Why Are Liberals So Angry?

The election is over, but liberals keep sniping at Trump.  It does not seem to matter what he does.  As long as he is the one doing it, it is regarded as evidence of depravity.  We see this inclination in the media, on college campuses, and from the mouth of our current president.  But why is this so?

Almost no one is happy to lose; nevertheless most adjust gracefully.  They do not spend weeks trying to demonstrate that the winner is illegitimate.  They do not give the nation the finger by stabbing an ally (Israel) in the back.  Although they might cry in their beer, they do not try to box in the victor.

So what is going on?  Why are liberals so distressed?  It is not enough to say that they were surprised by their loss.  They were, but they have been surprised before.  Neither is it sufficient to point out that they do not trust Trump.  They did not trust Reagan or Nixon either.

So, I repeat, what is going on?  My conclusion is that liberals are terrified.  We see their anger, but I suspect that it is being employed to cover up their massive fears.  Yet what is it they fear?  It cannot be that they worry about never winning again.  They have been down in the past and come back.

What is different this time?  First, liberals know that the Obama administration did not succeed.  It did not furnish the anticipated hope and change.  The economy has been sluggish for eight years.  Foreign policy is a mess.  What is more, the nation is more divided and rancorous than in generations.

Yes, I know that Obama brags about having created millions of jobs.  I also know that his partisans insist ObamaCare is a roaring success.  Many liberals even have the temerity to claim that the Iran deal ensured that the mullahs will never get a nuclear weapon.

Nonetheless, in their heart of hearts, liberals know these assertions are false.  And that is their problem.  They are not afraid that Trump will destroy the country.  They are afraid that he will succeed.  The last thing they want is for him to make America great again.

If he does, you see, it will put the lie to their boasts.  It will demonstrate that they have brought us neither prosperity, nor safety, nor social justice.  They will be exposed as Charlatans who can talk a good game, but are unable to produce.

You might imagine that what troubles them is the prospect of enduring the pain of public humiliation.  No one enjoys being revealed as wrong or inept.  This was why the New York Times hated Rudy Giuliani so much when he proved that New York City could be governed; that its crime rate could be reduced.

As distressing as this sort of revelation might be, even more distressing would be the realization that the liberal agenda is fatally flawed.  Liberals believe their own propaganda.  They are convinced that they are smarter and more compassionate than others.  They are equally certain their opponents are dumb and mean-spirited.

But what happens when events put a lie to these conceits?  If liberal egos are punctured, can they still consider themselves special?  The liberal ideology enables its adherents to make sense of an otherwise confusing world; hence if this worldview is discredited, they will be emotionally and intellectually adrift.

This is their chief fear.  Their belief system provides them with a sense of control.  As long as they are convinced they possess the formula for personal and/or social success, they need not dread unexpected developments.  If they, and only they, know where history is going, they can continue to feel in charge.

Without this, however, their inner cowardice would come to the fore.  When deprived of their fantasies, they would be forced to confront their personal inadequacies.  Mind you, we all have weaknesses.  We all fool ourselves about some things in order to keep our demons at bay.

The point is that, at this moment, it is the liberals who are in danger of being stripped of their ideological defenses.  Many of them are in panic mode, lest their feet of clay be uncovered.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University

Respect for the Working Man and Woman

When I was young, my father would ridicule me for sitting in a corner and reading a book.  He wanting me to get up and do something.  So far as he was concerned, only physical work counted.  Mental activities were merely an excuse for being lazy.

Nowadays, I realize that I was never the indolent slug that he feared I might become.  My wife and I, although we are both academics, are hard workers.  We not only teach, we write books, we give talks.  We even edit a professional journal.  This takes so much time that is consumes most of our weekends.

But I am not complaining.  We do this because we love it.  When we accomplish something, it provides us a sense of satisfaction.  We know that not everybody is capable of doing what we do; hence we take pride in our achievements.

Nor do I wish to assert that the kind of work we do is superior to physical labors.  Many of the people who work with their hands provide the goods and services without which life would be hollow.  In fact, I mean to praise hard work—of virtually any kind.

The Trump election has finally put the spotlight on blue-collar workers.  Their contributions to our joint welfare are, at long last, receiving their due.  These folks deserve to be respected.  What they do is often not easy and can take considerable skill.

Life is not an endless day at the beach.  Many of the things that need to be done require effort.  When I am writing one of my columns and the words do not come, I have to stick with it until they do.  By the same token, an automobile mechanic who cannot locate the source of a clanging sound must persevere until he does.

But herein lies one of the advantages of hard work.  It is not just a matter of producing a valuable product.  There is also the benefit of doing so despite the difficulties.  At the end of the day, there is the realization that whatever we have achieved would not have been possible unless we persisted, notwithstanding the temptations to quit.

Too many young people today assume that if they encounter resistance, the sensible thing is to do something else.  As a college professor, I see this when students refuse to read difficult books.  They would rather go on line to crib notes than spend hours trying to decipher abstruse materials.

We see the same sort of thing when we witness people lining up to get on the public dole.  Whether this is for food stamps, or disability subsidies, or a welfare check, these programs create dependency rather than self-sufficiency.  These folks become takers rather than producers.

The idea that the government can save us from having to take care of ourselves is one of the most pernicious consequences of our shared affluence.  Being rich, and/or idle, are not the advantages they may seem.  They can be a trap.  They can deprive people of the self-respect that comes from hard work.

And self-respect matters.  Listening to music all day is not only boring—it is pointless.  In the end, it leads to nothing but more of the same.  This is also the case for those addicted to social media.  Irrespective of how many friends we have on line, these are not the equivalent of real friends.

Genuine work, on the other hand, provides dignity.  It also furnishes worthwhile goals.  People who do things that make the world a better place know they are useful.  They have the contentment that comes from realizing their life makes a difference.

So here are three cheers for hard work.  It is not a burden to be shunned.  Or a sign that one has been shanghaied into doing what others will not.  Hard work is a good in and of itself.  Yes, we require time off.  Yes, some things should be done for the fun of it.  But without hard work, what are we, either as individuals or a nation?  Why would we deserve anyone’s admiration?

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University

A Good New Year?

Many people make New Year’s resolutions.  I don’t.  Because I am a columnist, I make predictions.  This is not to say that I am especially good at it.  Last year my efforts produced decidedly mixed results.

First, I got the easy one right.  Given that it was to be Barack Obama’s last year in office, I expected a bumpy ride.  Since he had nothing to lose, he would be his real self.  Indeed, these last few weeks, he has been more so.  He recently did his worst to damage Israel and help the radical environmentalists.

But I got the big one wrong.  It never occurred to me that Donald Trump would actually be elected president.  Like many in the Never Trump camp, I assumed that voters would come to their senses.  I was hoping for Rubio, unfortunately he self-destructed before New Hampshire.

So what comes next?  Let’s start with Obama.  At one point, I thought he would disappear into a well-earned oblivion.  When he was no longer in power, the media would stop propping him up.  Given his terrible track record, even Democrats would prefer to forget his tenure.

Now I have decided that Barack intends to be kibitzer-in-chief.  He will remain in Washington sitting on the sidelines constantly second-guessing what the new administration does.  In light of his inflated ego and rhetorical skills, unlike his predecessors, he will be unable to resist demonstrating his brilliance,

As for Hillary, it is more difficult to say what will happen.  It is doubtful that her wisdom will be in much demand.  She might even be under investigation.  If so, the question is whether she will be pardoned.  Will Barack do it before he leaves office or will Trump do it to spare the nation a political circus?

Turning now to Trump, he will surely press to eliminate Obamacare and reduce taxes.  Whether this goes smoothly is another matter.  I hope it does, but I expect that it will not.   There are too many dissonant voices in Congress; hence many are bound to assert their prerogatives.

With respect to the economy, I predict that it will grow faster than economists are currently forecasting.  Once Trump jettisons the regulations he has the power to purge, a wave of optimism should surge through the entrepreneurial class.  People may once more think in terms of what is possible rather than what will be thwarted by the politicians.

Our energy resources should also grow.  All those businesspersons in Trump’s cabinet will remove the obstacles Obama erected.  If so, “all of the above,” with respect to coal, gas, fracking and nuclear should become a reality as opposed to a slogan.

When moving on to foreign policy, however, my crystal ball gets clouded.  I do not know how Trump will deal with Putin.  I hope it is with a firm hand.  Nor do I know how vigorous he will be in pursuing ISIS.  His pronouncements in these areas have been too ambiguous to provide a reliable guide.

What is certain is that whatever he does will be criticized by the media.  In retrospect, Ronald Reagan is regarded as a great president, but at the time the press roundly condemned him.  Almost everything done by this former actor was censured as stupid or vicious.

This included cutting taxes, building up the military, initiating Star Wars. calling the Soviet Union an evil empire, demanding that the Berlin Wall be torn down and firing the air traffic controllers.  In every instance, journalists thought they knew better and told the nation so.

It will be no different with Trump.  We have already witnessed many of his cabinet choices savaged and his tweets are treated like jokes.  We can therefore be confident that virtually everything he does will be interpreted in the least favorable way.

In other words, do not expect the country’s foul political climate to improve.  Reagan emerged into the sunlight only after his policies began to succeed.  Until then he was dismissed as a Teflon president who deserved to be treated with disrespect.  It will be the same with Trump, that is, unless and until his programs pay off.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University

How Fast Will North Georgia Grow?

Now that the New Year is upon us, it is natural to look ahead and speculate about what is to come.  Will Donald Trump make a good president?  Will the economy grow?  Will terrorism be held in check and war be kept distant from our shores?

All of this is interesting, but in this column I intend to focus on what might be in store for North Georgia.  How will the larger events impact the local scene?  In this case, I am vaguely optimistic.

When a decade ago, my wife and I moved from Cobb to Cherokee County, the real estate market was afire.  Houses were being put up everywhere.  Prices were rising and people anticipated that they always would.  But then the bubble burst and many of us took a financial bath.

About a decade and a half before that, when I first arrived in Georgia, I asked my real estate agent to show me what was available in Cherokee.  She did, and I was disappointed.  The county was then extremely rural and few houses of the sort I desired were to be found.

What a difference a quarter of a century makes.  Cherokee now reminds me of what Cobb was then.  It is far more populous and sophisticated.  Although it retains the hospitable atmosphere of its earlier years, this has been supplemented by a host of amenities.

Will this transformation continue?  Will the population grow much larger?  Might light industry become more prominent?  Several factors will help decide.  One is the state of the economy.  Another is the state of the local infrastructure.

First to the economy.  Under Barack Obama it has been stagnant.  At virtually every turn, his decisions were calculated to slow growth.  This seems about to change.  If Donald Trump lives up to his word, he might unleash pent up forces that will accelerate business opportunities.

Should this occur, North Georgia is apt to be a prime beneficiary.  Before the Great Recession, this was one of the fasted growing regions in the nation.  Since the conditions that made this possible have not changed, there is reason to believe growth will resume.

In this case, Cherokee and Bartow will surely attract more residents.  Home construction ought to boom, as may the services needed to support a larger population.  Even light industry may surge.  Because fewer people want to make the long trip into Atlanta, businesses will go where workers are to be found.

One of the things that might slow this development is recent decisions regarding the widening of Route 20.  Not that many years ago, it seemed certain there would be a Northern Arc joining I 75 and I 85.  This intestate style highway would then move the metropolitan area’s center of gravity further north.

Once the arc was vetoed, however, it was thought that route 20 would still be bypassed by an entirely new construction.  The effect of this on the local economy would have been enormous.  Now that both of these projects have been set aside, there will surely be a reduced impact.

So what does this mean for the future?  North Georgia is now part of the Atlanta Metropolitan area.  This cannot be undone.  Moreover, it is becoming a solidly middle class part of the area.  This too cannot be undone.  Indeed, it will probably speed up.

With the Braves new stadium set to open in Cobb County, the northward progress is to receive further impetus.  The traffic nightmare that is north Fulton County should add to this.  More people will look for relief—and guess where it can be found.

Nonetheless, I do not expect the character of Cherokee County to change too drastically.  The general style of life should remain about the same, which means that it will be comfortable for those of us who reside here.

As a once upon a time New Yorker, this is fine by me.  I like my neighbors and the open countryside that remains.  As I some time ago wrote, I even like the deer that have taken to eating the flowers and tomatoes in my backyard.

Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.

Professor of Sociology

Kennesaw State University