69 years ago in 1938 ...
Hitler made himself dictator of Germany, invaded the Sudetenland, and began killing Jews.
Meanwhile, in the US, Time magazine named Hitler the man of the year and Action Comics released the first ever Superman (or Super Hero) comic book.
From the above we can conclude which of the following?
a) super villains are real and super heroes are fictional
b) literature is an ineffectual response to tanks
c) writers are easily cowed by men of action
d) the fact that Time magazine named "You" the person of the year in 2006 suddenly seems less impressive
7 comments:
I conclude that media, in a perfect reflection of mankind as a whole, is flawed and often completely wrong in its assessments and judgments.
Damon,
You can't be including blogs in your broad brush indictment ... can you?
Plus, does "often completely wrong" mean that you don't like Superman? And if so, why?
I heard today that Jesse Owens came back from Berlin and spoke in favor of Hitler and against Roosevelt. There must have been some very positive vibes coming out of that horrific regime for Owens to be so taken with it.
The media is not the only group that can be hoodwinked. Fortunately, time is on the side of reality, as it is with the current American administration.
Many of us are deluded by charisma. We forget to consider the character of the persona who possesses great power and sway before we respond to him/her.
I cannot recall which Ancient Chinese text I read, which tells us that ancient Zen masters would travel from kingdom to kingdom and study the manifestations of the rulers in each place before deciding whether they were worthy of teaching.
I imagine it would have been evident that there were personality issues with Hitler long before he came into power. Thus, I muse that investigative reporting is, perhaps, an essential part of a free society, provided it is done intelligently.
Perhaps, as we agreed before, Ron, the flocking instinct plays in here as well. Only it is not often the most intelligent of human instincts. It is triggered more by fear than by a desire for good.
Another thought that crosses my mind, is that like many mistakes in life, we have to make them first, and learn from them before we can correct them.
LH,
that's fascinating about Owens. I had not heard that. It is true that Hitler got the country feeling strong again - no mean feat, that. He's still one of the most fascinating creatures in history.
Chrlane,
I like the idea of teachers deciding whether or not the leaders deserve teaching. Apparently, Deming walked out on Iacocca at the height of his fame, feeling that Lee was a waste of his time. And yes, it would be keen to be able to learn from mistakes before we make them, but I'd be happy just to learn from mistakes after I'd made them. Or even realize when I'd made them - I'm sure that a great many go by un-noticed.
Well, the problem is we all have blind spots. It's why I like honest friends, and happy little kids. They cover the blind spots. They keep us learning.
Chrlane,
Well said.
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