The Increasing Lack of Class in American Politics

 

“Class” is a term describing a certain attitude.  It describes a person of high standards of civility, graciousness and general good character.

Seemingly, in our society today, it is used to describe its absence in a person more than its presence.

Thus, Donald Trump’s conduct and manner is classless.

Nancy Pelosi’s use of vulgar four letter words is not classy.

Pennsylvania Senatorial candidate John Federman wears a sweatshirt in  public appearances, distinctly unclassy.

And Hershel Walker’s promiscuous behavior and the fathering of several children out of wedlock is certainly lower class.

In older times, politicians on the national scene used discretion to conceal non-classy behavior.  It’s not that the quality of people was necessarily better.  But standards of behavior were.  Hypocrisy could be commendable.  To paraphrase Queen Victoria, “Whatever you do, don’t frighten the horses”.

Today, the lack of class displayed by so many politicians is not the result of the decision to forgo hypocrisy.  It is the absence or failure to follow standards of what constitute class.

I’ll accept that the term can seem loaded.  In other contexts, “class” was a term applied to one’s social status.  Certain attributes, speech patterns, dress and general conduct were expected of the members of a particular class.  That the aristocrat was easily distinguishable from the common laborer.

But America is very different, for instance, from the British who still relish the differences in social status.  Here, class can relate to conduct more than economic roots.  But that can be quite confusing for us.  If the upper class was traditionally the source of high standards and hence what was meant by class, what are we to think about the people in positions of high power or authority who are oblivious to it?

Are we to think that such people have redefined the meaning of class and so they have set new standards of behavior which are to be emulated?  Alas, for The Sensible Conservative, they have and they are

This set of circumstances is another chapter in the book on America:  “The World Turned Upside Down”.