Equality of Anger

And I admit, I've been angry too. I'm outraged by the arrogant religious sanctimoniousness of churches shielding pedophiles. I get impatient waiting on the telephone talking to yet another "menu of options," righteously indignant when crazed drivers swerve across three lanes of traffic to gain one car length, and aggravated by political gridlock and smarmy politicians. I'm easily ired[sic] when receptionists in offices or hosts in restaurants sigh loudly at my innocent request that they actually do their jobs and call the person I'm meeting or find me a table at which to eat. I'm generally not a grumpy person, but sometimes it feels that every other person is either smug, arrogant, infuriating, incompetent, or politically inane--sometimes all of the above.

These words, from the introduction of Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era, told me right away that author Michael Kimmel "gets it." I'm not the only one who gets depressed looking at the smug, angry faces everywhere. Who gets frustrated dealing with the idiot teenager manning the cash register. Or the arrogant twenty something who is far too good to, as Kimmel says, "actually do their jobs." Of course, I also remember what it was like to be a self-conscious teenager with limited experience, no confidence, or anything like training, making minimum wage at one of those lousy jobs and having to deal with angry customers. We are angry coming and going, circumstances around the board are awful and intolerable. But tolerate we must, so once again into the breach of necessity we throw ourselves. Giving up is not an option lest starvation and homelessness be your goal. So the only response is impotent rage at the situation of daily life.

And I am one of the white men Kimmel describes as adjusting well to the new era dawning. I am perfectly okay with and accept that my wife makes more money than I do and is much more successful. I willingly do my share of housework and raising our daughter, I do not feel entitled to much of anything. Kimmel stresses in his book that Americans have every right to be angry, but white men in particular have got causation and correlation all sorts of mixed up. Not all of them for sure, but enough men suffer from what Kimmel calls "aggrieved entitlement" to make pretty much everyone in this country rather miserable.

It feels appropriate to begin this analysis on Memorial Day since this is a day we set aside to honor a very small population of Americans who sacrificed some or all of their right to pursue life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. What they sacrificed it for is getting increasingly ambiguous but their service is absolutely not in doubt. These veterans earned their honor and should feel a sense of entitlement for what they actually did. Kimmel, however, focuses on the entitlement white men feel as inherent in their simply being born, that they take for granted. And that white men lash out in anger and rage when they feel someone else is getting their piece of the pie. Complicating matters is that these men almost always worked hard and sacrificed in some way to get where they are and whatever it is they feel they are losing, be it family, prosperity, recognition, honor, or the simple feeling of "being a man."

An important point is that Kimmel, in this book and other work, is not constructing a screed, diatribe, or jeremiad against white men, despite what it may sound like. Kimmel's book is explanatory and understanding, sympathetic but not apologizing, and not judgmental. What Angry White Men is, is a call to the men who see women, or minorities, or immigrants, or institutions felt to be privileging these groups over men; to let it go. Kimmel repeatedly asserts throughout the text that  white men who accept multiculturalism and social equality are happier and healthier than those who do not. We are entitled to dignity and justice but not privilege. We are entitled to a responsive government, to jobs that do not disappear at the whim of other white men, and the same for pensions, health care, security, and all other human rights. We are not entitled to access to women's bodies, to positions of power, or any other privilege.

Between Canadians and Americans

This is not about the latest mass murderer/gun maniac Elliot Rodger. However, I posted a comment on White House correspondent and Daily Banter columnist Tommy Christopher's article on said gun maniac. Then I wanted to review a post I wrote some time ago called "It's not the guns, it's the attitude" and got a slight chill when glancing at my stats. There were several hits referred from a site called "Canadiangunnutz.com". Uh oh I thought, somebody is unhappy with what I wrote. As someone who regularly deals with the raving mob of online gun "enthusiasts," I was understandably worried. Were they ripping me apart on facts? On my analysis somewhere, simple ad hominem attacks, or making fun of my stuff generally? Or worse, were they discussing just what tortures I should endure for my crimes against the second amendment (which, as we know, is the only one that matters, and free speech is verboten)? The fanaticism of American gun nuts is well known to me, as is their proclivity to violent solutions to intimidate their "enemies."

Amazingly, none of the above. So far I have basically flown under the radar of any American gun guys. I am apparently not worth the trouble or in true Daily Me fashion, their trolls simply don't fish for small fry. I mean they do not seek out little blogspots to attack, so far anyway. Nope, Canadians have a reputation for being nice, polite, non-confrontational. And I was happy to find out that what they were discussing on this forum was not in fact 101 ways to roast sea monsters, but the link that still gets page views despite being over two years old. They were talking about Rum and the Misfits, a post I made after seeing a commercial for Sailor Jerry that had Where Eagles Dare as its soundtrack.

This incident may just be anecdotal or apocryphal, but what a difference a border can make. I just finished Michael Kimmel's excellent book  Angry White Men: American Masculinity at the End of an Era and boy does it bring into focus what drives all the rage we see everyday. The Kraken will not be jumping to conclusions in the future. There are angry white men out there, there are also Americans who dig guns that are not into hate or authoritarianism.

P.S. I think I finally figured out why the Misfits were interested in having their song in that commercial. Glenn and Jerry made the news recently. Apparently Jerry Only, as the only remaining original member, cut Danzig out of some royalties and Danzig is suing over it. So Jerry, like the rum brand Sailor Jerry (get it?) probably cut a deal for some quick cash. I'm not judging you understand, anything you've got to do to make a living. Reminds me a little of another punk icon dispute; back in the late '90s Dead Kennedys guitarist East Bay Ray wanted to put the band back together and sued Jello Biafra for the rights to their song catalogue. The punk rock ethos was egalitarian and all the other adjectives that I am not really qualified to get into. It gets harder and harder to maintain that ethos the longer one lives, not surprising that these musicians are not able to stay "pure."

"Forward!" to Decline

Wisconsin is a dying state. This may sound severe, but let us explore briefly some of the evidence. First is population. The number of births in this state does not really keep track with what we need for population growth to hold onto any political representation at the national level. In terms of young and middling aged folks, the numbers moving in and out tend to be a draw. You could call this stability rather than stagnation, were this not for the fact that the only increasing part of our population is the retired and elderly. More people on fixed incomes, fewer children to educate, a declining and less diverse economic base all follow from this reality.

A less diverse economy stems from the resistance to change embedded in the local culture. Former governor Thompson attempted to address this reality in his last year before moving on to a presidential cabinet position. He called for a major investment in biomedical and genetic research along with applications of these for clinical treatment. He suggested that Wisconsin needed to change its image if we wanted to attract more investment. Popular response was swift and negative. If people do not like who we are, went the refrain, then that is too bad for them.

This attitude contributes to our current dilemma. With emphasis on factory work and family farming in an age of service sector growth and corporate farms, what hope is there for young people of talent, intelligence, or ambition? Our largest export continues to be our children. We lost our global advantage in stem cell research in the 1990s. There has been no effort to regain it. With all due respect, artisan cheese is no substitute for medical or scientific innovation. All told, our state ranks low for entrepreneurial investment and job creation. And in large measure, it is our own fault.

While the Democrats under Doyle managed to keep us in a holding pattern, the current Tea Party policy of retreat and retrenchment has proven a huge failure, only accelerating our decline. Withdrawing tax dollars from circulation has not created jobs. It has reduced money in circulation and the well-known ripple effect (known formally as the multiplier effect) means fewer dollars to demand goods and services from the private sector. Wages and demand continue to shrink.

We are left with a colonial economy where our raw materials, natural resources, and labor provide ready use for folks with cash in hand. These large investors do not reinvest in the state, but take their profits with them. They do not help with education, medical, or social needs of the populace. They do not care about any impacts on the water or air needed for those left behind. Wisconsin is a market for finished goods, simply another resource for exploitation to enhance the wealth of others.

Declining numbers among the young residents here, the stagnation in market values for homes compared to national trends, the increase of the elderly, the refusal to innovate or alter our basic economy all suggest that Wisconsin is a nice place to retire, die, or vacation. Take your pick.

--Lincoln Log