Here’s the reader, defending his original e-mail:
I’m the guy whose email about Hank Hill was posted. I agree Hank would hate the purely lifestyle-related issues – homemade granola and Birkenstocks. But if we look beyond that – something advocated on the CC blog and something that I think gets at your critique of the whole CC idea – we can see that Hank values a lot of the same things that Rod talks about in his book: God, family, community, a man having a vocation rather than a mere job. (Even if it is selling propane and propane accessories.) He’s such a do-it-yourselfer that his dog picks up on his deep-seated hatred for hired repairmen. He hates the big-box retailer, so he doesn’t fit the consumerist lifestyle. We can argue if that makes him crunchy or just a conservative…which is at the heart of your argument, I believe.
I’m not 100% sold on the CC idea…I’m still mulling it over. I am sympathetic to a lot of what Rod says, and I think it’s because I’m trying to actually live a conservative life that I do things like choose a career that gives me time with my family, live in older houses and try to shop locally, and the rest. (I’m also the guy whose emails about BMWs were posted, and boy oh boy do I covet an M3.)
My point about good-heartedness was probably poorly worded, but I was not saying that good-hearted = crunchy. I was more issuing a general call for discussion of KotH in conservative circles. It IS the best and most sympathetic portrayal of a conservative on TV and possibly anywhere in pop culture, and it’s just about ignored, at least on the conservative sites I read. And I agree that Hank Hill’s not the crunchiest guy one could imagine. But he’s closer than Homer, I tell you what.
I hope this clears things up a little for your emailer.