Today marks the 301st anniversary of the birth of one of my favorite American figures:
Benjamin Franklin.
Why do I like him so much? Because he was unique. In an age of exceptional men with exceptional minds, he worked his way to the top. He remained an honest and honorable man, capable of the most subtle and ingenious thought while still being unafraid of actual hard work and joyous living, appreciating the friendships he kept, aiding those less fortunate to find their way to independence, and in so many other ways becoming a role model for generations to come. And yet, it seems his way of working, thinking, and living have gone out of style.
He was, after all, a hard act to follow.
Or, perhaps, the over-schooled and the socially elite of America have always styled themselves after the vain and self-serving Thomas Jefferson, instead.
Last night, as I was settling in for the night with the beasties, I channel-surfed through the tail end of "
Boston Legal", in which William Shatner and his creepy clone James Spader sat sipping some golden beverage, smoking cigars, and discussing the day's events.
In this particular show, Shatner's character asked Spader's, "What would you change about this country?"
Spader's response included more or less, that he would clean out the government, and allow only the geniuses to run things, and that he would get rid of "all stores ending in '-Mart.'"
Shatner's character, when asked what he'd change, said, "Nothing."
I really liked Shatner's response. He followed it with, "of course not everything is perfect," and that a lot of what we do is bumbling along, but "I love this country." It was rather endearing to have a non-native speak that line.
It was also embarrassing to hear Spader, in his pompous tone, speak the same sorts of things I hear regularly from college professors and other members of the "upper echelon".
I'm from that white-collar world. I was raised and educated among ivory towers. I hate to admit it, sometimes. There are plenty of people with PhDs who can't dress themselves without help, who could get lost on an escalator, who lack the common sense to close their windows when it starts to rain in -- and yet, these are the folks labeled as "geniuses," because they studied some esoteric subject such as the role of the hive beetle in limiting the of growth of Winteroo hay. Yes, we probably need to know more about the hive beetle killing bees which pollinate crops which... well, that could go on all day. Nevertheless, just because a person knows hive beetles does not qualify him to legislate, say, oil drilling on Alaska's North Slope.
But, according to so many of today's largely leftist upper crust, only those who pass
their tests should be allowed to speak for the people.
It seems to me, today's trend toward education and elitism is precisely the opposite of Franklin's view -- the perspective carried over from the Renaissance, that is, to know as deeply as possible as many things as possible, to open doors when they appear locked, to enjoy the gift of freedom and the gift of life itself, and to share those pleasures with as many people as possible.
Today's left-elitism chops independence and happiness off at the knees, even (or especially) for its adherents. It narrows one's life down, defining each person by pre-set roles based on sex, color and a few other limits, not forgiving variations.
They would do more of the same, by eliminating basic opportunities for others.
Wal-Mart and K-Mart are not symptoms of a disease. They are stores -- with low prices. They are a place to shop for necessities without paying through the nose. And they are among this country's largest employers of unskilled labor -- the starter job people. Many young people look to these employers as a way to get a little experience, before pursuing their intended careers. Many others actually find satisfying careers, doing what they enjoy, in the midst of the giant corporations running these stores.
Plus, in the process of providing paying jobs, and offering inexpensive clothing, food, and other items for Americans, they also serve to raise the standard of living for people in
other countries, where work would otherwise be scarce to nonexistent. Little by little, the workers overseas in places like China are seeing not only their paychecks rise, but their voices are heard more readily in the government. In other words, the "end-in-'Mart'" stores are empowering the workers.
The Wal-mart crowd are not entirely stupid. The Masses, by mass-production, are making themselves the Masters.
They're allowing a new generation of printer's devils the free time and spare cash to advance themselves, to become successful statesmen, inventors, scientists, musicians... members of the new elite -- to the horror of the old guard.
I tend to believe Mister Franklin would approve.
![Postcard: Bird of Time [back of card]](http://static.flickr.com/142/323462464_8c3f975a31.jpg)
