Deer Hunting with Jesus

[flyingfysh]

I'm still reading this one, but it appears to be very good, and essential reading for progressives.

It doesn't have much to do with religion, but is rather about the large working class in our country - undereducated, uninfomed, with inadequate medical care, and constantly one paycheck away from disaster.

The author has lots of harsh words for liberals, and is of the opinion that they really don't understand what motivates this large section of our population.

I'm still reading it on my Kindle. Has anyone else read it?

[Nay]

1. Yes--I bought the book and truly enjoyed it. I've read his blog for years

and bought the book because I like him so much. I sorta agree with him when he has harsh words for "liberals," when he says that liberals have not tried in the correct ways to reach out to the people he describes in his book, but as a liberal who is sick and tired of willful ignorance, I can understand why liberals have finally thrown up their hands and said "fuck it."

One of the passages in his book that made me realize that I would never have much in common with the people he describes is the passage that tells of when he was a child, came home from school, and everyone was gone -- to him, it seems they had vanished, and with horror he thought they had been Biblically raptured up and left him behind. I have not ever, nor will I ever, be able to understand or sympathize with such incredible superstition and the minds that are held in sway by it. I simply cannot. Nor do I have any interest in spending time with such people. Call me elitist, but that's the way it is. I have no wish for those people to suffer, you understand, but I feel I have almost nothing in common with them, and I view them as an anchor on the ankle of progress.

The passages about the "border" tribes in Scotland/Wales/England, where a lot of the Scots folks who settled the South came from, gave me some insight into the mindset. I come from such stock myself, but I didn't inherit the mindset. No one has to inherit it. I wish that they had all inherited the minset of the Jews, who value education and hard work instead of the adolescent "you can't tell me what to do" attitude. But that's just me.

All in all, I totally enjoyed the book, gained valuable insights, and would recommend it to everyone. Do Joe Bageant a favor and buy a hardback!

[Atticus]

2. Agree wholeheartedly. A good and educational read. nt

[miscsoc]

5. Excellent comment.

But I think you have more in common with those people than you imagine. It just takes a little bit of imagination and thought. I don't like it when people say that "those people" are an anchor on progress. It's their crazy beliefs that are the anchor. Don't rashly essentialize

[BridgeTheGap]

6. I come from a working class background. I worked in a factory to pay my way through college,

earning a b.a. in Poli Sci. During that time, I also became a socialist, though I'm now more of a social democrat. Back in the day, we used to rag on "liberals" because they were apologists for the capitalist system. For awhile now the rw blowhards on t.v. & radio have done all the liberal bashing and any open minded person should disavow this blatant move toward fascism.
One of the effects their efforts have had is people abandoning the liberal label for progressive.
There may be some real distinctions between the two, but I think they're pretty close for the most part.
When I was organizing in the factory, via the union, it surprised me how open many working people were to socialist ideas and goals. My father worked there too and he hated the fact that I was advocating for socialism. We didn't get along for years. I eventually ended up being the chief union steward in that plant because I fought for our rights and stood up to plant management and corrupt union bureaucrats.
If you've never done serious manual labor for a living, i.e. factory work, it's difficult to relate to. But compassion or the lack there of, is a serious pan-human problem. It is the nature of the ego to live in a sort of bubble, locked in our own experience.
There is a quote from Thomas Jefferson about the masses - and if we think them ignorant, we should not try to take their rights away because of this but should work to inform their ignorance.

[Jim__]

3. I read it a few years ago.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author has a good sense of humor. I remember disagreeing with a lot (not all) of what he said about liberals - some of his opinions seemed to be based on stereotypes rather than actual broad-based experience.

[jtuck004]

4. How are you coming with this one?

I have "friends" like some of them.
Thoughts on how we communicate with them, or on how we keep other's spirits up while they try? Because if we don't, like he said, they will take over from the local up...