A Cynical View of Iowa

An article that recently appeared in Atlantic, written by a Univ of Iowa journalism prof - Stephen Bloom, has caused quite a stir in the heartland. Bloom in fact has received death threats and has had to move to an undisclosed location.

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2011/12/observations-from-20-years-of-iowa-life/249401/1/?single_page=true

 

Is it the meth heads, the timid and stupid, or the elderly that want him dead?

 

In what way is this 'cynical?' Maybe it's just 'sharp' or 'critical,' or 'unsentimental.'

 

Really? The citizens of Iowa put him under a fatwa? Must be a lone nut.

 

Maybe a better term might be "one sided" but I stand by "cynical".

 

Smart man...

 

Piece was fine, but seriously: What asshole spends a lecture admonishing their students against saying "Merry Christmas" in lieu of "Happy Holidays"? Just as friggin ridiculous as the inverse, and a complete waste of the students' time.

 

I think that part of the contempt you frequently see for the Iowa Caucuses is from the New York media that despises having to pay attention to a state/region of the country that they consider completely irrelevant. It galls them that a non-coastal state that they consider completely Mayberry-esque gets this much say. And, in fairness, Iowans don't come through with flying colors with the way they sometimes vote.

There was a "Daily Show" bit a few years ago where Stewart started off by saying, "And now we head to Indiana!" And they showed an outline of Iowa. He said it again: "Indiana!" Up went Ohio. "Indiana!" Up went, I think, Wisconsin or Illinois.

Joke being that nobody knows the difference between these flyover states and who gives a fuck-all anyway.

The New York audience, of course, was roaring.

P.S. I wouldn't know the difference between Vermont and New Hampshire. So take that.

 

Was born in North Carolina. Currently live in Georgia. I share their contempt.

(Also: Running joke between my wife and I the last time we visited NYC in 2007 was that it was "The City from 2003." Its self-anointment as a trendsetter in anything is overblown.)

 

Yeah, I agree with that.

I think they said on the news that 60 percent of the people in Iowa are Evangelical Christians. Is that right?

Sounds like the last place where you would want to start the presidential election process.

 

IIRC, the state most like America, demographic-wise, as a whole is Illinois. State least like America is West Virginia.

 

I have no problem with it starting in the Midwest. I think you look to a state that is typically moderate where it's not predetermined whether it's going to go red or blue in every or almost every election.

It wouldn't make sense to start in New York or California or Texas either.