Mark Krikorian Fears and Hates the Deracinated Thing That America Is Supposed to Be
8/19/09 12:51 PM
Grasping Reality with Both Hands The Semi-Daily Journal of Economist Brad DeLong: A Fair, Balanced, RealityBased, and More than Two-Handed Look at the World J. Bradford DeLong, Department of Economics, U.C. Berkeley #3880, Berkeley, CA 94720-3880; 925 708 0467; delong@econ.berkeley.edu. Weblog Home Page Weblog Archives Econ 115: 20th Century Economic History Econ 211: Economic History Seminar Economics Should-Reads Political Economy Should-Reads Politics and Elections Should-Reads Hot on Google Blogsearch Hot on Google Brad DeLong's Egregious Moderation August 07, 2009
Mark Krikorian Fears and Hates the Deracinated Thing That America Is Supposed to Be There really is something truly, profoundly, remarkably anti-American about National Review's Mark Krikorian... Matthew Yglesias: Mark Krikorian Fears a World in Which People Speak Multiple Languages: Mark Krikorian visits QuĂŠbec City (lovely, as I recall) and comes back with some typically bizarre thoughts: Quebecois are a distinct people, a nation.... [W]hat they have now seems... all the advantages of independence without any of the responsibility, kind of like Puerto Rico. And the destructive effects of efforts to keep Quebec in the Canadian confederation (official national bilingualism and the attendant rise of bilingual, deracinated elites) should be a warning of the disaster that would result were Puerto Rico to become a state. Vive le Quebec libre! Viva Puerto Rico libre!... But the whole point of America is that becoming "deracinated" is good: we are (or are supposed to be) the deracinated. That is our racial identity--not to have one single one (or that, rather, is what our collective racial identity is supposed to be: the race of people that is happy to accept you whatever your race happens to be). Since the days of Hector St. John Crevecouer if not before, the point of the enterprise--of the Errand into the Wilderness--has been to create a new type of human being. Americans were not supposed to be racinated blood-and-soil Bristolmen--people whose blood is bound into the soil of Britain's West Country where Kelt battled Saxon to a standstill--or to be those who could convincingly pass as Bristolmen (i.e., people from Tewkesbury yes; people from Warwick, Stratford, and Coventry, probably; people from Birmingham or Wolverhampton--definitely not).
http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2009/08/mark-krikorian-fears-and-hates-the-deracinated-thing-that-america-is-supposed-to-be.html
Page 1 of 5
Mark Krikorian Fears and Hates the Deracinated Thing That America Is Supposed to Be
8/19/09 12:51 PM
probably; people from Birmingham or Wolverhampton--definitely not). In America, it would not matter whether you were of the Bristolman race or not. You could even have been born a Kentishman or of Kentish descent and still become an American--without having to assume a Bristol accent and study up on the local geography of the Severn rivery valley. You could even be of Cornish race. Or you could be a Yorkshireman or a Welshman or a Scotsman or (sacre bleu!) a Frenchman or (horror of horrors!!) even an Armenian by blood-and-soil, but it would not matter: you would become "deracinated" by moving to the New World and pledging allegiance to the American project, and that would be a good thing. But not for Mark Krikorian. For him America is supposed to racinated: all of one blood, one soil, one people, one nation, one will, one... He just doesn't get what this country is about, at all. RECOMMENDED (5.0) by 4 people like you [ How? ] You might like:
Republicans. Lying All the Time. About Everything. Because the Press Won't Call Them on It(this site) Mark Krikorian Fears a World in Which People Speak Multiple Languages(Matthew Yglesias) 2 more recommended posts Âť Brad DeLong on August 07, 2009 at 01:45 PM in Politics, Utter Stupidity | Permalink TrackBack TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00e551f0800388340120a52ab861970c Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Mark Krikorian Fears and Hates the Deracinated Thing That America Is Supposed to Be:
Comments You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post. I am always amazed how incredibly similar to old-style tribalistic Europeans (or Asians, or Africans) many U.S. conservatives are. These people have pretty much become what our forebears ran away from. While at the same time prattling on about how superior they are to old-style tribalistic Europeans (or Asians, or Africans) , naturally. Posted by: Commenterlein | August 07, 2009 at 01:54 PM "He just doesn't get what this country is about, at all." Yes he does. He just doesn't like it one damn bit. Posted by: jimbo | August 07, 2009 at 04:09 PM As a Canadian, I find his remarks insulting and utterly lacking in understanding of Canadian history and culture. English and French joined together willingly in a great experiment in overcoming a history of adversity. http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2009/08/mark-krikorian-fears-and-hates-the-deracinated-thing-that-america-is-supposed-to-be.html
Page 2 of 5
Mark Krikorian Fears and Hates the Deracinated Thing That America Is Supposed to Be
8/19/09 12:51 PM
Quebec's presence in Canada has led to a nation of largely open-minded compromisers, with a social conscience informed by strong community values and a desire to understand "the other" as partner instead of as adversary. I love Canada's bilingualism and biculturalism/now multiculturalism that adds incredible diversity to our national experience. Le fait français au sein d'un continent anglais est tout à fait formidable et un bon example au reste du monde qui est plein de mécompréhension et de violence face à l'autre. Vive le Québec au Canada, vive le Canada! A bas l'intolérance, l'imbécilité, et la fausee 'racination'! Posted by: Allan C. Lane | August 07, 2009 at 06:01 PM Allan, as a Canadian, let me chime in and agree with you. Although I grew up in a province where my french lessons didn't take so well... Yes, the national unity debates are annoying, but in recent years, they have shifted to the background, in part because Quebecers are more confident in their cultural and economic prospects within Canada after the many efforts of previous generations to address those challenges reasonably. The idea that there is any 'racial' difference that has been watered down between Quebecers and Canadians, or that anyone should care if there was one is truly disgusting... what next, miscegenation jokes about the Governor-General and her husband? Equally absurd is the ignorant notion that Quebec is somehow the only 'cause' or subject of constitutional issues; Manitoba's francophone and metis minorities and the Acadians have language rights for a reason, and Quebec isn't that reason; bickering over resources (Alberta, Newfoundland), transfers out (Ontario and Alberta) and transfers in (Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia) have been a cause of serious regional friction just as much as language rights have been. Perhaps the NR's only source on these issues is some hayseed cracker who aspires for his province to be a red state some day soon. When I go to Quebec City, I see a distinct culture that I'm happy is inside Canada. I hear a language I'm sorry I didn't learn better. I leave wishing I didn't have to leave. I see a rare example of a minority culture that is thriving without bombs, machine guns and guerilla warfare, and in the frequent cases where I've had to talk to soveriegntists about issues, I can at least take comfort that it was a respectful, two-way conversation with actual facts instead of quotes from Glenn Beck or bullets bought before the Great Obama Ammo Shortage. Only an American could travel to Quebec City and see problems for modern America. Vive la Alabama libre! Posted by: Post-partisan person | August 07, 2009 at 10:02 PM Read a whole book from a national review contributer...the horror! Are you trying to assassinate Prof. Delong? Are you aware how long a fake socratic dialog it would lead to? Now if you were to make a "shorter" (tm) out of the book then maybe. Posted by: Tomas | August 08, 2009 at 12:21 AM Commenterlein, it's perhaps similar to the religion situation. The U.S. founders, having often seen firsthand the effects of "cuius regio, eius religio", sensibly decided against it. Modern citizens, growing up without the benefits of theocracy, think it might be a good thing. I've noticed, though, that everyone who thinks that, also imagines that they will be the theocrat. Oh, and am I the only one who read "one blood, one soil, one people, one nation, one will" and thought "fried chicken"? Posted by: Ken | August 08, 2009 at 07:09 AM Oh boy, I see the Canadians are insulted. And they are being so, "as Canadians", which I guess http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2009/08/mark-krikorian-fears-and-hates-the-deracinated-thing-that-america-is-supposed-to-be.html
Page 3 of 5
Mark Krikorian Fears and Hates the Deracinated Thing That America Is Supposed to Be
8/19/09 12:51 PM
must make it even more compelling. Anyhow, this guy from the National Review is a racist, just like Bill Buckley was. In fact, I think he is trying to imitate the old man. It is like some sort of mark of right-wing-crazy manliness to be that way. Posted by: Gerard | August 08, 2009 at 08:02 AM What about a generous interpretation? My german dictionary tells me that "deracinated" is synonymous to "uprooted" and has nothing to do with race. What Mark Krikorian means, is that the elites lose their connection to the people due to language barriers. He should have used the EU as an example. The overwhelming majority of europeans is completely oblibvious as to what the political elites are doing. There is no bidirectional dialogue between decision makers in Brussels, Strasbourg and the eu commission in particular. And the language barrier is the main reason for that. Most europeans are monolingual, contrary to popular american belief. What english skills europeans have, is enough to give directions or engage in limited, job-related conversations with foreigners, but is in no way sufficient to follow, say, this blog. Posted by: dieter | August 08, 2009 at 09:17 AM What I want to know is how Brad knows about Tewkesbury. Posted by: Alex | August 15, 2009 at 10:22 AM
Verify your Comment Previewing your Comment Posted by: | This is only a preview. Your comment has not yet been posted. Post
Edit
Your comment could not be posted. Error type: Your comment has been posted. Post another comment The letters and numbers you entered did not match the image. Please try again. As a final step before posting your comment, enter the letters and numbers you see in the image below. This prevents automated programs from posting comments. Having trouble reading this image? View an alternate. Continue Me:
Economists: Juicebox Paul Mafia: Krugman Ezra Klein Mark Matthew Thoma Yglesias Cowen and Spencer Tabarrok Ackerman Chinn and Dana Hamilton Goldstein Brad Setser Dan Froomkin
Moral Philosophers: Hilzoy and Friends Crooked Timber of Humanity Mark Kleiman and Friends
http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2009/08/mark-krikorian-fears-and-hates-the-deracinated-thing-that-america-is-supposed-to-be.html
Page 4 of 5
Mark Krikorian Fears and Hates the Deracinated Thing That America Is Supposed to Be
Froomkin
8/19/09 12:51 PM
Eric Rauchway and Friends John Holbo and Friends
Quebec City Canada Discover QuĂŠbec City, one of North America's oldest cities. BonjourQuebec.com/FlightQuebecCity
http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2009/08/mark-krikorian-fears-and-hates-the-deracinated-thing-that-america-is-supposed-to-be.html
Page 5 of 5