Leaders vs. Salesmen

Maybe it's the guilt-ridden, ex-catholic in me, but I ended up reading (see previous post) the last essay from DFW about the 2000 Presidential primary.  What a gruesome subject. McCain, Bush2 - negative campaigning, etc.

Still it was worth the slog. DFW shows us the media machine from the inside. And goes on a very interesting digression about "Leaders," and "Salesmen."  He makes a rock-solid case that we live in the age of the Salesmen, very few Leaders to be found. And aren't we leery of Leaders anyway?  

The the mass market marketing campaign has morphed into every aspect of our lives. And is "truth-telling," just another marketing approach?  It's hard to pinpoint the genuine, the true when everything is for sale and everything is just another tactic to be used to gain some advantage or vote.

And voting is voting, and not voting is voting. And those in power (see the day's headlines) actually want to turn us off from voting and participating. What a hall of mirrors.  The last line from DFW: "Stay Awake."  It's harder than you think.