Letters to the Editor

This letter is associated with the following article:
Read other letters about this article
Better to be Hamlet than President George
Doubt is a virtue, JFK told students 45 years ago. Without it we have the tragic bluster and empty optimism of political culture today.
By Peter Birkenhead [2007-06-11]

  • Wonderful essay Peter Birkenhead.

    Thank you for pointing out how arrogant certainty now infects our culture. Sadly, the sound bite, the spin, and the flash of image has destroyed the time necessary to even appear to be truly reflective. I have been struggling recently with trying to articulate in my own thoughts what troubles me most about our twenty-first century direction. You nailed it for me.

    Behind that arrogant certainty is an insecure fear. You can see it in Bush's eyes sometimes. It disappears almost as quickly as it comes, only to be replaced by the smirk.

    That is why I treasure the footage of his reading "My Pet Goat." With his simian expression and his darting eyes, he shows true uncertainty and fear. If only he could have held on to that genuine doubt, how much better off our nation would be. That was probably his finest moment!

    Also, as much as I hate to credit Christopher Lasch, he warned about the narcissism that could infect us. Much that he said has come to pass.

    -- AKA Smith
    [Read AKA Smith's other letters]
    Sunday, June 10, 2007 08:10 PM
Read other letters about this article

Letters Help