Some
years ago Volkswagen had an ad that said “think small”. I’m
inclined to this persuasion myself. For example, I tend to dislike
large crowds much preferring smaller assemblies—as found at early
church services and small group Sunday school classes. There is a
saying something to the order that great thoughts come about in small
rooms, even the bathroom. We as a nation are very fortunate to have
the facility to bring public events into our living rooms. This has
completely outflanked and made obsolete some of our customs—a
principal one being political conventions. I can abide a gaggle of
people if there is something to be decided – say an athletic event.
But we have the spectacle of huge fortunes spent to congregate what
is already decided and air positions that are already known. I long
for a more intimate political season with much less (to put it
bluntly) sham, gladhanding and backslapping—and, yes, baby kissing.
Give me a convention in an auditorium the size of a rather modest
church and with candidate adulation toned down from the over the top
hype trumpeting yet another Second Coming. As Mark Twain said about
another matter, I can hope for this next election season, but I
rather doubt it (unless there be a sun fleet of miracles).
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