Any self-awareness?

Clark Coleman writes:

I keep reading that Sarah Palin’s new book criticizes several things about American culture today, and prominent on the list is the reality TV show, American Idol. But she sits and watches Bristol Palin compete on Dancing With the Stars. Is there a big cultural difference between these two shows?

This brings to mind questions about the self-consciousness and self-awareness of Sarah Palin and her loyal supporters. I don’t know how to formulate such questions in a polite and uncontentious way, so I will refrain. I have myself counseled politeness in dealing with the Sarah Palin phenomenon in the past, and I see that you have been struggling to achieve the same ideal recently, so I will just leave this idea out there for her supporters to contemplate.

LA replies:

Good luck on getting them to contemplate it. A week ago I asked Palin supporters:

Given Bristol’s message that out of wedlock motherhood is a big mistake that will damage one’s life, was it right for her to appear on this program, thus making it appear that out of wedlock motherhood is a smart move? And was her mother’s support for that decision right? And was it compatible with conservatism?

And I got a total of one response.

Two things can be fairly said: Palin seems utterly to lack the capacity for self-reflection; and those who identify with her tend to become like her in this regard.

In saying this, I hope have not gone over the line I drew for myself recently when I said that in criticizing Palin, I will strive not to use overly charged language.

- end of initial entry -

November 22

Nile McCoy writes:

You wrote:

Good luck on getting them to contemplate it. A week ago I asked Palin supporters:

Given Bristol’s message that out of wedlock motherhood is a big mistake that will damage one’s life, was it right for her to appear on this program, thus making it appear that out of wedlock motherhood is a smart move? And was her mother’s support for that decision right? And was it compatible with conservatism?

I would most certainly agree that Britol Palin, absent her mothers and her own rise to media prominence, would have done what most single moms in her situation should do: work, continue her education, and at some point find a nice and respectful man to marry and raise another child or two. Given the opportunities the media has presented to her, Bristol is promoting abstinence using her own life story (pre-fame, of course) as a lesson to others to learn. The money she makes from that and other efforts will help her raise her son, and provide a nest egg for the future, when the fame fades.

As for is it compatible with conservatism, well, the absent father Levi Johnson has a part in all this also. If that young man was moral and responsible, he would be married to Bristol, or might of thought better of placing himself in a situation of getting a teenage girl pregnant in the first place.

Doug H. writes:

You said in a recent post, that you got one response when you asked about Palin’s decision to support Bristol’s appearance on Dancing With the Stars. I thought I would throw in my two cents worth.

I like Palin. I admire her for her willingness not to bow down and kiss the behinds of the establishment Republicans. It makes me incredibly happy when she goes up against the despicable Rove and Gingrich. I do not watch her TV show. I am not sure if she has the ability to run the nation. As far as that goes, I haven’t seen anyone I am impressed with for president.

Most people in the media say we shouldn’t care about the person’s private life. That is stupid. The character of a person matters. It reminds me of something Geraldine Ferraro said while running for vice president. It went something like this; “I will not let my convictions get in the way of voting for the people”. Stupid, I thought. No one in the media seemed to get it. Everyone cheered. At that time, I began to wonder just how few intelligent people there were left in the world.

The media would lead us to believe that out of wedlock child rearing is not a problem. In another time, this would have been a huge disgrace to the family. I am as disgusted as you with the Palin’s in this regard. Just like Clark Coleman said, it seems she is incapable of introspection. She does not seem to understand she is at the very least inadvertently encouraging others to behave in a manner similar to her daughter’s. I am not saying she should forever punish and hide away her child, but they seem to be exploiting the situation.

I can only say what I did when my teenage daughter went into her rebellious times. It was made clear that she could not live under my roof and carry on the way she did. To allow such behavior would only encourage more. It was determined she would have to leave. This sounds horrible to many people. Many of my friends thought I was very cold. Ultimately, I felt it was necessary to apply some tough love in hopes of regaining her respect. Thank God it worked. My daughter is a happy housewife with her first child. She is a strong confident conservative.


Posted by Lawrence Auster at November 21, 2010 06:49 PM | Send
    

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