Absorbing the Kool-Aid
Peggy Noonan wrote a piece for Opinion Journal a couple of weeks ago in which she discussed elite attitudes and the problems of America. She was properly criticized by some bloggers on two grounds. First, her incredibly pessimistic view of America seems to have been formed by someone who still gets her "facts" from the MSM. Second, her assumption of who constitutes the "elites" in America appears to be what one would expect of someone who lives in Manhattan surrounded by Ivy League liberals.
Some time ago she wrote another column which suffered from the same problem. She wrote about the fact that two couples that were among her friends in Manhattan had a son graduate from college and join the military in the year after 9/11. These two were the only young men from her circle of Manhattan friends who were in the military. She went on to write about the almost complete absence of Ivy League grads joining the military each year. She worried that America's military (and the country) would suffer because the "best and brightest" chose to avoid military service.
I sincerely doubt that Ms. Noonan has any idea that the three military academies all rank among the top ten most selective universities in America. I doubt she has any idea of the incredible academic, athletic, and community achievements of those who are selected for admission. The future greatness of our nation will depend far more upon the type of high school grads who are interested in attending the academies than upon the liberal Ivy League types who disdain the military.
I am sure that Peggy Noonan has her heart in the right place. I know she considers herself a political conservative. Her short-sighted view of "elites" and her pessimism likely stem from living in an environment that is overwhelmed by liberals. I think that Andrew Sullivan is another good example of what can happen when someone is immersed in a sea of liberals 7/24. It isn't that they choose to drink the kool-aid. They can't help but absorb it.
If you live and work in Manhattan, DC or another of the parochial liberal villages and get your news from the MSM, liberal assumptions are all too likely to leak into your worldview unconsciously.
Some time ago she wrote another column which suffered from the same problem. She wrote about the fact that two couples that were among her friends in Manhattan had a son graduate from college and join the military in the year after 9/11. These two were the only young men from her circle of Manhattan friends who were in the military. She went on to write about the almost complete absence of Ivy League grads joining the military each year. She worried that America's military (and the country) would suffer because the "best and brightest" chose to avoid military service.
I sincerely doubt that Ms. Noonan has any idea that the three military academies all rank among the top ten most selective universities in America. I doubt she has any idea of the incredible academic, athletic, and community achievements of those who are selected for admission. The future greatness of our nation will depend far more upon the type of high school grads who are interested in attending the academies than upon the liberal Ivy League types who disdain the military.
I am sure that Peggy Noonan has her heart in the right place. I know she considers herself a political conservative. Her short-sighted view of "elites" and her pessimism likely stem from living in an environment that is overwhelmed by liberals. I think that Andrew Sullivan is another good example of what can happen when someone is immersed in a sea of liberals 7/24. It isn't that they choose to drink the kool-aid. They can't help but absorb it.
If you live and work in Manhattan, DC or another of the parochial liberal villages and get your news from the MSM, liberal assumptions are all too likely to leak into your worldview unconsciously.
posted by Stan at 8:28 AM
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