Quote:
Originally posted by Hank Chinaski
The wisdom of the common man as to everyday common sense issues is not trumped by having multiple degrees. There are as many dumb people with college degrees living within a block of me now as there were dumb people with factory jobs living within a block of me where I grew up. And some of the smartest people I know have no college degree- I mean smart in the sense of reacting to everyday life challenges, not smart in knowing what Melville meant in Billy Budd or something like that.
|
Excellent post, if Atticus was talking about "the common sense of the common man." Unfortunately, he was talking about the common man's inability to grasp more complicated or nuanced ideas. By simplifying - or attempting to hijack - the debate to an argument about "simple common sense", you actually prove his point.
But I agree on the strawman bit. I have a big gripe about the way the media seeks out the lowest common denominator to get amusing soundbites. My building frequently has newspeople in it taking "man on the street" comments. They never approach anyone who looks like he or she will provide a well reasoned soundbite. They're perpetually interviewing the idiot with the mullet wearing an Eagles jersey and holding a bag from the Warner Bros store. "If I win the lottery? Yous'll never see me again."
ETA: I'm not calling you an example of the "common man". I'm merely noting that what you did in your reply was exactly the sort of simplification I think Atticus was lamenting. Presently, there is a fixation among many people to simplify complex issues. Sometimes, it works, but I find the people who can simplify issues aren't really simplifying them at all. Most of the good business people I know actually process the info from every angle very quickly, then make a simple judgment. they don't explain the process in their heads because (a) they don't have to, (b) its too complicated, and (c) most of the people following their orders wouldn't understand anyway. This sort of mind is not comparable to the rube who just acts on a hunch.
