How stupid and vicious do elites think ‘we’ are? - MSM

MICHAEL BARONE: How stupid and vicious do elites think ‘we’ are?

The “we” in that question are ordinary citizens and the “they” are political and media elites who hold them in contempt. Which they do over and over again by trying to obfuscate and cover up the source and motives of terrorist attacks.
Barack Obama, who refuses to use phrases akin to “Islamist terrorism,” is a prime offender, but far from the only one. His predecessor George W. Bush, after the attacks of September 11, made a point of visiting mosques and calling Islam a religion of peace.
Undoubtedly he then feared that many Americans would attack and assault Muslims, real or perceived, and a very few such attacks occurred. But government statistics count far fewer “hate crimes” against Muslims than against Jews.
Nonetheless Obama still behaves as if any suggestion that terrorists shouting “Allahu akbar!” has something to do with Islam will spark massacres and persecution across the country. The American people are seen as a great beast, incapable of reason or cool judgment. Stupid and vicious.
So they must be reminded that they are not morally superior to terrorists. At a national prayer breakfast, Obama felt obliged to remind Americans that Christians attacked Muslims — in the Crusades, 800 years ago. . . .
Americans may be noticing as well how far political correctness has gone in Europe, especially Germany. European and American elites praised Chancellor Angela Merkel for promising to take in 1 million mostly Muslim, mostly male refugees. Why can’t America be so generous?
But ordinary people, there and here, have seen how police, municipal and national officials have covered up migrants’ behavior on New Year’s. Even mass assaults on women in Cologne and other cities, and how print and broadcast media eagerly cooperated. Cellphone cameras told the story which elite media wanted to ignore. . . .
Ordinary Americans, I think, have a better sense of how to get these questions right, without dissolving into irrational hatred, than the elites who look down on them as stupid and vicious.

The ruling class hates the ruled. The ruled have begun to return the favor. Which goes to the point of my USA Todaycolumn.

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Posted at 7:30 am by Glenn Reynolds