Bill O’Reilly Doesn’t Reach That Far 0

I mentioned the Phony War on Christmas to my class yesterday–there were participants from New Jersey to North Carolina, and from the East Coast to the Mississippi Valley. I have no idea what the political leanings of any of them are.

Though I suspect that, whether they are liberal or conservative, none of them are whacko.

Most of them had never heard of it. Two of the three persons from New Jersey had–those from the “heartland” had not.

All of them were amazed at the idea that “Happy Holidays” and “Seasons Greetings” could offend anyone.

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When all is said and done, the great majority of Americans tend to err on the side of being reasonable. The minority that feeds on hate, fear, and lies has historically run up against that and, ultimately, been thwarted in their attempts to pervert American good will to nefarious ends.

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The tension between inclusion and exclusion in American life and politics has a long history. It was superbly documented by Richard Hofstadter in Anti-Intellectualism in American Life.

What is going on now on the American political scene is nothing new. It is a waltz that our society has danced periodically for over 180 years.

Anyone who wishes to understand what is going on now would be well advised to start by reading Hofstadter’s works.