The Night Deliberative Democracy Died or Academia is a Harsh Mistress; Also, some lovely new music for the masses to try out

So, I'm heading to Health and Human Services tomorrow. I feel like this is a big moment for me, to really connect with a government agency even though I'm going to be a silent participant. I'm hoping to run across Mike Leavitt and say, "You made good, Mr. Governor, you made good" and then walk away. Anywho, today's entry is brought to you by the Levellers. Over the last week, I picked up Green Blade Rising and Truth and Lies. I can't stop listening. Confess has a beuatiful beginning. You want to talk about the best beginnings of songs of 2005, Confess is easily top 5. By beginnings, let's define up until the (wo)man begins to sing. I've never created a top 5 list for this, but maybe it's time. Pretty much any time the beginning gives you a chill before the song really takes flight, you've got yourself a song. Sometimes, though, a wonderful beginning gives way to a mediocre song that you force yourself to like. Confess is not that way. Words by the Doves falls into this category. I could listen to that high guitar opening riff over and over again and pretend a different song will issue forth from my speakers, but alas! it's always Words. While I'm inthe complaing mood, why can't some artists figure out they're ruining a song with a guitar bridge, weird effects, what have you? Better Than Ezra on Friction, baby were kings of this. Desperately Wanting has a weird stomping guitar bridge in the middle of a gorgeous song. I recall that King Of New Orleans has something similar that just makes you wanna puke! Couple others in this vein...Wilco's live version of Misunderstood is awesome....up until Mr. Tweedy decides to say "Nothing" something like 50 times in a row. I think I need to edit that out of the song. Travis on Humpty Dumpty Love Song has this annoying long note at the end. The first time I heard it I remember thinking, "You idiots! Cut the noise 15 second ago and this song is one the greatest of all time!" Then they went and added two mediocre songs on the same track so you could never put that track on a mix CD unless you did you some personal trimming. Few bands really can master the 6:00+ song, especially one that tries the old prog rock movement idea. Jimmy Eat World serves up some frustration with Just Watch the Fireworks. The first four minutes are awesome, and then it goes into some two minute repetitive weird thing and then finishes out nice. Of course, Goodbye Sky Harbor is intolerable. At least do something different! That's it, I'm making a Most Repetitive in a Bad Way list: Goodbye Sky Harbor and Pretty Noose by Soundgarden are battling for number one. Pretty Noose is classic. It's pretty much over at 1:30, but keeps repeating the same insipid line over and over and over for another 1:30. Should've learned from Blur that you can make a great song in 2 minutes. Come to think of it, Blow Up the Outside World was repetitive too. Down on the Upside had such potential...
Okay, this wasn't supposed to be dedicated to music. I really wanted to go off on something on Tuesday. So, there was this neat old lecture with Big T Schelling, he who won the Nobel Prize in Economics and has pushed the status of the University of Maryland up up up. Good thing he's affiliated with my school (Harvard still claims him as their's..why, because he wrote his seminal literature there? Whatever you freaking Crimson, let the state school have its day. You've got like 25 Nobel laureates. Afraid U. of Chicago is going to steal your prestige? Loosen your ascot and breathe!) Anyway, Big T was answering questions and this poor guy that seemed like he knew jack about Big T's work asked a question that misinterpreted a previous comment by T. T corrected him and the poor boy spluttered apologies for nigh on to three minutes before being dismissed by the moderator. He sat down next to his parents, humiliated (who were probably thinking, "WHY WHY WHY???!!! I thought this boy was going to be something, not a spluttering fool in front of Big T no less). During his splutterfest, I bowed my head and tried not to listen. t was embarrassing for me to hear him. I got to thinking later about this...a) Academia really punishes those who can't come up with the brilliant comment. It's supposedly all about learning, but really, if you make the wrong comment, you're brutally put down. I find this in my classes as well as brilliant professors do not give a second thought to a comment that runs afoul of their line of thinking. What would Socrates think of this (or Plato's Socrates...I mean, Socrates could have been a mimbo for all we know)? He seemed generally tolerable of the meek ignorant. Oh, and then professors have the gall to grade you on participation when the only way they want you to participate is if you've got the answer they want. Ok, a little cynical there. b) Deliberative democracy will never work because there is no way you get anyone like these academics to listen to people who speak stupidly. If you check out Iris Young book on deliberative democracy, she's all about this "inclusion" principle, making sure that people not only are physically incldued in democratic proceedings but also in ways of speaking and presenting. A forum is not inclusive if the only views accepted come from people who have very measured, dispassionate ways of speaking. The hotheads, the fumblers, the stutterers, the splutterers, the low-talkers (two Seinfled references today), they'll all be marginalized. And there's no chance they wont be because the good speakers are so frigging full of themselves that they don't WANT to listen to the inferior speakers. I don't even know what I'm talking about any more. It's been too long and winding, and I'm probably wrong. I just feel bad for the people that get up and don't present themselves well despite having decent things to say.
This East Coast is interesting.