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Opinion: Who are the real deplorables?

Government, for many liberals, is not about administering the state and preserving society; it is about the business of transforming both in the image of a purely hypothetical utopia.

(Image: Lerone Pieters/Unsplash.com)

When the clutch safety switch on my pickup truck failed the other day and it had to be towed a couple of miles to the auto repair shop I expected I’d need to call a ride to get myself over there, on account of the prevailing distancing rules. Instead the tow driver invited me to climb up beside him in the cab for the brief drive across town. The first words out of his mouth were: “People are crazy!” I supposed he was referring to public fear of the virus, a fear that is not widely shared in the Cowboy State.

He did indeed have the pandemic in mind, but also the results of last year’s elections and the Biden administration’s actions during its first weeks in office, including the President’s executive order suspending oil and gas drilling and fracking on federal lands, pending review of proposed new leases. The U.S. government owns 48.19 percent of the land area of Wyoming, which relies heavily on the extractive industries’ access to the state’s mineral resources, and the jobs those industries create keep the majority of Wyoming’s inhabitants employed. And the severance taxes that Cheyenne exacts from mining, drilling, and fracking operations, and the tax base they establish allows the state to maintain essential public services, among them education and law enforcement. So, the President’s order is of major concern to Wyomingites.

The tow man’s last words as he dropped me at the garage were, “I live my own life, make a living, take care of my family, and don’t interfere with other people or tell them what to do. Why can’t everyone else do the same?” In contemporary America, that sentiment is sufficient to qualify a person as a 100 Percent-Dyed-in-the-Wool-Hardcore-Unrepentant- MAGA Voter.

Or, to reduce him to a single four-syllable word, a deplorable.

The United States is radically divided against itself by a margin of about fifty-fifty. Since the division is nearly even, it seems logical to suppose that the two halves bear equal responsibility for the divide and for the angry and bitter feelings that accompany it. Both sides, an impartial observer or ombudsman might conclude, are similarly prejudiced against, impatient with, and unsympathetic toward the other side’s metaphysical beliefs, social views, ideas, opinions, sentiments, and political agenda; and correspondingly obstinate in refusing to accept, accommodate, or even tolerate the political demands made on it by the opposite side.

That, anyway, would be the traditional democratic understanding of the Great American Divide. Yet it is a false one. It is the liberal half of the country that is in the wrong, for the plain reason it is the aggressing one. For the past half century it has made far more and greater demands on its opponent than have been progressively demanded of it; demands, moreover, that have no precedent—constitutionally, politically, economically, socially, morally, and metaphysically—in the history of the United States, of the Western world. Or indeed any of other country on earth, with the exceptions of the Soviet Union and the People’s Republic of China.

In the West, before the 20th century, the populations of the European feudal states, city states, duchies, republics, and nations were left mostly untroubled by their rulers, which required of them regular periods of service, military in time of war; tax payments as levied; oaths of fealty; and other obligations, frequently including the formal acceptance of the religion practiced by the prince of the realm. Apart from these matters, citizens and inhabitants were left pretty much to themselves to pursue their chosen economic and professional occupations, follow their preferences and whims in living their personal lives, and think as they wanted to think while doing what they wished to do.

Further, the large majorities of these societies were in broad agreement on matters of religion, morality, relations between the sexes, the behavior appropriate to persons as individuals and as members of society, and the duties, obligations, and rights of citizens dwelling together in civilized society. It was not until the great totalitarian systems of the past century imposed themselves that the structures, patterns, beliefs, and fundamental assumptions that had formed the basis of almost every human society known to history were challenged and—so far as the destroyers could manage—wrecked and replaced by those required by the new, totally mobilized societies that have been the dream and project of pseudo-philosophers and leftist politicians since the 17th century.

Human life, for such liberals, is the strenuous life: the relentless pursuit of social and political change and improvement; acceptance of the moral imperative to refuse simple human contentment and the enjoyment of anything save the power to impose change by diktat upon everyone, everywhere. They cling to the notion of politics as life itself, and as the proper end of life. Government, for these liberals, is not about administering the state and preserving society; it is about the business of transforming both in the image of a purely hypothetical utopia.

For them, governance is not a means to an end: It is the end—an end that has no end. Theirs may be a “humanistic” enterprise but it is certainly neither a human nor a humane one, which is why one-half of the American electorate rejected it last November. Now there is chatter among the winning half of “re-programming” the 79 million Americans—the “deplorables”—who voted for the losing side in 2021. No wonder they are angry, and some of them hold to the belief that their man really won the election. Who, viewed from this perspective, are the real deplorables? I suggest the answer lies in the appalling history of the world since 1914.


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About Chilton Williamson, Jr. 21 Articles
Chilton Williamson, Jr. is the author of several works of fiction, narrative nonfiction, and “pure” nonfiction, including After Tocqueville: The Promise and Failure of Democracy, Jerusalem, Jerusalem! A Novel and, mostly recently, The End of Liberalism (St. Augustine's Press, 2023). He has also written hundreds of essays, critical reviews, and short stories for publications including Chronicles: A Magazine of American Culture, Harper’s, The New Republic, National Review, Commonweal, The New Leader, The American Spectator, among others. You can visit him online at www.chiltonwilliamson.com.

5 Comments

  1. Deplorable v Party member stats are 74 M 81 M respectively. Breakdown of The Party member voters real and virtual is estimated 72 M real 9 M virtual. Your 78 M Deplorable vote is contested, although with risk of being tried and convicted for treason by the Party. However, the high priest of the Senate Deplorables now minority speaker in his universal magisterial capacity with exceptional righteousness proclaimed that a lie. A lie invented by the former Deplorable president, despite evidence to the contrary and declared valid in fourteen current lawsuits, others in process of adjudication. Facts, justice, right and wrong unfortunately for Deplorables are summarily dismissed by The Party [and collaborateurs] since they don’t support The Party, consequently don’t count. Virtual Party members, virtual votes, virtual Catholics, virtual justice is the rule. Reality now parsed declares Antifa doesn’t exist, all Whites are Supremacists [except the enlightened Woke], all non Whites are oppressed. Might makes right [Plato’s dictate justice in the Republic]. Already in the works is reprogramming, reeducation camps that will help ease the pain for Deplorables. We shouldn’t exaggerate with visions of Pol Pot’s killing fields for reeducation failures. More likely something less drastic yet still punishing like enforced residency in NYC under mayor Bill de Blasio. Virtual sarcasm aside, our faith will definitely be tested if unwavering our sanctification assured.

  2. The Americam Securalist State (ASS) has devided America into groups: The Annointed and Deplorables. While I am now proud member of the Deplorables I have to confess, I once could be labled as thinking I was an Annointed. I learned my lesson. I came to reality that Annointed is composed of way to many self righteous, over indulged group of people. Many come from backgrounds where as young adults they never had real jobs, like working at a grocery store, factory summer jobs, bus driver etc. They really do not appreciate what it means to have a real job, where work is really about supporting yourself and your family. A college degree is often seen as a passport to looking down on non college educated, even though they might not know which end of a screw driver to hold. The tow truck driver mentioned is likely a very smart guy, knowing his trade very well, but doesn’t know a thing about Marxist philosophy as an Annointed.

    As an aside suggest a book called the “Frackers”, if I have the correct title. It is about a bunch of generally non college educated Deplorable oilmen who revolutionized America’s oil and natural gas by refining the Fracking process, through grubby hard work and gutsy know how. An excellent example of how America is built and sustained by Deplorables. (This is not to ignore that in my opinion America has only survived by the Grace of God)

    The Annointed through the implementation of the ASS does not get anything done, except just create choas. As examples it destroyed the black and non black families and culture through welfare regulations, abortion, pushes the US into wars that should have been avoided etc. In the news now is an another example, the electricity shortage in Texas due to the winter storm is really caused by regulations pushing subsidized wind power, to prevent global warming. As the ASS goes full throttle with the Biden Presidency and the Annointed fully in charge, America is in deep trouble. The Grace of God is needed more than ever. Think America is now in a situation where George Washington was in on Long Island. His army about to be crushed by the British, but miraculously escaped through a fog that covered his retreat. God may have gotten so disgusted with America that no miracles are forthcoming, I pray not.

  3. Chilton has hit paydirt with this short little opinion.It should be required reading from Jr High to High School to College & Academia.On February 19th,it will be the 86th Anniversary of the 1st wave of Marines hitting the volcanic sands of Iwo Jima.Who among the so called “anointed ones” have ever heard or been taught about this piece of America’s history and the cost,as the antifa & blm mobs deface or tear down America.Under the guise of how “woke” they really are compared to those crazy deplorables?

  4. “It is the liberal half of the country that is in the wrong, for the plain reason it is the aggressing one. For the past half century it has made far more and greater demands on its opponent than have been progressively demanded of it; demands, moreover, that have no precedent—constitutionally, politically, economically, socially, morally, and metaphysically—in the history of the United States, of the Western world.”

    There is something of a contradiction in the word liberal. Liberal was traditionally associated with those who were educated or with the generous person. To be unjust certainly is not liberal in any sense of the word except for one that is considered obsolete – a licentious or immoral person.

    It is difficult to figure exactly when the liberal as described above began his assault. I suspect that it started with the married woman property acts that started in the 1830s, and was continued with the temperance (e.g. Prohibition), abolitionist, and “women’s rights” movements. WWI was important because it began the process of mass population mobilization, and government reaching to regulate industry. “Second wave” feminism was when things got really bad. It could be dated to as early as 1949 with Simon Beauvoir’s “The Second Sex” (which is on The Index of Forbidden Books).

    “Human life, for such liberals, is the strenuous life: the relentless pursuit of social and political change and improvement; acceptance of the moral imperative to refuse simple human contentment and the enjoyment of anything save the power to impose change by diktat upon everyone, everywhere. They cling to the notion of politics as life itself, and as the proper end of life. Government, for these liberals, is not about administering the state and preserving society; it is about the business of transforming both in the image of a purely hypothetical utopia.”

    Apparently these kinds of ideas have resulted from utilitarianism and legal positivism. Law instead of being essentially a restatement or refinement of morality is meant to be an instrument for achieving an imagined perfect (i.e. painless) world.

    What must be kept in mind is that essentially law and government exist to direct and correct. Traditionally, government was seen in medieval times as its most obvious function – to punish the wicked and reward the good. It was about preventing (through law) and punishing serious external sins, and granting honors to the virtuous.

    Nowadays, government appears to be a tool to be wielded by the alleged and assumed victim to obtain redress for whatever perceived slight or accidental injury he has been served by anyone. While there are genuinely wronged people, it is apparently not even seriously considered in the “justice” system that a person could be maliciously dishonest. This is not good at all.

  5. Cranky, deplorable old lady agrees entirely with Mr Williamson. The viciousness and manifold hate shown by the Left is the case in point–to say nothing of the sick and sadistic “impeachment” and continuing nastiness against President Trump. There is a fascinating article in THE NEW CRITERION written by Robert Kaplan in which he illustrates how very aware Solzhenyzen was of all the issues that destroyed Russia, Germany and long before that, the French in 1789. We’re headed that way. Read the article and PRAY! Then fight! Be a Deplorable! You will save our blessed country.

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