Senator Vance tells his own story (up to his graduation from Yale Law School) in Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (Harper Press, 2016), which I read, even before Mr Vance entered the political arena, for its sociological value. It's a memoir about the Appalachian values of Mr Vance's Kentucky family and the social and socioeconomic problems of his hometown of Middletown, Ohio, where his mother's parents moved when they were young.
In 2020, Hillbilly Elegy was adapted into a film directed by Ron Howard, starring Glenn Close and Amy Adams. The synopsis: An urgent phone call pulls a Yale Law student back to his Ohio hometown, where he reflects on three generations of family history and his own future. We have a trailer for you.
The film got mixed reviews. Even though it was directed by a leading Hollywood progressive, the liberals and their lickspittle media dumped on it for its super-realistic depiction of poor whites and its "far right" overtones. This was in 2020, remember, the year the Democrats stole the election.
The acting by Glenn Close and Amy Adams is excellent, but Hillbilly Elegy is a hard movie to watch -- hard because it's honest. Like The Grapes of Wrath, it's a depiction a struggle many poor American families experience. Liberals like to call these people hillbillies, rednecks, or white trash. Although those words are pejorative, the people are not all bad. Some, like Mr Vance's mother and mamaw persevere against all odds. Some, like Mr Vance, can rise far above their "station in life" by sticking to the values that once made America great.
American Conservative contributor and blogger Rod Dreher expressed admiration for Hillbilly Elegy, saying that the author "draws conclusions... that may be hard for some people to take. But Vance has earned the right to make those judgments. This was his life. He speaks with authority that has been extremely hard won."
A key reason for the book's widespread popularity following its publication in 2016 was its role in explaining Donald Trump's rise to the top of the Republican Party. In particular, it purported to explain why white working class voters became attracted to Mr Trump as a political leader. Although the book doesn't mention Mr Trump by name, the author later commented that it provides perspective on why a voter from the "hillbilly demographic" would support the former POTUS.
Both the book and the movie raise questions about the responsibility of Mr Vance's family and people for their misfortune. He blames hillbilly culture and its supposed encouragement of social rot. He suggests that economic insecurity plays a lesser role. As proof, the author relies on personal experience.
As a grocery store checkout cashier, he watched welfare recipients talk on cell phones, although the working Vance could not afford one. His resentment of those who seemed to profit from poor behaviour while he struggled, combined with his values of personal responsibility and tough love, is presented as a microcosm of the reason for Appalachia's overall political swing from strong Democratic to strong Republican.
This week, Senator Vance will share the platform with President Trump. Read the book and see the movie and be assured that if (God forbid) some terrorist, domestic or foreign, should take out President Trump, Vice-President Vance will be a worthy and capable successor. President Trump couldn't have picked a better running mate, not just to win the election, but to Make America Great Again!
No comments:
Post a Comment