COMMENTS ON C97
C97/23 Creating Heroes : Ann MacKinnon Kucera's assumption that the law- abiding would back the moralists against Clinton is flawed because of her perceptions of heroes, of the law-abiding, and of the 'moralists'. Clinton was already the archtypical hero waiting to be recognised. The law-abiding, on the whole, are not rational beings, and most are more interested in perceiving Justice done than the law enforced. It is also a fact that the moralists in this case ceased to be seen by most people as entirely moral because the lengthy process of bringing President Cllnton to account made them appear persecutors.
Some leaders way be heroes, perceived or otherwise, but all heroes are leaders of one kind or another. They must also be likeable and must have shortcomings that may be seen as human failings in order that ordinary folk my find it possible to identify with them. President Clinton is a leader and a likeable (even loveable?) rogue. He needed only to perform what would be perceived as an heroic deed. He did this when he took on the perceived media monsters and the perceived money-grabbing conscienceless lawyers, the so-called moralists. He behaved in a way in which it is generally perceived his enemies behaved. Isn't that ever the way of heroes ?
I use the word, perceived, again and again, to make it clear that what followed may or may not be reality, but that it has been judged to be so by many people. Any politician worthy of the name is aware that perception is more important than reality (whatever that is), Performing heroic deeds is not enough if one is perceived as a superman. It is expected of supermen that they will perform heroic deeds. Clinton is not only a hero but probably a politician of genius, too. He was not created a hero. He has been discovered to be a hero. He may have engineered part of the process.
C97/6 : The words 'omnipotence' and ‘omniscience’ lead me to wander how we could have free will in the presence of such a gifted being. Yet if this being should choose to be less powerful and less knowledgeable in order to give us freewill would this not create a paradox, particularly if ‘infinite' was also added to the gifts ?
Bob Cooper