Sam Smith – I have become fascinated by the extent of coverage being given the murder of the CEO of United Healthcare. For one thing, I had never heard of him before. I can’t even remember his name. And I noticed that MSNBC in its headlines referred to him just as CEO rather than giving his name which I suspect means I’m not alone in my ignorance on this topic.
We’re apparently meant to respect him and scorn his killer because he is a CEO, a position of significant importance to those working in firms like MSNBC, but for me it’s another case of something that has interested me of late, namely who is important and for how long. Having recently turned 87, I have a daily acquaintance with insignificance, which doesn’t bother me since the alternative might be mortality or having to do some stupid stuff. Beside I have lived a life with some amazing people. They just weren’t famous.
I have also been mulling the topic of fame and what happens to it. People put a lot of energy into achieving it, but even if you’re famous for awhile, not long after you are forgotten. In fact, I think there is a period ranging from a few years ago to the past century in which even history hasn’t earned its fame by our standards.
I was reminded of this recently reading a book that discusses Lyndon Johnson, a major figure early in my life but – like Richad Nixon and Hubert Humphrey – rarely mentioned these days. Even Franklin Roosevelt doesn’t get that much attention. I’ve come to call this period protohistory.
Then I remember that during the four decades I was covering national news in Washington, I was also deeply involved at the local level. And when I think back, I can only come up with one national figure – Senator Eugene McCarthy – with whom I actually became friends.
There were local issues like DC self government, civil rights and freeways that absorbed me and created activist friendships. And when I think back of the people who had the most impact on my life they were overwhelmingly local friends and neighbors, teachers I had in high school, a farmer for whom I worked in the summertime when a teenager and so forth.
I’m coming to feel that our view of who’s important has been seriously distorted by the mass media of modern times, giving us role models that we won’t think about much in a few years. Very much like the media handles movie stars. Fame is just a passing status.
Obviously, some of these – like Donald Trump – can cause considerable damage along with those they give fame, like Robert Kennedy Jr., but can you remember who was the first director of then Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. And what did Oveta Culp Hobby do of particular interest?
What I’ve concluded from this is that fame is a passing advantage. During the long decades of protohistory even the famous are forgotten and only a few are revived by scholars.
The truth is the most important people in our lives are those with whom we live near, talk much, share ideas and do each other favors. This is the actual world of our lives rather than what the media tries to tell us.
The guy who’ll help you most with today’s being problem may live right across the street.
