Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Who is this man who would be King?

Who is Willard Mitt Romney? Does anyone really understand his complexity, his mindset, his vision of America?

One part of his life should tell you just about all you need to know in order to answer the above questions. Start with his education. He was afforded a coveted Private School education right from the start. This was of his Parents choosing, not his. By and large, Private School education is a very auspicious way to kick off your journey through writing, reading, arithmetic, etc.

I speak of some knowledge on this subject, as I too had a Private School education, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. If I had to point to a couple of benefits derived from a Private School education, I would have to point at writing and arithmetic. These two curricula have served me well over the years, and I can look back fondly at the Teachers who toiled endlessly with me.

There are a few aspects of Private School that I wish I had not experienced. Mr. Romney certainly experienced these areas as he wended his way through the educational maze. From grades 1-8, things tend to be both reasonably comfortable and acceptably challenging. Then puberty sets in, and you find yourself in a highly competitive environment. Grades 9-12 are probably the toughest years of a young man’s education. If you don’t make the cut, you are summarily tarred, feathered, and rode out of town. It takes a special quality to make it through these years unscathed by the hate, the bullying, the constant reminder that you aren’t quite good enough.

If you are able to make it through grade 12 in the Private sector, you are then expected to continue your journey at a prestigious place of higher learning. Is this the “College of your choice”? No, it is the college of your Parents choice, just as the previous 12-13 years of your education. When your Father happens to have been a State Governor, and a highly successful CEO of an American Automobile Company, you say “how high?” when he says “Jump!” This is what the 1% do, and they tend to do it very well.

Not unlike myself, Mr. Romney experienced some “take-a-ways” from his education that served him well over the years. He learned discipline from his education, and his Religion. He learned the values and lessons of how to run a business. He has certainly exhibited both these qualities in his adult life.

There is a subtle nuance that you inherit from going to just the “right” schools. It is a sense of arrogance and privilege. It makes certain you show distain for anyone less fortunate than yourself. {case in point: all the Kennedy brats} The longer you are allowed to openly exhibit these traits, the more firmly cemented they become in your psyche, and it literally oozes out of your pores.

When Mr. Romney gets his “grin” (smirk) on, it is not a sign of any particular prejudice. It is an ingrained reaction to someone who doesn’t see life as he does. He holds these people in utter disdain for not having the knowledge base he was afforded as a child. He holds these people in utter distain for not belonging to the “right” Country Clubs; for not living in the “right” neighborhoods; for not socializing with all the “right” people. Mr. Romney really thinks he is a better person than you and I, and he makes no bones about it.

I don’t know if the time is right for someone the likes of Willard Mitt Romney. In a better, more normal, economy he might be a good fit, but coming out of a modern day depression, I think the Country should take a pass on electing him to the highest office in the Land.

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