The Internet Monk
"the power of opinion, the phenomenon of speech, the impact of truth"
A Webjournal and News Review by Michael Spencer
Updated 2/19/01
Martin Sheen Spots a Moron
by Michael Spencer
According
to my nifty American Heritage
dictionary, a "moron" is a stupid person; a dolt. Or, in
Psychology: " A person of mild mental retardation having a mental age of from 7 to 12 years and generally having communication and social skills enabling some degree of academic or vocational education. The term belongs to a classification system no longer in use and is now considered offensive."
I wonder if there is a correct word for Hollywood actors who play Presidents on television, and then comment on the office of President as if they actually knew something about it? If there isn't such a word, let's dub such a person a "Sheenola," in honor of the man who really needs a reality board, West Wing actor Martin Sheen.
The definition of "moron" is required because Mr. Sheen recently honored the BBC with an in-depth interview where he said he considered the current President of the United States a moron. Should we tell Mr. Sheen that Saturday Night Live isn't actually the evening news, or should we just leave him alone? I think I can speak for many Americans when I say it took a real act of courage on Mr. Sheen's part to go to the BBC to give this assessment. Why not a major news outlet here in the states, Marty? A little intimidated by those NBC bigwigs perhaps? Didn't want to risk a bump in those ratings?
Liberals have certain predictable tracks from which they rarely depart. One can be certain that when the game is lost, the personal insults will start coming. Reagan was an idiot. Rush is a big fat idiot. Katherine Harris has on too much make-up. George W. is a moron. Middle school boys everywhere are signing up to be Democrats. (Let's go egg his car!)
It is a bit disappointing to see Mr. Sheen go to this level. He is a commendable talent. He is a person of integrity and spirituality. A lot of Americans have cheered him on as he sought to do the right thing for a wayward son. He is generous and highly dedicated to the causes he believes in. All of which makes this embarrassing comments to the BBC all the more unfortunate. He's starting to sound like Charlie after a few drinks.
I won't rehearse the case for Dubya being competently intelligent. It's obvious to everyone, including his opponents. Yale. The MBA. The on-target political skills. If you think a person who mangles a sentence is a moron, well I can only stand in wonderment. I've heard William F. Buckley be a bit unintelligible in person.
Mr. Sheen reminds us of the ugly fact that liberals really believe it is all a question of intelligence. If conservatives were just more intelligent, if they just could be given some additive that would raise their Neanderthal IQs a few points, then everyone would be a liberal. In my liberal days, I saw dozens of instances where group mourning ensued over the ignorant state of conservatives, and the resulting need to handle them roughly, since appeals to reason would be empty. Mr. Sheen is obviously of this school. The President is a "moron." Stupid. How utterly on top of things Mr. Sheen is. NBC is really fortunate to have him as our fantasy President.
I wonder what would be the story if Tom Selleck called Al Gore a moron or President Clinton a criminal? What would happen if Rush called Al Gore a moron? The odorous double standard drifts through the room at such thoughts. Liberal name-calling is pardonable because, as all good media types know, they are right.
I have great hopes for conservatives if the Martin Sheens, Paul Begalas and similar raving furies continue to refer to conservatives as stupid and dangerous. To my mind, a civil response is a powerful contrast to this spew, and it helps conservatives in their quest to win hearts and minds, particularly of the young. Don't burn Mr. Sheen in effigy, comrades. Let him talk. Listen quietly. Drink your coffee.
And let us raise our cups in toast to a really intelligent fellow, Marty's favorite real Presidential actor, Bill Clinton. No moron there. No sir. Smarter than the wife, the staff, the cabinet, the congress, the pardon attorneys, the prosecutors, the Constitution and the American people. So smart, such a non-moron, I would fully expect he would be able to play the President on TV, if the opportunity allowed. Of course, something tells me that Mr. Clinton's vast intellect may prove to be his undoing. IQ divorced from morality, Mr. Sheen, is true stupidity.
(The original BBC article can be found here.)