I found myself taking the time to read a few of MLK's speeches today and two thoughts occurred to me.
First, how much has changed since he had his dream, and yet how little. Is it the nature of our species to need someone to step on in order to elevate ourselves?
Second, I was captured yet again by the brilliance, the elegance, and the power of his prose. Let alone his charisma and passion when he delivered his speeches, the words themselves are crafted into powerful, concise statements that stir the emotions.
But what saddened me was the realization that in today's world such prose would be tossed aside. Labeled as elitist and denigrated as being out of touch with the common man. When was the last time the masses really appreciated a cogent argument made with polysyllables? I remember clearly people talking about voting for Bush in 2000 because he seemed like the guy they wanted to go have a beer with while Al Gore was too... smart for them I guess. And I remember the criticism when nominated that Kerry would have to dumb it down to sell himself.
Is it that we really want stupid people running our countries?
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