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City

The Old Guard Can’t See the Trees for the Forest

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One often hears that a person, seeing only parts but not the whole, cannot see the forest for the trees. With Whitewater’s old guard, something like the opposite is true: they can’t see the trees for their (odd) view of the forest.

There’s a reason for this: beyond the many thousands of capable and productive residents of Whitewater, there are a few hundred striving social climbers whose bottomless need for recognition impels them to look only to the biggest institutions of the city for approval.

One will often hear them say, for example, that Whitewater is simply the sum of its university, school district, and city government.

All three are important, but the old guard only sees these three institutions in a narrow way: as the leaders at the top of each, with whom they can ingratiate themselves and advance their own social status. That each of these institution exists only as the sum of hundreds of people – individuals all – matters less to them than the supposed prestige derived from being among their leaders’ social circle.

It’s a new man’s idea of being involved, by consorting only with people of influence, community leaders, or dignitaries (their occasional term, not mine).

They’ve almost no feel for the many hundreds or thousands who are part of these organizations, let alone still more who are residents of the city engaged in daily productive work unconnected with our schools, campus, or city government.

It’s as though someone believed that he could understand the zoology of the African savannah simply by studying a few adult, male lions.

There are some very smart leaders within each of these institutions who don’t share the old guard’s view, but there’s no one in the old guard who doesn’t seek to ingratiate himself or herself with anyone of prominence in one of these organizations.

I’ve sometimes been asked why I don’t commonly use the term ‘townies’ rather than ‘town squires,’ ‘town fathers,’ or ‘old guard.’ It’s because the first term, ‘townies,’ is nothing like the others. The thousands of average people born in the city (a ‘townie,’ I suppose) are far more capable than the few hundred I’m thinking of as ‘town squires,’ town fathers,’ or ‘old guard.’ They’re not the same groups – one is large and productive, the other is smaller, less capable, and industrious mostly in mutual admiration and social climbing.

Our small group of town squires talks almost exclusively among its own numbers (having no feel or taste for ordinary residents), and so typically misunderstands the greater community. That’s why they seem so tone-deaf, so reactionary, to anyone beyond that few hundred. They don’t see this, though, because they principally communicate among their own, and are the victims of a sad, severe selection bias. They often bolster their own most ridiculous views.

They’ve been this way for so long, they can’t even imagine other points of view.

It’s autumn in the city, but also a different, inescapable autumn for the old guard. They’re not yet finished in this town, but they’ve no demographic future, either.

A more cosmopolitan outlook, whether of the right or left, will replace their imperceptive view.

Poll

Friday Poll: Which Debate Format Do You Prefer: Standing at Lectern or Seated at Table?

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We’ve had two debates this fall, in the presidential race, of different formats: a presidential race debate with the candidates standing at a lecterns, and a vice-presidential debate last night with the candidates seated at a table. This difference in the style of the presidential and vice-presidential debates has been followed since 2000.

Correction, 5:29 PM: the vice presidential candidates in 2008 stood while debating, but in 2000 and 2004 were seated at a table.

Which format, if either, do you prefer?

I like the candidates seated at a table – it’s less formal, but I think it also makes for a more interesting discussion and clash of views.

What do you think?


Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 10.12.12

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Good morning.

Whitewater’s week ends with a sunny day and a high of fifty-one.

On this day in 1492, Columbus reached the New World:

On August 3, 1492, Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Maria, the Pinta, and the Nina. On October 12, the expedition reached land, probably Watling Island in the Bahamas. Later that month, Columbus sighted Cuba, which he thought was mainland China, and in December the expedition landed on Hispaniola, which Columbus thought might be Japan. He established a small colony there with 39 of his men. The explorer returned to Spain with gold, spices, and “Indian” captives in March 1493 and was received with the highest honors by the Spanish court. He was the first European to explore the Americas since the Vikings set up colonies in Greenland and Newfoundland in the 10th century.

On this day in 1782, Wisconsin’s Territorial Governor Henry Dodge was born:

On this date Territorial Governor Henry Dodge was born in Vincennes, Indiana. The son of Israel Dodge and Nancy Hunter, Henry Dodge was the first Territorial Governor of Wisconsin. Prior to this position, he served as Marshall and Brigadier General of the Missouri Territory, Chief Justice of the Iowa County (Wisconsin) Court. During the Black Hawk War of 1832 he led the Wisconsin militia who ultimately brought the conflict to its tragic end. He served as Territorial Governor from July 3, 1836 to October 5, 1841 and again from May 13, 1845 to June 7, 1848. He also served as U.S. Territorial Senator from 1841 to 1846. When Wisconsin was admitted to the Union as a State, dodge was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate; he was reelected in 1851 and served from June 8, 1848, to March 3, 1857. He was also twice nominated for President and once for Vice President, all of which he declined. Henry Dodge died on June 19, 1867 in Burlington, Iowa.

From the GoComic’s TrivQuiz for 10.12.12, here’s a question about actors playing comic book characters: “Which character from the comics pages was played onscreen by (A) Buster Crabbe and Sam J. Jones, (B) Johnnie Weismuller, Ron Ely, and Casper Van Dien, and (C) Christopher Reeve and Dean Cain?”

Human Nature, Law

The True Measure of Institutional Greatness

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Most communities – even small ones — have a few larger institutions, and Whitewater is no exception.

The measure of those institutions is not how they protect their leaders’ reputations, but how they support and nurture the many individuals, separate and distinct, of which they are formed. This is true even when those individuals meet with misfortune.

Corrupt or selfish institutions will cast aside a few, supposedly for a greater community good. Every institution confronts this temptation, and deficient ones succumb to it: Do the financial and reputational needs of leaders, expressed manipulatively as a concern for all, justify the sacrifice of a few ordinary individuals?

Most church scandals, and workplace or educational cases of abuse, begin with this impulse. It’s a kind of utilitarianism – an act utilitarianism – that attempts to justify whatever is done in the name of an imagined aggregate community benefit. Act utilitarians have no normative rules: anything can go into the hopper, so long as there’s a claimed net gain.

That’s immoral, of course: there’s a reason that we wouldn’t sacrifice people to make it rain even if those sacrifices would work.

It’s the individual, not the institutional, that matters.

The late William Safire, a truly great man, felt the legitimate subjects of criticism were those in authority, those who held elected & appointed office or positions in the press. He often said that one should be most critical at the height of an official’s power, which he expressed as criticizing officials ‘when they were up.’ It would never have occurred to him to malign an ordinary person for an imagined social gain.

He would never have accepted an act utilitarian’s calculus.

And yet – and yet — every community has a few people who are, at bottom, act utilitarians.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 10.11.12

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Good morning.

It’s a breezy day ahead for Whitewater, with a high of sixty-one.

On this day in 1968, America launched the first Apollo manned mission, with astronauts Wally Schirra, Donn Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham.

Google’s daily puzzle asks about a toy’s inventor: “In his day, a 14th Century rector was famous for discovering the healing quality of the waters at Schorne Well. Today he’s remembered for inspiring a children’s toy. What toy?”

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 10.10.12

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Good morning.

Whitewater’s Wednesday looks to be sunny, with a high of forty-eight.

There will be a meeting about the emerald ash borer at 7 PM this evening at the Blackhawk Manor Apartments’ Community Room, 1155 W. Blackhawk Drive, Whitewater, WI 53190.

On this day in 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew pled guilty to one count of tax evasion, and resigned from office:

Spiro T. Agnew resigned as Vice President of the United States today under an agreement with the Department of Justice to admit evasion of Federal income taxes and avoid imprisonment.

The stunning development, ending a Federal grand jury investigation of Mr. Agnew in Baltimore and probably terminating his political career, shocked his closest associates and precipitated an immediate search by President Nixon for a successor.

“I hereby resign the office of Vice President of the United States, effective immediately,” Mr. Agnew declared in a formal statement delivered at 2:05 P.M. to Secretary of State Kissinger, as provided in the Succession Act of 1792.

On this day in Wisconsin history, in 1982 the Brewers won the AL penant:

1982 – Brewers Win the Pennant

On this date the Brewers won the American League Pennant, securing their spot in the 79th World Series against the National League’s St. Louis Cardinals. The Brewers bounced back from a poor start in the series to become the first team ever to win the League Championship Series after being down 0-2 in the five day series. [Source: Milwaukee Brewers]

Google’s daily puzzle asks a question about geography: “What city would you visit to tour the only royal palace found in the United States?”

City, Crime

The Crude Illegitimacy of Vandalism

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There’s a story today that a large, illuminated American flag display in Whitewater was vandalized. The worst crimes are, surely, crimes of violence against people. Yet among property crimes, not involving harm to a person, there’s a particularly crude aspect to vandalism. It’s a purely destructive property crime.

The large display that was damaged this week was years old, had been in numerous parades, and on display throughout the year. It was a non-partisan symbol of support for this country, for our resilience after attack, and for America’s ongoing promise for hundreds of millions.

One has myriad reasons to believe (as I do) in America, for what’s possible on this continent, and through our peaceful relations with friendly nations beyond these shores.

And yet, and yet, even if one doubted these things, it would still be wrong to destroy others’ property, wrong under the law, and wrong even if there were no criminal law at all.

There’s a sad irony in this, too.

The society that has fostered and rightly protected free and peaceful expression in print and online, through newspapers, magazines, books, television, radio, mobile phones, websites, blogs, Facebook, Twitter, and text messages, etc., still has among its number a few who reject these many legitimate means of expression for crude vandalism.

We are right to be disappointed in, frustrated by, and resolute against these crimes.

Daily Bread

Daily Bread for 10.9.12

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Good morning.

Tuesday brings a high of sixty-one, with showers likely in the late afternoon.

On this day in 1967, Bolivian soldiers killed Cuban revolutionary Che Guevara:

 

On this day in 1861, the Wisconsin 1st Infantry readied to leave for Louisville:

1861 – (Civil War) 1st Wisconsin Infantry Musters In
The 1st Wisconsin Infantry mustered in on October 9, 1861. It left Wisconsin for Louisville, Kentucky, and moved gradually through Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia during the war. It would participate in the battles of Perryville and Chickamauga and the Siege of Atlanta. It would lose 300 men during its service. Six officers and 151 enlisted men were killed in combat and one officer and 142 enlisted men died from disease.

Google’s daily puzzle asks about a fictional brand of cigarettes: “What is the brand of government issued cigarettes and gin distributed to the Party members in the George Orwell novel “1984”?”