THIS

[malaise]

Last edited Thu Nov 7, 2024, 05:27 PM - Edit history (1)

H.L. Mencken, in the Baltimore Evening Star on July 25, 1920: “As democracy is perfected, the office of the President represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day, the plain folks of the land will reach their heart’s desire at last, and the White House will be occupied by a downright fool and complete narcissistic moron.”

Newspaper clip here
https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-evening-sun-hl-mencken-article-26/21831908/

[Pas-de-Calais]

1. Nailed it

[MMBeilis]

2. H.L. Mencken was great in his time and still reads true. Narcissistic. Jeez, couldn't be more spot on.

[Harker]

9. "Narcissistic" wasn't Mencken's word.

It's a misquote.

[malaise]

12. Added original clip link

[Harker]

16. I've been reading Mencken since the 70s...

and it can be frustrating.

When he nailed one, though, he nailed it good and hard!

[msfiddlestix]

17. so, what is the actual quote?

[Harker]

23. Post 7 has the whole piece reproduced...

And the quote is at the very end.

I trust you'll forgive my not pecking it out one fingered on my phone.

[MMBeilis]

19. So......I stand "corrected"?

[Harker]

22. Not at all. The description fits Trumpsky well. n/t

[dpibel]

33. Harker stands corrected?

Harker is correct.

The actual quote, reproduced at the link, is: "On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last, and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

Or did I misunderstand your post as to who stands corrected?

[MMBeilis]

38. You misunderstood. Harker isn't "I" in this case, it's me.

[multigraincracker]

3. Words of wisdom.

Thanks.

[markodochartaigh]

4. The strength, or the weakness

of democracy is that sooner or later the people get the government that they deserve.

[Jean Genie]

5. WHOA!!!

How sadly and amazingly true!

[relayerbob]

6. Yep. 100% truth

[Kali]

7. original didn't have narcisstic and it was the Sun

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-evening-sun-hl-mencken-article-26/21831908/

apologies for being pedantic, truly, I may be on this kick for a while. the forces of misinformation and inaccuracy have taken over the country and I just feel like I am going to be annoying everyone I know with corrections.


edit, also looks like it was on the 26th

[malaise]

11. You are correct

It is pretty close and several links have the one I posted

https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-evening-sun-hl-mencken-article-26/21831908/

[niyad]

14. Thank you for posting the entire piece, which is one of the clearest

explanations of how we got here.

[msfiddlestix]

18. what is the corrected quote?

[Kali]

20. last sentence at link

it is an image of the original newspaper

[dpibel]

31. After the last comma, it reads:

"and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron."

[msfiddlestix]

39. thank you! And yeah, that's a close descriptor of what's happened, but a little too kind. It's much worse,

[EnergizedLib]

8. But why did it have to happen in *my* lifetime?

[malthaussen]

29. You apparently haven't read Tolkein.

“I wish it need not have happened in my time," said Frodo.
"So do I," said Gandalf, "and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

-- Mal

[surfered]

10. That is amazing foresight .

[rubbersole]

13. Ouch.

tsf is even going to give morons a bad name.

[niyad]

15. KNR. There was also his comment about not going broke underestimating

stupidity.

[Conjuay]

21. He Left off the word 'twice'

[returnee]

24. An oldie but a goodie. Thanks. (no text)

[Martin68]

25. Wow!

[cilla4progress]

26. Yes.

I posted yesterday that America is a joke and a lie.

I should add circus, led by an unserious and very damaged man.

[world wide wally]

35. Actually, Trump was right...America IS a shithole country.

[AZ8theist]

27. This certainly applies to 2016. It DOES NOT describe 2024....

[republianmushroom]

28. Got this one right.

[malthaussen]

30. Mr Mencken was a journo...

... he made a living writing stuff like that. Very funny and cynical, but ultimately a bit nihilistic for a grownup's tastes. That doesn't mean he was wrong -- in fact, his very nihilism would have enabled him to see things most didn't because they were too invested in the symbolism.

-- Mal

[Orange Buffoon]

34. There are so many good things in this.

(It's the first time I have read the entire thing.) In particular:
"But when a candidate for public office faces the voters he does not face men of sense: he faces a mob of men whose chief distinguishing mark is the fact that they are quite incapable of weighing ideas, or even comprehending any save the most elemental—men whose whole thinking is done in terms of emotion, and whose dominant emotion is dread of what they cannot understand. So confronted, the candidate must either bark with the pack, or count himself lost."

[malaise]

37. Indeed

Rec

[PatSeg]

36. Ah yes

I remember that quote. More timely this week than ever before.