tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post3350922864678416891..comments2024-03-28T15:50:29.884-05:00Comments on The Nature of Things: Throwback Thursday: Hillbilly ElegyDorothy Bordershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-20834793201227402992021-07-17T18:24:03.492-05:002021-07-17T18:24:03.492-05:00He was so quick to point out when the book was fir...He was so quick to point out when the book was first published that he was not a fan of Trump. How his tune has changed in the years that followed.Dorothy Bordershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-25090360180624648652021-07-17T17:04:04.411-05:002021-07-17T17:04:04.411-05:00Yeah I was pleased by Vance's memoir that he r...Yeah I was pleased by Vance's memoir that he rose out of tough circumstances to get an Ivy League degree etc ... but now bummed to see that he would stoop to Trump level politics.... though I heard he had been going on Tucker Carlson's show ... so we always knew his politics were marred ... it's a bit sad & bothersomethecuecardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08870323589682197091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-73219957882854810522021-07-10T18:55:34.227-05:002021-07-10T18:55:34.227-05:00I'm sure we all have, Carrie. Luck plays a rol...I'm sure we all have, Carrie. Luck plays a role in all our lives for good or bad. Dorothy Bordershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-67909327522250694222021-07-10T18:53:23.181-05:002021-07-10T18:53:23.181-05:00I think you may have hit upon his reasoning. And I...I think you may have hit upon his reasoning. And I couldn't agree with you more - it takes a village and more to raise a child and luck always plays its part. Being born the right color, going to the right schools, being in the right place at the right time - no matter how hard one is willing to work, not having those advantages is very hard to overcome in our society.Dorothy Bordershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-12716301683945831212021-07-10T17:07:40.870-05:002021-07-10T17:07:40.870-05:00I think some people forget that luck can really ta...I think some people forget that luck can really take you far in life. I've seen terrible people get the best jobs all because of luck. The Butterfly Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13218064101468042347noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-30035760863333171632021-07-10T16:51:04.084-05:002021-07-10T16:51:04.084-05:00I find it sad to see people who have risen in the ...I find it sad to see people who have risen in the American class system and who then scorn the people they left behind. No one makes it on her own; every child raised is a child raised by many. Luck is always a factor in success, though it is not often acknowledged by the fortunate.<br /><br />I was not impressed with this fellow's story. I wished he'd waited for more time to pass, to develop as a writer and to mature into a well-rounded human being. I see now that he has political ambitions, and that explains, to me, why he wrote a memoir at such an early age. Deb Nance at Readerbuzzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12128529491888701996noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-4209088904666216262021-07-09T17:01:48.135-05:002021-07-09T17:01:48.135-05:00I understand. As I indicated, I, too, resisted rea...I understand. As I indicated, I, too, resisted reading it for a very long time. I'm glad I finally did just to see what all the shouting was about. Dorothy Bordershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-74268174831912392402021-07-09T16:59:42.211-05:002021-07-09T16:59:42.211-05:00I haven't seen the movie, but I do understand ...I haven't seen the movie, but I do understand why Kentuckians and Ohioans might be offended by the book. He's really quite condescending and dismissive of his neighbors who do not happen to be related to him. Dorothy Bordershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-36679258376777975752021-07-09T14:39:06.300-05:002021-07-09T14:39:06.300-05:00I have not read Hillbilly Elegy. I do like reading...I have not read Hillbilly Elegy. I do like reading memoirs and even though your review of Hillbilly Elegy<br /> was fabulous, I think I'll refrain from reading this one.Captivated Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15789205839634527219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-27435241128415295982021-07-09T12:36:18.046-05:002021-07-09T12:36:18.046-05:00I grew up "poor," but in a community whe...I grew up "poor," but in a community where jobs were relatively plentiful, meaning that most families were able to work themselves closer to the middle class from one generation to the next, so I probably don't have the right background to judge Vance's memoir totally correctly. I remember being impressed by his personal achievements and what he had to say about his relationship with his grandmother, etc. At the time, I was kind of surprised that my Kentucky and Ohio friends were almost across the board negative about the book...they hated it. I understood their point of view better now after watching the movie version of Vance's memoir. It will be interesting to see what his priorities are if he is actually elected to public office.Sam https://www.blogger.com/profile/17448913705757509608noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-65847410135675617052021-07-08T15:42:04.423-05:002021-07-08T15:42:04.423-05:00Government was established to make life better for...Government was established to make life better for people. If it doesn't do that, it has failed in its purpose. Politicians who do not keep that purpose foremost are worthless. Unfortunately, we have a lot of such politicians at the moment.Dorothy Bordershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-81476295877523807342021-07-08T15:38:36.802-05:002021-07-08T15:38:36.802-05:00I've come to the conclusion that empathy is le...I've come to the conclusion that empathy is learned early in life or not at all. So, once again, it seems it's all down to the parents.Dorothy Bordershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12441731296027227394noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-11728050605631354212021-07-08T15:14:55.256-05:002021-07-08T15:14:55.256-05:00Dorothy, your review and overall assessment of Van...Dorothy, your review and overall assessment of Vance seems spot-on. Vance, like so many other elected officials, who now choose to turn the other cheek and want to gloss over the insurrection saying it's time to move out are only interested to pandering to Trump and his voters so they have a chance of staying in office. I grew up as lower-middle class with both parents working full-time in factories to support 3 children. It was at a time when most women were home with children but my mom worked the second shift and my father the first shift to make ends meet. I grew up in MA were were learned that the Kennedy's, although so unlike us with their vast wealth, were the kind of politicians interested in helping the poor and lower income people who only wanted more for their family. I NEVER forgot that.(Diane) Bibliophile By the Seahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10519875632878992728noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3560838335414244511.post-15748284263206232912021-07-08T13:20:28.562-05:002021-07-08T13:20:28.562-05:00Mrs. M was a counsellor and social worker for fort...Mrs. M was a counsellor and social worker for forty years. she would definitely support your vision of the poor, as would i who have been there for a period as well... empathy, as you say, seems sadly lacking in the present day, possibly as a result of increasing population and concomitant competition...mudpuddlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16647084124715892324noreply@blogger.com