“Would you rather be a scholar discoursing about the crisis of displacement, or a country singer singing about how much you miss Georgia?” (Rules, p. 207).
Have 'Em Delivered
Write to the Editor
Theology That Bites Back
Theology That Bites Back
I know which I’d rather listen to.
Yes
A song about how much you miss Georgia, is a discourse on the crisis of displacement ! More so if you like peach pie.
I would prefer Brook Benton.
Assuming my presuppositions aren’t awry, I’d choose the country singer. My sense is that the academic, who, to my mind, is emblematic of our anti-culture, is devoted to his theories and abstractions. The artist, likewise, may be devoted to his own set of abstractions every bit as much as the academic, but at least it sounds like he’s singing about a longing for an actual place, grounded in reality.
How’d I do?
As a committed capitalist, I would choose country singer. There’s likely more money to be made in showbiz. Also, there is at least some measure of talent involved with singing.