Friday, July 13, 2007

Random, Incoherent.

Politics and the academic. We are sold on the corn-fed man next door, who grazes cattle and makes dinner for his many offspring in his spare time. There is no place for the intelligent man, as if that is not a standard we must aspire to, as if that is a standard we must revile. Education is the silver bullet. Arrogance is not morally reprehensible; it is merely disconcerting in individuals with power. And I am not talking about arrogance of power, but arrogance of intelligence. What is wrong with education making you superior? Isn’t that the hope of the billions who toil all their lives away to send their children to the better school, the better college? Everybody should want for their leaders to reflect their better angels, instead of their baser selves. Why do we look for the least of us to be in charge, rather than the best of us?

3 comments:

Arjun Rangarajan said...

Aren't you slightly confusing 'gaining an education' with intelligence? I would think that there are many who have average or meagre education, but are still intelligent, non?

Chelsea Dagger said...

Absolutely, intelligence is not dependent on education. I am talking of politics, where the highly educated are relegated to the background, and the rustic, and seemingly plain spoken are valued at a higher premium, which I can not fathom, because I would rather Manmohan Singh, or P.Chidambaram was actually in charge, rather than M.K Stalin Rabri Devi, or for that matter Laloo Yadav, although, admittedly, he has a rather keen political mind. But there again, what we are sold on his cowherd image.

Arjun Rangarajan said...

The only rejoinder i have to that, is to say that if you strictly look at people like 'us'..(city bred,educated whatnot) are not the ones voting Laloo in (unless of course its also in our financial interest)..but that politicians like Laloo in actual fact do have mass appeal and support from the grassroot upwards as opposed to politicians like Manmohan Singh and P.Chidambaram.Unfortunate perhaps,but true.