I remember a class in college in which we were required to compile a list of ways we had experienced "political socialization" when growing up. Did I misunderstand the assignment? I got through it grade-wise so that's OK. This was a political science class. The instructor wrote a note indicating that I seemed to "reject" these things, as if he was surprised.
Well, who wants to be "socialized?" I could swear he laid out the assignment on the premise that we all had grown up being influenced to accept certain notions. None of us should want to acknowledge that we'd been influenced to embrace a set of ideas. Naturally we'd want to think we had shown some independent judgment.
The assignment was typical for academia in the 1970s. I have heard this was particularly true in the state colleges. State colleges swelled in response to the long-held belief that it was so awfully hard to get into college. It was a problem and as with all problems, society pushed for a remedy.
I would argue that colleges in the 1970s had little resemblance to when my father went through: the '30s.
My father went through when college was a celebration of Western civilization. That's probably how it ought to be. The Vietnam war was probably the main cause for the sea change that arrived later. Perhaps the public stood aside too much for the escalating war due to "political socialization." The term is not one I would ever use in my own writing unless I'm criticizing it. It's a fancy term to suggest indoctrination. So I'd just write "indoctrination." Professors made their living teaching fancy words that we could then describe in an exam.
In the list for my assignment, I remember citing the "George Washington in the clouds" portrait above the milk machine in elementary school. As I wrote that down, I figured the instructor wanted us to think such things were deplorable examples of indoctrination. Did I misunderstand him? His comments on my paper seemed to indicate he was surprised at my interpretation.
Social science classes developed an interesting lexicon in that era, e.g. "ethno-centrism." I sensed a thread running throughout of rejection of standard Western values. If you actually equate Western values with racism or jingoism, well that'd be a problem. Even though the developed Western world had its problems to be sure, a broad brush rejection was never a tenable position IMHO. If we cannot be fundamentally proud of our Western culture, the preponderance of it, why were we in college? What was the grand new vision for replacing this?
Oh, we can identify warts and weaknesses, to be sure, such as the slippery slope into war escalation, but what was the grand new vision? The "new left?" I was recalling the new left with Jim Morrison at the Morris paper one day, and he mused "the new left is now the old left."
My instructor's last name was Carlson. I remember he got laid off before my college years ended. He was irritated that Democrat Karl Rolvaag had wanted to prolong his political career. He said of the pol "I think he just liked how he looked on television." So much for unbiased political science instructors. I did not sense that his irritation was from the political right, I sensed it was from the political left.
The political left really asserted itself on college campuses in the 1970s, especially state college campuses I guess. My sensibilities are more left than right, but frankly by 1980, I was sick of the Democrats. I didn't feel they had handled their power well. Each political party shows weaknesses when owning power for too long.
Today I'm the kind of person who enjoys listening to Bernie Sanders speeches. But in 1980 I was totally ready for Ronald Reagan. Reagan for his faults came through as a feeling person. He had once been involved with a union. He had life experiences to temper what might have been excessive ideological zeal.
Today? How can we even compare his presidency or any other to what we're seeing now? It's the cult of Trump, and it's amazing how close it is coming to succeeding again.
What on earth is going to happen to our country? Trump may lose if we have anything like an orderly election. But right now, the basic procedure of voting appears under fire with lawyers poised all over the place to gum up the works with their various suits. Trump's modus operandi is to gum up the works with suits, in some cases to buy time, time that becomes seemingly endless. Court rulings? Appeal them.
Trump says "sheriffs" will be at polling places. And presumably deputies. Police chiefs too? Our local media needs to ask law enforcement officials if this is in the cards at all. What about the "poll-watchers" that the GOP has promised? What will they be legally allowed to do? How well-schooled are local election officials for dealing with this? At what point would a poll-watcher cross the line? And if so, what kind of relief? At this point would law enforcement have to show up?
All the talk makes me not even want to visit the polling place. One possibility is that it's all talk and all bluster. Maybe election day will come and the atmosphere at polls will be the same as what we've come to expect, a pleasant atmosphere actually. And like it or not, some people are going to vote for Democrats.
So, I once rejected "political socialization?" Which side at present reflects "socialization?" The Republicans or Democrats? Or is the term basically hooey? People are busy and they develop impulses about what is in their best interests. And if we vote Republican, we'll have to accept more denial of the pandemic and climate change. As the Western U.S. burns.
Addendum: The guy who sat next to me in the class was a pretty sharp dude who told me he was seeking law school. He gave the class the lowest possible evaluation when we filled out a sheet at the end. He said the course didn't follow what was in the bulletin description. How would I describe it? Phlegmatic? Well, it was the 1970s. Instructors could go off the deep end and there was no accountability.
My podcast for Sept. 15
I invite you to visit my podcast "Morris Mojo" on this pleasant mid-September day. We discuss the pleasant nature of the weather, still, but there's serious news to weigh from the macro level. This Caputo fellow has been appointed to power under President Trump. This guy is out of the backwater. Here is the permalink:
- Brian Williams
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