(Also published at Firedoglake and Daily Kos)
A very wise man once told me that ‘tis far better to be thought a fool and a moron than to be Adam Carolla and remove any lingering doubt. It would be difficult to do justice to the depth of the ignorance and self-satisfied, judgmental contempt with which Carolla dismisses the Occupy Wall Street movement. Rather than looking around him and realizing (and admitting) that the world really is set up to benefit those who already have at the expense of those who don’t, Carolla takes what he sees as today’s whiny entitlement generation to task for wanting to level the playing field.
The thing about Carolla (and people who think like him) is that, while he’s achieved success, he seems to have forgotten where he came from. He may have awakened on third base, but that doesn’t mean he hit a triple. He likely began at the bottom of his profession and worked his way up; good on him. Unfortunately, his words are those of someone who believes that he’s where he deserves to be…and to Hell with everyone else. Carolla has benefited from the system being set up as it is; now that he’s reached the top of the mountain, he sees no reason to level the playing field. It’s as if he’s lost sight of the fact that millions of Americans aren’t nearly as successful as he is, and for any number of reasons. Carolla seems to assume that lack of success comes from not working hard. That might be part of it, but the reality is that the playing field isn’t level, and it’s tilted in favor of people like him. Not surprisingly, Carolla’s pretty OK with that idea.
The truly disturbing aspect of Carolla’s diatribe (outside of his arrogant and insufferable air of self-superiority) is his “I got mine; you can damned well get your own” attitude. He’s successful, which allows him to close the door behind him to keep the unwashed masses from disturbing his serenity. Damn those who dare to act as if the system isn’t skewed towards those with money and power. Those who would dare to suggest that we need to revisit an economic system which allows the rich to get richer at the expense of the vast majority are….
“….Self-entitled pricks who think the world owes them a living. And now we’re getting the first wave of these douchebags.
It’s certainly not surprising when the wealthy and privileged act as if they were to the manor born. Carolla clearly seems to think that success is his birthright. He’ll argue that he worked hard to get where he did, and I’m not about to argue with that. But does that success give him the right to be a dick? Does it confer upon him the right to dismiss those who believe that the system is flawed and skewed towards those who already possess wealth and power?
If Carolla bothered to honestly look and listen, he’d understand that Occupy Wall Street isn’t about spoiled children wanting things to be given to them. He of course benefits from the current system, so it would stand to reason that he might be resistant to change. Nonetheless, all Carolla has really done is to reveal himself to be intolerant, insensitive, self-absorbed, and completely convinced of his own moral superiority. Smug, self-satisfied arrogance is not an argument, nor is bluster, insults, and unfocused rage.
Who’s the douchebag now?
