What H.L. Mencken wanted written on his tombstone: "If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl."
I am embarrassed I was not on this yesterday, given I have a Mencken quote on the banner of this blog. But the wonderful Anchoress had a post to remind me. The Anchoress' post is great for using topical examples of things happening now with the media and the current "Arab Spring" crisis that would have made Mencken cringe.
Mencken had a dim view of democracy, considering most voters to be ignorant yokels. I don't share all of it, but he had a point about the ignorance of many in the population. Mencken has a way with words and a wonderful acerbic wit (similar to Christopher Hitchens and Dorothy Parker's). Happy Birthday H.L. Mencken!
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| H.L. Mencken getting a toast on his 70th birthday in 1950 |
Mencken had a dim view of democracy, considering most voters to be ignorant yokels. I don't share all of it, but he had a point about the ignorance of many in the population. Mencken has a way with words and a wonderful acerbic wit (similar to Christopher Hitchens and Dorothy Parker's). Happy Birthday H.L. Mencken!
I'm not so sure he was wrong ... the Founding Fathers didn't believe in unfettered Democracy, hence things like the Electoral College. But what really gives me pause and makes me wonder if Mencken isn't right is watching things unfold these past few days.
ReplyDeleteThat the media is still in the tank for Obama, that his numbers haven't withered on the vine, maybe Mencken was right after all...
I am sorry to be so down, but this really boggles my mind -- access to information has literally never been better in the US, and more people still care about free stuff, American Idol (or whatever it calls itself now), and the latest fads, and not a whit for what really affects this country ...
Thank you for posting!
Have faith. Obama's numbers are going down from the DNC and there is a lag in the polls that we won't really see until next week. This is going to be a very close election and right now events on the ground in the Middle East and North Africa are controlling the headlines. October will be the debates.
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