Arrogance Plus Stupidity=NYT
R.W. ("Johnny") Apple, Jr., Associate Editor of the New York Times, is arrogant, dull-witted and hard-left even by the lofty standards of the Times. Consider this Q and A exchange between Apple and a Times reader:
Q. Why hasn't any Democrat reiterated F.D.R.'s "nothing to fear but fear" quote to neutralize the Republicans' apparently successful strategy of fear-mongering? The president has said over and over that his first priority is the safety of the American people. Why hasn't any Democrat reminded him that his first priority is to uphold and defend the Constitution? There is a not-so-subtle difference. — Peter Leopold, Portland, Me.A. a) Presumably because they haven't the imagination. It would seem an excellent strategy to me. b) I think that is a distinction that would be lost on most people who don't live and breathe the law and politics — which is to say, most people.
Got that? The American people are dumb and don't "live and breathe the law and politics," like Mr. Apple, and therefore can't figure out that the only threat to their well-being is John Ashcroft. Here's an alternative interpretation: there are things other than fear of which Americans are justly afraid; among them are being blown up, being poisoned, and being economically damaged by terrorist attacks. And it isn't stupidity that causes most Americans to applaud efforts to keep them safe from murder; it is common sense to recognize that one's other rights are of limited value if the paramount right not to be murdered is compromised.
Oh, and also, when Roosevelt wrote that line about fear, he was expressing confidence in America's economy, much as President Bush does now. And when America was attacked in 1941, it didn't occur to Roosevelt that "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself" meant that we shouldn't retaliate by crushing our enemies.
Apple's elitist scorn for his fellow citizens who don't "live and breathe the law and politics" is matched by his elitist view of the American military. In the same question and answer session, he responds to a reader who foresees the decline of American civilization:
Q. 2. Seeing what has become of our political process, perhaps you may be in a mood to ponder this question: Will America go the route of the Roman Empire, collapsing when the demands of the citizenry for entertainment, and the reluctance of the many to actually fight to sustain the affluence of the few, make it impossible to withstand the barbarians? Or will America slowly withdraw from its leadership position, like Great Britain, when the demands of a war and keeping the empire wreck the economy? — Lane Wharton, Raleigh, N.C.A. No Gibbon I, so I'm reluctant to compare the United States to Rome. But I think we have dumbed down our country, and I am made extremely uneasy by the racial and class imbalance in our armed forces. In that regard, Kerry set a high standard.
By "dumbing down our country," Apple means that Republicans keep winning elections. And note how he falls for the ancient canard about the composition of the armed forces of the U.S. In fact, the racial composition of the armed forces closely (although not, of course, exactly) matches the racial composition of the country's population. And enlisted men and women score higher on intelligence tests and are more likely to be high school graduates than the civilian population.
Ignorant, ill-informed arrogance--that's R.W. Apple's New York Times.
