My Mama once told me “There’s nothing people despise more than a successful woman.” I’ve been puzzling over what motivates the people who are in charge of everything nowadays. Sometimes I can relate, seeing something of myself in them, but there’s a tiny seed there that grows into something I don’t get.
The hatred aimed at Hillary Clinton seems to hold true to Mom’s axiom. It’s not just her, if you look around it has nothing to do with politics (Barbra, Martha, Roseanne.) I can’t figure it out. I like Hillary, sometimes I agree with her and sometimes not. I’m not concerned with her running for president, just wondering why she’s such a provocative figure.
At first I thought it was jealousy because that seems to be a powerful characteristic of those people, along with all those other deadly sins. Then I came across this Robert Novak quote: “I don’t bash Hillary because I think she’s weak, I don’t bash her because I think she is strong. I bash her because I like to.”
So it’s not just mere jealousy, which I could understand. That seed is malice, or sadistic pleasure as Bob tells us. I see it manifesting toward the self-confident Joseph Wilson. He’s been referred to as “flamboyant” or something like Mark Steyn’s version – “weirdly self-obsessed.” I like Joe too – but wonder about the behavior he inspires.
For some strange reason, so many of us are full of resentment. ( I think we need to escape the us/them battle.) I’m not talking about the puritan `self-esteem’ we’re supposed to have because we’re good little boys and girls. I want to know what’s so offensive about the assurance developed by a grown-up that knows him/herself well. Why do I find it attractive and others think its repulsive? A prime example is Bill Clinton. A suffering man once asked “Can’t we all just get along?” Some people thought that was funny – I didn’t. Can’t we all just find the cure for hatred?