"There are countless horrible things happening all over the world and horrible people prospering, but we must never allow them to disturb our equanimity or deflect us from our sacred duty to sabotage and annoy them whenever possible." -Auberon Waugh
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Do tourists come to Washington to witness "democracy"?
Well, when I visited DC (which, aside from a few trip through it, sans stops, I last did in 1986), I went to witness history, and to experience a taste of our heritage. Even back then, I knew that "monuments" do not equal to "democracy".
"People" = "democracy". Period.
But I can see that many people would be (and likely are) distracted by shiny things. So Donald makes a good point.
IMO, the answer to the question is no, they don't go to see "democracy". Like me, they go to see our heritage; showcased in beautiful and touching monuments, great vistas, vast museums, and the history of how this country was made. The times I've been there, politicians and democracy never crossed my mind. If there had been any "politicians" out and about, I would have avoided them out of fear of having my time there tainted, somehow.
DC may be the seat of democracy, but I didn't sit in it.
Well, when I visited DC (which, aside from a few trip through it, sans stops, I last did in 1986), I went to witness history, and to experience a taste of our heritage. Even back then, I knew that "monuments" do not equal to "democracy".
ReplyDelete"People" = "democracy". Period.
But I can see that many people would be (and likely are) distracted by shiny things. So Donald makes a good point.
There's precious little "democracy" on display in DC. To see that you need to get out into where real Americans live and work.
ReplyDeleteIMO, the answer to the question is no, they don't go to see "democracy". Like me, they go to see our heritage; showcased in beautiful and touching monuments, great vistas, vast museums, and the history of how this country was made. The times I've been there, politicians and democracy never crossed my mind. If there had been any "politicians" out and about, I would have avoided them out of fear of having my time there tainted, somehow.
ReplyDeleteDC may be the seat of democracy, but I didn't sit in it.
*