October 23, 2008

Gee, I must be an 'idiotist'!

I was taken aback by George Beddoe's letter ["Obama must fight the racism of the undereducated," Oct. 2].

I thought I had read or heard every imaginable argument to get me to vote for Sen. Obama, but this one wins the gold medal.

Mr. Beddoe implies that if I, an undereducated white guy, do not vote for Obama, then by that very act I have to accept that I am a racist, and an ignorant one at that.

The fact that I didn't finish high school must negate nine years of exemplary military service, an outstanding quarter of a century with IBM, and the founding of a very successful multimillion-dollar high-tech company.

Wow, am I ever feeling foolish because I was going to vote for McCain.

But now I have to rethink this, lest I be forced to admit to myself that I am nothing more than an undereducated racist.

OK, I thought about it, and because I live in the greatest nation on the planet, where we are all free to pursue our dreams of financial success, this undereducated white guy is going to drive from his paid-for home in his brand-new, paid-for Mercedes-Benz and go to the polling place and vote for John McCain.

I have never thought of myself as anything that ends in "ist," but I am now going to admit to myself, and everyone else, that I am an "idiotist"--because my life's experiences have taught me that anyone who believes that an advanced degree is what makes a person wise is indeed an idiot.

Rex A. Hoover
Sumerduck

IN LOVING MEMORY OF REX ALLAN HOOVER (1942 - 2017)