Sunday, September 21, 2008

Envy is never a pretty thing

http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20080921_The_American_Debate__Populism_gone_wild__Palin_latest_example_of_push_to_mediocrity.html

The rise of Sarah Palin inevitably prompts me to ponder the demise of meritocracy in America....

In America these days, we award everyone for merit, from the brilliant to the mediocre. Just as in Little League, everyone gets a trophy. It's the ultimate in populist democratization.... Palin... is merely the latest beneficiary in the national celebration of mediocrity, much like one of those early-round American Idol entrants who wins insta-fame for being Just Like Us.


Apparently Dick Pulman does not understand what meritocracy is. Meritocracy is a system where individuals are rewarded based upon merit. He cries that meritocracy is coming to an end. Then, a few paragraphs later he bemoans that everyone is rewarded based upon merit.

I think Dick Pulman suffers from penis envy. I think that it drives him crazy that someone he considers beneath him (i.e., Sarah Palin) very well may achieve more in life than he will ever be able to accomplish.