Could we all come together, as a society, and just ban the word “folks” from our vocabulary? It’s condescending and really dumbs us all down.
That thought had never occurred to me until I read it in Susan Jacoby’s book “The Age of American Unreason,” in which she chronicles the slow descent of America into our current age of idiocy. She explains that people used to take offense at being called “folks” as it implied that a person belonged to a lower class. However, these days politicians in particular have come to throw around the term arbitrarily, to label their constituents as just “good plain folks;” working hard and getting by. It seems to be some sort of badge of honor these days to be one of the “folks.”
I think this constant usage of the term encourages people to be proud of their ignorance, and it encourages people in power to look down on the people they’re “representing.”
As I heard the term being used for the 790th time this week on MPR this morning, it just grated on my ears as it does every time I hear it. “The folks in rural Minnesota have to work hard and cut back and so should the government.” As if being one of the “folks” means you have some sort of enlightened status whereby you know that the only important things in life are working hard, going to church, and drinking beer. The “folks” like to stay out of politics and leave that stuff up to the people in St. Paul or Washington.
Every time a politician uses that word, it’s like they’re metaphorically patting a grown up on the head and saying “Don’t you worry your little selves about all this budget business. Just go back to watching American Idol.”
It’s all nonsense. We are not “folks.” I am not one of the “folks.” We are individuals with various personalities and needs and concerns. And politics does affect all of us, whether you folks choose to pay attention to it or not.
This is a bi-partisan issue. I’m calling on all politicians, all people really, to immediately cease and desist with the use of the words “folks.” If I hear it again I’m going to start fining you each $100 per offense. That would be a surefire way to fix the budget.
"Folks" doesn't bother me as much "The American People" does. I often wonder if "The American People" are dunder-headed idiots who worry only about screwing the poor and why it's so important to defund Medicare cuz "that's what them politishuns say iz good fer us."
ReplyDeleteNice article...I haven't thought of the use of the term "folks" in political debate before. In my experience, most of the time when I hear people say "folks" it seems to be ironic. Like "y'all". However, it is uncomfortable to hear it coming from politicians who use it to describe the majority of Americans in this country.
ReplyDeleteTo IDreamInIceCream's comment...whenever I hear a politician say "The American people", it does sound like they're speaking to this group of "other" Americans - not them...THEY'RE Politicians!
When I was younger, the local bullies used the term "Big Guy", as in "how are you doing Big Guy" with a pat on the shoulder. Same kind of condescension.
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