Klavan On The Culture » At the Ministry of Silly Prizes

Klavan On The Culture

October 12th, 2009 9:30 am

At the Ministry of Silly Prizes

The fatuousness of the Nobel committee’s Peace Prize award to President Obama cannot, of course, be held against Obama himself. He didn’t campaign for it or claim to be worthy of it, whatever “worthy” might mean in regards to an honor so degraded by ideology. And when he won it, he did what any politician would’ve done – what I would’ve done in his position – tried to put it to use to further his agenda. Fair enough.

But that a group of presumably serious individuals convinced themselves that they might give such an award to a man who has accomplished nothing but the winning of elections does indeed say something about Obama’s role in their lives and the lives of people like them. It shows that they regard him as an empty vessel which they have filled with their political hopes and dreams–that they know he’s such a vessel and that they’re comfortable with that. This means, if you follow the logic, that the committee has essentially presented the Peace Prize to themselves, to their own feelings and aspirations. Thus, this year’s Nobel Peace Prize is, in effect, the ultimate expression of leftism: it’s  people giving themselves an enormous pat on the back for their own excellent intentions without regard to results.

via Klavan On The Culture » At the Ministry of Silly Prizes.