|
This guy is a real moron. His latest sampling of his idiot brain proves it. This radio station in Memphis continually runs his columns on their web site. Of course, they are a Clear Channel station. I love their music and used to listen to them all of the time. You can give comments in their guestbook....they banned me, and erased all of my messages to them....lol. Not self righteous enough for them I suppose...lol. Interesting insight into the southern mentalities.
www.rock103.com
Perceptions of The Intellectually Challenged
Commentary by Hanther
Hanther is the Memphis-area author of Tandra, "The World's Greatest Picture Book" (www.tantra.com) and highly opinionated middle-aged white guy.
The Kennedy Myth
Julius Caesar was not universally loved and respected when he was alive. There were many of his countrymen who considered him a power grabbing opportunistic political hack. His dalliance with the spectacular Queen Cleopatra of Egypt, a country most Romans considered decadent and immoral, did nothing to enhance his already soiled reputation. Sympathy ran high for his long suffering wife. Such was the general dissatisfaction with Julius Caesar that the senators who hatched the plot to murder him had justifiable reason to hope they would be hailed as heroes.
It did not work out that way, of course. Once Caesar lay dead in a pool of his own blood, the Roman Empire became beneficiary of yet another civil war with the forces of Octavian winning out in the end and Julius Caesar elevated to the status of a god. All subsequent rulers of the Roman Empire, including first his nephew Octavian who came to be called Augustus, took the name of Caesar for their own and Julius came to be immortalized as a man of unsurpassed greatness.
This week past, and November 22 in specific, was remembered as the 40th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas, Texas. As has become the custom in this country, there were numerous celebrations to mark the occasion. Numerous speeches were given reminding us of the unparalleled legacy of JFK and of the agony we still feel in our collective memory over his spectacular death. One has the impression that hardly a day passes that is not marked by the remembrance of some event in our recent past. There are ceremonies to mark the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing, ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the Columbine shootings, ceremonies to mark the anniversary of the Watergate break in, ceremonies to mark the day Lyndon B. Johnson taught his dogs to potty. There is hardly an event of historical significance that cannot find someone with the interest to turn it into an annual event complete with endless hype and interminable speeches given by obscure dignitaries.
At this date, some 40 years after the event, something like half of the population are too young to have any memory of the Kennedy Presidency. That is in no way surprising as 40 years is almost two generations. The Kennedy Assassination is rapidly receding into ancient history. Even so, a large number of Americans, according to a recent poll, consider John Kennedy one of our great presidents, right up there with Franklin Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln. Interestingly enough, John Kennedy has risen in approval ratings in recent years. Such enthusiastic approval is taken by his fans to be vindication of his administration and enthusiasm for his political agenda.
However, there is some reason to question those who insist public approval is, in fact, a consequence of his ideology. A significant number of those questioned had no clue as to the political party in which he claimed allegiance, though there are only two practical options, could not specify one of his political initiatives and were at a loss to name one of his accomplishments. The distinguishing character of his term in office appears that he was relatively young, had an entertaining television presence, and had an attractive and fashionable wife. Also, in more recent years, most people are aware of his rumored sexual escapades. Thus it would appear the favorable approval ratings President Kennedy enjoys are rooted in his relative youth at the time he was in office, his television personality, and his attractive First Lady. As JFK moves farther into history, fewer people remember the specifics of his administration.
I remember the Kennedy Administration.
In the event the reader expects me to, at this point, begin to trash JFK, expectations will not be met. The inarguable facts remain the Kennedy Administration was pretty much run of the mill as administrations go. The Viet Nam catastrophe did not begin on his watch, though it certainly accelerated. In Viet Nam, Kennedy simply continued and expanded the policies of the Eisenhower Administration before him. His much bally hooed Bay Of Pigs fiasco was no more disastrous than betrayals by other administrations at other times under similar circumstances. His civil rights record is, again, no great departure from the direction set forth by the previous administration and his adherence to principle is about as remarkable as the average Washington bureaucrat or politician. His most famous admonition, the one about asking what one can do for the country is nothing more than demanding that citizens abandon their own best interest to serve government hacks and Washington bureaucrats, the standard wish dream dear to the heart of every politician from Hammurapi of Sumeria forward.
Under this rather dismal set of observations, one is left to wonder how it comes about that JFK has attained such universal adulation today, particularly from Americans who mostly have no clue what he was about. It is indeed true Kennedy and his First Lady were more physically attractive than Eisenhower who had been in his physical prime as Allied Commander in World War II. The Kennedys were sexy while the Eisenhowers resembled your grandparents. Also, JFK never aged. He was murdered and thus is frozen perpetually young, a political James Dean. Jackie immediately faded from public view and married someone even richer than the Kennedy family. But I think, more to the point, Kennedy has had 40 years of pretty much undiluted favorable public relations hype. Even the sexual escapades rumors have not hurt as they inspire more male admiration than disapproval. The essential bottom line appears that the public fascination with the Kennedy Myth is in direct consequence of a carefully orchestrated public relations campaign. A testament to the power of advertising.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
