Short Takes.
How Sweet it is to be covering your friends—as lefty faux “analyst” but in reality stenographer Lynn is paid to do and…working for the slavishly partisan liberal Democratic, pro-union Sun-Times… not having to do the onerous tasks of reporting the counter news! Her paper has decided not to report murder threats to Wisconsin state legislators from the union goons….and the waffling Tribune, its moistened finger raised cautiously to the wind doesn’t do much of that stuff either. How I’d love to see a real paper here.
Grossman Calls Himself an Intellectual.
The Tribune’s Ron Grossman who is a Ph.D has no compunction about calling himself an intellectual as he did straight-facedly in a column run by the paper March 11 which nearly caused me to choke on my ice tea at Panera’s. How unlike the rest of us poor slobs who have a tad of modesty that deters us from larding our intellect with self-praise. Doesn’t bother Grossman and his self-defined status is emblematic of a paper that strives to be a wannabe New York Times.
Get the logic here which would set anyone else concerned with disciplined thought screaming with outrage at the pompous, visceral self-satisfaction of this pap.
“Why do I listen [to NPR]?” this self-anointed member of the Ruling Class spouts.
“Because NPR’s programming is tailor-made to my personal specs.” Oh. And what are they, Ron? “The website of the Florida Public Broadcasting System boasts that of NPR’s audience, “73% consider themselves intellectual. I fall within that demographic.”
I see. You listen to NPR and are intrigued to learn that 73 percent of the listeners are intellectual—so that makes you one. And why do you think you’re an intellectual, Ron? “I share NPR’s take on things.”
And what is that take may I ask?
“…a preference for innovative ideas over blind adherence to tradition. I’m a liberal with a white collar job and a comfortable income.”
Listen up my fellow dumb slobs! This guy says he’s an intellectual not because he seeks to discover unseen unity and order demonstrated by the near-infinite variety of physical nature…but because he’s a liberal who loves NPR and has a white collar job and a comfortable income. Also he has a preference for innovative ideas.
We can apply that same instinct to morality and aesthetics. What do you mean by innovative ideas? Should the appetites govern and choose those innovative ideas? Yet since they do not look ahead should the will, harnessed by the intellect do this? The danger of democracy as Plato, undeniably an elitist, said, my dear Dr. Grossman, is that the appetites may seize control and rule. Have you thought of that? I’m sure you have since you call yourself an intellectual.
Your intellectual statement up there, Grossman, tells me you decline to be advised by “blind tradition.” Can you delineate what is blind? Or tradition?
Do you mean by this to rebuke the distilled experience of our ancestors—or some of that experience? Little of it? Or none? Are there absolutes in your reckoning at all, Grossman? The Greek Sophists embraced relativism, arguing contradiction—that there is no certainty…about which they were fervently certain. Do you know what you believe, Grossman, or what you feel? Does your paper know? Ah but it sounds like as a follower of NPR you accept its conventional wisdom in all manner of things…art, sociology, morals, social policy…because conventional wisdom is not absolute.
But then you’re a conventional intellectual, Grossman. You’re sure of that are you…in a world where truth is relative and you feel comfortable listening to it because you’re a white collar worker and have a comfortable income? Deep stuff…deep-deep stuff “doctor.”
Well, buddy, you’re sure as hell working for the right paper.
"Blind adherence to tradition" is the statement that got me thinking about Grossman's own blinders. There are those who think people follow tradition for the sake of tradition. Does Dr. Grossman understand that people know and study their tradition? To some of us, tradition is a collection of past wisdoms.
ReplyDeleteGrossman seems to fall for the college freshman's blunder that "all old things are bad". That is an anti-intellectual goof.
Why, again, was Socrates so wise?
"How I’d love to see a real paper here...."
ReplyDeletejust read the Observer. It has it all
I've read and enjoyed Dr. Grossman's work over the years and enjoyed some of his radio appearances. I also met his sister many years ago when I was working a temporary job- nice lady.
ReplyDeleteBut I almost fell out of my chair a few years ago reading a political article in the Trib where he called The Nation magazine something like "a monthly periodical", not mentioning the relevant fact that it's slightly to the right of Fidel Castro.