Who is the most hated man in Utah?

Based on what newspaper columnists are saying, it's not Mark Hacking.

It's Dell Schanze.

Who is Dell Schanze, you ask? Well, for those Warren readers who are more than 25 years old, imagine Jim Varney's nosy neighbor "Ernest" character on speed. Schanze is arrogant, irritating, hyper, smug, loud, grating; you name a negative adjective, it probably fits him. He owns a successful computer chain and a gun shop, and is known for his outlandish advertising (example: "Gateway Computers are totally heinous pieces of garbage").

He's also ambitious, brilliant, market-savvy, and very libertarian/conservative, which goes a long way in explaining why Salt Lake's Establishment Media hate him so. Last week it was Holly Mullen of the Tribune who gloated over his recent arrest; this week Doug Robinson added his two cents. It's notable that neither columinst has said a peep about Mark Hacking recently.

But when Mr. Schanze got into legal trouble, they were on it like bias on PBS.

Schanze has always rubbed proper Salt Lake elites the wrong way. He dropped out of high school when he found he could make computers more cheaply than Dell, Gateway, or Compaq. He has been an outspoken champion of conservative causes, especially that of gun rights. He has refused to tone down his advertisements and continues to openly insult competitors. While it has not made him many friends, it has sold alot of computers.

(Full disclosure: I own a Totally Awesome computer. It has been everything it was advertised to be, and the warranty service from the company has been top-notch. Aside from a brief e-mail exchange years ago, I have never met Mr. Schanze).

As for this recent dust-up, I wouldn't be surprised if he were guilty. And if he is guilty, then he should be held accountable. High-energy people like Schanze are often prone to erratic behavior; it's part of their makeup. "Super Dell" didn't get where he is by working within the system. American history is full of iconoclastic types such as him, ones that ignore established practices and overturn conventional wisdom on their way to success. It's part of the reason why the elites of the world instinctively hate America: it's a place where ambitious, obnoxious drop-outs can get rich quicker than their Intellectual Betters.

So that is why two columnists from Utah's two major newspapers devoted a whole column each to a misdemeanor traffic incident, instead of a lurid homicide: Mark Hacking doesn't represent a challenge to any established order. Dell Schanze does.