pathetic.