> Brian Siano wrote:
>
> This is really over the top. People who go into literary theory are
> intellectuals. In my experience, most intellectuals have no great desire
> to
> leave a job that pays them to think. Further, most intellectuals seem to
> disdain the sort gland-handing required to be a good politician (an
> aversion
> I suspect is shared by many doctors and engineers, and probably some
> lawyers
> too--better be shared by some lawyers, or I'll be in trouble).
Oh, I'd disagree. Intellectuals are, in fact, more likely to cultivate a degree of political acumen-- tweak an idea here, select a different set of words there, and that way, they won't anger anyone with _real_ power. Offer theory that tells the powerful that they deserve power, or teaches them about their moral superiority, and an intellectual might even find himself sharing in the power. Look at Henry Kissinger.