<DAK, you lose a lot of credibility when you trot out this battered rhetorical warhorse.>
My 'credibility' is meaningless...
<I think that Byrd was acting as much out of self-interest as the country's interest. >
So it's about Byrd, not courage.
My point was about courage, and I believe you have it 100% exactly wrong:
<<Also, our media culture promotes the idea that everyday acts or duties can be somehow heroic or courageous: reporting misbehavior or crimes, buying environmentally friendly products, becoming vegan, talking about your disease in a public forum, etc. >>
Of course it's not necessarily just the 'act', it's the 'intention'... and it's may be deeply personal as well. Becoming vegan can be done out of fear for instance [my boss is vegan, I'll be one to be cool]. Reporting a crime, same thing, OR it very well be courageous! Some people live they're entire lives in fear of some sort and seemingly simple things may take great courage for them, certainly reporting a crime may fit the bill.
I'm not saying that media puff pieces are correct, who knows, I'm no judge... but it seems to me [JMO of course] that the overriding effect of media [modern life?] is to diminish daily sacredness of life by raising the bar on virtually every ction to a national or even global level. The old lady who tells all her friends and the police about a murderer drug dealer selling drugs out of her alley despite being threatened by him is compared through media with the guy breaking into crack houses with guns blazing... the highschool football star runningback with the superbowl MVP, the local opera singer with Paveratti, and on and on.
<And rhetorical tricks and high mindedness may win debates in the minds of an audience, but in the end, reason matters. >
Actually as you are probably aware, my debate skill are perhaps the lowest on the board, and as I've said I don't give a rats ass about audience... just writting this for me. High mindedness? How about 'no-mindedness', I'll take that. Reason?? You can 'reason out' what 'courage' is?? Don't think so... I don't know Byrd's motivation. I liked the speech, and would not argue against it being courageous, bwtfdik.
DAK |
