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Her show will, of course, not end America's cultural divide, but it's a start, and a vitally important one. And God bless her for it

In Praise of Roseanne Barr


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By —— Bio and Archives March 29, 2018

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In Praise of Roseanne Barr
I'm still the same--you all moved. You all went so f--king far out you lost everybody. A lot of us, no matter who we voted for, we don't want to see our president fail. -- Roseanne Barr on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"
Most everyone is by now aware that Roseanne Barr hit one out of the park with her new show's recent debut. But much more important than any TV ratings is the fact that she brought to the table for discussion some cultural realities that have hitherto been considered too controversial, too inflammatory, for a primetime audience.
The fact that Roseanne has dared to mention the elephant in the room--the cultural divide between those who support President Trump and those who despise him--has in my opinion gone a long way toward healing America. Quite a claim...in this article I will try to explain why I feel that way. In case it has escaped your notice, let me point out that the Left tends to insufferable snobbery--that is not mere ad hominem hyperbole, it is simply a statement of fact. The Far Left has historically looked down its nose at the "deplorable" bourgeoise middle class and their "common ways." The "small people" are deemed good for being the butt of meanspirited jibes and not much else. You had better believe that this arrogant disdain is real and ongoing.
I hear comments sometimes that large oil companies are greedy companies or don't care, but that is not the case with BP. We care about the small people. [bold added] -- BP Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg, June, 2010
Be that as it may, Hollywood, academia, the media, and the "chattering classes" as a whole apparently believe that America's middle-class spends its time watching wrestling, picking their nose, reading the Bible, and shooting strangers on sight--a bumbling, crude, and regrettable blight best flown over quickly while on the way from one coast to the other. The middle-class is obviously too dumb to be let out in public alone, so best to sweep the poor dears up in various social engineering ploys and remove the need for them to think at all--an exercise in futility at the best of times. President Trump saw this and acted on it. His love for America's working class is real, solid, and passionate. Not for nothing has he been called the "Blue Collar Billionaire." America's working men and women sensed this about him and it is the reason he is our president. He has backed up his words with actions, and despite a "Resist!" do-nothing Democratic Party, a generally anemic Republican Party, and a 24/7 "Hate Trump" media, he has managed to enact more positive, constructive results for America's middle-class than any president in living memory.
During Obama's reign the artist Jon McNaughton painted an image called "The Forgotten Man," which encapsulated the plight of America's middle class. Since Trump became president McNaughton has painted a new image called "You Are Not Forgotten," which features President Trump helping "the forgotten man." A picture is worth a thousand words...and all that. We the People must never forget how close we came to being a country of rich elitists, and...the rest of us. It is America's middle class that is its backbone, its spirit, its hope and promise, and without it America would become just another example of a rich ruling class lording it over the hoi polloi. The coastal elites and their media mouthpieces could not have cared less about the plight of We the People--who can doubt it? And without President Trump we would still be circling the drain. The middle-class ladder has rungs that no longer exist for many trying to climb higher. Instead, for too many, in too many places, their chore is simply trying to hang on. -- Mike Barnicle The middle class was not always looked down upon in America--far from it. It was not that long ago that the moniker "middle-class" was worn with pride, and ostentatious displays of wealth were considered gauche and crude--something that uncultured and unrefined members of the nouveau riche might indulge in, but certainly not someone with any taste and class. Such is no longer the case--the gaudier the display of greed and avarice, the better. More's the pity. With God's grace America will see a return to pride in oneself, one's country, and the term middle-class will be restored to its proper pride of place. I wrote in the beginning of this article that Ms. Barr's support for President Trump has gone a long way toward healing America--and so it has. While the simple fact that she has broached the subject of the ideological divide in this country is brave and praiseworthy in and of itself, it is her adroit use of humor that lances the boil and lets the poison out.


Humor is such a saving grace. I learned long ago to run, not walk, away from those without a sense of humor. They are just too great a drain on my energy--they seem to suck up any available light like some sort of human black hole. I wish them well and pray that they prosper--elsewhere. Anywhere but near me. Roseanne has a talent, a gift, for recognizing and utilizing real humor. More times than not the "humor" that I see these days is not humor at all, but a mean-spirited snarkiness masquerading as humor--think an Alec Baldwin SNL Trump skit, or innumerable TV talk show host's thinly veiled insults passing themselves off as "funny." Even the faithful who watch such things do not find it honestly humorous--they are simply applauding their own "cleverness" at being smarter than those dumb Trump supporters. Not funny, not funny at all. Roseanne is funny though, and it is her ability to lovingly poke fun at our more outrageous stances that will help America to get over itself, take a deep breath, and (please God) smile. Her show will, of course, not end America's cultural divide, but it's a start, and a vitally important one. And God bless her for it.

Jim ONeill -- Bio and Archives | Comments

Born June 4, 1951 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Served in the U.S. Navy from 1970-1974 in both UDT-21 (Underwater Demolition Team) and SEAL Team Two.  Worked as a commercial diver in the waters off of Scotland, India, and the United States.  Worked overseas in the Merchant Marines.  While attending the University of South Florida as a journalism student in 1998 was presented with the “Carol Burnett/University of Hawaii AEJMC Research in Journalism Ethics Award,” 1st place undergraduate division.  (The annual contest was set up by Carol Burnett with money she won from successfully suing a national newspaper for libel).  Awarded US Army, US Navy, South African, and Russian jump wings.  Graduate of NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School, 1970).  Member of Mensa, China Post #1, and lifetime member of the NRA and UDT/SEAL Association.


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