What would William Safire, the award-winning columnist
for the New York Times, have written about the term "elitist
hypocrite" used in the recent National Rifle Association Stand and Fight ad that criticized President Barack Obama's position on putting armed guards in
schools?
Safire wrote a weekly column called On Language that analyzed the usage of contemporary language, including unusual phrases. Following his approach, let's look at the meaning of these words - "elitist" and "hypocrite." What do these words mean by themselves as particular parts of speech, together as a phrase, and in the context of our nation's political debate about gun control and violence?
Dictionary.com defines an elitist in adjective form as "(of a person or class of persons) considered superior by others or by themselves, as in intellect, talent, power, wealth, or position in society."
The same source provides two definitions for the noun, hypocrite. With President Obama being an elected public official and public figure, let's use the definition: "a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements."
"Elitist" finds part of its roots in old French, meaning selection or choice, while in Middle English, the word "elitist" became a "chosen person."
A "hypocrite" in the Greek language refers to an actor - "one who pretends to be what he is not."
In the phrase itself, the adjective, elitist, complements the noun, hypocrite. It suggests that this person is the worst of all hypocrites.
Political Context
The NRA ad declares that Obama is an "elitist hypocrite" because he questions the effectiveness of having armed guards in all public schools, while his daughters have them at their private school.
In reality, the guards at the Obama girls' private school are secret agents, and they are responsible for protecting these girls for national security reasons. Our country has an obligation to protect its president and his family so that the president can fulfill the duties of his office without fearing daily for the security of his daughters.
Here's what Obama did say about armed guards at schools: "I am skeptical that the only answer is putting more guns in schools," Mr. Obama said during a recent interview on the NBC News program Meet the Press. "And I think the vast majority of the American people are skeptical that that somehow is going to solve our problem."
Representative Leadership
The national problem of gun violence requires solutions that the majority of Americans support and can accept. President Obama has asked Congress to pass four measures:
1) Require background checks on all gun sales.
2) Restore a ban on "military-style assault weapons."
3) Ban gun magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds.
4) Toughen penalties on people who sell guns to those who can't have them.
Meanwhile, NRA leadership has been pushing for armed guards in all schools, while positioning the NRA and its membership against Obama's four proposals.
Just as members of Congress and our President are elected and have a responsibility to represent their constituents' beliefs on a particular issue, so does the NRA leadership. A look at two polls reveals that the NRA leadership is not considering its members' beliefs on gun control. Rather, it is acting contrary to the desires of a majority of its members.
Those Polls
A May 2012 poll commissioned by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and conducted by Republican pollster Frank Luntz reveals strong support for gun control among NRA members. The poll found that 74 percent, or 3 of every 4 NRA members, agree "criminal background checks should be required before selling a gun to a potential buyer."
A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted earlier this January found even higher support for background checks being required for all gun purchases (whether from a licensed dealer or via an unlicensed private individual and including those at gun shows). Of NRA members who were respondents to this survey, 85 percent indicated that they favor background checks on all gun purchases. This compared to 9 in 10 Americans who support background checks, whether they had a gun in their household or not.
Looking at Obama's measure to ban gun magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds, the same New York Times/CBS News poll found that 6 in 10 respondents supported a ban on high-capacity magazines. Of those respondents living in households with guns, the majority supported a high-capacity magazine ban.
Elitist Hypocrites, Please Stand Up
As these polls indicate, NRA members want stricter background checks on all gun purchases, and a majority of gun owners support banning high-capacity magazines.
Very clearly a majority of NRA members (and Americans) support two of Obama's gun control proposals. Yet the NRA is advocating against its NRA members in these two regards.
Applying the definition of "elitist," the NRA leadership considers itself above the membership it represents. NRA leadership considers its opinion and knowledge as superior to the beliefs of its NRA members. The NRA's leadership is not listening to and respecting NRA members' viewpoints on key gun control measures.
Put in the context of the word "hypocrite" - the NRA leadership is pretending to be something that it is not: the NRA membership.
It is the NRA leadership that is acting in an "elitist" fashion and like a "hypocrite." The "elitist hypocrite" is not President Barack Obama, but in the persons of NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and President David Keene.
Safire wrote a weekly column called On Language that analyzed the usage of contemporary language, including unusual phrases. Following his approach, let's look at the meaning of these words - "elitist" and "hypocrite." What do these words mean by themselves as particular parts of speech, together as a phrase, and in the context of our nation's political debate about gun control and violence?
Dictionary.com defines an elitist in adjective form as "(of a person or class of persons) considered superior by others or by themselves, as in intellect, talent, power, wealth, or position in society."
The same source provides two definitions for the noun, hypocrite. With President Obama being an elected public official and public figure, let's use the definition: "a person who feigns some desirable or publicly approved attitude, especially one whose private life, opinions, or statements belie his or her public statements."
"Elitist" finds part of its roots in old French, meaning selection or choice, while in Middle English, the word "elitist" became a "chosen person."
A "hypocrite" in the Greek language refers to an actor - "one who pretends to be what he is not."
In the phrase itself, the adjective, elitist, complements the noun, hypocrite. It suggests that this person is the worst of all hypocrites.
Political Context
The NRA ad declares that Obama is an "elitist hypocrite" because he questions the effectiveness of having armed guards in all public schools, while his daughters have them at their private school.
In reality, the guards at the Obama girls' private school are secret agents, and they are responsible for protecting these girls for national security reasons. Our country has an obligation to protect its president and his family so that the president can fulfill the duties of his office without fearing daily for the security of his daughters.
Here's what Obama did say about armed guards at schools: "I am skeptical that the only answer is putting more guns in schools," Mr. Obama said during a recent interview on the NBC News program Meet the Press. "And I think the vast majority of the American people are skeptical that that somehow is going to solve our problem."
Representative Leadership
The national problem of gun violence requires solutions that the majority of Americans support and can accept. President Obama has asked Congress to pass four measures:
1) Require background checks on all gun sales.
2) Restore a ban on "military-style assault weapons."
3) Ban gun magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds.
4) Toughen penalties on people who sell guns to those who can't have them.
Meanwhile, NRA leadership has been pushing for armed guards in all schools, while positioning the NRA and its membership against Obama's four proposals.
Just as members of Congress and our President are elected and have a responsibility to represent their constituents' beliefs on a particular issue, so does the NRA leadership. A look at two polls reveals that the NRA leadership is not considering its members' beliefs on gun control. Rather, it is acting contrary to the desires of a majority of its members.
Those Polls
A May 2012 poll commissioned by Mayors Against Illegal Guns, and conducted by Republican pollster Frank Luntz reveals strong support for gun control among NRA members. The poll found that 74 percent, or 3 of every 4 NRA members, agree "criminal background checks should be required before selling a gun to a potential buyer."
A New York Times/CBS News poll conducted earlier this January found even higher support for background checks being required for all gun purchases (whether from a licensed dealer or via an unlicensed private individual and including those at gun shows). Of NRA members who were respondents to this survey, 85 percent indicated that they favor background checks on all gun purchases. This compared to 9 in 10 Americans who support background checks, whether they had a gun in their household or not.
Looking at Obama's measure to ban gun magazines with capacities of more than 10 rounds, the same New York Times/CBS News poll found that 6 in 10 respondents supported a ban on high-capacity magazines. Of those respondents living in households with guns, the majority supported a high-capacity magazine ban.
Elitist Hypocrites, Please Stand Up
As these polls indicate, NRA members want stricter background checks on all gun purchases, and a majority of gun owners support banning high-capacity magazines.
Very clearly a majority of NRA members (and Americans) support two of Obama's gun control proposals. Yet the NRA is advocating against its NRA members in these two regards.
Applying the definition of "elitist," the NRA leadership considers itself above the membership it represents. NRA leadership considers its opinion and knowledge as superior to the beliefs of its NRA members. The NRA's leadership is not listening to and respecting NRA members' viewpoints on key gun control measures.
Put in the context of the word "hypocrite" - the NRA leadership is pretending to be something that it is not: the NRA membership.
It is the NRA leadership that is acting in an "elitist" fashion and like a "hypocrite." The "elitist hypocrite" is not President Barack Obama, but in the persons of NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre and President David Keene.
No comments:
Post a Comment