There were some solid people on the list, though. Think of it like those VH1 and Biography lists: more or less good lists, as long as you ignore thier No. 1 choice. Do that and these top 10, 25, 50, and 100 lists are suddenly much more palatable.
First of all, one more thing: AIDS. Oh, and the fostering of the World Bank/IMF. Those two things would pretty much land Reagan in my "most important figure of the last 25 years" list, but not in the good way.
The list also had Oprah, George W. (as "Greatest Living American"), and Lance Armstrong. And such a list is a really trite conceit to begin with.
ALL THAT SAID, I actually was excited to find this, because it offers an ever-so-fascinating glimpse into the opinions of mass-marketed-media-consuming American citizens. It's just, y'know, I kind of hate that people actually think this way, from inception (it is irrelevant to rank anything, ever) to actual choices (Reagan!).
Though, come to think of it, since he was at the forefront of some of the greatest quality-of-life-reducing effots in recent history, I suppose he really is the greatest at being an American. So there! Everybody wins!
Sorry, I only named some issues I could come up with off the top of my head. I don't know if I would have mentioned AIDS (seeing as how I figured the improper handling of the epidemic fell in with nicely with Reaganomics), but I do regret missing the World Bank shit. That's a biggie.
Personally, I feel the anti-communist doctrine (and giving monetary support to voilent revolutionaries) and iran/contra were/are proving to be the biggest disasters as far as lasting and ongoing consequences for America go. As far as the world bank thing, the whole world is headed down the econmic crapper, and while I don't think Reagan's influence was small, it's just a small piece if a very large shit puzzle. And as for AIDS, America has recovered reasonably well despite his actions. The rest of humanity, on the other hand...
Comments 7
(The following actions/issues do not count)
Iran/Contra
"Star Wars"
Trickle-Down Economics
Reaganomics
Increased War-On-Drugs spending
Reagan Doctrine
apartheid
There were some solid people on the list, though. Think of it like those VH1 and Biography lists: more or less good lists, as long as you ignore thier No. 1 choice. Do that and these top 10, 25, 50, and 100 lists are suddenly much more palatable.
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The list also had Oprah, George W. (as "Greatest Living American"), and Lance Armstrong. And such a list is a really trite conceit to begin with.
ALL THAT SAID, I actually was excited to find this, because it offers an ever-so-fascinating glimpse into the opinions of mass-marketed-media-consuming American citizens. It's just, y'know, I kind of hate that people actually think this way, from inception (it is irrelevant to rank anything, ever) to actual choices (Reagan!).
Though, come to think of it, since he was at the forefront of some of the greatest quality-of-life-reducing effots in recent history, I suppose he really is the greatest at being an American. So there! Everybody wins!
Reply
Personally, I feel the anti-communist doctrine (and giving monetary support to voilent revolutionaries) and iran/contra were/are proving to be the biggest disasters as far as lasting and ongoing consequences for America go. As far as the world bank thing, the whole world is headed down the econmic crapper, and while I don't think Reagan's influence was small, it's just a small piece if a very large shit puzzle. And as for AIDS, America has recovered reasonably well despite his actions. The rest of humanity, on the other hand...
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