Different Kinds of Intelligence
By Theresa Camoriano
One of the great things about traditional American values is that they teach us to respect and value every person. No matter whether you are rich or poor, and no matter the color of your skin, you are a valuable person, and you can achieve great things. We know that there are all kinds of intelligence and all kinds of talents, and our American values, based on the Bible, teach us that every person has value and deserves to be treated with respect. Our whole governmental, legal and economic system is based on that bedrock principle.
That is why it causes me great pain when I see one person intentionally ridiculing or humiliating another – acting as if a person is not valuable or is somehow sub-human. That is one of the Saul Alinsky tactics in his Rules for Radicals, and it is very destructive to the fabric of society. In my opinion, we should not tolerate the use of such dirty tactics, and we certainly should not allow the ridiculers to profit from using them.
Many of us remember the way Ronald Reagan was ridiculed by the press as being a “B” actor, who was not even as bright as Bonzo, the chimpanzee that appeared in some of his movies. Isn’t it amazing how such an idiot was able to achieve such great things! He promoted policies that set the economy on a growth pattern for twenty years and won the cold war without engaging in major military battles. Could it possibly be that Reagan had a form of intelligence and wisdom that was not recognized by the talking heads?
In this political season, we see lots of ridiculing and denigrating of candidates. For example, since Rick Perry is not a smooth talker or a good debater, he is said to be stupid and incompetent. But is smooth talking the most important characteristic for a candidate? The current resident of the White House is a very smooth talker, but his policies are destroying the country. Rick Perry, on the other hand, has a history of substantial accomplishment as the governor of a large state and has been able to enact many policies that have made that state a healthy, growing place. One has to assume that it took a substantial amount of talent and intelligence for Perry to achieve such positive outcomes.
Similarly, we see Mitt Romney trying to dismiss Newt Gingrich as being a joke. Newt Gingrich has a history of accomplishment as Speaker of the House, and he has lots of ideas that are worth considering. He certainly is not a joke. If Romney believes in his own policy proposals and is proud of his own accomplishments, he should be contrasting them with the proposals and history of Gingrich and his other opponents, not trying to ridicule or denigrate them.
Whenever a candidate is willing to treat his fellow candidates with such disrespect, it tells me two things: First, that candidate does not believe he has a superior track record or superior policy proposals. If he did, he would focus on them instead of trying to ridicule his opponent. Second, if that candidate is willing to treat his opponents with such a lack of respect, he probably has a similar lack of respect for the people as a whole. Unfortunately, a lack of respect for the people is what has gotten us into the mess we are in right now. Politicians who trick the people, treat us like children, and think we are too stupid to run our own lives have overpromised and are driving the country into bankruptcy.
Ron Paul is another candidate who has been shunned and disrespected over the years, but his success in the polls and in fundraising shows us that, no matter what the talking heads or the “experts” say, the people have the final word.
Let’s hope and pray that the collective intelligence and wisdom of the American people, acting at the ballot box as well as in our homes and communities, will restore respect for every human being and will help move the country in a more positive direction this year.
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