It's Better to be Average

I beginning to understand and support the Republican criticism of elitists -- those high-toned people who think they know better than the rest of us average folks. That's why I am especially interested in Governor Sarah Palin -- because she's just like everybody else.

She's not like those smart-aleck people I met when I was in Boston. They all thought they were so smart, or those Holly wood people I've met in Los Angeles -- they think they're so cool.

I once admired these people, but I realize now that it's better to be average, and no better than anyone else. When your children come home from school today,you can begin to teach them this.

"Johnny, I think you should stop reading all those books -- you don't want to be smarter than anybody else in your class."

"Rebecca, it looks like you're practicing the piano a little too much. Are you trying to be the best? You know how we feel about that. We're normal people at our house. We don't make any more money than our neighbors, our house isn't any prettier than anyone else's -- because we're regular folks, and we want you to grow up and be just like everybody else --- not those terrible elitist people that we've warned you about."

That's how I should have raised my children.

Today, I went to the doctor. Thank goodness that he has no special training or ambition. I wouldn't go to one of those doctors who stay up late reading medical journals, trying to learn the latest techniques. Oh no, not my doctor, he practices regular medicine, and he's not going to adopt a new technique until all the other doctors do. That's the safe and normal way. It's always better to be average.

In my work as a journalist, I have carefully avoided ambition. I make an effort to get most of the facts, but if I worked any harder, then I would be trying to rise above my fellow journalists -- just like an elitist!

I feel the same way about our political leaders. I would never vote for anyone who was actually intelligent or particularly skilled in international affairs. I would never vote for anyone who spoke a foreign language. I only speak English, and if it's good enough for you and me, it ought to be good enough for the President of the United States. I especially wouldn't vote for someone who went to one of those colleges that require a high grade-point average and high SAT scores --- because I'm opposed to anyone who's better than average.

America is for average people. Those are our national values and we should all be thankful for that.