[lit-ideas] Re: Sunday waffle...
- From: "Mike Geary" <atlas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 3 Jun 2005 07:48:57 -0500
Paul Stone:
> That is total bull shit. Millions of people COULD NOT BE a doctor OR a
> lawyer, or EVEN a plumber (no offense Mike).
No offense taken. I'm not a plumber. Impugn the intelligence of plumbers
all you want, I do everyday -- electricians, too. And please, let's not
mention carpenters. But air conditioning and refrigeration technicians --
them's your geniuses. How smart do you have to be to become a plumber? You
have to know that shit flows down hill. What six year old kid doesn't know
that? Even the dog the kid kicks knows that. Plumbers are not intelligent
as Paul implicaturates, they're just stinking rich. But electricians are by
far the most stupid people in the world. I've never met an electrician with
enough sense not to mount a service disconnect box over the essential data
plate of an air conditioner or onto a service access panel. It's shocking
what low wattage brains, those folks have. I hate having to tell them how
to wire walk-ins. I might as well be talking brain surgery to a bonobo,
they won't listen, they're all too busy looking for something to hump.
Steve Schroer on the old Phil-Lit list was the last person to insist that I
was a plumber. But then he had a thing for plumbers and was obviously in
love with me. A sad story that. We won't go into it. Is there any
redeeming social value to plumbers? Probably. The yuck factor alone
assures them a place in society, but even beyond their lowly sewer skills,
plumbers been known to get water to flow uphill for over a thousand feet --
no small feat. As George Meany used to ask: "Which group could modern
society survive longest without -- plumbers or lawyers?"
I agree with Paul that there are many among us who haven't the number of
neurons needed to retain the facts necessary to being a doctor, I'm one of
those folk, and I agree with Andy that there are many among the doctors who
are stupid, check out Dr. Frist. Lawyers are a different animal, certainly
one needs intelligence, but mostly one needs arrogance and a lubricious
personality. But I think Andy reacts as he does because society holds in
greater respect and of greater value people who are in professions that
require a lot of intelligence. A supposed meritocracy, we reward people for
their genes. It also rewards them for having wealthy parents and for being
beautiful and for being in the right place at the right time. The notion of
meritocracy is a myth. We all know that. We all resent it too because
we're all Marxists at heart. Old Karl had it right when it comes to social
justice: from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.
Mike Geary
Memphis
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