[lbo-talk] Why are the US-ers such assholes?

[Wojtek Sokolowski]

Bill Bartlett:
> My theory is that Americans are probably no more likely to be stupid
> windbags than anyone else. There are people like that everywhere.
> However, Americans with ugly political views are less likely to be
> inhibited from saying stupid things in public. I think this is a
> manifestation of the strong American anti-intellectual cultural
> trait. The ignorant and stupid actually believe that their opinion is
> as good as anyone else's. Whereas in other places there is a cultural
> imperative on the ignorant masses to keep their mouths shut in public.
> 
> Americans think they have a right to express their opinion. The
> riff-raff here know that people will think they are stupid and know
> to keep their mouths shut. As the old saying goes, better to keep
> quiet and perhaps allow people to think you are stupid, than to speak
> out and remove any doubt.
> 
> Here's an illustration of what I'm trying to say. There was a time in
> Australia recently when ignorant arseholes were temporarily
> emboldened to speak their mind. They were inspired by Pauline Hanson,
> who was actually elected to parliament on the strength of her
> ignorant racist prattle. She was getting up to 25% support in parts
> of Queensland. Ignorant fools were coming out of the woodwork
> everywhere and starting to spout all kinds of drivel.
> 
> But the ruling class and the elite soon put a stop to it, She was
> derided isolated and basically put in her place. Eventually she was
> even jailed (though later released on appeal.)
> 
> The general tenor of elite opinion was that these kind of views were
> intolerable. They gave the country a bad name with our neighbours,
> who happen to be Asian. Australia can't afford to make that many
> enemies. Bad for business.
> 
> But of course all those people haven't gone away, or changed their
> opinions. They've just gone back to being unrepresented in public
> discourse.
> 
> Now the thing is that America doesn't do that with its ugly opinions.
> Its a cultural thing in the US to believe that even ugly opinions are
> entitled to express themselves. Also, it CAN afford to alienate the
> world (or thinks it can.) That isn't the case here and in other
> English speaking cultures.
> 
> US-ers: no more than the normal proportion are arseholes. Just that
> no-one else tolerates arseholes expressing their opinions.

Right on the mark!   I know it from experience that there is no shortage of
stupid and arrogant assholes in any country - but here they are emboldened
to speak up by deeply embedded anti-intellectualism and the Republican party
endorsement of that kind of rhetoric.  It is the mater of salience rather
than incidence.

Wojtek