Posted on 12/01/2009 8:35:07 AM PST by Bob J
Chapter 2
On Aristotle
Palin begins her second chapter with a quote from Aristotle. I think I must be going mad, but I cannot remember this quotation either. Where is it?
I cannot find a reference in any book I own . . . but then I am writing this as I read her book. Can someone help me? Did Aristotle say, ” Criticism is something we can avoid by saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing?”
I want a reference to the text.
It is surely not possible that in less than one hundred pages that Palin got two ancient quotations wrong?
It is bad enough if they are used as motivational slogan writers, but couldn’t we at least get the philosopher right?
Maybe I am just having a memory failure. Can some Palinista deliver Sarah by pointing out the reference in the Philosopher’s work?
We have all been taken in my an urban legend. I once read (in a book!) that Alfred Wallace was a “lord” and got properly spanked for passing this piece of nonsense on, but I am beginning to worry about the fact checking in this book.
As Plato did not say, “Getting this sort of thing wrong too often and too quickly is hard on the soul of the reader.”
I strongly suspect that the ghostwriter Googled her way through ancient philosophy quotations. Learn from this students . . . the fact that someone says Aristotle said a thing does not mean that he did.
On Entering Politics
However random the first chapter seemed, the story of Palin’s entering politics is more readable and polished. She knows how she thinks about this era of her life.
Her rise as she tells it is appealing so far. I admire her willingness to raise taxes to pay for a local police department. That is why we render to Caesar!
Palin shows a strong libertarian streak in the chapter with government doing what it can at the edges. In this way, she really should read Aristotle, because he would defend (I think) her notion that politics is an art and not a science.
Palin is also strong when she argues against “old boy” networks in local politics. Who hasn’t faced that in his hometown?
The kind of experience that Palin gained as mayor strikes me as very valuable real world executive leadership. She actually had to do things and see the consequences. Wasilla is small and eccentric, but then so was ancient Athens!
You can learn a great deal by working in a place where everybody knows where you live. Weirdly, the political Palin is coming across as more authentic than the young Palin.
Stop the Quotes Now!
I am giving up trying to confirm Palin quotations, but the irritating habit suddenly saying: “I didn’t take to heart the words of Martin Luther King Jr. . . . ” or some other quotable chap. Was Palin considering King’s words and refused to take them to hear?
Or is she retroactively thinking about them? Where did she find King’s words? Is she a King fan?
I predict that soon we will have a Teddy Roosevelt quote. I can also feel a G.K. Chesterton quotation coming . . . and Mother Theresa is usually good for citation.
Will Sarah let me down or will she quote mine these favorites soon?
This book is really disappointing.
On Being Wrong
Finally Palin admits to doing something bad (page 88) as she apologizes for refusing to back her mother-in-law in politics. This is a well written apology and she seems to have learned that personal connections and loyalty can be important than personal ambition.
This is a fine lesson within limits. She was right to worry about nepotism, but probably wrong to back some one other than her mother.
Palin values loyalty, but not at the cost of her ideals. This is a good thing.
Her resignation from the natural resources board is a story that has been told many times, but it is well told her. This is the Palin I admired and her discussion of the “end of her political career” is moving and strikes me as authentic.
The difference between her use of Jeremiah and the her inauthentic misuse of early quotation is revealing. She did the right thing, suffered for it (even if briefly), and it caused her to reevaluate her life.
Hopefully the rest of the book will continue in this manner.
The Book To Now
What do I think of “Our Sarah” (as some called her) up to this point in the book?
Palin learns by doing. She is highly energetic and fiercely loyal to her folks and family. She has mastered everything thrown at her by a total immersion strategy and by her ability to push harder than most people.
She has always been polarizing and she does not suffer fools gladly. She has been hurt a bit by media attacks on her education and intelligence, but has not reacted in a helpful manner to them.
Is she fit to be President? Perhaps, but I am concerned about her polarizing nature, her dark mood toward critics, and imprecision. Her confidence, energy, native intelligence, and leadership skills are impressive.
Palin has not been well served by this book so far as a book. As a money making and attention getting device it seems to be going very well, but the book is bad so far.
Of course if writing autobiography well were a mark of a great President, then U.S. Grant would have been our finest chief executive.
Something I Cannot Judge
Finally, Palin has faced discrimination in her career from being a woman, being physically attractive, being from Alaska, and being an Evangelical. However, she has reacted to this prejudices by becoming defensive.
This is understandable, justifiable, but will not serve her well in national politics. Rage about slights against self rarely go over well . . . and have caused her to harm her own cause at times however unfair this might be.
She is certainly entitled to her anger and her suspicions, but she might want to reexamine whether her preferred strategy for dealing with both has the outcome she wishes.
I am in no position to judge of course in most of these areas.
I am now taking a break from this blogging for a few hours.
Not even intelligent enough to use Google...?
Author: FAIL.
Of course the present occupant at 1600 Pennsylvania is non-polarizing. /sarc
“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing”
Aristotle quotes (Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scientist and Physician, 384 BC-322 BC)
And if this smug liberal turd ever bothered to read Voegelin, he'd know what a load of BS that is.
ping for later
This moron is supposed to be a professor of philosophy and can't find a common Aristotle quote? I guess he's never heard of the internet?
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