Geographical Animosity
Sadly, there appears to be a new trend in our increasingly partisan country - and that's the concept of villifying an entire region and/or area for one's own political purposes.
Take, for instance, the comments made by Chuck Jones, a candidate for Athens-Clarke County Commission, at Athens Politics. Jones openly speaks of his disdain for the Cobbham neighborhood and says they're 'everything that is wrong with Athens.'
Really? Not our high poverty rate or traffic issues or difficult attempts to execute smart growth ... but the neighborhood of Cobbham. Even more so, Cobbham isn't even in the district Jones is running in, so such negativity is even more puzzling.
But we shouldn't be surprised by this. In the 2004 presidential campaign, President Bush repeatedly made derogatory comments about Massachusetts and Vermont in an attempt to fire up his base and ridicule Sen. John Kerry and former Gov. Howard Dean. Likewise, after the election, many Democrats openly began to poormouth the South and Heartland, often using this cartoon to illustrate their point.
I thought if you ran for office or served as an elected official, so were entitled to serve all your constituents, not just the ones you liked and not the ones you didn't.
Take, for instance, the comments made by Chuck Jones, a candidate for Athens-Clarke County Commission, at Athens Politics. Jones openly speaks of his disdain for the Cobbham neighborhood and says they're 'everything that is wrong with Athens.'
Really? Not our high poverty rate or traffic issues or difficult attempts to execute smart growth ... but the neighborhood of Cobbham. Even more so, Cobbham isn't even in the district Jones is running in, so such negativity is even more puzzling.
But we shouldn't be surprised by this. In the 2004 presidential campaign, President Bush repeatedly made derogatory comments about Massachusetts and Vermont in an attempt to fire up his base and ridicule Sen. John Kerry and former Gov. Howard Dean. Likewise, after the election, many Democrats openly began to poormouth the South and Heartland, often using this cartoon to illustrate their point.
I thought if you ran for office or served as an elected official, so were entitled to serve all your constituents, not just the ones you liked and not the ones you didn't.
posted by Jmac at 7:11 AM
12 Comments:
I wouldn't give Chuck the credit for having thought out a strategy based on villifying Cobbham. Chuck has no base to "fire up." He's grasping at straws by inventing his conspiracy theory in order to divert attention from his own web of lies and deceit.
Please also note that Chuck is a loon.
I don't know if it's really a conspiracy theory, though. It's quite obvious he holds some sort of strong dislike for the opinions - if not some of the people - from Cobbham.
His own snafu aside, Chuck doesn't like Cobbham and has no problem making that a part of his campaign. And I think that's quite odd and fairly insulting.
You can't like everybody. And no, I don't like many of the people in Cobbham. I find them to be elitists, looking down their noses at everyone else. Now, that's not really a campaign issue in itself, but when they start using the power of the government to steal the property of other people just because they don't want anyone new and different in their precious little neighborhood, then I do intend to call them on it.
Very mature hillary - and what about you? You're about as intelligent as the other hillary, the one of national proportions. Note that all of the hate toward me did not start coming until after it was announced that I am a Christian. Hm, coincidence? Naah.
Oh and whoever the fool was who wrote this article - I said that the Cobbhamists were an EXAMPLE of what is wrong with Athens. Please pay attention. If you're going to lie and misrepresent my position and twist what I say, at least it's not a good idea to link to the very page that exposes your lies.
Very mature hillary - and what about you? You're about as intelligent as the other hillary, the one of national proportions. Note that all of the hate toward me did not start coming until after it was announced that I am a Christian. Hm, coincidence? Naah.
Yes. This makes you sound like much less of a loon.
You do realize McGinty's a Christian, right? One who's on committees and stuff. I do occasionally mock him for it, but only in a relatively nice way.
I don't respond to people who call me names with anything less that my own acidic form of ridicule. Is there anything unfair about me doing that?
People who live in glass houses ought not throw stones. If you are going to call me names and mock me, is there any reason why I should refrain from granting you that same treatment?
I know you hate me because I'm conservative and you hate me because I'm Christian - I know this because, even though you agree with my underlying issue you continue to ridicule me for it. So, knowing that you are going to hate me in any case, why should I not feel free to have a little fun with you?
This thread too?
Lordy mercy, back in the day, Cobbham would never have been a campagin issue, example or otherwise. I didn't even know where Cobbham was until I was driving around one day through neighborhoods looking at pretty houses with a girlfriend.
Also, why does it matter who's an elitist or not? With the exception of possibly beach bums & bunnies, every single group of folks could be labeled an elitist about something. From Cobbhamites to Fraternity Row to the Manhattan on a Tuesday night to Island City & Savah-nah-nah debutantes, there is someone in any room who does not think you are cool enough to hang out with them.
Name calling? What are we back in high school? I thought it was liberals like me who are supposed to be hypersensitive.
Chuck, I find my every question about any real Athenian issues overshadowed by your defense against Cobbhamgate, name calling and semantics.
You get more press in the blogosphere than any local candidate I read about, and all you seem concerned with is Cobbham and its fallout.
To get back to the track of this post, regional partisanism is something that has defined American history at almost every turn. Otherwise we wouldn't have 'balanced ticket' VP candidates.
I'm kind of partisan in favor of all things Southern, even the craziest things, despite the many of my friends who are damnyankees. Poking fun at Massachusetts, Vermont & other small states in Yankeeland come almost as naturally to me as poking fun at California and France. I apologize for my friends from Tennessee ("sorry, we can't take him anywhere"), I catch more hell about being born in Alabama than you might realize. There are special places in my vocabulary for Florida, as well.
Identity politics are huge anywhere in the world. I have a friend who got out of trouble with the Iranian religious police because 'she was born in America.' I was told they laughed and gave their condolences to her father, not willing to 'add to the man's burden.'
It is a shame when these rivalries are fanned into something sinister (please see: Yugoslavia 1994-98, Ivory Coast right now, Sudan, Iraq, Germany, the United Kingdom, Somalia, etc.). Yes, that sucks, but the way around it is to understand it and transcend it with concensus - bigger issues that unite other than those that divide.
I don't know where this victim mentality comes from Chuck, and frankly it's a pretty peculiar stance to take. It seems any time anyone ever challenges something you say or something you did, you resort to the 'well you just hate me because ...' line-of-argument.
But also before we start tossing around hypersensitive claims like 'you're misrepresenting what I said' let's consider two things:
1. If anyone is misrepresenting anyone it's your take on my posting. All I did was publically ask if this was an appropriate issue to use in your campaign (i.e. your dislike for Cobbham), particularly in light of the other challenges which confront our community (i.e. poverty, growth, infrastructure, etc.).
2. I sincerely don't think I misrepresented your position. You claim that Cobbham is an example of everything wrong with Athens. In this particular thread, you've reaffirmed that claim with no qualms. And that's fine, even if I think it's a foolish admission to make in the middle of a political campaign.
So we disagree ... but does that give you license to start playing the persecuted faith card? It would be one thing if you could offer verifiable evidence of said persecution, but you won't be able to I don't believe.
Much of the backlash you have experienced stems from the Banner-Herald article and Jason Winders column a few months back and the revelations in those particular pieces - revelations you wouldn't deny in later discussions at Athens Politics and here. You start messing with the public's trust for your own political gain and folks are bound to get offended.
The fact that you're a person of faith has nothing to do with the backlash, but rather your statements and your actions have triggered this wave of resentment.
You're a conservative. Being a Democrat, it's likely I'm going to disagree with many of your ideological positions ... in that disagreement we might argue.
You're a Christian. And I welcome you as fellow person of faith and commend you for being open about it. We need more people who are willing to speak about the faith and allow it to guide their decision-making process.
However I can't condone your deceiving the public, particularly when you claim you're Christian, and I find little sympathy for your cries of persecution.
The persecution you feel stems from your irresponsible actions, your deceit and your juvenille approach to your campaign. To wrap this perceived persecution under the guise of your faith does a disservice to all Christians - conservative and progressive - who live a life of faith.
And, as an aside, Hillary Clinton was a friggin' Rhodes Scholar. Disagree with her, fine, but the woman is pretty smart.
"If you are going to call me names and mock me, is there any reason why I should refrain from granting you that same treatment?"
But I say to you who hear, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either.
Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount.
But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. So be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
Not to mention, I've never used the word "hate." Or said I wouldn't vote for a loon. I have many a time.
Post a Comment
<< Home