An Extremist in Sheep’s Clothing

Americans have elected an extremist for president. They thought they were voting for a responsible and reasonable person, but recent developments have revealed that they got a far-left ideologue. It turns out that Barack Obama meant what he said when he opined that redistributing wealth would be a good idea.
During the presidential campaign most people concluded that Obama was calm, confident, and almost preternaturally self-assured. He was obviously very smart and seemed to have the emotional stability to make measured judgments. Definitely not a wild man, he would do nothing outrageous. It was thus safe to entrust our nation and its future to him—even in the midst of a period of economic stress.
Back before the election, Obama assured us that he hardly knew William Ayers or the Reverend Wright. It was true that he had been in their presence, but he did not necessarily agree with them. Ayers was a bomb thrower and Wright had thundered his hatred of America, whereas he, Obama, was patriot. He would never be as extreme as either of them.
But then came governing, as opposed to campaigning, and Obama exposed himself as an ideological bomb thrower. Suddenly he intended to dismantle capitalism and to install his version of “social democracy.” Newsweek magazine inadvertently let the cat out of the bag when it crowed “we are all socialists now.” Their, and his, preference for socialism became obvious.
Now we see Obama’s program. He wants to increase government spending by trillions of dollars. He hopes to nationalize health care and to federalize education. He wants to impose a hidden regressive tax by mandating green energy. He expects to muzzle conservative radio commentators by reintroducing the “fairness doctrine.” Meanwhile, he intends to increase the power of his union supporters by eliminating the secret ballot in union elections. Nor is he unhappy about assuming virtual control of major banks or telling the automobile companies what sorts of vehicles to manufacture. He is even resurrecting the welfare system that Jimmy Carter described as “a disgrace to the human race.”
Decades ago Lyndon Johnson was able to frighten the American people into voting for him by portraying Barry Goldwater as a wild-eyed extremist. If he were elected, Goldwater would surely drop the atomic bomb and wipe out humanity. Most people agreed. They preferred moderation. They did not want to deliver their democracy into the hands of a man who would change its very nature.
Sadly, we have done what they would not. Obama does not sound like an extremist, but he is one. Every now and then he says something outrageous, but then he calms the waters with familiar clichés and huge promises. He is, or at least he portrays himself, as a man of the people. All he wants is change. But then again, he did not really tell us what this change would be until he decided to deliver it. Too bad we, and our grandchildren, will have to pick up the bill.
Now what? As the sheep’s clothing slides off our president’s back, will we notice that there is a wolf at the door? Or will we continue to pretend that the president is merely a nice man who is attempting to perform a difficult job?
Melvyn L. Fein. Ph.D.
Professor of Sociology
Kennesaw State University

The Professionalized Self

Welcome!
“The Professionalized Self” is a blog dedicated to promoting the evolution of a more “professionalized” society. Ours, that is American society, is the first fully middle class society in the history of the world. It is the first society in which the middle class sets the social agenda and exercises the most significant social powers.
As such, ours is becoming the first extensively professionalized society in the history of the world. It is a society that more and more depends upon individuals becoming “self-motivated experts” at what they do. Both on the job, and in our private lives, more of us are required to make knowledgeable decisions that affect our lives—and often the lives of many others.
A decentralized society, and of necessity, a mass techno-commercial society of the sort we inhabit, must delegate increased responsibilities to those best situated to make the appropriate selections. More often than ever, only those located at vital choice-points possess the information and motivation to make sensible decisions.
Nevertheless, this is frequently difficult to manage. A personalized expertise does not come automatically. It takes time and effort to develop the required knowledge and emotional maturity to be successfully self-directed. Wishing alone cannot make things turn out as we hope.
Worse still, because we are pioneers in developing a professionalized society, there are, as of yet, few well-developed strategies for doing so. Indeed, we are in the process of developing these for ourselves. In short, we are embarked on a learning curve that may itself prove arduous.
As a consequence, this blog will be dedicated to facilitating such learning. Both on a social and a private level, it will explore where we are going and how we can best get there. The goal is to make our individual and collective professionalization easier than it might otherwise be.
As regularly as may prove practicable, this space will be devoted to observations and analyses of the contemporary scene. It will comment on a host of political, social, and personal matters. The objective is to further our understanding of what is, in fact, happening to us and what we can individually do to further our personal and shared objectives.
If we succeed in our aspirations, this will not be an ideological exercise. The aim is to be sensible, practical, and useful. Common sense, scientific information, and logic will therefore be our polar stars. As much as is possible, partisan spin will be actively avoided. Indeed, if we accomplish our mission, this exercise will help alter the way we, as a society, perceive numerous social issues. Neither conventionally conservative nor liberal, this space intends to follow wherever the truth may lead.
Readers must consequently judge our efforts for themselves. In a world crowded with growing numbers of Internet submissions, only time will tell if a significant number of you will find these observations of interest. I certainly hope you do. Moreover, I also hope for feedback that improves our collective perspective.
Thank you.
Melvyn L. Fein, Ph.D.
mfein@kennesaw.edu