Michael, that is one of the best columns you have ever written. It is eloquently written, yet simple enough for anyone to understand. Reading columns such as this is a real treasure for "common" folks.
There is nothing “less than” about the common man. He is the load-bearing beam of the Republic. He pays the taxes. He buries the dead. He fixes the machines. He raises the children. He absorbs the policy experiments cooked up by credentialed elites and lives with the consequences. His wisdom isn’t theoretical—it’s earned in sweat, sacrifice, and responsibility. The common man doesn’t need ten forks at dinner or a string of degrees to understand fairness. He understands reality because he carries it daily. Government draws legitimacy from him, not the other way around. If he loses faith, the structure collapses.
One of the benefits that often accompanies being a common citizen is having the gift of “common sense,” a faculty that becomes increasingly more rare the more academic titles one acquires or the more inherited wealth one gains without effort.
What a treat! With all the bad things happening around us, taking a moment to look at the good side is a vacation! Being a common man is a badge of status - just doing your job and taking care of your family is a level of greatness many do not achieve!
Thank you for not only a view of the good that's everywhere, but causing the introspection to realize others who never knew are "common men" as well.
Beautiful. My father was blue collar, dropped out of high school to enlist in the Navy in 1945. The hardest thing about living on the family truck farm during the Depression was his father and their only horse dying in the same week. He and his brother hitched up the plow to the Model T. Uncle was the one who could reach the pedals so Dad did the furrows. I am ashamed that I thought this was funny growing up. Still, while we didn’t have money for fancy clothes, we had two encyclopedias, two vacuum cleaners, and every Fuller brush ever made. After peddling vegetables to the rich folks from Chicago vacationing at a neighbor lake and having so many doors slammed in his face, my father could not say no to any door to door salesman.
Beautifully said. A retort to The "REGRESSIVE" Left--as "envy" is their starting point. It explains why bigotry--rooted in envy--is part and parcel of their ideology. There is a song called "A Simple Man"--with a similar message --that I've long loved.
We grew up over a thousand miles apart, don't know how many siblings you have, but I had 9 and my parents gave us room, board and love beyond what we could expect. We were cold in winter, but did not freeze, we were sometimes hungry but fed enough.
My dad worked overtime to have us fed. Not demonstrative, but when he got up early to take the bus to work, it was an act of love and dedication worth more than a ticket to a Yankees game.
There are more common men and women than anyone expects. I've had literally thousands of stories told to me over the years that, while lived in different contexts, all feature the same lessons, principles and values. We're the ones who keep the trains and cars running, the planes in the air, the food growing, and the lights on.
"the common man represents the baseline citizen whose consent gives legitimacy to government"
For a man not given much to theory - that statement is about as far from practicality as can be imagined. Tell me how you might revoke your consent (without first getting permission to migrate to another country). Lysander Spooner deconstructed this myth not all that long after our revolution. This is of the same specie as the 'social contract' and not too far removed from "the will of the people". It's almost one of those things that isn't really true, but useful nonetheless.
If I have no other admirable trait, common sense, I hope is recognized in me. It comes from learning from mistakes and years of valuable experiences, but also from being exposed to people who possess the similar trait. Thanks for your comprehensive explanation of a common man.
Similar story with my family upbringing though with a military flavor. Brought back memories of 60's, 70's, and early 80's as I became a grown "common" man myself...with a military flavor. :) Thanks!
If you would like some musical inspiration, I recommend "Fanfare for the Common Man" 1942 by Aaron Copeland. It is a consummately American work, composed for the Cleveland Symphony.
Michael, that is one of the best columns you have ever written. It is eloquently written, yet simple enough for anyone to understand. Reading columns such as this is a real treasure for "common" folks.
There is nothing “less than” about the common man. He is the load-bearing beam of the Republic. He pays the taxes. He buries the dead. He fixes the machines. He raises the children. He absorbs the policy experiments cooked up by credentialed elites and lives with the consequences. His wisdom isn’t theoretical—it’s earned in sweat, sacrifice, and responsibility. The common man doesn’t need ten forks at dinner or a string of degrees to understand fairness. He understands reality because he carries it daily. Government draws legitimacy from him, not the other way around. If he loses faith, the structure collapses.
One of the benefits that often accompanies being a common citizen is having the gift of “common sense,” a faculty that becomes increasingly more rare the more academic titles one acquires or the more inherited wealth one gains without effort.
Thank you for a well-stated testament to the sort of people Mamdani et al wish to delete.
What a treat! With all the bad things happening around us, taking a moment to look at the good side is a vacation! Being a common man is a badge of status - just doing your job and taking care of your family is a level of greatness many do not achieve!
Thank you for not only a view of the good that's everywhere, but causing the introspection to realize others who never knew are "common men" as well.
Beautiful. My father was blue collar, dropped out of high school to enlist in the Navy in 1945. The hardest thing about living on the family truck farm during the Depression was his father and their only horse dying in the same week. He and his brother hitched up the plow to the Model T. Uncle was the one who could reach the pedals so Dad did the furrows. I am ashamed that I thought this was funny growing up. Still, while we didn’t have money for fancy clothes, we had two encyclopedias, two vacuum cleaners, and every Fuller brush ever made. After peddling vegetables to the rich folks from Chicago vacationing at a neighbor lake and having so many doors slammed in his face, my father could not say no to any door to door salesman.
Oh, what a lucky man he was...
Is, I mean.
Beautifully said. A retort to The "REGRESSIVE" Left--as "envy" is their starting point. It explains why bigotry--rooted in envy--is part and parcel of their ideology. There is a song called "A Simple Man"--with a similar message --that I've long loved.
Brother from another mother and father.
We grew up over a thousand miles apart, don't know how many siblings you have, but I had 9 and my parents gave us room, board and love beyond what we could expect. We were cold in winter, but did not freeze, we were sometimes hungry but fed enough.
My dad worked overtime to have us fed. Not demonstrative, but when he got up early to take the bus to work, it was an act of love and dedication worth more than a ticket to a Yankees game.
Got bless good parents. And encyclopedias.
There are more common men and women than anyone expects. I've had literally thousands of stories told to me over the years that, while lived in different contexts, all feature the same lessons, principles and values. We're the ones who keep the trains and cars running, the planes in the air, the food growing, and the lights on.
"the common man represents the baseline citizen whose consent gives legitimacy to government"
For a man not given much to theory - that statement is about as far from practicality as can be imagined. Tell me how you might revoke your consent (without first getting permission to migrate to another country). Lysander Spooner deconstructed this myth not all that long after our revolution. This is of the same specie as the 'social contract' and not too far removed from "the will of the people". It's almost one of those things that isn't really true, but useful nonetheless.
If I have no other admirable trait, common sense, I hope is recognized in me. It comes from learning from mistakes and years of valuable experiences, but also from being exposed to people who possess the similar trait. Thanks for your comprehensive explanation of a common man.
Similar story with my family upbringing though with a military flavor. Brought back memories of 60's, 70's, and early 80's as I became a grown "common" man myself...with a military flavor. :) Thanks!
If you would like some musical inspiration, I recommend "Fanfare for the Common Man" 1942 by Aaron Copeland. It is a consummately American work, composed for the Cleveland Symphony.