Time's Man of the Century
I've gotten several letters from different people recently requesting that I submit a vote for Gordon B. Hinckley as Time's Man of the Century. So I went to the site to check it out. I ended up voting for Winston Churchill although there are, of course, other good candidates. But I really don't know if it counts, anyway, because I don't subscribe to or even read Time except occasionally if I happen to have it sitting right in front of me in the doctor's office or whatever. Then I clicked on a link on that same page to go to the topical sites where I voted as follows:
- Leaders and Revolutionaries: Nelson Mandela (runners up: King Hussein of Jordan, Anwar Sadat of Egypt, Yitzhak Rabin of Israel, Hanan Ashrawi of Palestine, Mikhail Gorbachev)
- Artists and Entertainers: George Gershwin (runners up: the Beatles, Elton John, Paul Simon)
- Builders and Titans: Henry Ford (runners up: Paul Hawken, Ted Turner)
- Scientists and Thinkers: Philo T. Farnsworth
- Heroes and Icons: Martin Luther King, Jr. (runners up: Noam Chomsky, Amos Oz, Jimmy Carter)
As it turns out, my choices for leader/revolutionary and builder/titan both came in second on the list of what people have voted for so far (as of Oct. 14th 1999). So I guess I'm somewhat in tune with what at least some other Americans think about their heroes.
Here's a brief rundown on my reasons for voting as I did:
I chose Mandela because I admire his years and years of non-violent suffering in the name of freedom which eventually led to a change of the South African system. I also admire his willingness to abstain from seeking revenge on the Whites who for so long trampled the rights of his people once he came to power. If I had thought of it, I might have voted for Ghandi. But I think Mandela is equally deserving.
I chose Gershwin because I believe he, along with many blues and jazz artists, is the source from which American music, including today's pop, jazz, and even country stems. He took the European musical tradition and made it uniquely American in works like Rhapsody in Blue and An American in Paris. Too bad he died so young.
I chose Henry Ford because he was a thinker and was constantly coming up with new ideas for how to do things. For example, he developed a car made of a soy-based plastic way back in the Twenties. Something which, to my mind, would be useful in today's waste-overgenerating society. I purposefully chose him over the likes of Bill Gates and Howard Hughes, people who are only interested in technology for how it can make them money. I think Ford was that unique kind of individual who was in it for more than mere monetary gain. If I knew more about science, I may have tried to pick the German individual who actually invented the automobile. Because I believe Henry Ford merely improved on something a German inventor actually came up with. This is true, isn't it? Nevertheless, Ford is worthy of the vote, I believe.
I chose Philo Farnsworth because he grew up in Idaho and was Mormon. I felt justified in this in that TV (which he invented) has been such an important part of the 20th century, and also because I felt bad I hadn't voted for GB Hinckley as I'd been asked. (I could not in good conscience vote for GB Hinckley, however. To my mind, he makes a mockery of the office of 'prophet' in that his relationship with the truth is one of convenience. Prophets are all about truth, in my opinion. His strengths lie more in public relations, unfortunately). Richard Feynman would have been another good choice. But I didn't feel his influence was quite as far-reaching as Farnsworth's, whether for good or for bad. (He was a professor of physics whose writings are re-gaining popularity today for their instructional and literary value).
Martin Luther King, Jr. is every freedom lover's hero. Like Mandela, he did not resort to violence to get what he wanted for his people. Some are critical of him for flirting with the Communist Party, but to my mind this can be forgiven when you consider the bullheaded ignorance and stupidity he had to deal with in the struggle to secure equal rights for African Americans. He can hardly be accused of being a traitor to a system that offered him and his people nothing to speak of in the way of security or rights.
By the way, I did take slight offense at the title "*Man* of the Century" which sort of implies that the choice of a woman would be an anomaly. Nevertheless, none of my choices ended up being women. I apologize for that. I'm sure it's only because I need to educate myself more thoroughly on the contributions of women to the list of important human endeavors. Feel free to point me in the right direction or throw me a hint or whatever.
Well, that's my two cents. I'd be interested in hearing your opinion: forgetfuljones@oocities.com
Dave