So much to love about this piece, Katie: the honesty, the generosity, how universal the feelings even though our experiences are completely different. (I, too, lost relationships with a few relatives who drank TFG’s kool-aide. I miss the “before times” when our educational/political differences didn’t matter; we enjoyed a shared history that superseded politics.
I never read Hillbilly Elegy. Looking back, I think I was just too angry; I had no interest in understanding. But I remember how tightly people held that book trying to make sense of what happened in that awful election.
This: “I read that book as a thesis on how we got to the terrible moment of 2016 in the first place. It seemed like he was explaining to me how our people were conned, and now he’s part of the con.”
Today, I listen to this man on the political stage and I can’t help but wonder if that book was just the “beginning” of a cold and calculated con.
I wonder that too, Sue Ann -- if it was all a con from the beginning. I do think he had political aspirations with the memoir no doubt. My hunch is that he genuinely disliked Trump in the days of its early publication but soon realized that he'd have to embrace Trumpism to make it as a modern Republican, and he sold his soul to all of that. (Romney, Liz Cheney, etc are evidence you pay a price for disagreeing with him.). There's no excuse for Vance though, especially his recent comments and hatred toward Haitian immigrants in Ohio. Totally inexcusable. Thank you for reading and for this thoughtful comment!
So much to love about this piece, Katie: the honesty, the generosity, how universal the feelings even though our experiences are completely different. (I, too, lost relationships with a few relatives who drank TFG’s kool-aide. I miss the “before times” when our educational/political differences didn’t matter; we enjoyed a shared history that superseded politics.
I never read Hillbilly Elegy. Looking back, I think I was just too angry; I had no interest in understanding. But I remember how tightly people held that book trying to make sense of what happened in that awful election.
This: “I read that book as a thesis on how we got to the terrible moment of 2016 in the first place. It seemed like he was explaining to me how our people were conned, and now he’s part of the con.”
Today, I listen to this man on the political stage and I can’t help but wonder if that book was just the “beginning” of a cold and calculated con.
Thank you for writing such a thoughtful piece.
I wonder that too, Sue Ann -- if it was all a con from the beginning. I do think he had political aspirations with the memoir no doubt. My hunch is that he genuinely disliked Trump in the days of its early publication but soon realized that he'd have to embrace Trumpism to make it as a modern Republican, and he sold his soul to all of that. (Romney, Liz Cheney, etc are evidence you pay a price for disagreeing with him.). There's no excuse for Vance though, especially his recent comments and hatred toward Haitian immigrants in Ohio. Totally inexcusable. Thank you for reading and for this thoughtful comment!
This elegy—I feel it—like when you are standing right in front of the speakers at a concert—the vibrations felt deep within your chest.
It's good to know I'm not alone. <3
Wow! Absolutely amazing essay! 👏👏👏
Thank you so much, Sue. It's hard to rein in the words on something so complex.