Posted on 05/18/2005 7:57:36 PM PDT by Congressman Billybob
Most people consider Las Vegas the most outlandish city in America. On its 100th anniversary, I argue the opposite. It’s the “All-American City.”
In one of those kids-say-the-darnedest-things segments, a young boy said about skin, “It keeps us from having to look at our insides.” That insight applies here. Las Vegas is, ironically, a view of human nature with the skin removed. It shows our insides: power, money, ideas and sex. These are largely interchangeable.
What brought up Las Vegas is an upcoming trip for my wife and me, which we’ll take shortly. It’s something of a “do-over” for a honeymoon that began, and ended, on 11 September, 2001.
I’d promised not to take my computer. I promised not to go on the Internet all week. I broke the latter promise by writing and filing two stories that week, one on “The Law of War.” And of course I promised my wife a “real” honeymoon as a substitute.
This time, we WILL get to see a couple of the Cirque de Soleil shows, Penn and Teller, and other shows that went dark in 2001. The gaming tables, however, never closed for a second. That dedication to craft takes us back to the central point.
That power and money are interchangeable is easily proven. The prized guests in Las Vegas are the high-rollers, called “whales.” Their private jets and lavish lifestyles are eagerly accommodated. Their six-figure wagers make them the “royalty” of Las Vegas.
Think about it. The same is true in all American cities; it’s just more obvious in Las Vegas. Why is there such deference to the Congressmen and Senators in Washington? Because of this: No matter whether or not they are dumb as a box of rocks, or “as drunk as twenty southern gentlemen,” per William Faulkner, as long as they draw breath and are still in office, they control billions of dollars annually. The spending of money, regardless of whose money it is, confers power on them.
Consider the histories of the various corporate crooks recently or currently on trial. Almost always, these corporate high-rollers have made fat donations to assorted charities. Before the fall, they’re highly respected for their power/money, without serious inquiry about how they acquired same. The process is ever so Las Vegas, isn’t it?
What about ideas? Successful cities, like successful movies, tend to have a “high concept.” That means the driving idea is clear enough to be written on a cocktail napkin. The idea of Las Vegas is the heart of its advertising campaign. It translates as, “Whatever you want, whenever you want, if you can afford it.”
That’s similar to the unspoken slogan of Washington, D.C., and on a smaller scale of all the state capitols across the country. The difference is that the price of admission is paid in power, not money. But anyone who doubts the point that money is the key ingredient of political power hasn’t read the information available to anyone at the Federal Election Commission.
We shouldn’t close this discussion without a comment about sex. Again, Las Vegas is the most extreme example of a universal phenomenon. Women can exchange beauty and availability (or the perception of availability, much the same) for money and power from men. On rare occasions, that’s reversible; men can trade handsomeness and availability for money and power from women. The exception is in Richard Gere’s American Gigolo, or for that matter, Richard Gere himself.
What is the consequence of a focus on money, power and sex? Lord Acton had the answer. “Power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Absolute money has the same effect. (What does anyone do with more than 100 million dollars? As Art Linkletter remarked, “Beyond a certain point, the only purpose of money is to keep score.”)
As for the corrupting effects of absolute sex, I refer you to the pop tart of your choice on MTV. At all hours of day or night, ample examples are available.
I shouldn’t be entirely negative. There are people who have such excesses but are not corrupted. In money, think of Bill Gates and Warren Buffet. In power, Senators Gene McCarthy, and Larry Craig. In sex, Sean Connery and Sophia Loren. In ideas, Thomas Sowell and Bill Bennett. There are many other examples. Such men and women live by a higher standard than merely getting the most money, the most power, etc.
I’ve talked about the corruption from excess without mentioning Clinton (him or her). Sometimes it’s just too easy. Write your own caption for a photograph of that pair. Don’t they really belong in Las Vegas?
About the Author: John Armor is a First Amendment attorney and author who lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
Interesting read.
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