We find in our young angry white activist male a curious mix of things for and against. Some of what they support are well-defined: the latest IPhone, 5G networks, streaming TV, $5 lattes, Bluetooth ear pods, perpetual enforcement of whatever corona virus restrictions dribble out of Dr. Fauci’s masked mouth (they and the elite being largely exempted) and, of course, “forgiveness” of any student loan debt they may have incurred.
Less materialistic and largely undefined items in the “for” column include: diversity, equity, inclusion; social justice-racial justice-environmental justice; gay rights-lesbian rights-transgender rights; “health care for women” (i.e. termination of a developing baby in the womb). The list goes on but every item, typically in the form of a demand, is no more than a slogan, euphemism, or cliché. Nevertheless, in their safe spaces superficial words and phrases are all that is required. Indeed, to be asked to present a cohesive argument is a form of oppression and hateful bigotry.
Likewise, the list of things they are against are extensive. First is anyone and anything that fails to validate them and their outrage. Theirs is not the old “we’ll have to agree to disagree” attitude, but the modern “I hate you passionately, viscerally, and forever.” And, not surprisingly, they are against pretty much everything that provides for their existence: systems they neither understand nor care to that allow them basic things such as eating, turning on lights and TVs, having warm water to bathe, and more esoteric systems that protect them as they rage and express their hatred with little fear of consequences.
They have found in their search for “justice” a curious champion in the form of a rich old white guy: no, not necessarily Joe Biden, but the less wealthy but similarly intellectual Bernie Sanders. Sanders’ greatest political skill is the ability to make privileged people, especially the “white privileged,” feel they are victims, that they have somehow been screwed over by generic corporations and an equally generic “The Man.” Sanders was of the middle-class- nothing wrong with that- and it held him in good political steed as it gave credence in his diatribes against “The Rich.” Not surprisingly for a person in “public service” for so many decades, he eventually became quite wealthy, not Biden wealthy, but in the $3 million range. But not too wealthy to keep him from selectively railing against “The Rich:” his mega multimillionaire BFF, fellow socialists, and supporters Ben and Jerry, those of the overpriced ice cream fame, are excepted. Bernie Sanders is like some geriatric version of Twisted Sister, singing the classic song of middle-class adolescent angst, We’re Not Going To Take It, over and over again.
To some extent, forgiveness of their greed and selfishness (or perhaps more charitably, solipsism) of our young social justice warriors is at hand because they are, in fact, young, and have never experienced other than a culture and country so steeped in wealth that they don’t have to grow up: they enjoy such utter privilege that they are insulated from historic and current realities that effect most of the world, don’t remotely know it, and don’t want to.
There is a verse in the Bible (specifically the Christian New Testament, Corinthians 13:11) that says “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” Traditional and understandable wisdom, but what if, as mentioned above, one never has to become a man, and spends chronological adulthood playing with childish things?
Into this fold steps Pennsylvania’s own radical chic fashionista and current Democrat candidate for Senate John Fetterman. He fits perfectly the stereotype of the angry privileged white male 20-something social justice warrior, with only one exception: he’s 50-something. Style-wise he’s got it all, the shaved head, the intentionally unkempt beard, the hoodie, the tats, and I read somewhere he often wears baggy shorts. Personal history-wise he’s got the wealthy parents (who have at times financially supported him with significant generosity until a few years ago), and an Ivy League (Harvard) pedigree. But what the heck, he’s not the first well-into-middle-aged guy who wants to pretend he’s a youthful hipster, nor the first child of privilege who likes to pretend he’s part of the brethren of the “common man-“ the latter farce being almost a requirement to be a politician.
Yes, there was that faux pas back in 2013, a time he was mayor of the small town of Braddock, PA. Thinking he heard gunshots, he grabbed his trusty shotgun and accosted the most likely suspect, a young black man he saw jogging, and detained him until the cops arrived. His claims were not buttressed owing to the fact the young black man was wearing typical attire of a jogger, complete with headphones but minus a gun. There is precedent for this type of thing, of course, in the Jim Crow South, and more recently in Georgia, when black man, Ahmaud Arbery, was shot dead in 2020 by a triple team of vigilant white bigots for jogging while black. Fortunately for the jogger Fetterman didn’t shoot, and for Fetterman he’s a Democrat, so it mostly faded away.
Fetterman’s stylistic affectations and privilege aren’t specifically reasons to NOT vote for him: he may be a phony blowhard, but no one, especially in politics, is perfect. The actual reasons to NOT vote for Fetterman are because his beliefs and positions are indistinguishable from those of the angry 20-something privileged white guy social justice warrior (or Bernie Sanders), and are based on euphemisms, cliché’s, and slogans. Legalize weed? Well of course, there couldn’t possibly be a downside. Abortion up to the point of delivery of the (full term) baby? Well, we can’t interfere with the relationship between the woman and her physician, “abortion is sacred” (funny, I remember when life was sacred). Crime is on the rise and out of control? Obviously we need more “rehabilitation” and directed clemency for criminals. It doesn’t matter if it works, but such programs make elite white progressives feel good. Health Care? Medicare For All! Fracking for natural gas in Pennsylvania? It’s "an environmental abomination” and “stain” on Pennsylvania he declared. Well…fracking is kind of popular in PA, so as a Senate candidate he had to amend his deeply held opposition, what with that little inconvenient truth that people need to heat their homes and cook and do other mundane activities of living that require energy.
Being a perpetual man-child in the self-esteem culture means one can “stick it to the man” without consequence, and that “making a statement” is one of the highest callings. Making statements typically involves banners, bumper sticker, yard signs, and flags, and there is nothing wrong with doing so per se, but for the most part chronologic adults/de facto spoiled children such as Fetterman make them for the same reasons they do so many things: to say to the world, “Look at me, I am special and I demand your attention and validation.” In specific situation involving man-child John Fetterman it is two flags flown in association with his Lt. Governor’s office, which are disallowed in that particular location in hopes of appearing at least to maintain political decorum and civility. To quote from a tantrum thrown by this attention craving man-child in 2021, “…(I’ll) stop flying the flags when recreational marijuana is legalized and gay and transgender rights become protected under the law!”
Fetterman might consider returning to an elite and exclusive private college, the kind where academic credit is given for being angry and protesting for (or against) whatever the issue of the day happens to be. He could run for the student senate and work to ban and silence the handful of conservative student clubs and vote to remove statues. As it is, America sadly lacks true adults in elective office, and the last thing Pennsylvania and America need right now is another Bernie Sanders, chin hair and radical hipster attire not withstanding.