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Home Front: Culture Wars
The media's fatal flaw? It's elitism, argues a conservative professor
2017-08-08
[Poynter] Frederick Lynch, a government professor of conservative bent at Claremont McKenna College, was speaking Sunday about his weekend New York Times op-ed that took aim at criticism of President Trump's policies on immigration and diversity. "Why Trump Supporters Distrust Immigration and Diversity" was distinctly contrarian to many elite media rebukes of Trump on the same topic.

It was very much in sync with long-standing Lynch views, best on display in his 1996 book "The Diversity Machine: The Drive to Change the ’White Male Workplace.’" In particular, his op-ed asked rhetorically whether Trump is pandering to racial fears -- the clear consensus among media -- or "addressing legitimate interest-group concerns."

He finds much of the press captive of a one-sided debate over what motivates Mr. Trump and his supporters. There's the stereotype of angry White voters driven by racism, resentment, declining economic or social status, irrational fears of economic or demographic change or all of the above, he put it to me.

"I think much of the press has been very (politically correct) on affirmative action/diversity, immigration and the White middle and working-class. They think there are no downsides to these policies. There's an elite, class bias."

The shock on many cable news hosts' and pundits' faces on Election Day -- not to mention elite newspapers, at least one of which hadn't thought to have a "How Trump Won" piece in the can just in case Trump did win -- was obvious. It was proof of being way out of touch. "

It was mildly ironic that Lynch's piece was soon supplanted, as far as online play, by an Emory University African-Studies professor's piece on "The Policies of White Resentment." It took exactly the tack that he finds wayward, namely finding "White resentment and White nationalism" as a central explanation of our current politics.
Posted by:Besoeker

#10  First, there is a revolving door between the Democratic party and the MSM. Second, everyone who isn't in on the racket has a potential path via the media. Join up, do your time, carry the Democrats' water and you may get your turn at the public trough.

It runs through both parties, and not just the media. Academia, professional organizations/unions, think-tanks, defense contractors, other corporations who either do business with the government or are affected by government regulation, et cetera.
Posted by: Pappy   2017-08-08 17:13  

#9  Trump is actually easy to explain in retrospect. Washington was picking winners and losers. The losers got fed up.

The media's role is actually two-fold. First, there is a revolving door between the Democratic party and the MSM. Second, everyone who isn't in on the racket has a potential path via the media. Join up, do your time, carry the Democrats' water and you may get your turn at the public trough.
Posted by: Iblis   2017-08-08 15:44  

#8  You can call it elitism, or you can call it arrogance combined with greed, these are ancient human failings.
Posted by: Anguper Hupomosing9418   2017-08-08 12:01  

#7  It's the leftism enforced by elitism that's the problem.
Posted by: charger   2017-08-08 11:28  

#6  If it were up to me, I'd drop nukes on, then abolish, the Ivy League.
Posted by: Raj   2017-08-08 10:38  

#5  I call them the American Nobility. They don't have to follow 'common laws' the rest of us do. They want it so that only they can have firearms. etc...
Posted by: CrazyFool   2017-08-08 10:19  

#4  Funny. The entire point of the country was equality and freedom. Not imposed equality, not rationed freedom. There should be no "elites," but try to tell the self anointed that.
Posted by: M. Murcek   2017-08-08 09:13  

#3  Welcome to the world of the New Class, BP.
Posted by: g(r)omgoru   2017-08-08 09:11  

#2  Many of the reasons, voters voted for Trump. For me, the disenchantment of many Trump voters had to do with:
1. The elitism cited and their smarmy and smug attitudes towards the rest of us.
2. The destruction of culture by the left.
3. The destruction of religion by the left.
4. The rampant corruption that has been created by mostly by the Clinton and Obama administrations but not exclusive to these admins.
5. Attempts by the left to corrupt the votes of the American people--outright attempts at stealing elections through immigration and cheating schemes.
6. Creating phony charities to bilk the American public under the guise of doing good things to create slush funds for the political elites.
7. The last administration's weaponizing of the government against the American people.
8. Allowing unrestricted illegal immigration for the purposes of cheap labor and new votes.
9. The destruction of the DOJ and the FBI by Obama, the Clintons, and Holder, and Lynch.
10. The pitting of Americans against Americans by the left.
11. The people elected Trump because they thought he might have a chance of doing something about the mire in D.C.
12. Destruction of the middle class--lay it off on globalists if you want.
13. People just got tired of being forced to eat a load of crap from D.C.
14. Voters being sick and tired of the crap the main stream media dishes up ad nauseum--they are worst than Pravda or Hitler's Goebbels.
Posted by: JohnQC   2017-08-08 09:09  

#1  No, it's nepotism! They're simply not very elite!
Posted by: Bright Pebbles   2017-08-08 09:06  

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