> >From: "Chris Doss" <itschris13 at hotmail.com>
> >
> >As a socialist who has been in Russia off and on for two years, I gotta say
> >that I love Gorby. He was a bumbling idealist, but at least he had guts,
> >and his heart is in the right place.
>
> The guy stunned the
> crowd by suddenly getting out and waving. He got tremendous applause. It
> was a thrill to see him, and I felt privileged by the experience.
It's this kind of adoration of "great leaders" that is such a threat to our chances of having a really democratic society.
Emile Zola:
"At bottom, yours is not yet the real republican blood; the sight of a plumed helmet still makes your heart beat quicker; no king can come amongst us but you fall in love with him.... It is not of your Army that you are thinking, but of the General who happens to have caught your fancy."
This was cited by Hitchens, someone that I disagree with 50% of the time otherwise. In my teens, when I listened to punk, I hated rock stars. It's no different now.
Brian
---
"And Mr. Block thinks he may / Be President some day." - Joe Hill, "Mr. Block"