tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post9193862236059448663..comments2024-03-06T03:15:58.539-05:00Comments on <b>THE NEW REFORM CLUB</b>: Nearly Half of Americans...Hunter Bakerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14961831404331998743noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-86367186787573545302007-11-09T09:15:00.000-05:002007-11-09T09:15:00.000-05:00Re: being tempted toRe: being tempted to convnce s...Re: being tempted toRe: being tempted to convnce students democracy is a not a good form of government. This wouldn't be a bad discussion in an academic environment. But you couldn't have an honest discussion without comparing democracy to other forms of government and the obvious downsides to those as well. The fact is that this has been a question for centuries now and is still unresolved. <BR/><BR/>Regarding the Britney Spears agrument, I'm somewhat skeptical. A top 40 pop star is, almost by definition, a trivial (though lucrative) profession. Nobody picked Britney to be their leader or to make decisions on their behalf. You could come up with countless theories to why she was chosen to be the "it girl" for a couple years, and none of them are serious. <BR/><BR/>Picking a politician or a President has it's share of triviality, but it still quite different. Britney Spears couldn't have run for office. It's still a requirement for a candidate to appeal to the people's sense of the large factors shaping their lives. A candidate can manage to avoid substance as much as possible and attempt to please the lowest common denominator. But even that is far easier said than done. This doesn't mean the state of politics is particularly good right now, but comparing them to the pop charts is a significant overstatement.Michaelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05131646301912751211noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-33365809311989615822007-10-20T09:02:00.000-04:002007-10-20T09:02:00.000-04:00Not to worry, soon science and education will lift...Not to worry, soon science and education will lift the teeming masses to an unprecedented level of learning and enlightenment.John H. Watsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02057669588188393564noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8776899.post-65234530812137300362007-10-19T18:02:00.000-04:002007-10-19T18:02:00.000-04:00I think Britney made it because we demand a proper...I think Britney made it because we demand a proper amount of mediocrity from our idols, so we aren't threatened by them. Britney is neither overly attractive nor talented. Perfect.<BR/><BR/>We also seem to be more comfortable with certain levels of mediocrity in our leaders---we need to identify with them, so we can trust them. The leveling egalitarian impulse is stronger than our admiration for the best and brightest.<BR/><BR/>In fact, "best and brightest" describes only Obama and Romney among the current crop: Obama being black helps, Momney being Mormon doesn't.<BR/><BR/>Of the rest, I shudder to admit but must, that Mistress Hillary fits the description of "best and brightest" most. Homework done, a fleet of gold stars on her collar. Which means even her friends hate her guts, human nature being what it is, and it'll be the only thing that could prevent her election.Tom Van Dykehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07121072404143877596noreply@blogger.com