Talking Politics At the Local Coffee Shop

Insight on the News, Feb 16, 2004

Byline: John Elvin, INSIGHT

Talking Politics At the Local Coffee Shop

One of the first things an on-the-road reporter learns is that if you want to get answers about issues in a community where you don't have any sources, hit the local coffee shops and ask around. Some reporters claim it should be the local tavern, which may explain why the news seems so garbled at times.

Anyway, an academic researcher has latched on to this trick and produced a book, Talking About Politics: Informal Groups and Social Identity in American Life. Not exactly Studs Terkel, but it's interesting that someone came down from the ivory tower and talked to people "in the street."

Katherine Cramer Walsh, now an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, spent time over three years socializing with a group of up to 90 "retired, white, middle-to-upper-middle-class men" in a coffee shop in Ann Arbor, Mich. She calls them the "Old Timers."

Topics of interest at the time of her study included (surprise!) Monica Lewinsky and impeachment, as well as the 2000 presidential race and its legal aftermath. When Bill Bradley got into the race, he had a lot of support until it was discovered that he is from New Jersey. Another group also met in the same coffee shop that was more blue collar and racially diverse. Walsh found that there was no dialogue between the two groups, and that finding which she projects on to society as a whole is the central theme of her book.

Who Owns These Woods?

The recent, somewhat personal essay presented here on what it's like to live in the wilds generated significant positive response from readers. It's good to know that a lot of folks in America know the difference between real and ideal. In that vein, while this column has not tossed many bouquets in the direction of the National Park Service or other government bodies that control public land, there's much to be said for land held "in common" by the people.

Realistically, one good thing about national and other parks is that they are open to the more passive outdoor activities such as hiking. On a lot of public land, if you happen to wander around at the wrong time some fool may mistake you for wild game and blow your head off. Many hunters will rise up in righteous indignation over this assertion, but it's just plain true.

It only takes one inexperienced or reckless hunter to ruin your day. And while you may have the "right" to hike in public areas that are open to hunting, the conflict of interest can make both parties a little cantankerous.

Conflicts of interest are involved in placing some of our national parks on an endangered list prepared annually by the National Parks Conservation Association. There's long-standing conflict between those who like to cruise the outdoors in snowmobiles and all-terrain vehicles versus those who like their nature as Thoreau might have experienced it.

One site that made it to the "top 10" on the endangered list, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument in Arizona, is there because of "extensive damage from undocumented border crossings." Among other parks on the list are the world famous Yellowstone, our first national park, the majestic Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska, and Virginia's gentle green corridor, the Shenandoah National Park. Others on the list may be ascertained by checking out the conservation association's Website at www.npca.org.

Again, looking at matters realistically, a lot can be said for public campgrounds with amenities that make family vacationing practical. Roughing it is fine for the hardy souls geared to that kind of activity, but there undoubtedly are a lot of kids who wouldn't get their first taste of the real outdoors if it were not for campsites and maybe a little shop for grabbing supplies that someone forgot to pack.

It may be that not all the "problems" this group cites are threats from your point of view. On the other hand, you may find some of the situations worthy of raising your voice about for the benefit of future nature lovers and outdoor enthusiasts.

Did That Really Come Out of The Mouth of Andy Rooney?

Readers send in a lot of questionable items and we here in the Briefs Bunker appreciate that they trust us to "check it out." Often these things are found on the Internet, and presented and accepted by many people as true. Some are opinions attributed to a celebrity of some sort who seems unlikely to have said such things. Several that pop up now and then are credited to curmudgeonly humorist Andy Rooney of 60 Minutes on CBS. Some of the stuff attributed to Rooney is funny, but even some of that seems unlike him, as when it gets into areas that used to be called "risque."

One example suited to a family-oriented publication: "Vegetarian that's an old Indian word meaning 'lousy hunter.'" That one isn't a parody or anything, just good material that sounds a bit like Rooney might have said it. But, according to the Urban Legends Website, that and a number of other jokes attributed to Rooney actually are the work of comedian Sean Morey. We followed along to Morey's Website, www.seanmorey.com/material.htm. Sure enough, right there on display is a lot of the material that is making the rounds as Rooney's.