Juan Williams Fired from NPR

This morning on NPR I learned that it used to be tradition in the Ukraine for a woman to turn down a marriage proposal by giving the man a pumpkin.

More at: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=130890830

 

Well, I'm not a journalist. So, there's that.

Was also tryingto be a little bit current & explain the "anti-elite" feelings currently prevalent among Republicans, tea partiers, and others looking to "trow the bums out."

But, Reagan worked as a spokesperson for GE for a long time and knew a little about business. He was also President of the screen actors guild, so he had some experience running an organization. He had also served as the governor of a very large state before he was elected President.

And, he never came across as a know-it-all elite. Growing up poor & going to Eureka College will probably do that.

I think it would be really silly to compare his experience to a first term Senator who began running for president less than a year removed from being a State Senator.

 

I said, "your plumber." Is Joe "not a plumber" your plumber?

I'm just saying that tradesmen who run their own small businesses have real world, practical knowledge -- the kind of knowledge & experience you're not going to get working in government or academia.

Do you dispute that?

 

Not a big fan of the "common sense" approach to governing. Common sense is often code for "gut feeling without any research" and people often overestimate how applicable their personal experiences are to larger issues.

Rodney Dangerfield not withstanding, many people who excel in academia do so because they are brilliant, and many people are other things because they are not as brilliant.

When challenged, the anti-intellectual faction of the right likes to paint it as "real-world brilliance vs. the ivory tower." And I can understand that point of view. But in practice, it's not innovators and engineers and business leaders who are being propped up as the faces of that movement. It's intellectual lightweights with resumes that look paltry compared to even the average sportswriter.

 

I dispute that practical knowledge on how to run a small business translates into useful skills running a large country.

 

I didn't say that either.

But, it might be nice if a couple of people on his economic team had run a business.

Go through the list of the current cabinet members, economic advisors, and "Czars." You won't find a lot of private sector experience. I'm not sure any of them have ever run a business. Very few have even been on a private sector payroll.

 

Could you just decline the pumpkin? Were you required to do the walk of shame?

These are the kind of quirky stories NPR loves. I mean, it's interesting, but...

 

Now, every time someone mentions a pumpkin, I have an obscure story to tell.

If I collect enough random stories about enough random things, eventually, people will leave me alone.

 

Oh, you can be a star at cocktail parties if you listen to NPR.

You'll have an interesting, quirky anecdote for nearly any topic.

 

No, hopefully people will avoid me at cocktail parties and I'll be able to concentrate on the cocktails.

 

Oh. Well, then stop listening to NPR.

Because you know that if someone mentions pumpkins at the next cocktail party you attend, you're not going to be able to resist telling the sad story of rejected Ukrainian grooms.

 

And, after I do, they'll avoid me at any future cocktail parties.

Rome wasn't built in a day.

Hey, I think that I heard that on NPR, too!